Context No. 2916 of 4322 · Ezekiel

Ezekiel 46:9-15: in context

9“‘“But when the people of the land come before the LORD in the appointed feasts, he who enters 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 out 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 out straight before him. 10The prince shall go in with them when they go in. When they go out, he shall go out. 11“‘“In the feasts and in the appointed holidays, the meal offering shall be an ephah for a bull, and an ephah for a ram, and for the lambs as he is able to give, and a hin of oil to an ephah. 12When the prince prepares a free will offering, a burnt offering or peace offerings as a free will offering to the LORD, one shall open for him the gate that looks toward the east; and he shall prepare his burnt offering and his peace offerings, as he does on the Sabbath day. Then he shall go out; and after his going out one shall shut the gate. 13“‘“You shall prepare a lamb a year old without defect for a burnt offering to the LORD daily. Morning by morning you shall prepare it. 14You shall prepare a meal offering with it morning by morning, the sixth part of an ephah, and the third part of a hin of oil to moisten the fine flour; a meal offering to the LORD continually by a perpetual ordinance. 15Thus they shall prepare the lamb, the meal offering, and the oil, morning by morning, for a continual burnt offering.”

In Ezekiel's vision of the restored temple, some rules for worship are given. When the people come for the appointed feasts, whoever enters by the north gate must leave by the south, and whoever enters by the south must leave by the north; no one goes back out the way he came in. And a lamb is to be offered every single morning as a continual burnt offering, with grain and oil, by a perpetual ordinance.

Two small details carry weight. The rule about never leaving by the gate you entered means no one simply turns back; you come to worship and go out on the far side, moving forward rather than retreating to where you started. And the daily lamb, morning by morning, without fail, teaches that worship is not only for feast days but a steady, daily rhythm. Real devotion is both a forward movement, never just circling back to where you began, and a daily constancy, the morning offering made again and again.

Does my worship move me forward rather than in circles, and is it a daily constancy, not just an occasional visit?

Sources

Ezekiel 46:15: "Thus they shall prepare the lamb, the meal offering, and the oil, morning by morning, for a continual burnt offering."
Lamentations 3:23: "They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness."
Romans 12:1: "Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service."