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Last Updated on :
Saturday, November 22, 2014

 

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Contents|| Preface || 1 || 2 || 3 || 4 || 5 || 6 || 7 || 8 || 9 || 10 || 11 ||12 ||13 || 14 ||

 

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Christ on Earth Again


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CHAPTER VIII
THE" SONS OF ZADOK"


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THE employment of the phrase "the sons of Zadok" to denominate the class to which Zadok himself belongs, and of which he stands as the spiritual prototype, rather than to definite literal descendants, is in harmony with the scriptural usage exemplified in the case of Abraham. The Jews were all the seed of Abraham in the literal sense: but Jesus did not recognize them as the children of Abraham. He said, " I know that ye are Abraham's seed, but ... if ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham" (John 8: 37-39). Moral likeness is the ground of kinship. So the merely literal descendants of Zadok would not be the sons of Zadok in the divine use of these terms. The sons of Zadok are those who have " done the works" of Zadok in the ages of Israel's disobedience.
There is a peculiar force in this descriptioij of them. Zadok was a faithful priest; but Zadok is also the Hebrew word for Righteousness. Zadok was the leading priest figure by the side of the king under the typical reign of Solomon. That a word having all these associations and relations should be chosen to describe a class in which the personal Zadok will have a prominent and permanent place; to which the individuals composing it are admitted on the principles of personal righteousness exclusively; and who are called expressly to stand by the side of the greater than Solomon in the capacity of " priests unto God" in the day of his manifested kingly glory, is one of those dazzling beauties which are everywhere hidden under the surface of things in the Scriptures.
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It is an enhancement of this great beauty that the description should be employed in connection with a matter specially calling for it-viz., the restored temple service of the age to come. The introduction of a vision on this theme ahnost called for a definition of the new priesthood in harmony with the temple history of which the Ezekiel temple is a renewal and continuation. The more so, because this new temple dispensation involves the dealing out of what we might call the deserts arising out of the previous one. It had been written: "Then shall ye return, and discern between . . . him that serveth God and him that serveth him not"-that is, " in that day when I make up my jewels" (Mal. 3 : 16-18). The day of the restored kingdom of Israel is that day.
To Ezekiel is shewn the glory of this day; and it was appropriate that the new priesthood of the restored system should be designated with reference to the history of the old. This is done by calling them the sons of Zadok-that is, all of the Zadok type. That they should include many Gentiles is no difficulty, since these Gentiles cease to be Gentiles when they are incorporate with the divine polity which is wholly composed of the Zadok type-all sons of righteousness.
The opinion of some, that the Ezekiel "sons of Zadok" will be mortal blood descendants of Zadok, is irreconcilable with two things: I-the character of the Zadok priesthood as revealed, and 2, the extent of country assigned for their occupation.
It has been revealed that the saints are to be the priests of the age to come. This is the governing element in the question. Nothing must be allowed to clash with this. The Levites, as mere Levites, are excluded on account of the part they performed in Israel's transgressions. The class chosen in their place is a selection from them because of former faithfulness with many new individuals added and
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incorporate with them,-who, though originally aliens, become fellow-citizens with the household of Godbuilt on the foundation of the apostles and prophetsand therefore forming one class with " the priests, the Levites, the sons of Zadok ", who stand by the side of the son of David in the glory of the Kingdom. As to the other point (the idea of a limited literal family of Zadok), it is excluded by the number provided for in the Ezekiel distribution of the land. They have assigned to them a tract of country, measuring about 50 miles from east to west and 20 miles from north to south (Ezek. 45: 3-4). This provides an extensive domain for the sons of Zadok-irrespective of the much more extensive "Prince's portion ", in which the Prince will give special inheritance to those whom he delights to honour.

 


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