Ezekiel 46:9-15: a reflection

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.”

Among the regulations for temple worship comes an instruction about the daily offering, repeated with a striking rhythm: 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. The offering was to be made not occasionally but every morning, morning by morning, a continual offering to begin each day. Each new day was to begin with an offering to God, a fresh consecration at its start. The rhythm of morning by morning marks a daily beginning with God, each day opened with an offering, a consecration of the day to the LORD at its very start.

Notice the rhythm: morning by morning, a fresh offering to begin each day. The offering was not made once and left; it was renewed every morning, each new day begun with an offering to God. Morning by morning, the day was opened with a fresh consecration, an offering at its start. This daily, morning rhythm speaks of beginning each day with God, consecrating it to him at its very start, offering ourselves afresh each morning. The day was to begin with God, not with him added later or forgotten; morning by morning, the first thing was an offering to the LORD. Each new morning brought a fresh beginning with God, a consecration of the day at its start.

That is worth taking to heart, for we do well to begin each day with God, offering ourselves to him morning by morning. We can begin our days without God, plunging into their business and forgetting to consecrate them to him, adding him later if at all; but the daily offering was made morning by morning, each day begun with an offering to God. There is value in beginning each day with a fresh consecration to God, offering ourselves to him at its start. Do not begin your days without God, plunging into their business and forgetting him; begin each morning with a fresh offering of yourself to God, as the daily offering was made morning by morning. Begin each day with God, offering yourself to him morning by morning at its start, as the daily burnt offering was prepared morning by morning; for there is value in consecrating each new day to God at its very beginning, offering ourselves afresh each morning rather than plunging into the day's business and forgetting him, so that each day begins with God rather than adding him later or not at all.

Lord, among the regulations for temple worship comes an instruction about the daily offering, repeated with a striking rhythm: 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. The offering was to be made not occasionally but every morning, morning by morning, a continual offering to begin each day. Each new day was to begin with an offering to you, a fresh consecration at its start. Show me the rhythm: morning by morning, a fresh offering to begin each day. The offering was not made once and left; it was renewed every morning, each new day begun with an offering to you. Morning by morning, the day was opened with a fresh consecration. This daily, morning rhythm speaks of beginning each day with you, consecrating it to you at its very start, offering myself afresh each morning. The day was to begin with you, not with you added later or forgotten. Take that to my heart, for I do well to begin each day with you, offering myself to you morning by morning. I can begin my days without you, plunging into their business and forgetting to consecrate them to you, adding you later if at all; but the daily offering was made morning by morning. There is value in beginning each day with a fresh consecration to you. Keep me from beginning my days without you, plunging into their business and forgetting you; help me begin each morning with a fresh offering of myself to you, Lord, as the daily offering was made morning by morning, consecrating each new day to you at its very start.