Ezekiel 43

Ezekiel 43:1-6

The prophet having given us a view of this mystical temple, comes now to describe the worship that should be performed in it. In this chapter we have, 1. The glory of God filling the temple, ver. 1—6. 2. A prompt given of the continuance of God’s profane with his people, upon condition of their return to and continuance in his inflicted worship, and their renunciation of idolatry, ver. 7—12. 3. A description of the altar of burnt-offering, ver. 13—17. 4. Directions given for the consecration of that altar, ver. 18—27. And Ezekiel seems here to stand between God and Israel, as Moses did, when the sanctuary was first set up.

1. Afterward he brought me to the gate, even the gate that looked toward the east. 2. And behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters, and the earth shined with his glory. 3. And it was according to the appearance of the vision which I saw, even according to the vision that I saw, when I came to destroy the city: and the visions were like the vision that I saw by the river Chebar: and I fell upon my face. 4. And the glory of the LORD came into the house by the way of the gate, whose prospect is toward the east. 5. So the Spirit took me up, and brought me into the inner court, and behold, the glory of the LORD filled the house. 6. And I heard him speaking unto me out of the house, and the man stood by me.

The temple was great and glorious, but infinitely greater the glory of the divine inhabitant who condescended there to take up his abode.

1. The same bright vision that had before been seen by the prophet, again appears from the east. It was the glory of the God of Israel; like many waters his voice was heard to off, his gospel having spread into distant lands, and the earth shined with his glory; his church, as the moon, reflecting the lustre the hath borrowed from him the fun of righteousness.

2. This glory of God filled the house; and when the prophet in humble adoration had fallen prostrate on the earth, v. 3. the Spirit took him up, and brought him to the inner court, to behold God’s glory, and receive his instructions, and

Before Chall the man, Christ Jesus, fixed by him; for through him alone can we hold communion with God, or hear his voice with comfort.

7. ¶ And he said unto me, Son of man, the place of my throne, and the place of the sole of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever, and my holy name shall the house of Israel no more deft, neither they, nor their kings, by their whoredom, nor by the carcasses of their kings in their high places. 8. In their setting of their threshold by my thresholds, and their polls by my polls, and the wall between me and them, they have even defiled my holy name by their abominations that they have committed: wherefore I have confound them in mine anger. 9. Now let them put away their whoredom, and the carcasses of their kings far from me, and I will dwell in the midst of them for ever. 10. ¶ Thou son of man, these the house to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities, and let them measure the pattern. 11. And if they be ashamed of all that they have done, these them the form of the house, and the fashion thereof, and the going out thereof, and the comings in thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the laws thereof: and write it in their sight, that they may keep the whole form thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and do them. 12. This is the law of the house, upon the top of the mountain, the whole limit there round about shall be most holy: behold, this is the law of the house.

8. 7—12. God having taken possession of his temple, admonishes them of the obligations lying upon them, to be more faithful to him than they had ever yet been.

9. They had formerly graciously offended, and had been deservedly punished. They and their kings had been gross idolaters, and worshipped on the high places, v. 7. They had corrupted the service of the sanctuary by their own inventions; had even dared to erect their idols and altars in that sacred place; and by such abominations had provoked God’s wrath and indignation against them, v. 8. Note, They who faithfully depart from God, provoke him to take up the courage and plague them for their offences.

10. He calls on them to repent, and graciously promises to make them such as he would have them be. They must put away their whereof, their idolatrous services, and the caresses of their kings; which some suggest were buried in or near the house of God, or rather the idols themselves are meant, as laathsome in God’s sight, as a partial couple in men; and in order to induce them hereunto, the prophet must shew them the house, that a sense of the mercy God hath in store for them, may work upon their hearts, and his goodness lead them to repentance, v. 10. and if they expressed shame and confusion in the view of their past conduct, then he must go farther, and give them a more distinct view of the glorious fabric and all its parts; and give them in writing all the ordinances thereof, that they may keep them and do them, v. 11. And whilst God is thus using the strongest motives, he promises to make them effectual. They shall deft in my name no more; yet, he will engage their hearts to his blessed self, and, in consequence thereof, dwell in the midst of them for ever, as their God. Note, (1.) If the goodness of God does not lead sinners to repentance, nothing else can ever produce it. (2.) When we begin to return to God, every step we take will give us from the deeper humiliation and self-soothing. (3.) They who are restored to God’s favour, will above all things desire henceforth to walk in his ways. (4.) The work of the sinner’s salvation is from God alone; it is an act of his sovereign grace, and wholly effected by his divine power.

11. The law of God’s house is declared, v. 12. not only the sanctuary, but the whole mountain is now most holy; no veil in the gospel church excludes the believer, but through the blood of Jesus we have holdfast to enter into the benefit, Heb. x. 19. and are called upon as his disciples to perfect holiness in the fear of God.

12. ¶ And these are the measures of the altar after the cubit; the cubit is a cubit and an hand-breadth; even the bottom shall be a cubit, and the breadth a cubit, and the border thereof by the edge thereof round about shall be a span, and this shall be the higher place of the altar. 14. And from the bottom upon the ground, even to the lower settle, shall be two cubits, and the breadth one cubit; and from the lesser settle, even to the greater settle, shall be four cubits, and the breadth Vol. II.

one cubit. 15. So ¶ the altar shall be four cubits, and from the altar and upward shall be four horns. 16. And the altar shall be twelve cubits long, twelve broad, square in the four squares thereof. 17. And the settle shall be fourteen cubits long, and fourteen broad in the four squares thereof, and the border about it shall be half a cubit, and the bottom thereof shall be a cubit about, and his stairs shall look toward the east. 18. ¶ And he said unto me, Son of man, Thus saith the Lord GOD, These are the ordinances of the altar, in the day when they shall make it, to offer burnt-offerings thereon, and to sprinkle blood thereon. 19. ¶ And thou shalt give to the priests the Levites that be of the seed of Zadok which approach unto me, to minister unto me, saith the Lord GOD, a young bullock for a sin-offering. 20. And thou shalt take of the blood thereof, and put it on the four horns of it, and on the four corners of the settle, and upon the border round about: thus shalt thou cleanse and purge it. 21. Thou shalt take the bullock also of the sin-offering, and he shall burn it in the appointed place of the house without the sanctuary. 22. And on the second day thou shalt offer a kid of the goats without blemish for a sin-offering, and they shall cleanse the altar, as they did cleanse it with the bullock. 23. When th. u hath made us end of cleansing it, thou shalt offer a young bullock without blemish, and a ram out of the flock, without blemish. 24. And thou shalt offer them before the LORD, and the priests shall call fast upon them, and they shall offer them up for a burnt-offering unto the LORD. 25. Seven days shall thou prepare every day a goat for a sin-offering; they shall also prepare a young bullock, and a ram out of the flock without blemish. 26. Seven days shall they purge the altar and purify it, and they shall consecrate themselves. 27. ¶ And when these days are expired, it shall be, that upon the eighth day, and so forward, the priests shall make your burnt-offerings upon the altar, and your peace-offerings; and I will accept you, saith the Lord GOD.

Ezekiel 43:13-27

We have here,

1. The altar; typical of the Lord Jesus, through whom all our sacrifices find acceptance with God, and the sinner that rises to the horns of this altar, shall find a sure refuge from fear of evil.

2. The consecration of the altar, and the service to be performed on it, which God promises to accept. Until, by offering his own blood as the anthem, hath consecrated himself: the altar, and every believer is now a spiritual priest, ordained to offer spiritual sacrifices thereon, acceptable and well-pleasing to God through him.