Ezekiel 44:1-3
Ezekiel was brought back to the outer gate at the east entrance where he saw the gate was shut. The Lord spoke to him about the gate as he continued from 43:6. Speaking of the east gate, He said:
- It would be shut
- Not be opened
- No man shall enter it
All three seem to say the same thing; this speaks to the importance of the matter. The sanctity of this gate was to be honored and preserved.
However, the prince could enter the gate and eat bread before the Lord. The identity of the prince is a bit of a mystery. It could be a reference to Jesus, their messiah; or, it might be royalty or a priest of some kind. The word is used for both in other places. He would enter the gate from the outer court, use the vestibule for a ceremonial meal of bread and exit into the inner court. The gate would remain shut.
Ezekiel 44:4-5
By way of the north gate, Ezekiel was then taken to the front of the temple. Again, he saw the glory of the Lord filling the house. Ezekiel responded by falling on his face. The Lord spoke to him again. He was to see and hear and 'mark well' which is to fix his heart. This is the same words the Lord spoke to him in 40:4. In that verse he was to hear, see and set his heart on the physical size and design of the temple. Now the Lord shifts his focus to the laws and ordinances. At first his attention was on the temple itself, the what; and now the emphasis is on the operation of it, the how.
Ezekiel 44:6-9
Notice how many times the Lord God said 'My". The children of Israel violated His sacred place. The brought in foreigners, uncircumcised in heart or flesh. It was the gods of other nations that were allowed into the land. Compromise led to compromise. Solomon built temples for his foreign wives. The idolatry invaded and pervaded until it made its way into God's holy space. This was their abominations.
The Lord made provision for the foreigner, but not on their terms in their ways. They were to look like a child of God. The circumcised of heart were welcome as well as the circumcised of flesh. Before God, on God's terms, none of these groups bring anything but their sin. They all were created by God. They are all equal in His sight.
26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. (Gal 3:26-29)
This does not mean the Lord does not have specific roles or allow different privileges to His children by whom the law was given.
Ezekiel 44:10-14
The Levites went far from the Lord and chased after idols. This was a big deal and could not be overlooked. The Lord made it clear there would be consequences for their sin. They would remain as ministers in the sanctuary but only as gatekeepers and slaying and prep of sacrifices. They will serve the people as minsters to them. However, they would no longer be able to minister to the Lord. They would not enter the Most Holy Place.
Ezekiel 44:15-19
The sons of Zadok had kept charge of the temple during the time Israel went astray. They had remained faithful while the Levites had run astray. The Lord says they shall come near Him as ministers. They shall come before Him. They shall come near the Lord's table.
The Zadokite priests are instructed in the garments of the priest when they minister near Him. They were specific, a reflection of holiness, sacred and clean. These garments were to be removed after ministering to the Lord. Regular woolen garments would be put on to go before the people. This teaches a distinction, a division and it wasn't to be taken lightly.
Ezekiel 44:20-22
As a Zadokite priest and being set apart for the Lord, every aspect of their life would be scrutinized as reflecting God. They were not to shave their heads but they weren't to let their hair grow long either. They were to be nearly trimmed. They wouldn't drink wine; simple enough, with no discussion. They were to marry correctly. All these things reflected the Lord.
Ezekiel 44:23-24
One of their primary functions was to teach the people the difference between the holy and unholy. Without compromise, they were to teach what was, and was not, acceptable. A priest could not create a gray zone of compromise in the eyes of the people. There is clean and unclean, with no in between. There is sin, and not sin; there is sin and faith, with place where they are mixed.
They were sit as judges, to discern and apply the statutes and help keep the Sabbaths and feasts.
Ezekiel 44:25-27
These verses again reflect Levitical laws for the priests. They were to defile themselves by coming near a dead person (Lev 21:1). There was an allowance made for the death of an immediate family member. They would be left unclean for 7 days after which they would be required to offer a sin offering.
Ezekiel 44:28-31
These priests would not be given an allotment of land. The Lord alone is their inheritance and He would provide for them in every way. They were given the grain offering, sin offering and trespass offering. The firstfruits were theirs and every sacrifice was given as their provision. Nothing dying of natural causes was to be eaten, only that which died as a sacrifice and was prepared as such.
©2020 Doug Ford
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