Ezekiel 44

Ezekiel 44 OF WORSHIP Ezekiel’ s lengthy symbolic portrayal of the messianic age continues in this unit. The empty temple complex of chs 40-42 now comes alive. Now that God has returned to the temple (Ezekiel 43:1-12), his people can meet with him there. The laws set forth in the present unit underscore that the temple of the preceding chapters is not a lifeless monument. It is the hub of worship and service. Having already focused his attention on (1) the center of worship (Ezekiel 43:13-27), Ezekiel now speaks of (2) the ministers of worship (Ezekiel 44:1­45:8); and (3) the regulations concerning worship (Ezekiel 45:9 to Ezekiel 46:24).

After briefly discussing the relationship of the prince to the sanctuary (Ezekiel 44:1-3), Ezekiel speaks of the qualifications of the temple ministers (Ezekiel 44:4-14), the regulations for the Zadokite priests (Ezekiel 44:15-27); the provision for the Zadokite priests (Ezekiel 44:28-31), and the allocation of land that was theirs (Ezekiel 45:1-8). PRINCE AND Ezekiel 44:1-3 Then he brought me back by the way of the outer gate of the sanctuary that faces east; and it was shut. (Ezekiel 44:2) The LORD said unto me, This gate shall be shut; it shall not be opened, neither shall any man enter in by it; for the LORD, the God of Israel, has entered in by it; therefore it shall be shut. (Ezekiel 44:3) As for the prince, he shall sit therein as prince to eat bread before the LORD; he shall enter by the way of the porch of the gate, and shall go out by the way of the same. The angel now brought Ezekiel back from the inner court to the outer eastern gate that only shortly before he had entered (Ezekiel 43:1). He found that gate shut, now that the glory of God had reentered the temple (Ezekiel 44:1). Never again would that gate be open. God’ s glory would never again depart from his temple. No man would be permitted to enter the gate through which the divine presence had come (Ezekiel 44:2).

The future leader of God’ s people— the prince— will be permitted to eat bread before the LORD within the eastern gate complex. The phrase hints of the priestly prerogatives of the future prince.

Not even the prince, however, will be allowed to enter by that sealed gate. He will enter the gate complex from the rear or west by the way of the porch of the gate (Ezekiel 44:3).

Ezekiel 44:4-14 A Word of Admonition (Ezekiel 44:4-5): Then he brought me by 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. (Ezekiel 44:5) The LORD said unto me, Son of man, mark well, and look with your eyes, and listen with your ears all that I say unto you concerning all the ordinances of the house of the LORD, and all the laws thereof; and mark well the entrance of the house, with every egress of the sanctuary. Though the architectural tour of the temple is over, the heaven guide continues to lead Ezekiel. From the outer court, the prophet was led by his angelic guide around through the northern gate (the eastern gate was to be kept perpetually closed) to the inner court. For the last time in the book, Ezekiel observed the glory of God filling the house. The prophet falls on his face in reverence(Ezekiel 44:4). At this juncture, God spoke to Ezekiel again, this time concerning the qualifications of those who might approach him in his holy temple.

Previously the emphasis was on what the guide showed Ezekiel; here it is upon what the Lord tells him. Ezekiel was bidden to make careful note (mark, look, listen) of these ordinances, particularly those laws governing the approaches to the house (Ezekiel 44:5).

A Word of Condemnation (Ezekiel 44:6-8): You shall say to the rebellious, even to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord GOD: O house of Israel, let it suffice you of all your abominations, (Ezekiel 44:7) in that you have brought in foreigners uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in my sanctuary, to profane it, even my house, when you offer my bread, the fat and the blood. They have broken my covenant, to add unto all your abominations. (Ezekiel 44:8) You have not kept the charge of my holy things; but you have set keepers of my charge in my sanctuary for yourselves. In the former temple, aliens had been permitted to discharge priestly functions. This was an abomination (Ezekiel 44:6; cf. Numbers 3:10). This practice must not persist in the age of the new temple.

