Today we’re only a few more weeks from finished with Ezekiel. Four to be exact. But gates, gates everywhere in this one. There are more rules and rules about gates here. Enjoy because Jesus is still here. Let’s pray:
Lord, I know You’re in this and I pray for Your help in understanding and learning it. And I ask for words to share and eyes that see it all, Lord. All that You have for me here. Thank You, Lord. For Your Glory. Amen.
Gate for the Prince
Please read Ezekiel 44:1-3
1 Then He brought me back by the way of the outer gate of the sanctuary, which faces the east; and it was shut. 2 Then the Lord said to me, “This [a]gate shall be shut; it shall not be opened, and no one shall enter by it, for the Lord, the God of Israel, has entered by it; therefore it shall be shut. 3 As for the prince, he shall sit in it as prince to eat bread before the Lord; he shall enter by way of the porch (portico) of the gate and shall go out the same way.”
Do you hear…Revelation 3:7
7 “And to the angel (divine messenger) of the church in [a]Philadelphia write:
“These are the words of the Holy One, the True One, He who has the key [to the house] of David, He who opens and no one will [be able to] shut, and He who shuts and no one opens:
or even this one…Matthew 16:19
19 I will give you the keys (authority) of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind [forbid, declare to be improper and unlawful] on earth will have [already] been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose [permit, declare lawful] on earth will have [already] been loosed in heaven.”
The gates have porticos. The portico by the gate that no one shall enter by, is where the prince will sit and eat so that he’s before the Lord as he does so. What a blessing, to be that close to the Lord, sharing a meal with the Lord. Yet today we can trust that He is with us even during our meals.
The North Gate
Please read Ezekiel 44:4-8
4 Then He brought me by way of the north gate to the front of the house; I looked, and behold, the glory and brilliance of the Lord filled the house of the Lord, and I fell face downward. 5 The Lord said to me, “Son of man, pay careful attention, see with your eyes and hear with your ears all that I say to you concerning all the statutes of the house of the Lord and all its laws; and pay careful attention to the entering of the house [by people], with all the departures from the sanctuary [of people, those who are allowed to enter the temple and all those who are excluded from the sanctuary]. 6You shall say to the rebellious ones, to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Enough of all your repulsive acts, O house of Israel! 7 In that you brought in foreigners, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in My sanctuary to pollute and profane it—My house—when you offered My bread, the fat, and the blood; and [b]they made My covenant void —this in addition to all your other repulsive acts. 8 And you have not kept charge of My holy things yourselves, but you have chosen foreigners [to please yourselves] and have set them in charge of My sanctuary.”
Behold, the glory and brilliance of the Lord filled the house of the Lord. What a sight to see. Yet he needs Jesus’ help to see and hear because that glory and brilliance are so bright and so holy that He fell facedown again.
Unfortunately what Jesus had to say this time is a message for Ezekiel to pass along to the rebellious ones. The importance of His holy things and His sanctuary.
Circumcision of the Heart
Please read Ezekiel 44:9-14
9 ‘Thus says the Lord God, “No foreigner uncircumcised in heart and flesh, of all the foreigners who are among the sons of Israel, shall enter My sanctuary. 10 But the Levites who went far away from Me when Israel went astray, who went astray from Me after their idols, they shall bear the punishment for their sin and guilt. 11 Yet they shall minister in My sanctuary, having oversight [as guards] at the gates of the temple and ministering in the temple. They shall slaughter the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall stand before them to minister to them. 12 Because the priests ministered to them before their idols and became a stumbling block of sin to the house of Israel, therefore I have lifted up My hand and have sworn [an oath] against them,” says the Lord God, “that they shall bear the punishment for their sin and guilt. 13 And they shall not come near to Me to serve as priests to Me, nor come near to any of My holy things, to the things that are most holy; but they shall bear their shame and their disgrace and [the consequences of] their repulsive acts which they have committed. 14 Yet I will appoint them as caretakers of the temple, for all its service and for all that shall be done in it.”
