8 and ye have not kept the charge of My holy things, and ye set `them' for keepers of My charge in My sanctuary for you.
`Speak unto Aaron, and unto his sons, and they are separated from the holy things of the sons of Israel, and they pollute not My holy name in what they are hallowing to Me; I `am' Jehovah. `Say unto them, To your generations, any man who draweth near, out of all your seed, unto the holy things which the sons of Israel do sanctify to Jehovah, and his uncleanness on him -- even that person hath been cut off from before Me; I `am' Jehovah. `Any man of the seed of Aaron, and is leprous or hath an issue -- of the holy things he doth not eat till that he is clean; and he who is coming against any uncleanness of a person, or a man whose seed of copulation goeth out from him, or a man who cometh against any teeming thing which is unclean to him, or against a man who is unclean to him, even any of his uncleanness -- the person who cometh against it -- hath even been unclean till the evening, and doth not eat of the holy things, but hath bathed his flesh with water, and the sun hath gone in, and he hath been clean, and afterwards he doth eat of the holy things, for it `is' his food; a carcase or torn thing he doth not eat, for uncleanness thereby; I `am' Jehovah. `And they have kept My charge, and bear no sin for it, that they have died for it when they pollute it; I `am' Jehovah sanctifying them. `And no stranger doth eat of the holy thing; a settler of a priest and an hireling doth not eat of the holy thing; and when a priest buyeth a person, the purchase of his money, he doth eat of it, also one born in his house; they do eat of his bread. `And a priest's daughter, when she is a strange man's, -- she, of the heave-offering of the holy things doth not eat; and a priest's daughter, when she is a widow, or cast out, and hath no seed, and hath turned back unto the house of her father, as `in' her youth, of her father's bread she doth eat; but no stranger doth eat of it. `And when a man doth eat of a holy thing through ignorance, then he hath added its fifth part to it, and hath given `it' to the priest, with the holy thing; and they do not pollute the holy things of the sons of Israel -- that which they lift up to Jehovah, nor have caused them to bear the iniquity of the guilt-offering in their eating their holy things; for I `am' Jehovah, sanctifying them.' And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying, `Speak unto Aaron, and unto his sons, and unto all the sons of Israel, and thou hast said unto them, Any man of the house of Israel, or of the sojourners in Israel, who bringeth near his offering, of all his vows, or of all his willing offerings which they bring near to Jehovah for a burnt-offering; at your pleasure a perfect one, a male of the herd, of the sheep or of the goats; nothing in which `is' blemish do ye bring near, for it is not for a pleasing thing for you. `And when a man bringeth near a sacrifice of peace-offerings to Jehovah, to complete a vow, or for a willing-offering, of the herd or of the flock, it is perfect for a pleasing thing: no blemish is in it; blind, or broken, or maimed, or having a wen, or scurvy, or scabbed -- ye do not bring these near to Jehovah, and a fire-offering ye do not make of them on the altar to Jehovah. `As to an ox or a sheep enlarged or dwarfed -- a willing-offering ye do make it, but for a vow it is not pleasing. As to a bruised, or beaten, or enlarged, or cut thing -- ye do not bring `it' near to Jehovah; even in your land ye do not do it. And from the hand of a son of a stranger ye do not bring near the bread of your God, of any of these, for their corruption `is' in them; blemish `is' in them; they are not pleasing for you.' And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying, `When ox or lamb or goat is born, and it hath been seven days under its dam, then from the eighth day and henceforth, it is pleasing for an offering, a fire-offering to Jehovah; but an ox or sheep -- it and its young one, ye do not slaughter in one day. `And when ye sacrifice a sacrifice of thanksgiving to Jehovah, at your pleasure ye do sacrifice, on that day it is eaten, ye do not leave of it till morning; I `am' Jehovah; and ye have kept my commands, and have done them; I `am' Jehovah; and ye do not pollute My holy name, and I have been hallowed in the midst of the sons of Israel; I `am' Jehovah, sanctifying you, who am bringing you up out of the land of Egypt, to become your God; I `am' Jehovah.'
`And they have kept thy charge, and the charge of all the tent; only, unto the vessels of the sanctuary and unto the altar they do not come near, and they die not, either they or you; and they have been joined unto thee, and have kept the charge of the tent of meeting, for all the service of the tent; and a stranger doth not come near unto you; and ye have kept the charge of the sanctuary, and the charge of the altar, and there is no more wrath against the sons of Israel.
And they have kept the charge of the tent of meeting, and the charge of the sanctuary, and the charge of the sons of Aaron, their brethren, for the service of the house of Jehovah.
