CHAPTER 45

(574 B.C.)

A PORTION OF THE LAND TO BE AN OBLATION TO THE LORD

¹Moreover, when you shall divide by lot the land for inheritance, you shall offer an oblation unto the LORD, an holy portion of the land: the length shall be the length of five and twenty thousand reeds, and the breadth shall be ten thousand. This shall be holy in all the borders thereof round about. (Verses 1 through 8 portray the portions of land in Israel which are to be allotted to the Sanctuary, the City, and the Prince. The length of this Holy Oblation [area of land] is about 42 miles. The width is roughly 17 miles. When you shall divide by lot the land for inheritance, probably means that it is the area already allotted by the Holy Spirit.)

²Of this there shall be for the Sanctuary five hundred in length, with five hundred in breadth, square round about; and fifty cubits round about for the suburbs thereof. (This is probably referring to the Outer Court, which is 750 feet square. This area includes not only the Outer Court, but the Inner Court, as well as the Temple and Altar area. All of it is looked at primarily as the Sanctuary.

Gods Love for man and His hatred of injustice appear in Him making His Dwelling-place among them, and in His Laws respecting land [Vs. 8], Courts of Justice, excessive taxation, evictions [Vs. 9], and commercial property [Vss. 10-12]. Thus, the poor and defenseless will be cared for by Him.)

³And of this measure shall you measure the length of five and twenty thousand, and the breadth of ten thousand: and in it shall be the Sanctuary and the Most Holy Place. (In this area, some 42 miles long and 17 miles wide, the Sanctuary and Most Holy Place will be situated.)

⁴The holy portion of the land shall be for the Priests the ministers of the Sanctuary, which shall come near to minister unto the LORD: and it shall be a place for their houses, and an Holy Place for the Sanctuary. (This area will be occupied not only by the Sanctuary, but also by the houses of the Priests.)

⁵And the five and twenty thousand of length, and the ten thousand of breadth, shall also the Levites, the ministers of the House, have for themselves, for a possession for twenty Chambers. (The portion of the Levites, forty-two miles long and seventeen miles wide, will be the same as the portion of the Priests. All Priests were Levites, but all Levites were not Priests.)

⁶And you shall appoint the possession of the city five thousand broad, and five and twenty thousand long, over against the oblation of the holy portion: it shall be for the whole House of Israel. (This Passage represents a third tract of territory exclusively for Jerusalem itself. It is about forty-two miles long and about eight and a half miles wide, which constitutes a rather large city.)

THE PRINCE AND THE LAND

⁷And a portion shall be for the prince on the one side and on the other side of the oblation of the holy portion, and of the possession of the city, before the oblation of the holy portion, and before the possession of the city, from the west side westward, and from the east side eastward: and the length shall be over against one of the portions, from the west border unto the east border. (From the description, it seems like the portion for the Prince will lie on both sides of the Holy Portion, or the portions of the Priests and the Levites. Even though the Scripture is not exactly clear as to the size of these portions, still, some think it will be quite large, even about four miles square. This we do know: the Prince will be in charge of all the Millennial Worship [Vss. 16-17].)

⁸In the land shall be his possession in Israel: and My Princes shall no more oppress My People; and the rest of the land shall they give to the House of Israel according to their Tribes. (This Scripture should read, As touching the Land, this shall be his possession in Israel, i.e., the Prince shall have no Land other than these two portions.)

⁹Thus says the Lord GOD; Let it suffice you, O Princes of Israel: remove violence and spoil, and execute Judgment and justice, take away your exactions from My People, says the Lord GOD. (The Prince is to set the example for the entirety of the world, which he will do under Christ. And for the first time, the entirety of the world will know fairness, honesty, and integrity in government.)

VARIOUS OTHER REGULATIONS: HONEST WEIGHTS

¹⁰You shall have just balances, and a just ephah, and a just bath.

¹¹The ephah and the bath shall be of one measure, that the bath may contain the tenth part of an homer, and the ephah the tenth part of an homer: the measure thereof shall be after the homer.

¹²And the shekel shall be twenty gerahs: twenty shekels, five and twenty shekels, fifteen shekels, shall be your maneh. (The idea of these Passages is to portray a justice system which cannot be bought, bribed, or set aside. In other words, there will be no favoritism! The ephah and bath are the same, being about one bushel. A homer or a cor is about ten bushels. The shekel, as it is here portrayed, would be worth about ten dollars in 2004 currency. However, it is very difficult to equate the purchasing power of Bible money with that of present times.)

