Chapter XLIII
Ver. 1-27. Jehovah's Return to the Temple. Every thing was now ready for His reception. As the Shekinah-glory was the peculiar distinction of the old temple, so It was to be in the new in a degree as much more trausceiidout as the proportions of the new exceeded those of the old. The fai't that the Shekinah-glory was not in the second temple proves that it cannot be that temple which is meant in the prophecy. 3. the way of the east-the way whereby the glory had departed (ch. 11.
22,2.1), and rested on Mount Olivet (cf. Zechariah 14.4), hU voice . . . like . . . many waters—So English Version
tljs rojinof the ark of the covenant (Jeremiah 3. 16, 17).
6J5
T7ic Prophet ExJtorieth lo Repentance. EZEKIEL XLIV. Ordinances for the Prince and Prie»l»,
29. 37). 27. I will accept you—(Cli. 20. 40, 41 ; Romans 12, 1; 1 Peter 2. 5.) CHAPTER XLIV.
rightly, as cli. 1. 21, "voice of the Almighty;" Revelation 1.
15; 1 1. 2, inove. Not as Fairbaikn translates, " its noise." rardt liis sloi->-—(Revelation 18. 1.) 3. when 1 came to destroy tUe city—i. e., to pronounce God's word for Its dfstiaolion. So completely did the prophets identify Ihenisi^lves with Him in whose name they spake. 6.
Ver. 1-31. Ordinances for the Prince and Tirit PRIEST.S. 2. shut . . . not be opened—(Job 12. 14; Isaiah
tl»e man—who had been measuring the buildings (ch. 40.
3). 7. t!»e place i.e., behold the place of my throne, Ac. —the place on which your thoughts have so much dwelt (Isaiah 2. 1-3; Jeremiah 3. 17 ; Zechariah 14.16-20; Malachi
22. 22; Revelation 3. 7.) "Shut" to the people (Exodus 19.
21, '22), but open to " the prince" {v. 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 otlier persons
3.1). God from the first claimed to l)e their King polit- 'fally as well as religiously : and had resisted their wish to liavea human king, as implying a rejection of Him as
(cf. Exodus 19. 24). 3. the prince—not King Messiah, as He never would offer a burnt offering for Himself, as the prince is to do (ch. 46. 4). The prince must mean tlie civil ruler under Messiah. His connection with the east gate (by which the Lord had returned to His temple) implies,
I 'le proper Head of the state. Even wlion He yielded to
"lieir wish, it was with a protest again*'*^ their king ruling except as His vicegerent. When Messiah shall reign at Jerusalem, He sliall realize then first the original idea of the theocracy, with its at once Divine and liuman king reigning in righteousness over a people all rigliteous (v. 12; Jsaiah 52. 1; .54. 13; 60. 21). I will dwell in the midst . . . for ever—(Hevelation 21.3.) 9. carcasses of their kings —It is supposed that some of their idolatrous kings were buried within tlic bounds of Solomon's temple. [Henderson.] llatlier, "the carcasses of their idols," here called " kings,
tliat, as ruling under God, he is to stand in a place of peculiar nearness to God. He represents Messiali, wlio entered lieaven, the true sanctuary, by a way that none other could, viz., 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 sacri-
fices (Genesis 31. 54; Exodus IS. 12; 24. 11 ; 1 t'orinthians 10.
' as liaving had lordship over them In past times
18). 4, &c. Directions as to the priests. Their acts of desecration are attributed to "the house of Israel" (i'. 6, 7), as the sins of the priesthood and of the people acted and reacted on one another; " like people, like priest" (Jeremiah 5. 31 ; Hosea 4. 9). 7. uncircuractsrd in Iieartr— Israelites circumcised outwardly, but wanting the true circumcision of the lieart (Deuteronomy 10. 16; Acts 7. 51). nncircuracised in ilesli—not having even the outward badge of the covenant people. 8. keepers . . . for yourselves— such as yourselves thought fit, not such as I approve of. Or else, "Ye have not yourselves kept the charge of my hol.v things, but have set others as keepers of my charge in my sanctuary for yourselves.' [Mavrer.] 10, 11. I.cvitcs . . . sliall . . . bear (1112., the punishment of) their iniquity . . . Yet they shall be ministers—So Mark, a Levite, nephew of Barnabas (Acts 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 (Acts 13, 13; 15.87; Colossians 4. 10; 2 Timothy 4. 11). One may be a believer, and that too in a distinguished place, and yet lose some special honour—be acknowledged as pious, yet be excluded from some dignity. [Bengel.] charge at tl»e gates-Belter to be "a doorkeeper in the house of God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness" (Psalm 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 teiils. 15. Zad«jk—The priests of the line of Ithaniar 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 (1 Samuel 2. 32. 3.j). Zadok, according to his name, which means riglUeovs, and his
(i^aiall 26. 13); but lienceforth Jehovah, alone tlieir right-