Those uncircumcised in heart and. . .flesh profaned the holiness of that sacred shrine. Circumcision of the flesh was the sign of the Abrahamic covenant. Moses, however, called for Israelites to be circumcised in their hearts as well as in the flesh (Leviticus 26:41; Deuteronomy 10:16; Deuteronomy 30:6; cf. Jeremiah 4:4; Jeremiah 9:25). Such a change of heart was necessary for the Israelite and the foreigner if they were to enter into a proper relationship with the Lord.

God’ s bread, i.e., sacrifices of fat and blood, was not to be offered by the uncircumcised, i.e., the unfaithful and unconverted. To allow them to do so was to violate the covenant and commit abomination (Ezekiel 44:7).

Apparently the use of foreign temple servants such as the Carites (2 Kings 11:4) is here being proscribed. It may have been that in times when the priesthood was at low ebb, some priestly duties actually had been assigned to these foreigners. In so doing, God’ s people had been more concerned about what was convenient to them rather than what conformed to the instructions of God (Ezekiel 44:8). A Word of Judgment (Ezekiel 44:9-15): Thus says the Lord GOD, No foreigner, uncircumcised in heart, and uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter into my sanctuary, of any foreigners that are among the children of Israel. (Ezekiel 44:10) But the Levites that went far from me, when Israel went astray, that went astray from me after their idols, they shall bear their iniquity. (Ezekiel 44:11) Yet they shall be ministers in my sanctuary, having oversight at the gates of the house, and ministering in the house: they shall slay the burnt-offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall stand before them to minister unto them. (Ezekiel 44:12) Because they ministered unto them before their idols, and became a stumbling block of iniquity unto the house of Israel; therefore have I lifted up my hand against them, saith the Lord GOD, and they shall bear their iniquity. (Ezekiel 44:13) They shall not come near unto me, to execute the office of priest unto me, nor to come near to any of my holy things, unto the things that are most holy; but they shall bear their shame, and their abominations which they have committed. (Ezekiel 44:14) Yet shall I make them keepers of the charge of the house, for all the service thereof, and for all that shall be done therein. The menial temple work, formerly done by aliens, must in the future be performed by the Levites (Ezekiel 44:9). The duties of the Levites in Ezekiel’ s temple were threefold: (1) they were to have charge of the temple gates, i.e., they were to police the crowds who entered for worship; (2) they were to minister in the house, i.e., courtyard, by slaying the sacrificial animals; and (3) they were to stand before the worshipers to minister to them by helping them in their ritual responsibilities (Ezekiel 44:11). The demotion of the Levites in the new temple was a punishment for previous transgression on their part. They had gone far away from God (Ezekiel 44:10). They had ministered at idolatrous shrines, and thus had become stumbling blocks to the people of God. God had taken an oath (lifted up my hand) against the Levites that they bear the consequences of their iniquity in the new temple age (Ezekiel 44:12).

In effect, the penalty against the once wayward Levites was reduction in status to that of lay servants in the temple. They are not allowed to come near the Lord, i.e., enter the inner courtyard, nor minister at the sacrificial service, nor come near any holy thing in the temple (Ezekiel 44:13).

The Levites are keepers of the charge of the house, i.e., they are restricted to functions in the outer court (Ezekiel 44:14).

Ezekiel 44:15-27 Ministerial Privileges (Ezekiel 44:15-16): 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 (oracle of the Lord GOD): (Ezekiel 44:16) they shall enter into my sanctuary, and they shall come near to my table, to minister unto me, and they shall keep my charge. Only the sons of Zadok are allowed to minister before and within the sanctuary proper. They alone had remained faithful when the rest of the nation had gone into idolatry. The Zadokites are permitted to (1) come near to God to minister unto him; (2) stand before God to offer the sacrificial portions of animals and the blood (Ezekiel 44:15); (3) enter into the sanctuary itself and minister there; and (4) approach the table of showbread (cf. Ezekiel 41:22). Whereas the Levites were to keep the charge of the house (Ezekiel 44:14), the Zadokites were to keep my charge (Ezekiel 44:16).

