Time: The Lord gives Ezekiel a vision of his temple.
What The Lord is Saying:
East gateway door must remain closed. The Lord God has entered here and no one else will enter. May it remind you that the Lord was here. And just inside this door, only the prince can sit and feast. This area marks the lord's presence. But, to get here, again, he must use the entry room of the gateway.
Now to the north gateway. It was here that the glory of the Lord filled the Temple. I fell down, prostrate. And the Lord spoke and I listened, carefully, about the regulations of the Temple.
And tell those that have rebelled, that is the people of Israel, tell them that the Lord has had enough of your sins. One such sin is bringing men that are uncircumcised into the sanctuary; people who have no heart for God. By doing this act you defiled me. Even when you offered me food, fat, and blood of sacrifices, don't think that those good acts can cover this evil act. The temple is to be upheld and protected by you, not by foreigners. Take them out. Remember, no one uncircumcised shall enter. And people must surrender themselves to the Lord to enter.
Like the tribe of Levi, they can still do things, but they must see there are consequences to their sins, namely worshiping idols. They can be guards or gatekeepers and slaughter animals, but that is it. Again, there are consequences. They can not be priests. They can not touch any of the holy things. They can only provide maintenance of the temple.
However, the Levitical priests, those of the family of Zadok, they can be ministers because they were faithful when Israel was not. They will fulfill all of God's requirements.
When they (is this the priests?) they are to only wear linen clothing, not wool. Why? They are not to sweat. There are rules because my holiness is a great thing and they must be careful. Their heads are not be shaved or hair grown long, but it is to be trimmed regularly.
The priests shall not drink wine before entering the inner courtyard. Their wives can only come from among the virgins of Israel or widows of priests. No one else. They will teach people what is holy and what is common. They will also be the judge of any disagreements among the people. All instructions of the Lord must be obeyed. The Sabbath days are to be holy.
A priest may not be near a dead person. But, he can if it is a close blood relative, but even then, he must wait 7 days before returning to his Temple duties. And on Day one from returning, he must offer a sin offering.
The priests will not own any land. Their food will be result of gifts and sacrifices brought to the temple. What is given is not the last, but the first fruits. And no meat may they eat as a result of natural death or from being attacked.
Promise: The Lord is Holy and His ways are always right and there are consequences to our actions on this earth. But, God has chosen us and this doesn't mean consequences in heaven for those he has chosen and sealed.
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