Ezekiel 42:13

The Use For The Many Chambers In The Inner Court (Ezekiel 42:13).

‘Then he said to me, “The north chambers and the south chambers which are before the separate place (the temple yard), they are the holy chambers, where the priests who are near to Yahweh will eat the most holy things. There will they lay the most holy things, even the meal offering, and the sin offering, and the guilt offering. For the place is holy. When the priests enter in (i.e. where they enter into a building in such circumstances) then they will not go out of the holy place into the outer court, but there shall they lay their garments in which they minister, for they are holy. And they shall put on other garments when they approach (literally ‘and shall approach') that which pertains to the people.”

The heavenly visitant only spoke to Ezekiel four times in the whole sight seeing operation, otherwise he was too busy measuring while Ezekiel observed. The first was when he exhorted him to take note of all he saw and heard (Ezekiel 40:4), the second was when he designated apartments for the priests and had to explain the revolutionary differences which now applied (Ezekiel 40:45), the third was when he left the holy of holies having measured it, and said, “This is the most holy place” (Ezekiel 41:4), and this is the fourth. It is a warning about the treatment of holy things.

Two things were especially in his mind, the treatment of the holy sacrifices and the treatment of the holy garments of the priests in which they performed their holy tasks. This is strictly an Old Testament attitude. To my mind there is no way in which this could apply once Jesus Christ had broken down the barrier between priest and lay believer, and had by the offering of Himself made null and void all other sacrifices.

It is no answer to this to say that Christian Jews continued sacrificing in the temple after the resurrection. At that time the significance of the cross had not fully come home to them, and they did it in ignorance. I do not think for one moment that they actually saw those sacrifices in a new light. They saw them in the same old way, although approaching with a different attitude. They had been brought up to them from birth. It was only later that it would become clearly apparent that they no longer applied, a process aided by the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, and letters and teaching like the letter to the Hebrews.

The holy chambers by the temple yard were firstly for the eating of holy things. When the priests partook of that part of the sacrifices which were allocated to them, in the case of sin and guilt offerings, they had to do it in a holy place.

Under Mosaic law priests could partake of the meal offerings (Leviticus 2:3; Leviticus 2:9; Leviticus 2:16). But they were not allowed to eat of the major sin and guilt offerings (those for priests and for the people as a whole - Leviticus 4:1). In that case parts of the animals had to be wholly consumed on the altar and any remains burned outside the camp (Leviticus 4:12; Leviticus 4:21). But they could eat of guilt and sin offerings for individuals, although these were ‘most holy' and could only be eaten in ‘a holy place'. They could also eat of a meal offering made for the same purpose (Leviticus 5:11). That is why it is these offerings that are mentioned here. They can only be eaten in a holy place.

Other offerings were holy, but not ‘most holy', and could therefore be consumed by the priests' families, and in many cases by the people.

So it is quite clear that Ezekiel is here maintaining the distinctions laid down by the Law. But if all these had become mere ‘memorial' offerings these distinctions would surely not have needed to be maintained. The significance of the sin and guilt offerings would have had to change completely. They would no longer be sin and guilt offerings in the sense described in Leviticus.

The second purpose of the chambers was in order that they might be used for storing holy things, such as the fleeces of the sacrificed animals, and the holy flesh and meal from the designated offerings yet to be eaten.

The third purpose was so that they could be used for storing the priestly garments in which the priests officiated. These were holy and must not leave the holy inner court (probably the temple yard - Ezekiel 42:3, but perhaps the actual inner court). When the priests wished to leave this inner court to deal with common things they must wear different clothing, although they could leave it while officiating and slaying sacrifices.