Ezekiel 44

Ezekiel 44:1

Then he brought me back the way of the gate of the outward sanctuary which looketh toward the east; and it was shut.

Now, whereas there were two degrees or distinctions of the sanctuary, the one which was called The Holy Place, the other called The Most Holy Place, or the Holy of Holies; he brought me, in the Spirit, to the entering of the gate of the outer sanctuary, which looked eastward; and that gate, which I had seen formerly open, as that by which the glory of God visibly entered into the temple, was now shut.

Ezekiel 44:2

Then said the LORD unto me; This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter in by it: because the LORD, the God of Israel, hath entered in by it, therefore it shall be shut.

Then said the Lord unto me; This gate shall continue shut,

Ezekiel 44:3

It is for the prince; the prince, he shall sit in it to eat bread before the LORD; he shall enter by the way of the porch of that gate, and shall go out by the way of the same.

It is for the prince of that holy tribe, the high priest only; he alone shall be allowed to eat the consecrated bread, within the holy place; and to have ingress and egress that way.

Ezekiel 44:7

In that ye have brought into my sanctuary strangers, uncircumcised in heart, and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in my sanctuary, to pollute it, &c.

In that ye have ordained and appointed those to be priests in my sanctuary, that are strangers both in blood and in religion; and have given them a place of ministration in my temple, to pollute it, &c.

Ezekiel 44:9

No stranger, uncircumcised in heart, nor uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter into my sanctuary, of any stranger that is among the children of Israel.

No stranger, that is uncircumcised, either spiritually or corporally, wicked in heart and life, and an alien from my Church, shall be admitted to serve in my sanctuary, although he be one that lives among my people.

Ezekiel 44:10

And the Levites that are gone away far from me, when Israel went astray, which went astray away from me after their idols; they shall even bear their iniquity.

And those of the tribe of Levi, which, being in the office of priesthood, were, in the defection of the rest of Israel, carried away to idolatry, they shall undergo punishment for their sin.

Ezekiel 44:11

Yet they shall be ministers in my sanctuary, having charge at the gates of the house, and ministering to the house: they shall slay the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall stand before them to minister unto them.

Yet they shall not utterly be excluded from the meaner businesses, that belong to my temple; as from taking charge of the gates of the house, &c. They shall be allowed to slay the burnt offering, and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall minister to the people; but they shall not be admitted to offer any sacrifice to God for them.

Ezekiel 44:12

Because they ministered unto them before their idols, &c.

Because they polluted themselves, in ministering unto the people in their idolatrous sacrifices, &c.

Ezekiel 44:18

They shall not gird themselves with any thing that causeth sweat.

They shall not gird about them any woollen garments, which may cause their bodies to sweat; that those holy vestments N N 2 may be soiled, or any outward uncleanliness may be caused thereby.

Ezekiel 44:19

And when they go forth into the outer court, even into the court to the people, they shall put off their garments wherein they ministered, and lay them in the holy chambers, and they shall put on other garments; and they shall not sanctify the people with their garments.

When they are before God in his temple and service, they shall be clad with peculiar and holy vestments; but when they go forth amongst the people, they shall not wear those hallowed robes, as if in their familiar conversation, they would tie them to a religious observance, and an expectation of holiness to be derived from them.