Then he brought me back the way of the gate of the outward sanctuary which looketh toward the east; and it [was] shut. Ver. 1. _Then he brought me back._] From the east gate, which was found shut, to the north gate, where the prophet received large instructions. Eze 44:4 Christ must be followed, th... [ Continue Reading ]
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. Ver. 2. _This gate shall be shut._] Is, and shall be, save only to Messiah the Prince, and to whomsoe... [ Continue Reading ]
Ezekiel 44:3 [It is] for the prince; the prince, he shall sit in it to eat bread before the LORD; he shall enter by the way of the porch of [that] gate, and shall go out by the way of the same. Ver. 3. _It is for the prince._] For "Messiah the Prince"; so Christ is called in Daniel 9:25; or for the... [ Continue Reading ]
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. Ver. 4. _Then brought he me._] See on Ezekiel 44:1 . _ The glory of the Lord._] See Ezekiel 43:2; Ezekiel 43:5 . _ And fell upon m... [ Continue Reading ]
And the LORD 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 the LORD, and all the laws thereof; and mark well the entering in of the house, with every going forth of the sanctuary. Ver.... [ Continue Reading ]
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, Ver. 6. _And thou shalt say to the rebellious._] Heb., To rebellion. Vulgate, To the exasperating house. _ Let it suffice you._] Ye have... [ Continue Reading ]
In that ye have brought [into my sanctuary] strangers, uncircumcised in heart, and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in my sanctuary, to pollute it, [even] my house, when ye offer my bread, the fat and the blood, and they have broken my covenant because of all your abominations. Ver. 7. _Strangers._] Y... [ Continue Reading ]
And ye have not kept the charge of mine holy things: but ye have set keepers of my charge in my sanctuary for yourselves. Ver. 8. _For yourselves._] _Pro vestro arbitratu, non pro mea voluntate; _ as best suited with your own ends, and fitted to your own humours.... [ Continue Reading ]
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. Ver. 9. _Shall enter into my sanctuary._] See a like prohibition in 1 Timothy 3:3; 1Ti 3:8 Titus 1:7. Such as were the scr... [ Continue Reading ]
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. Ver. 10. _And the Levites._] The apostate priests, that for fear or favour have comported with idolaters: such as were the posterity of Ith... [ Continue Reading ]
Yet they shall be ministers in my sanctuary, [having] charge at the gates of the house, and ministering to the house: they shall slay the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall stand before them to minister unto them. Ver. 11. _Yet they shall be ministers in my sanctuary._]... [ Continue Reading ]
_Because they ministered unto them before their idols, and caused the house of Israel to fall into iniquity; therefore have I lifted up mine hand against them, saith the Lord GOD, and they shall bear their iniquity._ Ver. 12. _Because they ministered unto them before their idols._] Being carried do... [ Continue Reading ]
_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._ Ver. 13. _And they shall not come near unto me._] How great then was... [ Continue Reading ]
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. Ver. 14. _But I will make them keepers._] Which was one of the meanest offices.... [ Continue Reading ]
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: Ver. 15. _But the priests,... [ Continue Reading ]
They shall enter into my sanctuary, and they shall come near to my table, to minister unto me, and they shall keep my charge. Ver. 16. _To my table,_] _i.e., _ To mine altar, Eze 41:22 _Malachi 1:7_ _; _ Mal 1:12 which as often as they do, they receive a double pledge of the pardon of their own sin... [ Continue Reading ]
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, whiles they minister in the gates of the inner court, and within. Ver. 17. _They shall be clothed with linen garments._] As so many eart... [ Continue Reading ]
They shall have linen bonnets upon their heads, and shall have linen breeches upon their loins; they shall not gird [themselves] with any thing that causeth sweat. Ver. 18. _They shall have linen bonnets upon their heads._] In token of constant subjection to God. 1 Corinthians 11:6,7 _; _ 1Co 11:10... [ Continue Reading ]
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 ministered, and lay them in the holy chambers, and they shall put on other garments; and they shall not sanctify the people with their garments. Ver. 19. _They shal... [ Continue Reading ]
Neither shall they shave their heads, nor suffer their locks to grow long; they shall only poll their heads. Ver. 20. _Neither shall they shave their heads._] What can the Popish shavelings say to this, _qui ne pilum ullum viri bona habere videntur,_ as Cicero _a_ saith of Fannins Chaereas? noting... [ Continue Reading ]
Neither shall any priest drink wine, when they enter into the inner court. Ver. 21. _Neither shall any priest drink wine._] Wherein is excess. Eph 5:18 Lev 10:9... [ Continue Reading ]
Neither shall they take for their wives a widow, nor her that is put away: but they shall take maidens of the seed of the house of Israel, or a widow that had a priest before. Ver. 22. _Neither shall they take for their wives._] Ministers, of all men, should be careful whom they wed, for many reaso... [ Continue Reading ]
And they shall teach my people [the difference] between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean. Ver. 23. _And they shall teach._] Ministers must be able and "apt to teach." 1 Timothy 3:2 Tit 1:9 Act 20:28... [ Continue Reading ]
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 mine assemblies; and they shall hallow my sabbaths. Ver. 24. _They shall stand in judgment,_] _i.e., _ Stand to the right, and not stir from it; i... [ Continue Reading ]
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. Ver. 25. _And they shall come at no dead person._] Not defile their consciences with dead works.... [ Continue Reading ]
And after he is cleansed, they shall reckon unto him seven days. Ver. 26. _And after he is cleansed._] This is a new sanction in the new temple, as Vatablus observeth.... [ Continue Reading ]
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. Ver. 27. _He shall offer his sin offering._] Because we do easily overshoot ourselves in things permitted. _Licitis perimus omnes._ We perish in... [ Continue Reading ]
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. Ver. 28. _And it shall be, &c._] This that followeth shall be their inheritance, Eze 44:29-31 and whatsoever they want more shall be made up in me.... [ Continue Reading ]
They shall eat the meat offering, and the sin offering, and the trespass offering; and every dedicated thing in Israel shall be theirs. Ver. 29. _They shall eat._] See on Ezekiel 44:28 .... [ Continue Reading ]
And the first of all the firstfruits of all [things], and every oblation of all, of every [sort] of your oblations, shall be the priest's: ye shall also give unto the priest the first of your dough, that he may cause the blessing to rest in thine house. Ver. 30. _That he may cause the blessing._] T... [ Continue Reading ]
The priests shall not eat of any thing that is dead of itself, or torn, whether it be fowl or beast. Ver. 31. _The priests shall not eat, &c._] They shall not be greedy of filthy lucre, nor oppressive. Popish priests made so much gain of the dead, and so "devoured widows' houses," under a pretence... [ Continue Reading ]