Older critics saw in these verse evidences of a political conflict between priests and Levites. Supposedly Ezekiel took the side of the priests. The main concern here, however, is the holiness of a temple liturgy that far surpasses in holiness anything known during the days of the previous temple. Ministerial Dress (Ezekiel 44:17-20) Garments must be linen (Ezekiel 44:17-18): It shall be that, when they enter in at the gates of the inner court they shall be clothed with linen garments. No wool shall come upon them, while they minister in the gates of the inner court, and within. (Ezekiel 44:18) They shall have linen turbans upon their heads, and shall have linen undergarments upon their loins; they shall not gird themselves with anything that causes sweat. In the new temple, the Zadokite priests were to serve clothed only in linen. They would not be permitted to wear the partly woolen garments worn by priests in the former temple. Linen is light and clean in appearance. The heavier wool would cause perspiration that in turn would result in ritual defilement. Garments must be removed (Ezekiel 44:19): When they go forth into the outer court, even into the outer court to the people, they shall put off their garments wherein they minister, and lay them in the holy chambers; and they shall put on other garments, that they sanctify not the people with their garments. The holy linen garments were to be removed and stored in the holy chambers before the priests joined the lay people in the outer court. Holiness was communicated by direct contact (cf. Exodus 29:37; Leviticus 6:20). If the priests mingled with the lay people in those holy garments, they too would be sanctified. Holy and profane were never to meet in the new age. Personal grooming (Ezekiel 44:20): Neither shall they shave their heads, nor suffer their locks to grow long; they shall only cut off the hair of their heads. The priests were to be examples of holiness to the people of God. They were not permitted to shave their heads, nor let their hair grow long. Those customs were associated with heathen practice (cf. Leviticus 21:5; Leviticus 21:10). Ministerial Restrictions (Ezekiel 44:21-22): Neither shall any of the priests drink wine, when they enter into the inner court. (Ezekiel 44:22) They shall not take for their wives a widow, nor her that is put away; but they shall take virgins of the seed of the house of Israel, or a widow that is the widow of a priest. As in the law of Moses, priests were not allowed to drink wine before performing their sacrificial ministry in the inner court (Ezekiel 44:21). Rigid marriage restrictions prohibited a priest from marrying anyone but an Israelite virgin or the widow of a fellow priest (Ezekiel 44:22). These strict marriage regulations were perhaps designed to preserve the purity of the priestly families. Ministerial Responsibility (Ezekiel 44:23-24): They shall teach my people the difference between the holy and the common, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean. (Ezekiel 44:24) In a controversy they shall stand to judge; according to my ordinances shall they judge it: and they shall keep my laws and my statutes in all my appointed feasts; and they shall hallow my sabbaths. Ezekiel 44:23-24 outlines some of the responsibilities of the priests. They were teachers, and as such they were responsible, by word and example, for constantly reminding the people of the difference between the holy and the common, the clean and the unclean (Ezekiel 44:23). In civil law cases, the priests acted as judges. In this capacity they were to render each verdict in accordance with the law of God. The primary function of the priests was strictly to observe the regulations concerning the sacrifices that were to be offered on special festivals and sabbaths (Ezekiel 44:24). Ministerial Defilement (Ezekiel 44:25-27): They shall go in to no dead person to defile themselves; but for father, or for mother, or for son, or for daughter, for brother, or for sister that has had no husband, they may defile themselves. (Ezekiel 44:26) After he is cleansed, they shall reckon unto him seven days. (Ezekiel 44:27) In the day that he goes into the sanctuary, into the inner court, to minister in the sanctuary, he shall offer his sin-offering (oracle of the Lord GOD). As in the law of Moses, the priests of the new temple age must avoid contact with dead bodies. Exceptions were made in the case of close relatives (Ezekiel 44:25). Contact with a corpse defiled priests and rendered them temporarily unfit to perform their priestly function. A seven-day separation and ritual washing were necessary to cleanse a priest defiled by death in the law of Moses. Ezekiel’ s regulations call for an additional seven-day period after the cleansing (Ezekiel 44:26).

Upon resuming his ministry in the inner court, the priest was to offer a sin-offering for his defilement (Ezekiel 44:27). These additional regulations are intended to portray the greater sanctity of the future temple.

