NEWSTATUTES Having presented for the new temple and the new city, their sound foundation; the holiness; their statute, the justice, and their features, the permanent joy, He presents here some other statutes: 1- Way of entering into the temple 1-15. 2- Gifts of the Prince or the King 16-18. 3- Places for cooking and baking 19-24. 1- WAY OF ENTERING INTO THE TEMPLE In this section, He presented the way, by which the king and the people enter into the temple and get out of it; the burnt offerings and the sacrifices of the king and the people on the Sabbaths and the feasts; as well as the daily burnt offerings. It is to be noticed, that what are mentioned here, were not literally realized after the return of the people from the Babylonian captivity, and the setting of the temple with its worship anew, but they committed themselves to the Mosaic statutes. It is as though, what are mentioned here, are not to be understood literally, but refer to a symbolic meaning in the Messianic era. The most important of those statutes are: a- The gateway of the inner court that faces toward the east shall be shut during the six working days, but on the Sabbath and on the day of every new moon it shall be opened. Through that gateway, the king will enter, and through it he will also get out. The people will not use this gateway to enter or to get out; it is only for the king. We said that that gateway refers to the holy womb of the Virgin, through which the King of Kings entered, incarnated, and through it He came out. If the Lord entered once into humanity and became Man, He still enters into our life, shining as a sun, through the eastern gateway; comes to us to make all our days Sabbaths (rest) and feasts. He shines with His light in us, so that darkness would never have a place in us, but we will always be enlightened, rejoicing for His permanent dwelling in us; as confirmed by the Lord Himself to His disciples before His ascension: “I am with you always even to the end of the age” (Mat 28:20). The people enter through the northern and southern gateways. Whoever enters from the north, shall walk toward the south, to worship, then he will not go back to the same gateway through which he entered, but will get out through the southern gateway. Also, whoever enters from the south, will walk toward the north, to worship, then he will not go back to the same gateway through which he entered, but will get out through the northern gateway. Some see that this ordinance meant to keep peace in the temple, and to avoid confusion, particularly in the days of feasts, when a huge number of people come to worship. But I think that this ordinance presents to us a portrait of the life of a Christian, who, once he enters into the temple to worship God, would never fallback! It is a portrait of walking straight along the path he gained through the new Church life, with no deviation from the walk of Christian faith. b- The eastern gateway to the inner court is opened on the Sabbath, all the day until the evening. It is as though God enters into our inner life, to shine in our depths, as long as it is day; enters into us to make our hearts in a state of permanent rest (Sabbath). Origen says about celebrating the Sabbath: [What is this celebration of the Sabbath, but 5 what the apostle said: “There remains therefore a rest for the people of God” (Heb 4:9); namely to keep the statute of the Sabbath. Let the people of God, forsake the Jewish understanding of the Sabbath; and let us see what we should do as Christians on the Sabbath day. We should refrain from any world activity or temporal work... We should be completely dedicated to spiritual practices: Going to Church, listening to divine readings, and sermons, contemplating on the heavenliness, on the coming life and the coming judgment; and caring, not for the present seen things, but for the unseen future things. This is the Christian way of keeping the Sabbath1.] He also says: [Let us deeply fetch for the true Sabbath. It means working on it in heaven; for we do not believe that the words of the book of Genesis:“ God rested on the seventh day (the Sabbath) from all His work which He had done” (Gen 2:2) have been literally realized on the seventh day, and is not even realized today. God is working all the time. There is no Sabbath in which God do not work. There is no day, in which He does not make His sun shine on the evil and on the good; or does not send His rain on the just and on the unjust (Mat 5:45). He makes grass to grow on the mountains (Ps 147:8). “He bruises, but He binds up” (Job 5:18). In this world, there is no Sabbath in which God takes rest from ordaining the world or caring for the destinies of mankind2.] In our study of the book of Exodus, we saw that the Lord Christ is the true Sabbath. In Him God the Father finds rest, as He sees us in Him justified and sanctified. In Him we also find rest, as, by Him we enter into the bosom of God the Father, the place of our rest. He is the Sabbath of God the Father, and the Sabbath of the believers; the source of the true rest! c- The gate is also opened on the first day of the month (Ez 46:1); and remains