Ezekiel 44

Ezekiel 44:1-3

In this chapter we have, 1. The appropriating of the east gate of the temple to the prince, ver. 1—3. 2. A eternal post to the house of Israel for their former preparations of Israel’s sanctuary, with a charge to them to be more strict for the future, ver. 4—9. 3. The degrading of their Levites that had formerly been guilty of idolatry, and the abolishing of the priesthood in the family of Zadok which had kept their integrity, ver. 10—16. 4. Divers laws and ordinances concerning the priests, ver. 17—31.

1. THEN he brought me back the way of the gate of the outward sanctuary which looketh toward the east, and it was shut. 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. 3. It is for the prince; the prince, he shall fit in it to eat bread before the LORD; he shall enter in by the way of the porch of that gate, and shall go out by the way of the same.

The prophet, following his heavenly guide, returns to the east gate; which, in honour of him, whose glory entered the temple thereat, was kept shut ever after, only the prince was admitted to eat his part of the peace-offerings in the porch, and to go in and out by the way of the porch of that gate: which some interpreters suppose, in the mystical sense to signify the blessed Virgin, the mother of Jesus: others, that this represents the kingdom of heaven shut against mankind by reason of sin, till Christ the

3 Q prince Before Christ prince entering himself, hath opened a way for all believers. Others interpret it of the church of Christ upon earth, that a guide all profane and impecinent sinners, and only open to those, who by the faith of Jesus become one with him, and so have hitherto to enter into the belief of all. 4. ¶ Then brought he me the way of the north-gate before the house; and I looked, and behold, the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD; and I fell upon my face. 5. And the LORD said unto me, “Son of man, mark well, and behold with thine eyes, and bear with thine ears all that I say unto thee concerning all the ordinances of the house of the LORD, and all the laws thereof, and mark well the entering in of the house, with every going forth of the sanctuary. 6. “And thou shalt say to the rebellious, even to the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD, O ye house of Israel, ’let it suffice you of all your abominations, 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, ever my house, when ye offer my bread, the fat and the blood, and they have broken my covenant, because of all your abominations. 8. And ye have not kept the charge of mine holy things: but ye have set keepers of my § charge in my sanctuary for yourselves. 9. ¶ Thus saith the Lord GOD, ‘No stranger uncircumcised in heart, nor uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter into my sanctuary, of any stranger that is among the children of Israel.

Ezekiel 44:4-9

Once more we have the prophet prostrate, adoring the great God, whose glory he beheld. Deep views of the divine Majesty will ever produce the most abusing apprehensions of ourselves. 1. The prophet is charged to take notice of what he saw, and attend to what was told him; for they whom God employs, most carefully observe his orders, and be first taught themselves of him, before they can be effectual teachers of others. 2. He is commanded, (1.) To deliver the message God gave him to the house of Israel, that rebellious house, to convince them of their sins. Their abominations were great, and it was high time for them to amend: they had introduced into the sanctuary the uncircumcised and the profane, to the defilement of that holy place, and the great dishonour of God; and instead of chusing the most able, zealous, and guilty ministers from among the priests and Levites, ye have set keepers in my sanctuary for yourselves; such as studied to please, not profit them, and would flatter them in their sins, instead of testifying against them. Note, (1.) They who begin to take any thing of the bitterness of sin, will reflect with grief on every moment of the time past when they walked therein. (2.) It is a high profanation of Christ’s table, when persons profane and immoral are admitted thereunto, and he will refer the prosecution. (3.) They who chuse flattering priests will perish in their own delusions. (4.) To point out to them the path of duty. No stranger, uncircumcised in heart or flesh, may enter the sanctuary; and happy would it be for the church of Christ if these directions were more carefully observed, and none admitted to partake of her most sacred ordinances, much less entruffed with the ministry, who have not given some satisfactory evidence by their principles and practice, that they are partakers of the grace of God in truth. 1. Kings 1000. E. a Chom. 1000. 4. 1. Chap. 1000. 11. 1. Hol. v. 1. 2. Hoh. Were for a furnishing blanch of inquiry 1000. 8. 9. 1. Kings 1000. 9. 2. Hoh. Holnesses in the Indusette of Indusette. a Chap. xl. xl. & xiii. 19. 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. 11. Yet they shall be ministers in my sanctuary, having charge at the gates of the house, and ministring to the house: they shall stay the burnt-offering, and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall stand before them to minister unto them: 12. Because they ministred unto them before their idols, and caused the house of Israel to fall into iniquity; therefore have I lift up mine hand against them, saith the Lord GOD, and they shall bear their iniquity. 13. “And they shall not come near unto me to do the office of a priest unto me, nor to come near to any of my holy things in the most holy place: but they shall bear their shame, and their abominations which they have committed. 14. But I will make them keepers of the charge of the house for all the service thereof, and for all that shall be done therein. 15. ¶ 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 GOD. 16. They shall enter into my sanctuary, and they shall come near to my table, to minister unto me, and they shall keep my charge.