Ezekiel 44:28-31 Priestly Inheritance (Ezekiel 44:28): They shall have an inheritance: I am their inheritance; and you shall give them no possession in Israel; I am their possession. Whereas other tribes received their inheritance in land tracts, the priesthood itself was the inheritance of the Zadokites. Spiritual privilege is greater blessing than material possession. Priestly Sustenance (Ezekiel 44:29-31): They shall eat the meal-offering, the sin-offering, and the trespass-offering; and every devoted thing in Israel shall be theirs. (Ezekiel 44:30) The first of all the first- fruits of every thing, and every oblation of everything, of all your oblations, shall be for the priest: you shall also give unto the priests the first of your dough, to cause a blessing to rest on your house. (Ezekiel 44:31) The priests shall not eat of any thing that dies of itself, or is torn, whether it be bird or beast. The priests received a portion of the various offerings for their daily maintenance. Every devoted thing (herem)—any property consecrated to God— belonged to the priests (Ezekiel 44:29). The first-fruits of the land— a token portion of the crop— belonged to the priests. The oblation or heave-offering was the priest’ s portion of first-born clean animals that were killed and sacrificed to God. The first cakes baked with the grain from the threshing floor were also to be given to the priests (cf.

Numbers 15:20). Those who were faithful in presenting these offerings to the priests receive a special blessing (Ezekiel 44:30; cf. Malachi 3:10). Appended to the list of what priests could eat is a prohibition. No Israelite could eat any animal that died a natural death or that had been killed by wild beasts (cf. Exodus 22:30; Leviticus 7:24; Deuteronomy 14:21).

It is not clear why the regulation is repeated here in connection with the priests (Ezekiel 44:31).Ezekiel Chapter Forty-FourVerse 1 The east gate is assigned to the priests (Ezekiel 44:1-3). The priesthood is reproved and condemned for their sins (Ezekiel 44:4-14). Next are given specific regulations for cleansing and purifying the priesthood (Ezekiel 44:15-31). Ordinances For The Priests The chief theme of this chapter is that of the regulations under which the priests of Jehovah were to serve in His temple. In these we may see, in the main, a repetition of instruction given by Moses long before, as recorded in the book of Leviticus particularly, much of which had been ignored and even definitely disobeyed after idolatry came in and rulers, priests, and people drifted farther and farther from God. The reiteration of these commandments as given here tells us, in veiled form, of the unhindered worship that will be offered to the Lord in the coming glorious day of Israel’ s cleansing and regeneration. First, however, we read of a prince who is to occupy a place of special privilege and authority in that day. “ Then he brought me back by the way of the outer gate of the sanctuary, which looketh toward the east; and it was shut. And Jehovah said unto me, This gate shall be shut; it shall not be opened, neither shall any man enter in by it; for Jehovah, the God of Israel, hath entered in by it; therefore it shall be shut. As for the prince, he shall sit therein as prince to eat bread before Jehovah; he shall enter by the way of the porch of the gate, and shall go out by the way of the same” -Ezekiel 44:1-3. Many have thought they saw in the “ Golden Gate” so-called, on the east of the temple-area, the fulfilment of this prophetic vision. But the east gate here is clearly that of the temple seen by the prophet. By way of that gate the glory returned to fill the house: this was Jehovah’ s entrance into His sanctuary. Henceforth, the gate was to be closed to all men, no matter how exalted in rank or conspicuous for piety. The prince, who will be in all probability a lineal descendant of David, hence his son, enters the court by way of the porch of the gate but not through the gate itself. But he eats bread within the entryway of the gate, inside the court, thus enjoying a special place of communion and fellowship. The prophet proceeds to tell of the privileges and responsibilities of the priests. “ Then he brought me by the way of the north gate before the house; and I looked, and, behold, the glory of Jehovah filled the house of Jehovah: and I fell upon my face. And Jehovah said unto me, Son of man, mark well, and behold with thine eyes, and hear with thine ears all that I say unto thee concerning all the ordinances of the house of Jehovah, and all the laws thereof; and mark well the entrance of the house, with every egress of the sanctuary. And thou shalt say to the rebellious, even to the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: O ye house of Israel, let it suffice you of all your abominations, in that ye have brought in foreigners, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in My sanctuary, to profane it, even My house, when ye offer My bread, the fat and the blood, and they have broken My convenant, to add unto all your abominations. And ye have not kept the charge of My holy things; but ye have set keepers of My charge in My sanctuary for yourselves. Thus saith the Lord Jehovah, No foreigner, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter into My sanctuary, of any foreigners that are among the children of Israel. But the Levites that went far from Me, when Israel went astray, that went astray from Me after their idols, they shall bear their iniquity.