open the whole day. By that He probably means ‘The day of the new moon,’ that was sacred for the Jews, like the Sabbaths, and feast (1 Chro 23:13; 2:4; Ezra 3:5; Col 2:16). In it they used to blow the trumpet (Ps 81:3), celebrate it in their houses, and worship before God (Is 66:23). Origen comments on this celebration saying: [The celebration of the day of the new moon means the approach of the new moon to the sun and its union with it... when it unites closely with the “Sun of Righteousness,” which is Christ (Mal 4:2). If the new moon symbolizes His Church filled with light, that closely joins, and unites with Him; according to the words of the apostle: “He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him” (1 Cor 6:17). It celebrates the new moon; as it becomes new, by forsaking the old man, and putting on the new man, which was created according to God in righteousness and true holiness (Eph 4:24). By that we become worthy of celebrating the day of renewal, that of the new moon3.] d- The permanent feast: He says: “You shall daily make a burnt offering to the Lord of a lamb of the first year without blemish. You shall prepare it every morning. And you shall prepare a grain offering with it every morning...; a perpetual ordinance to be made regularly to the Lord”(Ez 46:13, 14). Origen says: [The first feast of the Lord is the permanent feast. It is requested to prepare offerings every day and night, continuously and consistently. In the statute of feasts (in the book of Numbers), the Lord did not start by the feast of Passover, the feast 1 In Num. Homily 23:3. 2 In Num. Homily 23:3. 3 In Num. Homily 23:5. 6 of unleavened bread, that of the holy bread, or any other feast mentioned. But He stated that the first feast is that of the permanent sacrifice. He requests from him, who seeks perfection and holiness, to have no days that are feasts of the Lord, and others that are not. The righteous always celebrates a permanent feast1.] Although Origen talks by his well-known church spirit, he who undoubtedly rejoiced for all the Church feasts along the whole year, yet he finds in every day he lives with God, a feast. The feasts of the Christian are consistent; as he enters into the heavenly joy, and consistently tastes the pledge of the eternal kingdom. 2- GIFTS OF THE PRINCE OR THE KING God intended to preserve the rights of the king and his household, and also that of the people. He fixed the portion of each of them in the previous chapter. But, if the king wished to give a gift to someone, out of his inheritance, God discerned between two cases: if the receiver of the gift is a king’s son, the gift consistently stays as his inheritance for him and his children; as that keeps the land within the possession of the royal family. But if the gift is given to one of the people, it shall be his until the year of liberty, after which it shall return to the king. By that the inheritance of the royal family would not go to the people and vice versa. As the king is not allowed to extort any of the people’s inherited properties. In this, there is probably a symbolic portrait of the inheritance in the New Testament, as there is a difference between the son and the slave: the son inherits and possesses forever; while the slave enjoys only temporary blessings. That is why, if we desire to be heirs to God, together with the Lord Christ - the Only-Begotten Son - there is no chance for eternal inheritance, except through the enjoyment of the new birth, the gain of the spirit of adoption to God. 3- PLACES FOR COOKING AND BAKING The Lord designated places for the priests to cook in their chambers in the inner court, as well as other places in the extreme western ends of the outer court, at the 4 corners. And he also designated places for baking. There is great difference between him who enters into the inner court, and who remains in the outer court. None will be left hungry, as long as he entered into fellowship with the Lord Christ; everyone is given a portion. Yet, it is fitting for us to enter consistently and permanently into the inner court, in order to have a fellowship of inner life with Him, and a fulfillment of His sanctities. 1 In Num. Homily 23:3. 7 AN INSPIRATION FROM THE BOOK OF E ZEKIEL 46 YOU ARE MY REST AND MY PERMANENT FEAST Amazing are Your statutes that You set for my heart, Your temple! You allow those who enter it, to walk only straightforward! You are the Truth that accepts no deviation! You presented to me the statute of Your feasts, the weekly and the yearly; The Sabbaths of rest, and the feasts of joy. You are my Sabbaths. You are my rest, O Savior! You are my joy and permanent feast, O Grantor of resurrection! You are my consistent praise! You designated for the king his rights and commitments; And so also for the people! No one of them is allowed to take what belongs to the others! Keep my mind, by Your Holy Spirit, to reign with justice! And not to corrupt my life! Caring for Your priests, You designated places for cooking and baking. You are amazing, O You the heavenly Bread! You seek the fulfillment of everyone!
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