Ezekiel 44:10-16

The Lord is here taking account of his servants. 1. The unfaithful are degraded: they had betrayed their truth; and as a minister’s ill example hath ever the most pernicous effects, their idolatry had emboldened the people in their iniquities, therefore God will suffer them no more to minister as formerly before him: yet not utterly to exclude them, and sink them in despair, as if repudiate, and as if no place was left for repremature, they are still to be employed in the more fervent offices, and to partake in the provision of God’s house, bearing their shame, though not utterly cast away. Note, (1.) The church will never recover her primitive beauty, still her primitive discipline is restored. (2.) Though open offenders must be put to shame, too much feverity and rigour may drive those to despair whom we should desire to lead to repentance. 2. The faithful are distinguished. The sons of Zadok, who in the general apollary maintained their integrity, are condemned in their office, and in the high honour of drawing near to God in his most solemn services. Fidelity shall never lose its reward; and they who know the happiness of communion with God, desire no higher honour or greater reward than to be established his servants for ever, and preferred in a constant state of nearness to his blessed self. 17. ¶ And it shall come to pass, that when they enter in at the gates of the inner-court, they shall be clothed with linen garments, and no wool shall come upon them, whilst they minister in the gates of the inner-court, and within. 18. They shall have linen bonnets upon their heads, and shall have linen breeches upon their loins: they shall not grief therefore with any thing that causeth sweat. 19. And when they go forth into the utter-court, even into the utter-court to the people, they shall put off their garments wherein they ministred, and lay them in the holy chambers, and they shall put on other garments, and they shall not fancify the people with their garments. 20. Neither shall they shave their heads, nor suffer their locks to grow long, they shall only poll their heads. 21. Neither shall any priest drink wine, when they enter into the inner-court. 22. Neither shall they take for their wives a widow, or her that is put away: but they shall take maiden of the seed of the house of Israel, or a widow § that had a priest before. 23. And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause men to discern between the unclean and the clean. 24. And in controversy they shall stand in judgment, and they shall judge it according to my judgments: and they shall keep my laws and my statutes, in all more assemblies, and they shall hallow my sabbaths. 25. And they shall come at no dead person to defile themselves: but for father, or for mother, or for son, or for daughter, for brother, or for sister, that hath had no husband, they may defile themselves. 26. And after he is cleansed, they shall reckon unto him seven days. 27. And in the day that he goeth into the sanctuary unto the inner-court to minister in the sanctuary, he shall offer his sin-offering, saith the Lord GOD. 28. And it shall be unto them for an inheritance: I am their inheritance: and ye shall give them no possession in Israel; I am their possession. 29. They shall eat the meat-offering, and the sin-offering, and the trespass-offering; and every dedicate thing in Israel shall be theirs. 30. And the first of all the first-fruits of all things, and every oblation of all of every sort of your oblations shall be the priests; ye shall also give unto the priests the first of your dough, that he may cause the blessing to rest in thine house. 31. The priests shall not eat of any thing that is dead of itself, or torn, whether it be fowl or beaf.

Ezekiel 44:17-31

The faithful who are appointed to minister before God, have here directions given them: 1. Concerning their clothes. They must wear linen garments when they are employed in their ministry, that they might not sweat, and put them off when they have finished the service, and not sanctify the people with their garments; as if the touch

In the much of them communicated any holiness, or least any superstitious conceit might be entertained thereof by the people. The ministers of Christ, above all others, are especially called upon to keep their garments clean from every spot, for on them every eye will be fixed.

2. Concerning their hair. They must not be on the one hand shaved, as the priests of Egypt, nor on the other effect, satisfy affect long hair, but have their heads polled. The Romish priests chuse to copy after their heathen predecessors.

3. Concerning their drink. No wine must enter their lips when they went in to minister. Note, Nothing can be conceived in a christian minister more scandalously infamous than incompetence.

4. Concerning their marriages. They may not take for a wife a woman divorced, least her suspicious character bring a dishonour upon her husband, nor a widow, unless it be a priest’s widow, but a maiden of the house of Israel. Note, (1.) It is a mark of the antichristian church to forbid marriage to the clergy. (2.) Ministers above all others, for the honour of their high office, need be especially careful whom they chuse for their yoke-fellow.

5. Concerning the exercise of their ministry. [1.] They must teach the people the difference between the holy and profane, between the clean and unclean; and this with regard to persons, principles, and practices; pointing out the evil as to be avoided, and the good to be embraced and followed. [2.] In appeals made to them, they must judge impartially according to God’s word. [3.] In their assemblies they must be directed in their worship and discipline by his laws and statutes, and before God’s Sabbaths, both in private and public, and extort others to do the same.

6. Concerning their mourning. They may not come near a dead corpse, which would make them ceremonially unclean, and prevent them from approaching the sanctuary: only for those nearest relations specified v. 25, they may defile themselves; but before they return to their sacred services again they must be cleansed by a sin-offering. Though ministers are not forbidden to borrow as men, they must be examples of resignation, and for that their grief does not break in upon the duties of their office.

7. Concerning their maintenance. They had no inheritance in Israel, but their provision arose from the altar they loved: God was their possession, whose favour is the richest portion; and whilst they exerted themselves in his service, the piety of the people would procure them plenty of all needful things; so that they should not be reduced to eat what died of itself, or was torn; and in return, the blessing of God’s ministers refting upon them, would amply compensate the people for what they employed in his service and their maintenance. Note, God’s ministers have a right to live by the altars they serve, and it is the interest, as well as duty of the people, to take care of them, for the blessing of God in answer to their prayers shall be an abundant recompense.