Purification & Priesthood

Theology of Purification
- Ezk’s priestly background particularly promiment with respect to purification
• Trained as a priest
• Likely that he was given prophetic ministry right as he was about to
enter the priesthood

Defilement of Yahweh’s sanctuary & the entire land

• Crowning sin which brought about the downfall of Jerusalem
• Ezek. 5:11 Therefore, as I live, declares the Lord GOD, surely, because you
have defiled my sanctuary with all your detestable things and with all your
abominations, therefore I will withdraw. My eye will not spare, and I will have
no pity.
• But not restricted to temple also the whole land
o Defiled by pagan worship
o Particularly the mountains and high places
• Penalty is expulsion from the land
o Driven out from a clean land to experience the true depths of
their uncleaness
o Ezek. 4:13 And the LORD said, “Thus shall the people of Israel eat
their bread unclean, among the nations where I will drive them.”
• The judgement of Jerusalem ritual of purification
o All that is unclean purified by fiery judgement
o Ezek. 10:6-7 And when he commanded the man clothed in linen,
“Take fire from between the whirling wheels, from between the
cherubim,” he went in and stood beside a wheel. And a cherub
stretched out his hand from between the cherubim to the fire that was
between the cherubim, and took some of it and put it into the hands of
the man clothed in linen, who took it and went out.

New Covenant purification

o Specifically uses language of purification
o Ezek. 36:25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all
your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you.
o In new age God’s cleansing judgement will have removed all
defilement from land and people and they will be prounounced
clean
o Purification was priestly ritual bringing unclean back into active
membership of community
o More a formal prounouncement of cleanness rather than
effecting it

Priestly Connections
• Linen garments normally associated with priests – (9:2 etc cf 1 Sam
2:18)
 o Particularly more so since the context is the temple
• The name of Yahweh, profaning of the name priestly language