7 “And to the prince shall belong the land on both sides of the holy district and the property of the city, alongside the holy district and the property of the city, on the west and on the east, corresponding in length to one of the tribal portions, and extending from the western to the eastern boundary 8 of the land. It is to be his property in Israel. And my princes shall no more oppress my people, but they shall let the house of Israel have the land according to their tribes.
As I read this passage there seems to be more than one prince talked about here. There is "THE PRINCE" and then there are the princes. THE PRINCE shall belong to the land surrounding the holy district and the city property. This land shall be his.
BUT then there are the princes who are being called to no longer oppress the people of God. It is to these princes that God directs his comments.
They are to put away violence and oppression.
They are to execute justice and righteousness.
They are no longer to evict the people.
They will have just balances. The ephah and the bath, they will be of the same measure - one tenth of a homer. With money being measured the same as well.
But I'm not sure if these princes are different or not.
9 “Thus says the Lord God: Enough, O princes of Israel! Put away violence and oppression, and execute justice and righteousness. Cease your evictions of my people, declares the Lord God.
10 “You shall have just balances, a just ephah, and a just bath. 11 The ephah and the bath shall be of the same measure, the bath containing one tenth of a homer, and the ephah one tenth of a homer; the homer shall be the standard measure. 12 The shekel shall be twenty gerahs; twenty shekels plus twenty-five shekels plus fifteen shekels shall be your mina.
The princes are to receive offerings that are of the standard, measured weight. This offering is to be given by all the people of the land.
13 “This is the offering that you shall make: one sixth of an ephah from each homer of wheat, and one sixth of an ephah from each homer of barley, 14 and as the fixed portion of oil, measured in baths, one tenth of a bath from each cor (the cor, like the homer, contains ten baths). 15 And one sheep from every flock of two hundred, from the watering places of Israel for grain offering, burnt offering, and peace offerings, to make atonement for them, declares the Lord God.
16 All the people of the land shall be obliged to give this offering to the prince in Israel. 17 It shall be the prince's duty to furnish the burnt offerings, grain offerings, and drink offerings, at the feasts, the new moons, and the Sabbaths, all the appointed feasts of the house of Israel: he shall provide the sin offerings, grain offerings, burnt offerings, and peace offerings, to make atonement on behalf of the house of Israel.
But do you see as you read? Not only do the people have offerings to make, but the prince has offerings he needs to make as well. The burnt, grain and drink offerings at the festivals etc, as well as the sin, grain, burnt and peace offerings in order to make atonement for the people.
18 “Thus says the Lord God: In the first month, on the first day of the month, you shall take a bull from the herd without blemish, and purify the sanctuary. 19 The priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering and put it on the doorposts of the temple, the four corners of the ledge of the altar, and the posts of the gate of the inner court. 20 You shall do the same on the seventh day of the month for anyone who has sinned through error or ignorance; so you shall make atonement for the temple.
21 “In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, you shall celebrate the Feast of the Passover, and for seven days unleavened bread shall be eaten. 22 On that day the prince shall provide for himself and all the people of the land a young bull for a sin offering. 23 And on the seven days of the festival he shall provide as a burnt offering to the Lord seven young bulls and seven rams without blemish, on each of the seven days; and a male goat daily for a sin offering. 24 And he shall provide as a grain offering an ephah for each bull, an ephah for each ram, and a hin of oil to each ephah. 25 In the seventh month, on the fifteenth day of the month and for the seven days of the feast, he shall make the same provision for sin offerings, burnt offerings, and grain offerings, and for the oil.
And yet more sacrifices.
Do you see that they have be without any kind of blemish?
Perfect animals.
Meant to make the people right with God.
But so many were needed. Grain, birds, cattle, sheep and more.'
I am left sitting here thinking, Jesus put an end to all that.
He was what the sacrifices pointed us toward.
Then he ended the need for them.
That's a true prince in action.
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