Eze 43:13-27 | KingComments | STEP | The altar ( ) is the altar of burnt offering. The altar is located in the inner court, in front of the temple house. This altar, like the altar in the previous temples, is the center of worship. Around the altar a base or a trench is dug in the ground. It is used to absorb the blood of the sacrificial animals. First there is an elevation of one cubit and then there is an elevation of two cubits ( ). “The altar hearth” is at a height of four cubits ( ). In direct connection with the altar hearth, it is mentioned that the altar has four horns (cf. ; ). The altar hearth indicates the judgment that afflicts the sacrifice. The four horns indicate the power of the sacrifice and the number four its scope: the result of the sacrifice is offered to all, to the ends of the earth ( ). One of the names of God is “Rock” ( ). He is the guarantee that whoever has accepted the sacrifice of Christ will never lose salvation. The sacrifice always and unchangeably holds its value. The altar hearth is a square twelve cubits long and twelve cubits wide ( ). Surrounding the altar is a ledge fourteen cubits long and fourteen cubits wide ( ). Finally, there is a staircase on the east side of the altar. The east side is the side the sinner has gone to, away from God ( ). From that side he comes when he returns to God. God is approached from the east. When the priest is at the top of the steps, he is looking to the west, to the temple, which means that his gaze is directed to God’s dwelling place when he sacrifices. The staircase is needed to sacrifice on this large altar. The altar is like a large building with three square stories. Each higher story is two cubits narrower than the story below it, making the altar look like a tower. We could also call it a monument. On top, the priests work. In the realm of peace, this great monument symbolizes the work of Christ. This work is highlighted emphatically by this altar for the entire duration of the realm of peace. In picture, this means that there will remain a constant remembrance of Golgotha. That remembrance will be expressed in the animal sacrifices that will be offered again during the peace kingdom. These animal sacrifices are not a denial of the work of Christ, but a reference to His great sacrifice. They are brought in remembrance of the finished work. These animal sacrifices can be compared to the Lord’s Supper, which is also a meal of remembrance. We also bring (spiritual) sacrifices, which refer to His work. We do it in remembrance of Him, we think of Him, we think back to what He has done. A remembrance is also a memorial, a monument that makes visible what happened at the time. The memorial is not only a remembrance but also a proclamation. The request of the Lord Jesus “do this in remembrance of Me” ( ), not only implies the request to remember Him, that we may never forget, but also means to bear witness to the world to what He has done. The LORD “has made His wonders to be remembered” ( ). In the meetings of the believers we celebrate the Supper to His remembrance, whereby the Supper is also, as it were, a monument to His death, to which we owe everything. It is God’s will that there is a memorial of the work of His Son, Who is in the midst of the church as the Risen and Living One.

‏ Ezekiel 43:13-27

The Altar

The altar (Eze 43:13) is the altar of burnt offering. The altar is located in the inner court, in front of the temple house. This altar, like the altar in the previous temples, is the center of worship. Around the altar a base or a trench is dug in the ground. It is used to absorb the blood of the sacrificial animals. First there is an elevation of one cubit and then there is an elevation of two cubits (Eze 43:14).

“The altar hearth” is at a height of four cubits (Eze 43:15). In direct connection with the altar hearth, it is mentioned that the altar has four horns (cf. Exo 27:2; Psa 118:27). The altar hearth indicates the judgment that afflicts the sacrifice. The four horns indicate the power of the sacrifice and the number four its scope: the result of the sacrifice is offered to all, to the ends of the earth (Rev 7:1). One of the names of God is “Rock” (Psa 18:2). He is the guarantee that whoever has accepted the sacrifice of Christ will never lose salvation. The sacrifice always and unchangeably holds its value.

The altar hearth is a square twelve cubits long and twelve cubits wide (Eze 43:16). Surrounding the altar is a ledge fourteen cubits long and fourteen cubits wide (Eze 43:17). Finally, there is a staircase on the east side of the altar. The east side is the side the sinner has gone to, away from God (Gen 4:16 ; Gen 11:2). From that side he comes when he returns to God. God is approached from the east. When the priest is at the top of the steps, he is looking to the west, to the temple, which means that his gaze is directed to God’s dwelling place when he sacrifices.

The staircase is needed to sacrifice on this large altar. The altar is like a large building with three square stories. Each higher story is two cubits narrower than the story below it, making the altar look like a tower. We could also call it a monument. On top, the priests work.

In the realm of peace, this great monument symbolizes the work of Christ. This work is highlighted emphatically by this altar for the entire duration of the realm of peace. In picture, this means that there will remain a constant remembrance of Golgotha. That remembrance will be expressed in the animal sacrifices that will be offered again during the peace kingdom.

These animal sacrifices are not a denial of the work of Christ, but a reference to His great sacrifice. They are brought in remembrance of the finished work. These animal sacrifices can be compared to the Lord’s Supper, which is also a meal of remembrance. We also bring (spiritual) sacrifices, which refer to His work. We do it in remembrance of Him, we think of Him, we think back to what He has done.

A remembrance is also a memorial, a monument that makes visible what happened at the time. The memorial is not only a remembrance but also a proclamation. The request of the Lord Jesus “do this in remembrance of Me” (1Cor 11:23-26), not only implies the request to remember Him, that we may never forget, but also means to bear witness to the world to what He has done. The LORD “has made His wonders to be remembered” (Psa 111:4a).

In the meetings of the believers we celebrate the Supper to His remembrance, whereby the Supper is also, as it were, a monument to His death, to which we owe everything. It is God’s will that there is a memorial of the work of His Son, Who is in the midst of the church as the Risen and Living One.

