Ezekiel 46:5, commentary and pictures

The verse lays down the grain measure for the Sabbath service, an ephah for a ram and for the lambs whatever the giver is able to bring, with a hin of oil joined to every ephah of grain. It belongs to the worship of the prince on the Sabbath in the new temple shown in Ezekiel 40-48, where the Sabbath is set apart from the six working days and where the regular service follows the seven-day cleansing of the altar from the eighth day onward. That temple was offered to Israel in Babylonian captivity on condition of shame for sin, repentance and wholehearted return, with promise of restoration, a more glorious house and healing presence, but the condition was not met and the house as described was never built. It will never be built literally, not in the gospel age nor in the immortal state, for its prince offers for himself as frail mortal, its order still holds marriage and death, and its beast and grain offerings with oil belong to the Mosaic age that ended when the priesthood passed to Christ as priest forever after the order of Melchisedec. Those offerings were shadows pointing to the once-for-all offering of Jesus Christ, so to renew them would deny His sufficiency, while their true force continues in spiritual sacrifices and in the far more glorious fulfillment of the Second Coming, the New City and the new heavens and new earth.

Wording and Immediate Context

The prescribed grain offering was an ephah for a ram, with the amount for the lambs left to what the giver was able to provide, and with an hin of oil for each ephah of grain. It was part of the sacrificial regulations of the temple vision, belonging to a system of animal and grain offerings with specified amounts of flour and oil and to the temple's offerings and ordinances. That system belonged to the Mosaic dispensation and was not part of the gospel dispensation or the future immortal state, and its lamb offerings represented the Lamb of God whose sacrifice was offered once for all, so that to renew them literally would imply need for another Messiah.

The offering belonged to the prince's Sabbath worship in the new temple, where the Sabbath is distinguished from the six working days, and its association with offerings does not make the Sabbath ceremonial. It was also part of the regular offerings to be made after the altar's seven-day purification, beginning on the eighth day and continuing thereafter. That eighth day is the eighth day of the purification sequence, not an eighth day of the week, as held by those who treat this instruction as having no connection to the Sabbath.

The verse belongs to the sanctuary pattern shown in Ezekiel 40-48, given to the house of Israel in captivity as God's offer while the Hebrews were in Babylon to restore them to their land with a city and temple under wonderful glory. It concerns the temple and its service, its glory and the division of the land, including thousands of sheep and oxen in sacrifice, holy places and a most holy place, the city, and a grand temple at Jerusalem at the center of a restored city where God's presence would bring healing and life and which would become a house of prayer. No such city or sanctuary stands today, and the temple in that pattern was never built.

Conditional Promise to Israel

The vision of the temple in Ezekiel 40-46, to which the measure of grain for a ram and for the lambs with oil belongs, was set before the house of Israel as a conditional offer requiring that they become ashamed of their iniquities and put away sins and wickedness. The condition was repentance and wholehearted return, a willingness to yield to God in faith and obedience. Because Israel did not comply with those conditions of acceptance and repentance, the sanctuary as described was not built and will never be built literally. The same chapters therefore stand also as spiritual prophecy of greater things God would do for His people through Christ, with the lamb offerings representing the Lamb of God whose meaning is carried forward in spiritual sacrifices rather than continued animal offerings.

The offer was given while Israel was in Babylonian captivity as what God was prepared to do after the return from Babylon. He was ready to restore them to their land and to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple more gloriously than before, with a new and greater sanctuary at the center of a restored Jerusalem where His presence and glory among His people would bring healing and life. That promised restoration included manifest glory, resurrection of the righteous, subjection of enemies, lengthened life, a true-hearted people whose character would affect even the animals, and no hurting or destroying in all His holy mountain. The city that would have been built if Israel had answered the calls to leave Babylon was never built, not because God changed His purpose but because Israel failed to do its part and did not fully repent and yield to God.

Because the people remained unwilling and apostate and did not forsake sins and return wholeheartedly, the envisioned sanctuary was never built as described. What was built after the return fell far short of the pattern, reduced to the smaller and inferior temple built by Zerubbabel under Ezra. In that smaller temple the promised greatness was only feebly realized and its glory only faintly reflected in small part in Israel's later prosperity. The prescribed grain and oil belonged to the temple's offerings and ordinances intended for the time before the Messiah came, so its ultimate realization is associated not with earthly Jerusalem but with the New City and the greater fulfillment at Christ's second coming.

