Ezekiel 44:17-27 – We must model holiness.

The need for holiness in ministry and service to the Holy God can never be over-emphasized. Hence the priests who were accorded the privilege to serve in His presence must exercise the utmost care to ensure that requirement.  The rest of Ezekiel 44 from verses 15-31 covers detail of ordinances and requirements to ensure holiness of the priesthood.

To ensure purity even the priest attire for duties in the sanctuary are carefully defined. From their head gear (turban) to inner garments, verses 15-19 tell us that they must not be those of material that could be contaminated by perspiration. They must be made from linen material and not wool that would cause them to be polluted by their perspiration during service.  

The garment they wore for service are considered h0ly and must not be polluted by the uncleanness outside.  Hence after ministry in the Sanctuary they must change the linen vestment to something else after ministry and leave them in the chamber before they meet the people outside.

Verse 20 deals with their appearance.  Their hair could only be trimmed and not shaved. They are expected to be need and tidy. THis is to prevent priests from appearing dishevelled and unkempt. Appearance matters. They signal one’s readiness to serve.

Habits and lifestyle of priests must reflect propriety. They must not drink wine before they enter the inner court. For such a serious duty, a priest must perform it with sobriety. And for marriage, a priest cannot afford to be casual in choosing his life partner. Who they marry must reflect purity. In their teachings priests must train the people to discern between what’s holy and what’s profane to help choose to live rightly. And when settling dispute, they must adjudicate it according to the holy ordinances of God.

A priest is required to observe the laws concerning the Sabbath and all the required feasts and festivals. They must not be defiled by dead bodies making them ceremonially unclean. When a priest had contact with a dead body of his family members, he is required to observe the period of cleansing for purity.       

Summarily, in life - their appearance, habits, conduct, marriage, and ministry, priests are expected to model purity and uprightness. They are expected to be influencers of holiness.   

Since we are His holy priesthood, we can understand why Jesus, our Lord tells us to “be holy even as our Heavenly Father is holy.” How else can we be a good influence to the people, both within the believers’ community and those outside of it?  We are the salt of the earth and light of the world. We must live a life worthy of our calling. We must be worth our salt as His representatives.