묵상질문

내게 주는 교훈

Regulations for the High Priests
The Levites, who are to carry out the worship of God, and more specifically the priests from the descendants of Zadok are taken to a courtyard and told to give all their sacrifices at the altar. They are told to obey and work in the sanctuary.

Who is God like?
Verses 15, 16- God acknowledged that the priests who descended from Zadok faithfully carried out their duty, and has them draw near and serve Him. This was a special privilege that they received because they did not follow the rest of the Israelites in idolatry at the high places and stayed faithful to the calling that God had given them. Those who are unfaithful to God, whether they are Levites, the king, or the people, will only be removed further away from God’s protection. But the descendants of Zadok, who remained faithful, will be able to serve God from the closest place possible and enjoy special privileges. The descendants of Zadok, who were the high priests, fought alone during the time of exile and the time when the kingdom was divided. They took their calling seriously. We, too, need this kind of perseverance. In today’s world there is an even more intense temptation for idolatry than in Ezekiel’s time. Can you step away from the world to remain faithful and keep the Word?

What lesson is God teaching me?
Verses 17-27- The priests who descended from Zadok could go closer into the holy of holies, so they had a greater responsibility and more limits on their actions. It is because they had to take special care in their work that they had rules to follow and to remain clean. We can think about Nadab and Abihu, who were killed because they did not take special care in their work and did whatever they wanted while serving the holy God (Lev 10:1-3). How closely are you paying attention to your actions to distinguish what is holy from what is not (1Pe 2:9; Rev 5:10)?

기도

Help me to stay faithful to the work of serving You, holy God.