Not until chapter 48 do we find the division of the land of Canaan for the inheritance of the twelve tribes, but here (verses 1-8) the portion for God in it is set apart, with provision also for the priests, after that for the Levites, and lastly for the city of Jerusalem. God in that day will be first in the ways and thoughts of His earthly people, however His word be set aside by them in our times.
“Oblation” is “offering,” or more fully “heave offering,” and is so rendered by the translators in most passages where the same Hebrew word occurs; examples will be found in Exodus 25:22Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering. (Exodus 25:2) and 29:27-28. The portion of the land here denoted lies between the future inheritances of Judah and Benjamin, the seventh and eighth tribes in order, counting from north to south.
We may rightly omit the word “and” in the last line of verse 3, reading the clause, “the sanctuary, the most holy place.” Verse 4 is better read “This is the holy Portion of the land; it shall be, etc.” Within the strip of land set apart as the holy portion in verses 1-4, 25000 cubits (rather than reeds), or substantially seven miles across, and 10,000 cubits or nearly 3 miles from north to south, is to be the temple whose description is given in chapters 40-42, surrounded by the dwellings of the priests who do the service of it. The temple area, 500 reeds (approximately one mile) square, corresponds with chapter 42:16; round it is to be a space of 50 cubits (about 75 feet).
Verse 5 refers to the second area, adjoining on the south that of verses 1-4 and equal in size to be given the Levites who do the service of the house of God. The beginning of the verse is correctly translated “And (a space of) five and twenty thousand;” “for twenty chambers,” at the end of this verse is considered a copyist’s error, the true reading being “for their habitations.” No serious mistake has ever been found in the King James translation, God having preserved His Word through all the centuries from alterations that would have changed its substance.
In verse 6 Jerusalem is provided for in an area 7 miles from east to west, adjoining the portion for the Levites on the south, but its extent from north to south is to be a little less than 1 1/2 miles. Thus the city and the temple will in the Millennium be separated by a distance of more than 3 miles. The three parcels of land here marked out are thus in all approximately 7 miles square. The prince who will rule is to be given the land on both sides—east and west—of this area, to the borders of the country—the Mediterranean on the west and the Jordan. and Dead Sea on the east (Chapter 47:18).
Verse 8 brings the assurance that the leaders of Israel shall no more oppress God’s people. That will be a day of rejoicing in the earth when man ceases to oppress his fellows; it will not be until the King of Kings reigns (Revelation 19:11-20:411And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 12His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 13And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. 14And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 15And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. 17And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; 18That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. 19And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. 20And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. 21And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh. 1And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, 3And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season. 4And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (Revelation 19:11‑20:4)).
God’s word is meant for the conscience of the reader, though in this Book of Ezekiel it looks far onward from the time it was written to a time not yet come. So verses 9-12 were meant for Ezekiel’s day, but they will come freshly before the Israelites who enter the Millennium, and they have a message for us who now are privileged to read God’s Word.
The natural heart was the same when Ezekiel gave his prophecies as it is today—deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:99The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9)) if this were not so, God would not have said it, and such as verses 9-12 would not have been written.
The ephah was the Hebrew dry measure and the bath their liquid measure, each holding nearly six and a half gallons. The homer was equal to ten ephahs or ten baths; as a liquid measure it was also called a cor (as in verse 14). The maneh weighed two pounds and equaled 60 shekels (20 plus 25 plus 15).
In verse 13 we pass front the consideration of measures and weights in honest dealings with men to what is due to God. All the people are to bring an offering of wheat, barley and oil, and a lamb or young goat to make atonement for themselves. The sixth part is not without spiritual meaning, and as seven is a number used symbolically in the Scriptures for spiritual completeness, six appears to stand for incompleteness, imperfection; the blessedness of the Millennium will not be perfection. That belongs to eternity, the eternal state. In the institution of the offerings, in Leviticus 1 to 7 there is no mention of a sixth part; it would be out of place, for there they point directly to Christ in His death and in. His matchless life.
It will be the prince’s part (he who will rule Israel for the Lord Jesus) to supply the burnt offerings, the meat offerings and drink offerings at the feasts, at the new moons and on the sabbaths in all the solemnities of the house of Israel. He also is to prepare the four offerings to make reconciliation (atonement) for the house of Israel (verse 17).
At the beginning of the year the sanctuary (temple) is to be purged, and on the seventh day of the month there will be a repetition of the sacrifice for everyone that erreth, and for the simple. A week later the passover is to be celebrated as of old (Exodus 12:14-2014And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever. 15Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel. 16And in the first day there shall be an holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be an holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done of you. 17And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever. 18In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even. 19Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger, or born in the land. 20Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread. (Exodus 12:14‑20)), only that the prince is to offer for himself and all the people, a bullock for a sin offering, and during each of the seven days a burnt offering-and a sin offering, together with a meat (or meal) offering. The passover as then observed will be a remembrance, not of the deliverance of Israel from Egypt so much as it will be of the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, and this, no doubt, explains the offering of seven bullocks, and seven rams daily for seven days—telling of the infinite worth of His death in the sight of God.
Verse 25 renews the feast of tabernacles (or booths) reminder then of the centuries when Israel was without a home.
Leviticus 23 names the seven fixed “feasts of Jehovah”, given by Him to Israel. Four of these are omitted in the Millennium.
The feast of weeks or Pentecost had its fulfillment on what has been called the Church’s birthday (Acts 2), when the Church of God was formed at the descent of the Holy Spirit to indwell all who believe in the Lord Jesus, receiving the present message of God’s unfathomable grace which is offered to Jew and Gentile without distinction.
The feast of trumpets will have been fulfilled in the great ingathering of all Israel in their land.
And the day of atonement could not have a place after the cross of Christ. (see Hebrews chapters 9, 10) bearing in mind that redeemed Israel in the Millennium will not have all the blessings and privileges that are the Christian’s.
There will be a visible priesthood, which God will own, to come between the people and Himself, and there will be constant sacrifices, not in view of a redemption to be accomplished, but having a memorial character, looking backward to the atoning death of Christ.