Yet they shall be ministers in My sanctuary, having oversight at the gates of the house, and ministering in the house: they shall slay the burnt-offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall stand before them to minister unto them. Because they ministered unto them before their idols, and became a stumblingblock of iniquity unto the house of Israel; therefore have I lifted up My hand against them, saith the Lord Jehovah, and they shall bear their iniquity. And they shall not come near unto Me, to execute the office of priest unto Me, nor to come near to any of My holy things, unto the things that are most holy: but they shall bear their shame, and their abominations which they have committed. Yet will I make them keepers of the charge of the house, for all the service thereof, and for all that shall be done therein” -Ezekiel 44:4-14. In that house, so resplendent with the manifest presence of Jehovah, the glory which of old filled Solomon’ s temple on the occasion of its dedication but which was never seen in the later temple, the priests of the Lord will have free access, but their behavior and habiliments must be in accordance with the law of the house. All idolatry is to be forever abolished: no more will Jehovah’ s house be defiled or His priests contaminated by pagan practices. He alone is to be exalted in that day. Heretofore, self-will and disobedience had prevailed: henceforth the statutes of Jehovah were to be kept in truth and faithfulness, and His priests were to remember they were separated to Himself. No stranger to the divine covenant was to enter those sacred precincts. They who worshipped there were to be circumcised in heart, not only in the flesh. All filthiness of flesh and spirit were to be put away. We may see the full meaning of this in the instructions given to the church at Corinth in 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 ;2 Corinthians 7:1 <>. The same standard was set forth as expressing God’ s will for the priests who should minister in this glorious sanctuary. Neglect of these requirements had brought judgment upon both priests and Levites. Adherence to them would be the precursor to blessing, and would insure God’ s continued delight in His people. Again we would be reminded that every offering spoke of Christ and some special aspect of His work: therefore, we need have no difficulty when we read once more of sacrifices and offerings such as were commanded under the legal dispensation. “ 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 Jehovah: they shall enter into My sanctuary, and they shall come near to My table, to minister unto Me, and they shall keep My charge. And it shall be 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, while they minister in the gates of the inner court, and within. They shall have linen tires upon their heads, and shall have linen breeches upon their loins; they shall not gird themselves with anything that causeth sweat. And when they go forth into the outer court, even into the outer court to the people, they shall put off their garments wherein they minister, and lay them in the holy chambers; and they shall put on other garments, that they sanctify not the people with their garments. Neither shall they shave their heads, nor suffer their locks to grow long; they shall only cut off the hair of their heads. Neither shall any of the priests drink wine, when they enter into the inner court.

Neither shall they take for their wives a widow, nor her that is put away; but they shall take virgins of the seed of the house of Israel, or a widow that is the widow of a priest. And they shall teach My people the difference between the holy and the common, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.

And in a controversy they shall stand to judge; according to Mine ordinances shall they judge it: and they shall keep My laws and My statutes in all My appointed feasts; and they shall hallow My sabbaths. And they shall go in to 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. And after he is cleansed, they shall reckon unto him seven days. And in the day that he goeth into the sanctuary, into the inner court, to minister in the sanctuary, he shall offer his sin-offering, saith the Lord Jehovah. And they shall have an inheritance: I am their inheritance; and ye shall give them no possession in Israel; I am their possession. They shall eat the meal-offering, and the sin-offering, and the trespass-offering; and every devoted thing in Israel shall be theirs.

