20151205 Saturday, December 5 2015
Ezekiel 42: Levites In History And Prophecy

by Wayne Blank
See also 1 Year Holy Bible Reading Plan

A Biblical history of the tribe of Levi, who became known as Levites, and the Levite Priesthood of Israel that was created by the LORD (see The Identity Of The LORD God and The LORD God Our Saviour) for its prophetic purpose to Him (see the Fact Finder question below):

Levi was the son of Jacob and Leah. Levi was born in Syria (see The Syrian Connection) during the twenty years that Jacob lived there (the LORD changed Jacob's name to "Israel" on the journey from Syria back to the land of Canaan; see A Biography Of Jacob: The Jacobites Of Syria and A Biography Of Jacob: When Jacob Became Israel). Levi's full brothers and sister were Reuben, Simeon, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun and Dinah (see Dinah Of Israel).

Levi and his descendants were no different than the other Israelites for centuries. Aaron and Moses were Levites, but the LORD did not create His Levite priesthood until after the Exodus. Aaron did not become a Priest of the LORD until he was more than 80 years old (see The Beginning Of The Levite Ministry and When Were The Levites Set Apart?).

Aaron was chosen by the LORD to be the first High Priest of Israel. This occurred in the Sinai after the Exodus. The only place that Aaron served as Israel's High Priest was in the Sinai (see Why A Book Of Deuteronomy In The Bible?). When Aaron died in the Sinai, he was succeeded by his son Eleazar (see From Moses And Aaron To Joshua and Eleazar).

When the Israelites crossed the Jordan River into the Israelite promised land, the Levites, because they were the priesthood, were given tribal lands and cities throughout all of the other Israelite tribes who each had their own tribal territories (see The Inheritance Of The Levites and Cities and Suburbs Of The Levite Clans).

When the united kingdom of Israel split into two independent kingdoms, "Israel" and "Judah" (see Israel In History and Prophecy: Israel and Judah), the Levites were also split into the two different kingdoms. This ended when Jeroboam, the first king of the northern Kingdom of Israel, rejected the LORD's service of the Levites and created his own state religion (see No Levites In The Lost Ten Tribes? and How Did Israel Separate Itself From The Messianic King?). The Levites of the Kingdom of Israel then left and joined the rest of the Levites in the Kingdom of Judah.

The Kingdom of Judah was composed of three tribes - Judah, Benjamin and Levi (see Israel In History and Prophecy: Kingdom Of Judah). Just as the descendants of the tribal patriarch Judah became known as "Jews" ("Jew" is merely an abbreviation of Judah), the people of the Kingdom of Judah also became known as "Jews" i.e. the people of Benjamin and Levi, the Benjamites and Levites, also became known as "Jews" because they were citizens of the Kingdom of Judah, not members of the tribe of Judah (see Jews - Three Tribes and Three Meanings). So it has been to this day i.e. Levites are known as "Jews" even though they are actually Levites.

John the Baptist was a Levite (see What Did John The Baptist's Father Do At The Temple?). Barnabas was a Levite (see The Meeting Of Paul And Barnabas and The Ministry Of Paul And Barnabas).

Levites will again serve in the last Temple in Jerusalem, as the LORD revealed to the prophet Ezekiel (see What Temple Did Ezekiel See? and When Will There Be No More Temples Built In Jerusalem?).

"42:1 Then he brought me forth into the utter court, the way toward the north: and he brought me into the chamber that was over against the separate place, and which was before the building toward the north. 42:2 Before the length of an hundred cubits was the north door, and the breadth was fifty cubits. 42:3 Over against the twenty cubits which were for the inner court, and over against the pavement which was for the utter court, was gallery against gallery in three stories. 42:4 And before the chambers was a walk of ten cubits breadth inward, a way of one cubit; and their doors toward the north. 42:5 Now the upper chambers were shorter: for the galleries were higher than these, than the lower, and than the middlemost of the building. 42:6 For they were in three stories, but had not pillars as the pillars of the courts: therefore the building was straitened more than the lowest and the middlemost from the ground. 42:7 And the wall that was without over against the chambers, toward the utter court on the forepart of the chambers, the length thereof was fifty cubits. 42:8 For the length of the chambers that were in the utter court was fifty cubits: and, lo, before the temple were an hundred cubits. 42:9 And from under these chambers was the entry on the east side, as one goeth into them from the utter court.

42:10 The chambers were in the thickness of the wall of the court toward the east, over against the separate place, and over against the building. 42:11 And the way before them was like the appearance of the chambers which were toward the north, as long as they, and as broad as they: and all their goings out were both according to their fashions, and according to their doors. 42:12 And according to the doors of the chambers that were toward the south was a door in the head of the way, even the way directly before the wall toward the east, as one entereth into them.

42:13 Then said he unto me, The north chambers and the south chambers, which are before the separate place, they be holy chambers, where the priests that approach unto the LORD shall eat the most holy things: there shall they lay the most holy things, and the meat offering, and the sin offering, and the trespass offering; for the place is holy. 42:14 When the priests enter therein, then shall they not go out of the holy place into the utter court, but there they shall lay their garments wherein they minister; for they are holy; and shall put on other garments, and shall approach to those things which are for the people.

42:15 Now when he had made an end of measuring the inner house, he brought me forth toward the gate whose prospect is toward the east, and measured it round about. 42:16 He measured the east side with the measuring reed, five hundred reeds, with the measuring reed round about. 42:17 He measured the north side, five hundred reeds, with the measuring reed round about. 42:18 He measured the south side, five hundred reeds, with the measuring reed. 42:19 He turned about to the west side, and measured five hundred reeds with the measuring reed. 42:20 He measured it by the four sides: it had a wall round about, five hundred reeds long, and five hundred broad, to make a separation between the sanctuary and the profane place." (Ezekiel 42:1-20 KJV)

Fact Finder: How did the Levite High Priest serve as a prophecy of the Messiah?
See Why Did Jesus Christ Choose Aaron? and Leviticus: The Prophecies Of Christianity