No Future Literal Fulfillment

The temple of Ezekiel 40-48, with its grain offering of an ephah for a ram and for the lambs as the giver is able to give with a hin of oil to each ephah, has never been built and never will be built literally. No such city or sanctuary stands today, and it is never to be built in any period after the opening of the Christian dispensation, not in the gospel age and not in the future immortal state. Its sacrifices of thousands of sheep and oxen belonged to the time then present as shadows pointing to the only effectual offering of Jesus Christ, and to renew those animal sacrifices would make His once-for-all offering of none effect, rebuilding what was destroyed and returning from sunlight to shadow. The lamb offerings represented the Lamb of God, and their meaning is carried forward in this dispensation through spiritual sacrifices rather than continuing animal offerings, for offering sacrifices now would deny the sufficiency of Christ's offering. Because Israel did not meet the conditions of shame for iniquity, putting away sin, acceptance and repentance, the sanctuary was not built and will never be built, and what was built by Zerubbabel only feebly realized its promises.

It cannot describe the future glorified state, for Christ is to be Prince and Shepherd over Israel then, while here the prince is a poor frail mortal who offers a sin offering for himself. The prince's required offerings, including offerings for himself with the grain offering for a ram set at an ephah and for lambs depending on what he could provide with an hin of oil for each ephah, identify him as a mortal ruler rather than Jesus. While marriage and death are unknown in the age to come, here are marriages, divorces, widows and death.

The verse would have been fulfilled in the Mosaic dispensation had the conditions been met, when circumcision, divorce, distinction in meats, offerings of beasts including meat offerings with oil, the Jubilee, festivals, Sabbaths, and the Levitical priesthood were in force. It prescribes a meat offering of one ephah for a ram and for lambs according to what the giver is able to provide with one hin of oil for each ephah, belonging to a system of animal sacrifices and grain and oil offerings in force for Israel that was part of the Mosaic sacrificial system. When Christ was crucified and ascended the law of the priesthood changed, so Levi is no longer priest but Christ became priest forever after the order of Melchisedec with an unchangeable priesthood that does not pass from one to another. That priesthood and the everlasting gospel are contemporary, and when the priesthood of Christ ends there is no more probation. These offerings belonged to the past dispensation and ceased at Christ's death, are no longer acceptable to God, and do not describe worship in the future age.

Fulfilled in Christ and Beyond

The grain, oil, and animal offerings of thousands of sheep and oxen belonged to the time then present as shadows pointing to the only effectual offering, that of Jesus Christ offered once for all. No such city or sanctuary stands today, so the vision has not been fulfilled literally, and to renew those sacrifices literally would make Christ's once-for-all offering of none effect, rebuilding what was destroyed and returning from sunlight to shadow. Their continuation would deny the sufficiency of Christ's blood even as a type and imply need for another Messiah. They were part of a provisional and conditional sanctuary offered on condition that the people become ashamed of iniquities and put away wickedness, but because they remained apostate it was only feebly realized in the smaller temple built by Zerubbabel. That system with its sacrifices cannot be restored as a functioning system because Christ's death upon the cross fulfilled all sacrifices and made further sacrifices unnecessary, showing it was not a temple God would ordain again.

The lamb offerings represented the Lamb of God, and their meaning is carried forward in this dispensation through spiritual sacrifices rather than continuing animal offerings. The temple and its service with Levites serving as priests is never to be built in any period after the opening of the Christian dispensation, for when Christ was crucified and ascended the law of the priesthood changed. Levi is no longer priest, but Christ became priest forever after the order of Melchisedec with an unchangeable priesthood that does not pass from one to another. That priesthood and the everlasting gospel are contemporary, and when the priesthood of Christ ends there is no more probation.

The chapters also stand as spiritual prophecy of greater things God would do for His people through Christ, on condition of wholehearted return from captivity and yielding to God. Because Israel was unwilling, did not fully repent, and failed to put away sins, the promised restoration to the land and a temple more glorious than before was not realized in earthly Jerusalem as described, but was reduced to the smaller temple built by Zerubbabel with its glory only faintly reflected in Israel's later prosperity. The promises nevertheless faintly point to what God will do at the Second Coming, associated with the New City, the new heavens and new earth, and the full immortal inheritance for the faithful. What was promised to Palestine and the Jews — lengthened life, a true-hearted people whose character would take hold upon the animals themselves, the manifest presence of God constantly seen with life and healing poured upon Palestine and the earth as never before, resurrection of the righteous dead, subjection of enemies, and no hurting or destroying — will be fulfilled under far greater conditions with more or less of the former local detail eliminated, leaving absolute joy and peace and harmony among all God's creatures in the new earth state, far more gloriously than stated. The greater temple predicted in the closing chapters is identified as Herod's temple.

Sabbath Worship and Order

The joining of the Sabbath to grain and oil offerings does not make the Sabbath ceremonial in character. The passage describes offerings appointed for the Sabbath, with a fixed measure for a ram and a variable measure for lambs according to ability, together with oil proportioned to the grain. Its wider setting distinguishes the Sabbath from the six working days. The exact regulation of amounts is an expression of the divine character as a God of order.