Only some of the priests will get to return…
Ordinances for the Levites
Please read Ezekiel 44:15-27
15 “But the Levitical priests, the sons of Zadok, who performed the duty of My sanctuary when the children (descendants) of Israel went astray from Me, shall come near to Me to minister to Me; and they shall stand before Me to offer to Me the fat and the blood,” declares the Lord God. 16 “They shall enter into My sanctuary; and they shall come near to My table to minister to Me and they shall perform [the priestly] duty to me.”
The sons of one priest, Zadok. Those the the Levites that will get to minister to the Lord in this Temple.
Gates of the Inner Courtyard
17 “It shall be that when they enter the gates of the inner courtyard, they shall be clothed in linen garments; no wool shall be on them while they minister at the gates of the inner courtyard and within the temple (house). 18 They shall have linen turbans on their heads and linen undergarments on their [c]loins; they shall not dress themselves with anything which makes them sweat. 19 When they go out into the outer court, into the outer courtyard to the people, they shall take off the garments in which they have been ministering and leave them in the holy chambers; then they shall put on other clothing so that they will not transmit holiness to the people with their [ceremonial] garments.”
These are outer garments apparently, or maybe there is a room that they can change in before they go back to the people and in to see God. Still, do you see why? “So that they will not transmit holiness to the people with their garments.” I don’t know about you but I am so grateful that my sins are forgiven forever so that He doesn’t withhold Himself from me.
Metaphorical Gates, These of Behavior
20 “Also they shall not shave their heads, yet they shall not allow their hair to grow long; they shall only cut short or trim their hair. 21 Nor shall any priest drink wine when he enters the inner courtyard. 22 And they shall not marry a widow or a divorced woman; but they shall marry virgins of the descendants of the house of Israel, or a widow who was previously married to a priest. 23 The priests shall teach My people the difference between the holy and the common, and teach them to distinguish between the (ceremonially) unclean and the clean. 24 In a controversy they shall take their stand to act as judges; they shall judge it in accordance with My ordinances. They shall also keep My laws and My statutes in all My appointed feasts and sanctify My Sabbaths. 25 They shall not go to a dead person to [d]defile themselves; except for father or for mother, for son or for daughter, for brother or for sister who has had no husband; they may defile themselves. 26 After he is cleansed [from the defilement of a corpse], seven days more shall elapse for him [before returning to the temple]. 27 On the day that he goes into the sanctuary, into the inner courtyard to minister in the sanctuary, he shall offer his sin offering,” says the Lord God.
Is it a sin to be in the presence of a dead person? Or is this sin offering for the sins committed before and after that, since he was last in the temple? What do you think?
Inheritance
Please read Ezekiel 44:28-31
28 “It [their ministry to Me] shall be as an inheritance to them, for I am their inheritance; and you shall give them no property (land) in Israel, for I am their possession. 29 They shall eat the grain offering, the sin offering and the guilt offering; and every devoted thing (offering) in Israel [dedicated by a solemn vow to God] shall be theirs. 30 The first of all the first fruits of every kind, and every contribution and offering of every kind, from all your contributions and offerings, shall belong to the priests. You shall also give to the priest the first of your coarse meal and bread dough, so that a blessing may rest on your house. 31 The priests shall not eat any bird or animal that has died a natural death or has been torn to pieces.”
Blessed be our Lord and Savior who has given us freedom and forgiveness and only one law. Love God and Love one another. Love is the Law.
Footnotes
[a] Ezekiel 44:2 -This [a]gate shall be shut- The eastern gate of the temple which was shown to Ezekiel in the vision is not the old city’s eastern gate (Golden Gate) which was sealed by Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent in 1542.
[b] Ezekiel 44:7 -and [b]they made My covenant void- So MT; ancient versions read you.
[c] Ezekiel 44:18 –[c]loins- The midsection of the body between the lower ribs and the hips.
[d] Ezekiel 44:25 –[d]defile- I.e. become ceremonially unclean.
I want to go see more of this book.
I prefer to go to the shorter study now.