the grain offerings

July 20, 2017

The kitchen for the offerings (Ezek 46:20-46:20)

“He said to me.

‘This is the place

Where the priests

Shall boil

The guilt offering,

As well as the sin offering.

This is where

They shall bake

The grain offering.

Thus,

They will not bring them out

Into the outer court.

If they did,

They would communicate

Holiness

To the people.’”

Ezekiel saw the so-called holy kitchen. The bronze man explained that the priests boiled their guilt and sin offerings here. They also baked the grain offerings here. Thus, they would not bring out these offerings to the outer court. If they brought them out to the outer court, then the people would touch or see these holy offerings. Yahweh, via Ezekiel, did not want the people to come in contact with these holy offerings, less they become holy also.

July 18, 2017

The grain offerings (Ezek 46:11-46:11)

“At the festivals

Or the appointed seasons,

The grain offering

With a young bull

Shall be an ephah.

The grain offering

With a ram

Shall be an ephah.

The grain offering

With the lambs

Shall be as much

As one wished to give.

There shall be together

A hin of oil

With every ephah.”

At all the religious festivals, a grain offering of an ephah (2/3rds of a bushel) would accompany the young bull or the ram. However, as stated earlier, the prince could provide as much grain as he wanted to for the sacrifice of the lambs. However, with every ephah of grain, there had to be a gallon or hin of oil. It seems that the animals were cooked in oil with grains.

July 18, 2017

The new moon offerings (Ezek 46:6-46:8)

“On the day

Of the new moon,

The prince shall offer

A young bull

Without blemish.

He shall offer

Six lambs

With a ram,

Which shall be

Without blemish.

As a grain offering,

He shall provide

An ephah

With the bull.

He shall provide

An ephah

With the ram.

With the lambs,

He may provide

As much as he wishes,

Together with a hin of oil

For each ephah.

When the prince enters,

He shall go in

By the vestibule

Of the gate.

He shall go out

By the same way.”

Besides the Sabbath, the other regular festival was the monthly new moon sacrifice. The lunar calendar was based on the 28-day cycle of the moon. Once again, the prince was responsible for furnishing the animals and the grain offerings, as on the Sabbath. He was to take an unblemished bull with 6 lambs and an unblemished ram for the burnt offerings. He was to offer them up with a grain offering. He too had to provide an ephah of grain (2/3rds of a bushel) with the bull and the ram. However, this prince could decide how much grain went with the lambs, but there had to be a gallon or hin of oil for each ephah of grain. The prince would enter and leave at the same gate.

July 17, 2017

The seventh month offerings (Ezek 45:25-45:25)

“In the seventh month,

On the fifteenth day

Of the month,

For the seven days

Of the festival,

The prince shall make

The same provision

For sin offerings,

Burnt offerings,

Grain offerings,

As well as for the oil.”

The only other 7-day festival mentioned here is the festival of Tents that was on the 15th day in the 7th month of the year, 6 months after Passover. Once again, the prince was to provide the same provisions as at Passover. He had to provide all those animals and grains for the 7-day sin offerings, the burnt offerings, and the grain offerings, including the oil with the grain offerings.

July 16, 2017

The animal sacrifices (Ezek 45:15-45:15)

“‘One sheep

From every flock

Of two hundred,

From the families

Of Israel,

Shall be the offering

For grain offerings,

For burnt offerings,

For peace offerings,

To make atonement

For them.’

Says Yahweh God.”

Yahweh, via Ezekiel, was less demanding about the sacrifices for the grain offerings, burnt offerings, and peace offerings. Only 1 sheep out of a flock of 200 had to be offered as a sacrifice, less than 1% or about .5%, certainly not 10%.

 

July 14, 2017

The food habits of the priests (Ezek 44:29-44:31)

“They shall eat

The grain offering,

The sin offering,

The guilt offering.

Every devoted thing

In Israel

Shall be theirs.

The first of all

The first fruits

Of all kinds

Shall belong

To the priests.

Every offering

Of all kinds,

From all your offerings,

Shall belong

To the priests.

You shall also give

To the priests

The first of your dough.

Thus,

A blessing may rest

On your house.

The priests shall not eat

Of anything,

Whether bird

Or animal,

That died of itself

Or was torn by animals.”

The Zadok Levitical priests had strict dietary habits that were very favorable to them. They were to eat all the various offerings that the people of Israel presented, the grain offerings, the sin offerings, the guilt offerings, or any devoted thing in Israel. They would also get the first fruits of all kinds, including the cooked dough. All these food items belonged to the priests. Giving them to the priests meant that your house would have a blessing. However, these priests were not allowed to eat any bird or animal that had died by itself or was mangled by another animal.

November 18, 2016

The future of Jerusalem depends on the Sabbath observance (Jer 17:26-17:27)

“The people shall come

From the towns of Judah,

From the places around Jerusalem,

From the land of Benjamin,

From the Shephelah,

From the hill country,

From the Negeb.

They will bring

Burnt offerings,

Sacrifices,

Grain offerings,

Frankincense,

Thank offerings

To the house of Yahweh.

But if you do not listen to me,

To keep the Sabbath day holy,

To carry no burden

Through the gates of Jerusalem

On the Sabbath day,

Then I will kindle a fire

In its gates.

It shall devour

The palaces of Jerusalem.

It shall not be quenched.’”

Thus the future of Jerusalem rested on whether they observed the Sabbath correctly. Many people would come from the towns in Judah and the places around Jerusalem. However, there would also be people from Benjamin that is just north of Jerusalem, as well as the people from the area around Shephelah, west of Jerusalem, the hill country, north of Jerusalem, and Negeb, the desert area south of Judah. All these people would bring many gifts and sacrifices to the Temple in Jerusalem. These gifts included the many kinds of sacrifice offerings like the burnt offerings, the grain offerings, and the thank offerings, with various sacrificial animals and frankincense. The opposite is true if they did not keep the Sabbath, they would suffer destruction. Yahweh was going to start a unstoppable fire that would devour the gates and the palaces of Jerusalem. The choice was theirs, Sabbath observances and good things, or no Sabbath observances and a big fire.