And the first of all the first-fruits of everything, and every oblation of everything, of all your oblations, shall be for the priest: ye shall also give unto the priests the first of your dough, to cause a bless- ing to rest on thy house. The priests shall not eat of anything that dieth of itself, or is torn, whether it be bird or beast” -Ezekiel 44:15-31. By consulting 1 Samuel 2:35 ; 2 Samuel 15:24 ; 1 Kings 2:27-35 we will understand what is said here of the sons of Zadok. These alone are given a true priestly place in this temple. All others of the sons of Levi are given positions of authority and service, but it is not theirs to present the offerings of the people on the altar. The priesthood failed almost from the beginning, and God set the other sons of Aaron aside in favor of the descendants of Zadok who was faithful in a day of declension and apostasy. As we think of the typical character of the priesthood in Israel we may gain much for ourselves by a careful consideration of all these statutes and ordinances. “ No word of God shall be void of power”; all Scripture is for our learning, and we cannot afford to neglect or pass lightly over any of it as though it contained nothing for our edification. The priest is the worshiper; all believers are such, or should be, today-therefore the importance of keeping ourselves free from every defiling thing that we may worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

Ezekiel 44:1

Ezekiel 44:1. Ezekiel 43:5 tells of the “man” taking Ezekiel to the inner court, and the present verse shows that lie was brought bac/c towards the outside again where he found the gate shut.

Ezekiel 44:2

Ezekiel 44:2. Ezekiel 43:4 gives us the reason the east gate was shut; and it is so stated here. The Lord is the One whose right it is to use that gate, and it was to be closed t.o the people in general,

Ezekiel 44:3

Ezekiel 44:3. This gate was for the special use of the prince which would mean whoever was a leading man or one in a leading position among the people of Israel.

Ezekiel 44:4

Ezekiel 44:4. Wherever one looked about the holy building he would see evidences of the glory of the Lord. Fell upon my face was an ancient custom when a person wished to manifest great respect for another and humility in himself. We need not suppose that one performed any violent action such as would cause an injury to the body. But the act was done in such a decided manner as to leave no doubt about the genuine humility of the worshiper or any person who wished to give special recognition to another.

Ezekiel 44:5

Ezekiel 44:5. This verse is virtually the same as chapter 40; 4,

Ezekiel 44:6

Ezekiel 44:6. Lei it suffice you means for them to realize that they had already committed enough abominations, and they should be content to change their ways.

Ezekiel 44:7

Ezekiel 44:7, When circumcision is used figuratively or spiritually, it means consecration and devotion to duty unto the Lord. The people of Israel had become so inconsistent In their practices that the Lord regarded them as uncircumcised.

Ezekiel 44:8

Ezekiel 44:8. According to chapter 40: 45 the priests were the lawful keepers of the holy place. But these men had put others in their place, men who were not qualified either officially or morally for the holy work.

Ezekiel 44:9

Ezekiel 44:9. Under no condition was a stranger (one outside the nation) to be permitted to participate in the offering of sacrifices. This was not only because they were uncircumeised in the flesh, but also were unfit with regard to their character.

Ezekiel 44:10

Ezekiel 44:10. The Levites were the ones who had been appointed by the Lord for the services about the altar. However, they had corrupted themselves by going after the worship of Idols and hence became abominable to God. Bear their iniquity means they would suffer the consequences of their unrighteous life.

Ezekiel 44:11

Ezekiel 44:11. Yet they shall be ministers, etc. It was the Lord’s decision that the tribe of Levi should have exclusive charge of the priesthood, and their unfaithfulness did not make it lawful for anyone outside to meddle in the altar services.

Ezekiel 44:12

Ezekiel 44:12. The outside people had no right to be substituted for the lawful priesthood that was vested in the tribe of Levi; yet the unfaithfulness of that group was destined to bring forth the judgment of the Lord, They mixed the true worship with that of Idols and for that reason God said 7 have lifted up mine hand against them.

Ezekiel 44:13

Ezekiel 44:13. Just as Ezekiel was writing this verse, the Levites were in Babylon where they were destined to remain for nearly balf a century longer. While in that country they will not be permitted to perform the services of the sanctuary. And even after the return from captivity, the individuals who were stained with Idolatry will not be permitted to came near unto me saith the Lord; that will be reserved for others.

Ezekiel 44:14

Ezekiel 44:14. However, these demoted persons will be required to perform some service.

