Approaching God As You Are: In Faith - Ezekiel 43-48

Ezekiel 44:15-20 (ESV Strong's)

Rules for Levitical Priests

“But the Levitical priests, the sons of Zadok, who kept the charge of my sanctuary when the people of Israel went astray from me, shall come near to me to minister to me. And they shall stand before me to offer me the fat and the blood, declares the Lord God. They shall enter my sanctuary, and they shall approach my table, to minister to me, and they shall keep my charge. When they enter the gates of the inner court, they shall wear linen garments. They shall have nothing of wool on them, while they minister at the gates of the inner court, and within. They shall have linen turbans on their heads, and linen undergarments around their waists. They shall not bind themselves with anything that causes sweat. And when they go out into the outer court to the people, they shall put off the garments in which they have been ministering and lay them in the holy chambers. And they shall put on other garments, lest they transmit holiness to the people with their garments. They shall not shave their heads or let their locks grow long; they shall surely trim the hair of their heads.

Approaching God As You Are: In Faith

The above passage outlines, in the restored Temple, how the priest are to approach God.  Here is the list of what it says. To approach God the priest are to:

1. They must be of the Levitical lineage. 

2. They had to bring specific offerings. 

3. They had to wear linen garments.

4. They could not wear wool garments. 

5. They had to wear a turban on their head.

6. They had to wear linen garments around their waist. 

7. They could not approach God with anything that caused them to sweat. 

8.  They had to store the garments in the Holy Chambers.

9.  They could not shave their heads.

10. They could not let their hair grow. 

This is how you approached God via the Old Testament means.   This morning I prayed in bed, wearing wool, with a shaved head.   The writer of Hebrews says it like this:

Hebrews 10:19-23 (ESV Strong's)

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.

The requirement in the New Testament is faith in Christ.   That is it!!   What a wonderful thought.   God gave us the OT approach as a “shadow” of the things to come: The NT faith in Christ.