Ezekiel 44 - Introduction
CHAPTER 44 THE SACREDNESS OF THE EAST GATE - GOD'S GLORY REVEALED IN THE HEAVENLY SANCTUARY - REGULATIONS WITH REGARD TO THE PEOPLE'S OWN FUTURE TEMPLE.... [ Continue Reading ]
CHAPTER 44 THE SACREDNESS OF THE EAST GATE - GOD'S GLORY REVEALED IN THE HEAVENLY SANCTUARY - REGULATIONS WITH REGARD TO THE PEOPLE'S OWN FUTURE TEMPLE.... [ Continue Reading ]
THE PERMANENT CLOSING OF THE EAST GATE OF THE HEAVENLY TEMPLE (EZEKIEL 44:1). ‘Then he brought me back the way of the outer gate of the sanctuary which looks towards the east, and it was shut. And Yahweh said to me, “This gate will be shut, it shall not be opened, neither shall any man enter by it,... [ Continue Reading ]
“As for the prince, he will sit in it as prince to eat bread before Yahweh. He will enter by the way of the porch of the gate, and will go out by way of the same.” This gateway was henceforth to be so holy that only ‘the prince' could enter it, although he could not use the gate itself. He had to en... [ Continue Reading ]
THE GLORY OF GOD FILLS THE SANCTUARY. ‘Then he brought me the way of the north gate before the house, and I looked, and behold, the glory of Yahweh filled the house of Yahweh, and I fell on my face.' Having been instructed about the future Ezekiel was now brought by the heavenly visitant to the no... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And Yahweh said to me, “Son of man, set your heart on, and behold with your eyes, and hear with your ears, all that I say to you concerning all the ordinances of the house of Yahweh, and all its laws. And set your heart on the entering in of the house, with every going forth from the sanctuary.” '... [ Continue Reading ]
“And you shall say to the rebellious, even to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord Yahweh, O you house of Israel, let all your abominations be sufficient for you, in that you have brought foreigners, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in my sanctuary, to profane it, even my... [ Continue Reading ]
THE NON-ZADOKITE PRIESTS ARE TO BE EXCLUDED FROM THE INNER SANCTUARY BECAUSE OF THEIR PREVIOUS PARTICIPATION IN IDOLATRY (EZEKIEL 44:10). “But the Levites who went far from me when Israel went astray, who went astray from me after their idols, they will bear their iniquity. Yet they shall be ministe... [ Continue Reading ]
ONLY THE SONS OF ZADOK MAY PERFORM THE FULL PRIESTLY FUNCTIONS (EZEKIEL 44:15). “But the priests, the Levites, the sons of Zadok, who kept the charge of my sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from me, they will come near to me to minister to me. And they will stand before me to offer... [ Continue Reading ]
RITUAL REQUIREMENTS FOR THE SONS OF ZADOK. “And it shall be that when they enter in at the gates of the inner court, they will be clothed with linen garments, and no wool shall come on them while they minister inside the gates of the inner court, and within. They shall have linen turbans on their h... [ Continue Reading ]
“And when they go out into the outer court, even into the outer court to the people, they shall put off their garments in which they minister, and lay them in the holy chambers, and they will put on other garments, lest they sanctify the people with their garments.” The linen garments they wore were... [ Continue Reading ]
“Nor shall they shave their heads, nor allow their locks to grow long. They shall only cut the hair of their heads. Nor shall any priest drink wine when they enter into the inner court. Nor shall they take for their wives a widow, nor one who has been divorced. But they shall take virgins of the see... [ Continue Reading ]
“And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and the common, and cause them to discern between the clean and the unclean. And in a controversy they shall stand to judge. In accordance with my judgments shall they judge it. And they will keep my laws and my statutes in all my appoi... [ Continue Reading ]
“And they shall come into contact with no dead person to defile themselves. But for father, or for mother, or for son, or for daughter, for brother or for sister who has no husband they may defile themselves. And after he is cleansed they will reckon to him seven days. And in the day that he goes in... [ Continue Reading ]
“And they will have an inheritance (literally ‘it will be to them for an inheritance'). I am their inheritance. And you will give them no property holding in Israel. I am their property holding.” The opening phrase would seem to mean that by their observance of all these things they would gain a sp... [ Continue Reading ]
“They will eat the meal offering, and the sin offering, and the guilt offering, and every devoted thing in Israel shall be theirs. And the first of all the firstfruits of everything, and every gift of everything, of all your gifts, shall be for the priests. You will also give to your priests the fir... [ Continue Reading ]
“The priests shall not eat of anything which dies of itself, or is torn, whether it be beast or bird.” This was in fact true for all Israelites (Leviticus 7:24), but it is emphatically stressed here that it is especially important for priests. Clearly such animals may have died of disease, or have... [ Continue Reading ]