OFFERINGS

¹³This is the oblation that you shall offer; the sixth part of an ephah of an homer of wheat, and you shall give the sixth part of an ephah of an homer of barley:

¹⁴Concerning the ordinance of oil, the bath of oil, you shall offer the tenth part of a bath out of the cor, which is an homer of ten baths; for ten baths are an homer:

¹⁵And one lamb out of the flock, out of two hundred, out of the fat pastures of Israel; for a Meat Offering, and for a Burnt Offering, and for Peace Offerings, to make reconciliation for them, says the Lord GOD. (The word Oblation means that which is offered as a Sacrifice or Gift to the Lord. The amounts here represented, or the equivalency in money, were to be given to the Sanctuary by all Israelites in order to support the rulers of Israel.)

SUMMARY OF MILLENNIAL AND ETERNAL WORSHIP

¹⁶All the people of the land shall give this oblation for the Prince in Israel. (These Offerings will be incumbent upon all!)

¹⁷And it shall be the Princes part to give Burnt Offerings, and Meat Offerings, and Drink Offerings, in the Feasts, and in the new moons, and in the Sabbaths, in all solemnities of the House of Israel: he shall prepare the Sin Offering, and the Meat Offering, and the Burnt Offering, and the Peace Offerings, to make reconciliation for the House of Israel. (The phrase, To make reconciliation for the House of Israel, refers to Atonement; however, it is to be ever understood that it is only symbolic, as Christ has already made Atonement, thereby, reconciling Israel and all the world to God by His Death at Calvary.)

OFFERINGS ON CERTAIN HOLY DAYS

¹⁸Thus says the Lord GOD; In the first month, in the first day of the month, you shall take a young bullock without blemish, and cleanse the Sanctuary (the contrast between the legislation of Verses 18 through 25 and that of Leviticus emphasizes the difference between Mosaic and Millennial Worship; here the year begins with a demonstration of accomplished Redemption and the provision of a pure ground of worship; thus, shall Atonement be made for the house on the first day, and for the worshippers on the seventh day; the year will, therefore, begin with the memorial of a perfected Atonement for sin; in Leviticus the year closed with an Atonement pointing forward to a cleansing yet to be accomplished):

¹⁹And the Priest shall take of the blood of the Sin Offering, and put it upon the posts of the House, and upon the four corners of the settle of the Altar, and upon the posts of the Gate of the Inner Court. (As the young bullock of Verse 18 typified Christ, Who died in the prime of His Manhood, this Verse typifies His shed Blood, on which the foundation of Salvation is based. Inasmuch as these Sacrifices will be carried on forever, and strictly as a memorial of what Christ did at Calvary, this should, by all means, portray to us the value placed here by the Lord on the Finished Work of Calvary.)

²⁰And so you shall do the seventh day of the month for every one who errs, and for him who is simple: so shall you reconcile the House. (Every one who errs, refers to those who have drifted from the straight path through ignorance or foolishness. The simple pertains to the one who, for whatever reason, does not fully understand the ramifications of his actions.

These Passages portray to us the absolute abhorrence of sin by the Lord and, therefore, the absolute perfection demanded. Inasmuch as such is not possible even for redeemed man [not yet in the Glorified State], provision is here made.)

²¹In the first month, in the fourteenth day of the month, you shall have the Passover, a Feast of seven days; unleavened bread shall be eaten. (The two Feasts of Passover and Tabernacles will be marked by sevenfold Offerings in contrast to the twofold ones of Leviticus. And this is because these Offerings will testify to the perfection of the cleansing for sin fulfilled at Calvary.

The character of worship in that future day and the sense of the sufficiency of Christs Sacrifice of Himself as the Sin Offering and the Burnt Offering will be perfect. Thus, these two Feasts will celebrate the perfection and sufficiency of the Atoning Work of Christ. Together with the Feasts of the Sabbath and the New Moon, they testify to the fulfillment of Gods Promises to Israel in bringing them into rest and making them to be a light to the Gentiles [Isa., Chpts. 60, 66].)

²²And upon that day shall the Prince prepare for himself and for all the people of the land a bullock for a Sin Offering. (The Passover, as conducted here, will continue forever, fulfilling [Ex. 12:14].)

²³And seven days of the Feast he shall prepare a Burnt Offering to the LORD, seven bullocks and seven rams without blemish daily the seven days; and a kid of the goats daily for a Sin Offering.

²⁴And he shall prepare a Meat Offering of an ephah for a bullock, and an ephah for a ram, and an hin of oil for an ephah. (The Prince will be in charge of the Sacrifices, which is the work of the High Priest.)

²⁵In the seventh month, in the fifteenth day of the month, shall he do the like in the Feast of the seven days, according to the Sin Offering, according to the Burnt Offering, and according to the Meat Offering, and according to the oil. (Whereas the Passover was celebrated in the first month, this Feast is celebrated in the seventh month, thereby representing the Feast of Tabernacles. As stated, these two Feasts, Passover and Tabernacles, will be celebrated forever.)