Ezekiel 46

Ezekiel 46:1-15

In this chapter we have, 1. Some further rules given, both to the priests and to the people, relating to their worship, vers. 1-15. 2. A line concerning the prince’s disbelief of his inheritance, vers. 16-18. 3. A description of the places provided for the healing of the sacrifices, and the healing of the meat-offerings, vers. 19-24.

1. THUS faith the Lord GOD, The gate of the inner-court that looketh toward the eath, shall be shut the six working-days: but on the Sabbath it shall be opened, and in the day of the new-moon it shall be opened. 2. And the prince shall enter by the way of the porch of that gate without, and shall stand by the post of the gate, and the priest shall prepare his burnt-offering, and his peace-offerings, and he

shall worship at the threshold of the gate: then he shall go forth, but the gate shall not be shut until the evening. 3. Likewise the people of the land shall worship at the door of this gate before the LORD, in the Sabbaths, and in the new-moons. 4. And the burnt-offering that the prince shall offer unto the LORD in the Sabbath-day, shall be six lambs without blemish, and a ram without blemish. 5. And the meat-offering shall be an ephah for a ram, and the meat-offering for the lambs, + as he shall be able to give, and an hin of oil to an ephah. 6. And in the day of the new-moon it shall be a young bullock without blemish, and six lambs, and a ram: they shall be without blemish. 7. And he shall prepare a meat-offering, an ephah for a bullock, and an ephah for a ram: and for the lambs according as his hand shall attain unto, and an hin of oil to an ephah. 8. And when the prince shall enter, he shall go in by the way of the porch of that gate, and he shall go forth by the way thereof. 9. That when the people of the land shall come before the LORD in the solemn feasts, he that entreth in by the way of the north-gate to worship, shall go out by the way of the south-gate: and he that entreth by the way of the south-gate, shall go forth by the way of the north-gate: he shall not return by the way of the gate whereby he came in, but shall go forth over against it. 10. And the prince in the midst of them, when they go in, shall go in; and when they go forth, shall go forth. 11. And in the feasts, and in the solemnities, the meat-offering shall be an ephah to a bullock, and an ephah to a ram, and to the lambs as he is able to give, and an hin of oil to an ephah. 12. Now when the prince shall prepare a voluntary burnt-offering, or peace-offerings, voluntarily unto the LORD, one shall then open him the gate that looketh toward the eath, and he shall prepare his burnt-offering, and his peace-offerings, as he did on the Sabbath-day: then he shall go forth, and after his going forth, one shall shut the gate. 13. That shall daily prepare a burnt-offering unto the LORD, of a lamb of the first year without blemish: thou shalt prepare it every morning. 14. And thou shalt prepare a meat-offering for it every morning, the sixth part of an ephah, and the third part of an hin of oil, to temper with the fine flour; a meat-offering continually, by a perpetual ordinance unto the LORD. 15. Thus shall they prepare the lamb, and the meat-offering, and the oil, every morning, for a continual burnt-offering.

The rules here prescribed for the place and manner of God’s worship, like the preceding solemnities, differed far from those prescribed by the law of Moses.

1. The eath-gate, that at other times was always shut, chap. xlv. 2. on the Sabbaths, the new-moons, and when the prince offered a voluntary sacrifice, was to be opened for him: though it seems he must not go through it into the inner-court, but stand in the porch, by the post of the door, from whence he might see the priest offering the sacrifices he brought. By the north and south-gates the people were to enter the courts of the house, observing always to return by the gate opposite that by which they came in: and on the Sabbaths and new-moons they were to attend the prince at the eath-gate, who should be in the midst of them, their leader and example in the holy service. Note, (1.) It is the greatest glory of a prince to be a pattern to his people of true piety. (2.) They who are the highest on earth, when they know themselves, will think themselves honoured in the meanest place of the church of God. (3.) With Christ our king at our head, we may boldly draw near to the throne of God, and be assured of gracious acceptance in his sight. (4.) When we set our hearts towards the heavenly temple, we may not look back, but still forgetting the things which are behind, must press forward to those that are before.

2. The sacrifices the prince must provide, are a daily burnt-offering of a lamb; on the Sabbath six lambs and a ram; on the new-moons an ox was moreover added all of them without blemish, with their several meat and drink-offerings: some of these are much larger than was ordered by the law of Moses, which those for the lambs are left to his ability, v. 5. Our offerings at God’s altar must be proportioned to the prosperity with which he hath blessed us. Where he hath given much of them, he expects the more.

3. Thus faith the Lord GOD, If the prince give a gift unto any of his sons, the inheritance thereof shall be his sons, it shall be their possession by inheritance.

4. But if he give a gift of his inheritance to one of his servants, then it shall be his to ’the year of liberty; after, it shall return to the prince: but his inheritance shall be his sons for them. 18. Moreover, the prince shall not take of the people’s inheritance, by oppression to thrift them out of their possession; but he shall give his sons inheritance out of his own possession: that my people be not scattered every man from his possession.

Ezekiel 46:16-18

If a prince wanted to leave an inheritance to any of his children, he is permitted to settle a part of his possessions upon him, and it would continue to his descendants for ever; but if he made a gift of land to any of his servants, it must revert to his family again at the year of Jubilee. Their gifts must be out of his own patrimony, and not the fruits of oppression, or the plunder of his people. Kings must be their mild and equitable rule gain the love of their subjects; this will prove their greatest riches, for then they will be ready to sacrifice their lives and fortunes in his service.

19. ¶ After, he brought me through the entry, which was at the side of the gate, into the holy chambers of the priests, which looked toward the north: and behold, there was a place on the two sides westward. 20. Then said he unto me, This is the place where the priest’s shall boil the trespass-offering, and the sin-offering, where they shall bake the meat-offering: that they bear them not out into the utter court, to sanctify the people. 21. Then he brought me forth into the utter court, and caused me to pass by the four corners of the court, and behold, in every corner of the court there was a court. 22. In the four corners of the court there were courts joined of forty white long, and thirty broad: these four corners were of one measure. 23. And there was a row of building round about in them, round about them four, and it was made with boiling-places under the rows round about. 24. Then said he unto me, These are the places of them that boil, where the ministers of the house shall boil the sacrifice of the people.

Ezekiel 46:19-24

The altar being so liberally as above supplied with sacrifices, part of which belonged to the priests, and were to be eaten in the holy place, there were boilers and ovens near their chambers, where they prepared these holy things, none of which might be carried out into the utter court, to sanctify the people, who might fancy, that partaking of these holy things would recommend them to God’s favour, or that but touching them communicated virtue. Such superfluous conceits the ministers of the sanctuary must never countenance.