ful lord, sliall be their king, and the idols that had beeu their " kfngs " would appear but as "carcasses." Heuce these defunct kings are associated with the "high places'' in v. 7. [Faimbairn.] Leviticus 26.30; Jeremiah
l(i. IX, confirm this. Manasses had built altars in tlie courts of tlie temple to the host of heaven (2 Kings 21. 5;
Zi. 6). 10. show the honse . . . that they may be ashatiicd of their iniquities—When the spirituality of the C'liristi.an scheme is shown to men by the Holy Ghost,
it makes them " asliamed of their iniquities." Vi. whole
. . . most holy—This superlative, wliich had been used oxclusively of the holy of holies (Exodus 20. 31), was now to characterize tlie entire building. This all-pervading sanctity was to be "the law of the (whole) house," as distinguished from the Levitical law, which confined the peculi ir sanctity to a single apartment of it. 13-37. As lo tile altar of burnt oflering, which was the appointed means of access to God. 15. Altar Hebrew, "Harel,"
t. e., mount of God; denoting the high security to be imparled by it to the restored Israel. It was a high place, but a higli place of God, not of idols, from the altar
lit., "the lion of God," Arieil (in Jsaiali 29. 1, "Ariel" is applied to Jerusjilem). Menochitjs supposes that on it four animals were carved ; the lion perhaps was the uppermost, wlienee tlie horns were made to issue. Gesenius regards the two words as expressing the hearth or yire-
yjtace of the altar. 10. sqnare in the four squares—square on the four sides of its sijuares. [Fairbairn.] 17. settle —ledge. [Fairbairn.] stairs— rather, "the ascent," as "steps" up to God's altar were forbidden in Exodus 20. 26. 18-27. The sacrifices here are not mere commemorative, but jiropitiatory ones. The expressions, "blood" (d. 18), and "for a sin offering" (u. 19, 21, 22), prove tiiis. In the
line, were to succeed (1 Kings 2. 35; 1 Chronicles 2-1. 3), as they did not take part in tlie general apo.stasy to the same degree, and perhaps [Faiiibaiiin] tlic prophet, referring to tln'ir original slate, speaks of them as thc.v appeared when first chosen to the office. 17. linen—symbolical of purity. Wool soon induces perspiration in the sultry East, and so becomes xnicleanly. 18. bonnets—turbans. 19. not sanctify the people with tlteir garments—f 12., those peculiarly priesll.v vestments in which they mini.stered in tlie sanctuary. 20. Neitlier . . . sikave . . . heads—as mourners do (Leviticus 21. 1-5). The worshippers of the F^jyptian idols Serapis and Isis shaved their lieads; another reason wliy .lehovah's priests are not to do so. nor sutTcr . . . lacks to grow long—as the luxurious, barbarians, and soldiei-s in warfare did. [.Ieko.me.) 21. Neiniier . . . Avlne—lest tlie holy enthusiasm of their devotion should be mistaken for inebriation, as in Peter's ease (Acts 2. 13, 15, IS). 28, I am their inlteritunce (Numbers 18.20; Deuteronomy 10.9; IS. 1; Joshua 13. 14,;«.) 30. give . . . priest tlie <lrst . , . that he nkay cause tU* l>lcKslng to rest^—(Proverbs 'A. 9, 10; Jlalachl 3. 10.)
literal souse they can only apiily to the second temple. Under llie Chrislian dispensation they would directly oppose tlie doctrine taugiit in Hebrews 10. 1-18, viz., that Christ has by one ofTcring forever atoned for sin. However, it is posfible that they might exist with a retro-rpective reference to Clirist's sufft rings, as tlie Levitical sacrifices had a prosjiective reference to them; not propitiatory in themselves, hut menujrials to keep up the remembrance ef His propitiatory sufferings, which form the foundation of His kiiig<lom, lest tliey should be lost sight of in the glory of that kingdom. [Ije Burgh.] The particularity of tlie (lii ections make it unlikely that tliey are to be unflerstood in a merely vague spiritual sense. >iO. cleanse —lit., initke expidli^m for. HI. linru it . . . wKlkont the
(.anc'tiiiiry—(Hebrews 13.11.) !4B. consecrate themselves
—lit., Jill tlieir hands, viz., with olfcrings; referring to the jnode of consecrating a priest (Exodus 29. 24, ;io). )40. jsev<-n days—referring to the original directions of Moses
for seven ilays' purlllcatiou services of the altar (Exodus
til 6
TTle Allotment of the 'Land. EZEKIEL XLV—XLVII. Ordinances for (he Prince, etc.
but "stand by the post" (cf. 1 Kings 8. 11, 22, Solomon standing before the altar of the Lord in the presence of the congregation ; also 2 Kings 11. 14 ; 23. 3, "by a pillar:'' the customary place), the court within belonging exclusively to the priests. There, as representative of tlie people, in a peculiarly near relation to God, he is to present his offerings to Jehovah, whilst at a greater distance, the people are to stand worshipping at the outer gMte of the same entrance. The offerings on sabbaths are larger than those of the Mosaic law, to imply that the v/orship of God