Eze 44:4-14 | KingComments | STEP | Although the tour of the temple is finished, the Man continues to accompany Ezekiel. He then takes him through the inner north gate to the front of the house ( ). There Ezekiel sees once more, and now for the last time, the glory of the LORD. Again, this leads him to prostrate in worship before the LORD. The LORD has instructions for Ezekiel, telling him to mark well everything He will speak to him by looking closely at it and listening carefully ( ). The instructions concern the statutes of His house and all the laws pertaining to them. Ezekiel is also to mark well those who enter the house as well as anyone who is not allowed to enter it. After this general and also penetrating announcement, the LORD tells Ezekiel what to say to the rebellious people ( ). The abominations committed are charged to the whole people. What the abominations consist of is clearly stated ( ). They have profaned the house of the LORD in a horrible way by bringing into it people who are completely outside the covenant of the LORD with His people. They have allowed them to participate in the holy sacrifices. It is already forbidden for the Israelite to eat the fat and blood ( ), let alone the foreigner. The fat and the blood belong entirely to the LORD. Thus they have broken the covenant of the LORD with their abominations. The same is true for us. It is impossible to have a common service together with unbelievers, who have no connection with the Lord Jesus, to honor Him and celebrate the Supper ( ). No fellowship is possible between a believer and an unbeliever. After all, unbelievers do not have new life. New life is obtained only through repentance and conversion to God and faith in the Lord Jesus. The heart of unbelievers is not pure. Therefore we must also see to it that only children of God are received at the Lord’s Supper. For the sake of completeness, it must be added that it must also be clear that these children of God reject sin in their doctrine and life and do not want to be associated with it as well. Furthermore, the Israelites themselves did not observe their task in the holy things of the LORD ( ). They had that task done by others, possibly by their slaves. They themselves have no interest in the LORD, but they still want to give the impression that they are religious. Thus, in various ways they have shown their contempt for the LORD and His service. We see such contempt in our day, for example, in groups that hire unbelieving musicians to accompany worship services or appoint or maintain a pastor who denies that God exists. The LORD insists that this behavior will not be displayed again ( ). No stranger, one who has no part in the covenant of the LORD, may enter His sanctuary. Only those whom the LORD has called may do service at the altar. Nowhere is the earthly sanctuary more holy than in the realm of peace when everything breathes God’s holiness.

‏ Ezekiel 44:4-14

The Sanctuary Not Profaned Again

Although the tour of the temple is finished, the Man continues to accompany Ezekiel. He then takes him through the inner north gate to the front of the house (Eze 44:4). There Ezekiel sees once more, and now for the last time, the glory of the LORD. Again, this leads him to prostrate in worship before the LORD. The LORD has instructions for Ezekiel, telling him to mark well everything He will speak to him by looking closely at it and listening carefully (Eze 44:5). The instructions concern the statutes of His house and all the laws pertaining to them. Ezekiel is also to mark well those who enter the house as well as anyone who is not allowed to enter it.

After this general and also penetrating announcement, the LORD tells Ezekiel what to say to the rebellious people (Eze 44:6). The abominations committed are charged to the whole people. What the abominations consist of is clearly stated (Eze 44:7). They have profaned the house of the LORD in a horrible way by bringing into it people who are completely outside the covenant of the LORD with His people. They have allowed them to participate in the holy sacrifices. It is already forbidden for the Israelite to eat the fat and blood (Lev 7:22-27), let alone the foreigner. The fat and the blood belong entirely to the LORD. Thus they have broken the covenant of the LORD with their abominations.

The same is true for us. It is impossible to have a common service together with unbelievers, who have no connection with the Lord Jesus, to honor Him and celebrate the Supper (2Cor 6:14-18 ; 2Cor 7:1). No fellowship is possible between a believer and an unbeliever. After all, unbelievers do not have new life. New life is obtained only through repentance and conversion to God and faith in the Lord Jesus. The heart of unbelievers is not pure. Therefore we must also see to it that only children of God are received at the Lord’s Supper. For the sake of completeness, it must be added that it must also be clear that these children of God reject sin in their doctrine and life and do not want to be associated with it as well.

