The Chosen Key Word in this Chapter is “Moon” it comes from the Hebrew Word “chodesh” which means “new moon, month.”
Ezekiel describes specific ordinances governing the prince’s and people’s worship at the new temple. Welcome to Bible Life Basics Chapter Reviews, I am Chris and this is Ezekiel 46.
Ezekiel describes how the gate of the inner court that looks toward the east shall be shut the six working days, but on the sabbath it shall be opened, and on the day of the new “moon,” “chodesh” in Hebrew, it shall be opened, describing how the prince shall enter by the way of the porch of that gate, and shall stand by the post of the gate, and the priests shall prepare his burnt offering and his peace offerings, and he shall worship at the threshold of the gate.
Ezekiel describes how when the people of the land come before the Lord in the solemn feasts, he who enters in by the way of the north gate to worship shall go out by the way of the south gate, and he who enters by the way of the south gate shall go forth by the way of the north gate, he shall not return by the way of the gate by which he came in, but shall go forth over against it, describing how the prince, when they go in, shall go in the midst of them, and when they go forth, he shall go forth.
Ezekiel closes describing various offerings and their proper measures, describing the prince’s freewill offering, whether burnt offering or peace offerings, being freewill offerings to the Lord, one opening the gate for him on that day, and he offering his burnt offering as he does on the sabbath day, closing with a vision of the temple’s boiling places, in the corners of the court, where the ministers of the house shall boil the sacrifice of the people, this chapter’s careful, orderly instructions for worship reinforcing genuine, thoughtful reverence in every practical detail of restored temple service.
This chapter’s careful traffic pattern, worshipers entering by one gate and deliberately exiting by another, prevents crowding while also symbolically reinforcing that genuine worship involves forward, purposeful movement rather than simply retracing familiar, comfortable steps. Its detailed provision even for practical matters like sacrificial boiling places demonstrates that this comprehensive vision addressed every genuine aspect of orderly, functional worship life.
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