The Offerings
Ezekiel 45:13-17
Having chastised the princes of Israel for using unjust weights, Ezekiel returned to discussing the Millennium, in which the future prince will use just weights to receive and offer gifts to God (Eze. 45:13-17). Verses 13-17 are the offerings for Israel’s prince, v.15. Because of what the people will give him, he will provide for public sacrifices, v.17.This mention of offerings caused Ezekiel to describe briefly the future sacrificial system (45:18-46:24) before returning to the subject of the division of the land.
Ezekiel listed specific amounts of produce the people will give the prince (David; Eze. 34:24). The prescribed portion is to be proportionate to each individual’s wealth or lack of it. They are each to give a 60th of their wheat and… barley (Eze. 45:13), one percent of their olive oil (Eze. 45:14), and 1 sheep… from every… 200 of their flocks (Eze. 45:15). This tithe or tax will be required of all the people for use by the prince in Israel.
As we discussed in 44:3, this “prince” is not the Messiah. There we said that most likely “the prince” is not the king, but rather one who administrates the kingdom, representing the King, the Lord Jesus Christ on one hand, and also the princes who individually lead the 12 tribes. Possibly he will be a descendant of David.
As the people’s representative, he will collect their gifts and use them to maintain the temple sacrifices, including burnt offerings, grain offerings, and drink offerings at the festivals, the New Moons, and the Sabbaths. We may assume from this, that the prince is head of the government, while still holding a ministerial office in the church. It is almost as if church and state are working together. It would not be unusual for that to be the case in Israel. For many years, they did not have a king. Their first king was Saul.
The annual feasts for the nations are outlined in verses 18-25. The millennial feasts include 3 of the 6 Levitical feasts: Passover, Unleavened Bread and Tabernacles. Three Levitical feasts are not celebrated:
Pentecost, (the feast celebrating the promised descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles)
Trumpets (This festival is a particularly joyous occasion, as it celebrates the marriage of the Lamb ((Christ)) to the Church ((the ascended saints)) – having been resurrected at Pentecost as spirit beings into the family of God). However, there is a much deeper meaning to the Feast of Trumpets, which goes to explain the reason why the Day is commanded to be a memorial (Lev 23:24).
This festival, the Feast of Trumpets, is a memorial of the foundation of God's plan of creation. This is a living, dynamic foundation and is at the heart of the whole plan of creation as well as being its beginning and its future.)
And Atonement (Jesus died so that humanity may, upon repentance and baptism, be reconciled to the Father) – symbolized by the goat sacrifice (Lev 15:16. It symbolizes the offer of redemption spelling out what Christ has done for humanity).
Most likely they are excluded because what they had looked forward to prophetically have been fulfilled at this point and now serve no significant remembrance purpose such as Passover and Tabernacle would continue to provide.
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