Furthermore, the Israelites themselves did not observe their task in the holy things of the LORD (Eze 44:8). They had that task done by others, possibly by their slaves. They themselves have no interest in the LORD, but they still want to give the impression that they are religious. Thus, in various ways they have shown their contempt for the LORD and His service. We see such contempt in our day, for example, in groups that hire unbelieving musicians to accompany worship services or appoint or maintain a pastor who denies that God exists.

The LORD insists that this behavior will not be displayed again (Eze 44:9). No stranger, one who has no part in the covenant of the LORD, may enter His sanctuary. Only those whom the LORD has called may do service at the altar. Nowhere is the earthly sanctuary more holy than in the realm of peace when everything breathes God’s holiness.

Unfaithful and Faithful Levites

By the Levites spoken of in Eze 44:10-14 are meant the descendants of Levi, except the sons of Zadok. The sons of Zadok are spoken of in Eze 44:15-16. First the LORD speaks of the unfaithful Levites. During the periods when the people have gone astray from Him, instead of calling the people back to Him, they have kept themselves far from Him (Eze 44:10). That is their iniquity. They have not sided with the LORD against the people who have gone after the stink gods. This is a culpable negligence. They even preceded the people in idolatry, becoming a stumbling block to the people (Eze 44:12).

Their negligence and bad example does not mean that they are now barred from serving in God’s house. In fact, the LORD obliges them to do service in His sanctuary (Eze 44:11). However, they will be given a lesser task; they will be degraded, so to speak. They have not served the LORD but the Israelites and done according to their wishes and desires (Eze 44:12). Therefore, the LORD has had to turn against them and swear that they will bear their iniquity.

They will be allowed to serve in the new temple, but they are not allowed to draw near to the LORD as priests (Eze 44:13). Nor may they come close to the sanctified things, to the most holy things, for there is reproach upon them. Their unfaithfulness has profound consequences for their service. The appointment they receive from the LORD is for a task on behalf of the house, in the outer court, not in it, not in the higher located inner court where the altar of burnt offering stands (Eze 44:14). It can also be the case with us, that we lose (part of) our service through unfaithfulness.

Then the LORD starts speaking about the sons of Zadok (Eze 44:15). In the temple that Ezekiel has described, the sacrificial service is performed by the sons of Aaron who are descendants of Zadok. Zadok, the son of Ahitub, is a descendant of Eleazar, the third son of Aaron (1Chr 6:3 ; 50-53).

During the time of Absalom’s rebellion against David, Zadok does not side with Absalom, but remains loyal to David (2Sam 15:24). Later, he anoints Solomon and opposes Adonijah, Solomon’s brother, who wants to remove Solomon from the throne (1Kgs 1:32-34). Abiathar, who descends from the line of Ithamar, has sided with the rebel Absalom. Solomon therefore dismisses him as high priest and gives this office to Zadok (1Kgs 2:27 ; 35). Thus, Zadok becomes the first high priest in the first temple, Solomon’s, built shortly thereafter.

The LORD speaks of the sons of Zadok with joy and emphasis. He says all that they may do for Him. They owe these privileges to their faithfulness to the LORD during the time when the Israelites had strayed away from Him. Just as unfaithfulness means ‘degradation’, so faithfulness means ‘promotion’. Zadok’s sons may come near the LORD to serve Him. They may offer Him fat and blood, which He calls “My bread” (Eze 44:7), which are destined only for the LORD.

The Lord GOD says emphatically that they may enter His sanctuary and that they may come near to His table (Eze 44:16). It is most likely that the altar of burnt offering is meant here. As we have seen, the wooden altar of incense is also called “table” (Eze 41:22). On it, however, the fat and blood of the sacrifices are not brought, which is what happens here. In the picture, this means that they have fellowship with God on the basis of the blood and work of Christ, which He accomplished with the use of all His energy, of which the fat speaks. Thus they will serve Him and fulfill their task for His sake. Their task is specially focused on the LORD because they have been focused on Him during the time when the people have gone astray.