The Consecration of the Altar

The Lord GOD gives Ezekiel special “statutes for the altar” (Eze 43:18), that is, about how it is to be used, how sacrifices are to be offered on it. On the day when the altar is ready to offer burnt offerings on it and sprinkle blood on it, Ezekiel is to give “the Levitical priests who are from the offspring of Zadok” who draw near to the LORD to minister to Him, a sin offering (Eze 43:19). That it is an important command is evident from the repetition “declares the Lord GOD”.

Here Ezekiel comes to an exercise of his service as a priest, a service he was never able to perform. It is noteworthy, however, that his service consists of giving an offering to the priests. He does not sacrifice himself. This is reminiscent of the service of Moses who also gives to Aaron and his sons what is necessary to perform their service as priests (Lev 8:2 ; 14). Ezekiel will be allowed to do this work in the resurrection (cf. Isa 26:19; Dan 12:2-3 ; 13). This must have been another special encouragement to this priest-prophet.

Ezekiel is addressed as “son of man”, reminding us of the Lord Jesus as the Son of Man. The resurrection of the Lord Jesus gives those whom He has redeemed cause to honor God. He is as the Risen One in the midst of the redeemed and He Himself leads in honoring God. We see this in Psalm 22, where we see Him as the sin offering. After He has completed the work for sin described in that psalm (Psa 22:1-21), He calls all who fear God to praise and worship God (Psa 22:22b-23). Thus He makes (spiritual) sacrifices available to His own.

The LORD determines which animal will serve as the sin offering. The sin offering must be a young bull (cf. Lev 4:3 ; Lev 4:14 ; Lev 16:3; Num 8:8; Eze 43:25). Ezekiel is to put the blood of that sin offering on the four horns of the altar (cf. Exo 29:12; Lev 4:7 ; 18 ; Lev 16:18) and also on four corners of the ledge around the altar (Eze 43:20). By doing so, the altar will cleansed and atonement will be made for it (cf. Exo 29:36).

In order to apply the blood to the four horns of the altar, Ezekiel must stand on top of the altar and make a circumambulation around it. Thus he sees the altar in its powerful effect in all directions and that this effect can be there by virtue of the blood of the sin offering, the Lord Jesus. Spiritually, we make the circumambulation around the altar when we consider the versatility of the work of Christ and the scope of His atoning work, what His work means both to God and to the world (Psa 26:6-8).

After applying the blood of the sin offering, Ezekiel is to take the animal to be burned by one of the priests of the sons of Zadok “in the appointed place of the house, outside the sanctuary” (Eze 43:21; cf. Lev 16:27; Exo 29:14; Lev 4:12; Heb 13:13).

This does not complete the consecration of the altar. On the second day, “a male goat without blemish” must be offered “for a sin offering” (Eze 43:22). This serves, like the young bull, to cleanse the altar. This “finished cleansing”, but not yet the consecration (Eze 43:23). A young bull and a ram from the flock, both without blemish, must still be offered. They must be offered “before the LORD” (Eze 43:24).

Before they are offered, the priests must throw salt on the young bull and on the ram. This is already commanded under the old covenant (Lev 2:13c). Salt is the sign of the covenant (Num 18:19; 2Chr 13:5). Salt is preserving and repels spoilage and is therefore an appropriate symbol, not only of the old, but also of the new covenant.

The prescription for the consecration of the altar continues with the instruction that a goat should be prepared for sacrifice every day for seven days as a sin offering (Eze 43:25). Also, a young bull and a ram from the flock, without blemish, are to be prepared for sacrifice. For seven days – this refers to a complete period – atonement must be made for the altar, cleansing it and consecrating it for use (Eze 43:26; cf. Exo 29:35; Lev 8:33).

After the seven-day period is completed, an eighth day follows as the beginning of all the days, “and onward” (Eze 43:27). An eighth day is the continuation of a completed period of seven days and is thus also the beginning of a new period, and this is a period without end, all the days, “and onward”. The eighth day indicates eternity. On the eighth day it is finally time for the altar to do the service for which it was made. That service continues for all eternity. In heaven we will continue our priestly service in a perfect and endless way.

The priests will offer their burnt offerings and peace offerings on this altar. We hear no more about sin offerings. The burnt offerings speak of the work of the Lord Jesus that He performed completely for God. The peace offerings speak of the fellowship that exists with the Father and the Son and with one another on the basis of His work. Both sacrifices speak of the pleasure that God has in His own on the basis of the sacrifice of His Son.

As has already been noted, the fact that literal sacrifices will again be offered in the realm of peace does not contradict the once-for-all work of Christ. For our time, all Old Testament sacrifices have found their fulfillment in Christ and what He accomplished (see the letter to the Hebrews). In the time of the realm of peace, when God has taken up the thread with His earthly people, Israel, those sacrifices will be a reminder of Christ’s once-for-all accomplished work. It is similar to the Lord’s Supper in our day, which is also a meal of remembrance.

The Israelite in the realm of peace will be perfectly certain of the forgiveness of his sins on the basis of the blood of Christ once shed (Heb 8:10-12). The sacrifices will then no longer mean a continual remembrance of sins, as was the case under the old covenant (Heb 10:1-4).

This wonderful section on the consecration of the altar concludes with the words “’and I will accept you’, declares the Lord GOD”. The sacrifice of Christ will always be before God’s attention. God looks upon us, who are priests, in Him. Therefore, He can accept us. All that we are and all that we receive, we owe only to Him on Whom God’s pleasure rests. We are accepted “in the Beloved” (Eph 1:6). God has testified of Him: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased” (Mt 3:17). We heartily agree and offer Him the fruit, or bulls, of our lips (Heb 13:15; Hos 14:2-3) by saying to the Father from the bottom of our hearts: “He is Your beloved Son, in Whom we also are well-pleased.”