Ezekiel 44:15

Ezekiel 44:15. In all cases of iniquity there have been exceptions although they were generally In the minority. We may note the instance of Lot and his family, Noah and his family, and the ones predicted by Jesus to be in evidence at the day of judgment. Thus it was when the people of Judah went astray as a nation, there were some priests who kept the charge of the sanctuary, and they are now promised the honor of being near the Lord to minister unto Him.

Ezekiel 44:16

Ezekiel 44:16. The table is the altar described in Ezekiel 41:22.

Ezekiel 44:17

Ezekiel 44:17. These worthy persons of the sons of Zadok were to be admitted into the sanctuary for tlie purpose of performing the services belonging to the priesthood, The wearing of linen instead of wool would be in accordance with the law of Moses.

Ezekiel 44:18

Ezekiel 44:18. The 28th chapter of Exodus gives the instructions for making the garments of tile priests. It may be noted that linen was used extensively, while no mention is made of any woolen material for any of the garments.

Ezekiel 44:19

Ezekiel 44:19. This verse corresponds with verses 13 and 14 in chapter 42.

Ezekiel 44:20

Ezekiel 44:20. Neither shave , , . nor grow long may seem to be a contradiction but it is not. The first refers to a practice of shaving the hair down to the skin in certain places about the head, It was a heathenish custom and God’ s people were forbidden to follow it (Leviticus 21:1-5). The second part of the citation means they were not to neglect the hair altogether but were to poll it which means to trim it off so that it would not be regarded as long hair. (See 1 Corinthians 11:14.)

Ezekiel 44:21

Ezekiel 44:21. The reason for this law is given in Leviticus 10:9.

Ezekiel 44:22

Ezekiel 44:22. This verse likewise is on the same basis as the law of Moses. The restriction against marrying a widow was not applicable in the case of one who had been married to a priest before.

Ezekiel 44:23

Ezekiel 44:23. Holy and profane differ from each other in that the latter means only the thing is temporal or earthly and not religious. It does not mean necessarily that it is something wrong morally. The sons of Aaron failed to distinguish between fire that was obtained from some ordinary (profane) human source, and that which was on the altar which was holy because it came from God (Leviticus 9:24).

Ezekiel 44:24

Ezekiel 44:24. The priests were to render decisions when a controversy arose between the people, but it wa3 to be according to my judgments. They were not to make laws regarding the conduct of the people, for their authority consisted only in making the application of the law of the Lord.

Ezekiel 44:25

Ezekiel 44:25, The law of Moses regarded a dead person unclean, but this meant especially from a Ceremonial standpoint. There were men outside the priesthood who could take care of the dead and the priests could remain clean and always be ready to perform their own particular office. But for their near relatives an exception was made because the nearness of the relationship would sometimes make it necessary to touch them.

Ezekiel 44:26

Ezekiel 44:26. When it was necessary for a priest to handle a dead body, he was not permitted to resume his official service until he had been cleansed, which required a period of 7 days including certain ceremonies.

Ezekiel 44:27

Ezekiel 44:27. The 19th chapter of Leviticus should be studied in connection with the present group of verses, because it gives the law of cleansing under the Mosaic system. When the priest has completed the term of days required for his cleansing, he is to begin his activities by offering a sin offering. (See Leviticus 4:1-12 for the regulations on this subject.)

Ezekiel 44:28

Verse 28. Be unto them for an inheritance. The Levites were not given possessions of estates as were the other tribes, because they were to be employed in the services around the house of God. I am their inheritance means that instead of having land from which to obtain a living, they would be cared for by the Lord through the provisions of that service which He required of them. (See 1 Corinthians 9:13.)

Ezekiel 44:29

Ezekiel 44:29, This verse states some of the details of how the priests lived from their service to God. From the sacrifices which the people of Israel brought to the altar the priests took certain portions for their food.

Ezekiel 44:30

Ezekiel 44:30. Oblations Is another name for offerings which the people were required to bring to the service. Before they could, make use of the products of the soil and herds, they must take the best of the fruit and turn it over to the priests.

Ezekiel 44:31

Ezekiel 44:31. The priests were restricted according to this verse 1n regard to the eating of certain things. For that reason the people would know better than to bring such articles to the service since these men had to “ live of the things of the attar."