And I separate from the heads of the priests, twelve, even Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and with them of their brethren ten, and I weigh to them the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, a heave-offering of the house of our God, that the king, and his counsellors, and his heads, and all Israel -- those present -- lifted up; and I weigh to their hand, of silver, talents six hundred and fifty, and of vessels of silver a hundred talents, of gold a hundred talents, and basins of gold twenty, of a thousand drams, and two vessels of good shining brass, desirable as gold. And I say unto them, `Ye `are' holy to Jehovah, and the vessels `are' holy, and the silver and the gold `are' a willing-offering to Jehovah, God of your fathers; watch, and keep, till ye weigh before the heads of the priests, and of the Levites, and the heads of the fathers of Israel, in Jerusalem, in the chambers of the house of Jehovah.' And the priests and the Levites took the weight of the silver, and of the gold, and of the vessels, to bring to Jerusalem to the house of our God.
And he speaketh unto me: `This chamber, whose front `is' southward, `is' for priests keeping charge of the house; and the chamber, whose front `is' northward, `is' for priests keeping charge of the altar: they `are' sons of Zadok, who are drawing near of the sons of Levi unto Jehovah, to serve Him.'
and I made them keepers of the charge of the house, for all its service and for all that is done in it.
they come in unto My sanctuary, and they draw near unto My table to serve Me, and they have kept My charge.
I charge thee, before God, who is making all things alive, and of Christ Jesus, who did testify before Pontius Pilate the right profession,
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Ezekiel 44
Commentary on Ezekiel 44 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 44
Eze 44:1-31. Ordinances for the Prince and the Priests.
2. shut … not be opened—(Job 12:14; Isa 22:22; Re 3:7). "Shut" to the people (Ex 19:21, 22), but open to "the prince" (Eze 44:3), he holding the place of God in political concerns, as the priests do in spiritual. As a mark of respect to an Eastern monarch, the gate by which he enters is thenceforth shut to all other persons (compare Ex 19:24).
3. the prince—not King Messiah, as He never would offer a burnt offering for Himself, as the prince is to do (Eze 46:4). The prince must mean the civil ruler under Messiah. His connection with the east gate (by which the Lord had returned to His temple) implies, that, as ruling under God, he is to stand in a place of peculiar nearness to God. He represents Messiah, who entered heaven, the true sanctuary, by a way that none other could, namely, by His own holiness; all others must enter as sinners by faith in His blood, through grace.
eat bread before the Lord—a custom connected with sacrifices (Ge 31:54; Ex 18:12; 24:11; 1Co 10:18).
4-6. Directions as to the priests. Their acts of desecration are attributed to "the house of Israel" (Eze 44:6, 7), as the sins of the priesthood and of the people acted and reacted on one another; "like people, like priest" (Jer 5:31; Ho 4:9).
7. uncircumcised in heart—Israelites circumcised outwardly, but wanting the true circumcision of the heart (De 10:16; Ac 7:51).
uncircumcised in flesh—not having even the outward badge of the covenant-people.
8. keepers … for yourselves—such as you yourselves thought fit, not such as I approve of. Or else, "Ye have not yourselves kept the charge of My holy things, but have set others as keepers of My charge in My sanctuary for yourselves" [Maurer].
10, 11. Levites … shall … bear—namely, the punishment of
their iniquity … Yet they shall be ministers—So Mark, a Levite, nephew of Barnabas (Ac 4:36), was punished by Paul for losing an opportunity of bearing the cross of Christ, and yet was afterwards admitted into his friendship again, and showed his zeal (Ac 13:13; 15:37; Col 4:10; 2Ti 4:11). One may be a believer, and that too in a distinguished place, and yet lose some special honor—be acknowledged as pious, yet be excluded from some dignity [Bengel].
charge at the gates—Better to be "a doorkeeper in the house of God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness" (Ps 84:10). Though standing as a mere doorkeeper, it is in the house of God, which hath foundations: whereas he who dwells with the wicked, dwells in but shifting tents.
15. Zadok—The priests of the line of Ithamar were to be discharged from ministrations in the temple, because of their corruptions, following in the steps of Eli's sons, against whom the same denunciation was uttered (1Sa 2:32, 35). Zadok, according to his name (which means "righteous") and his line, were to succeed (1Ki 2:35; 1Ch 24:3), as they did not take part in the general apostasy to the same degree, and perhaps [Fairbairn] the prophet, referring to their original state, speaks of them as they appeared when first chosen to the office.
17. linen—symbolical of purity. Wool soon induces perspiration in the sultry East and so becomes uncleanly.
18. bonnets—turbans.
19. not sanctify the people with their garments—namely, those peculiarly priestly vestments in which they ministered in the sanctuary.
20. Neither … shave … heads—as mourners do (Le 21:1-5). The worshippers of the Egyptian idols Serapis and Isis shaved their heads; another reason why Jehovah's priests are not to do so.
nor suffer … locks to grow long—as the luxurious, barbarians, and soldiers in warfare did [Jerome].
21. Neither … wine—lest the holy enthusiasm of their devotion should be mistaken for inebriation, as in Peter's case (Ac 2:13, 15, 18).
28. I am their inheritance—(Nu 18:20; De 10:9; 18:1; Jos 13:14, 32).
30. give … priest the first … that he may cause the blessing to rest—(Pr 3:9, 10; Mal 3:10).