But the priests the Levites, the sons of Zadok, that kept the charge of My sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from me, they shall come near to Me to minister unto Me, and they shall stand before Me to offer unto Me the fat and the blood, saith the Lord. Ezekiel 44:15
Zadok was the high priest in King David’s time. He was a good and faithful priest, faithful to God and to David. One of the highlights of his service was the annointing of Solomon as king, to defeat the rebellion of Adonijah. Not only was Zadok faithful, but so were his sons, and they performed valiant service for David during difficult times. As is often the case with godly families, the heritage of faithfulness was passed on from generation to generation. Ezekiel is writing hundreds of years later of the sons of Zadok who remained faithful in their service as priests and Levites during the time of Israel’s departure from God, even though most of the Levites had abandoned their service. The sons of Zadok were like the remnant today that remains faithful to the word of God.
The sons of Zadok had the privilege of continuing their access into the sanctuary. They could continue drawing near to God, and making the sacrifices and offerings that God desired. God forbade the disobedient priests and Levites from coming near to him or touching the holy things of the temple. But God saw and appreciated the obedience and faithfulness of the sons of Zadok in a day of departure. God has not changed today. He has no interest in those who have disobeyed his Word and distorted His truths. But He appreciates the worship of those who obey His Word and are faithful to His commandments.
There are those around us who claim to serve God and worship Him. But they do so in disobedience. They reject God’s simple pattern and create their own ideas about God and how to serve Him. But God’s Word is plain. His pattern is simple. And there are little companies scattered across the globe that obey His word and follow His pattern. Like the sons of Zadok, they remain faithful to the Lord, and the Lord honours that faithfulness by enabling these little companies, and those brothers and sisters who make up those companies, to enter His presence.
Do you form part of such a faithful company? Are you one of the faithful few who obey the simple pattern of God’s Word? You can be assured of God’s welcome into His sanctuary. -Jim MacIntosh