Ezekiel 44

Chap. XLIV. Ver. 1—31. Regulations of worship.—‘No man should presume, even in appearance, to arrogate to himself that glory which belongs to God alone. It is also very proper that Christ our Prince should ‘in all things have the re-eminence:’ but though the way, by which he has entered into heaven, is for ever shut against the whole fallen race of Adam; yet he has opened for us ‘a new and living way,’ by which we may find access and acceptance through faith in his blood. He also graciously comes among his assembled people, to commune with them, before they go to be with him in heaven. Then the glory of the Lord fills his sanctuary, and his people adore him with humble gratitude: and we should carefully meditate on these goings of our God and King, and hearken to all that he says to us, concerning ‘the ordinances and laws of his house;’ and we should mark well the entrance into his courts, and all the goings out of them.

Thus we shall be able to see rebelliously even professed Christians have prostituted his sacraments, and the sacred ministry, by throwing them open to strangers, enemies, and evidently unregenerate persons; to the disgrace of the gospel, and the grief of true believers, and the encouragement of wicked men. “* All who are employed in the important work of the ministry, should be of harmless and blameless conversation; sound in the faith, full of good works; of exemplary temperance, sobriety, and gravity; walking humbly before God, and circumspectly in the sight of men: not arrogating honour to themselves, or leading the people into a superstitious veneration of them; yet acting honourably, and maintaining a sober peculiarity in their whole conduct.

They should perform the most common actions of life in a pious and sanctified manner; their apparel, and the whole of their style of living, should be plain, simple, frugal, and such as manifests their indifference about worldly things: they should be careful in forming connexions, and in the choice of wives, and prudent in the management of their families; showing that they are governed by reason, conscience, and the fear of God, not by passion and

Notes on the verses

Chap. XLIV. Ver. 1. The outward sanctuary—i. e. the court of the Priests. Houbigant.—|So called in opposition to the temple itself, which was the inner sanctuary.]—Bagster. A Ver. 2. This gate shall be shut—That is, to the public. Among other marks of respect paid to a sovereign in the East, this is one, that the gate whereby he enters is in future closed to all other persons. Harmer’s Obs. Ver. 3. It is for the prince.—(It is probable, that the prince mentioned here and elsewhere, does not mean the Messiah, but the ruler of the Jewish nation for the time being. For it is not only directed where he should sit in the temple, and eat his portion of the sacrifices, and when and how he should go out; but it is also ordered ((Ezekiel 45:22).) that at the passover he shall offer a bullock, a sin-offering for himself and the people; and to guard him against any temptation of oppressing the people, he had a provision of land allotted to him, ((Ezekiel 45:8).) out of which he is to give an inheritance for his sons, ((Ezekiel 46:18).) ‘These appear plainly to be political rules for common princes, and for a succession of them; but as no such rules were observed under the second temple, the fulfilment of it must still be future.)—Bagster. Ver. 7. Uncircumcised.—[The introduction of uncircumcised persons to eat of the peace-offerings and oblations, would have been a gross violation of the Mosaic law; but, as there was no law to exclude ‘the uncircumcised of heart,’

who were circumcised and ritually clean, this seems to point out a new and different constitution.]—Bagster. Ver. 10. They shall bear their iniquity.—Many Levites survived the captivity, some of whom in early life had probably served the altar of the idolaters; neither they nor their children should now be admitted to their full privileges, but be subservient to others; and thus ** bear their iniquity.” Ver. 11. Ministers.—(As few, if any, of those who, before the captivity, had been guilty in these respects, lived to witness the restoration of the temple service; and as it does not appear that their descendants were thus degraded for the idolatry of their ancestors; it is probable that a thorough reformation of the whole church, or the prevalence of pure religion among the converted Jews, is here predicted.

]—Bagster. Ver. 12. I lifted up my hand.—That is, I have sworn, &c. 2 Ver. 18. Near to my table—{To place the shew-bread there. It is observable, that the table in the sanctuary is mentioned rather than the altar of incense; perhaps intimating the change in the external institutions of Divine worship which should take place before the accomplishment of the prophecy. It is not easy to determine, whether any external regulations, with respect to Divine ordinances, answerable to these predictions, will be made among the converted Jews, when reinstated in their own land, % Le }—Bagster Ver. 22. Take ‘ed wives a widow.—{This was prohibited only to the high priest under the law; but is here extended to all the priests, perhaps to intimate the superior sanctity of the times to which it refers.

}—Bagster. Ver. 24. Controversy.—[This seems to intimate, that controversies, in the period predicted, will be generally decided by arbitration, according to the law of God; and not by litigations before human tribunals, according to the laws of man.]—Bagster. _ Ver. 25. They shall come, &c.—The following regulations are chiefly repetitions of the Mosaic law.