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John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ezekiel 44:7

In that ye have brought into my sanctuary strangers ,.... Unregenerate men, who are in a state of alienation and estrangement to divine and spiritual things: strangers to God; to the true knowledge of him in Christ; to the fear and love of God; to the true grace of God in conversion; and to communion with him: strangers to Christ, to his person and offices; to the way of peace, life, and salvation by him; to his righteousness; to faith in him, love of him, and fellowship with him: strangers... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ezekiel 44:8

And ye have not kept the charge of mine holy things ,.... That is, have not kept and retained the holy doctrines of the Gospel; nor observed the holy ordinances of it, as they were first delivered: but ye have set keepers of my charge in my sanctuary for yourselves ; meaning either, that such as were in public office did not attend to it; but were idol shepherds, and left the flock, their care and charge, to others, to surrogates and curates, to do their work for them; while they... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ezekiel 44:9

Thus saith the Lord God ,.... This that follows is the law and rule to be observed, and which will be observed by the churches in the latter day, though so little regarded now: no stranger uncircumcised in heart, nor uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter into my sanctuary ; of these See Gill on Ezekiel 44:7 unregenerate men may not be admitted members of a Gospel church; for that is holy, and holiness becomes it; but they are unholy, and as unfit to be received as swine into a king's... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ezekiel 44:10

And the Levites that are gone away far from me ,.... These Levites were priests, as appears from Ezekiel 44:13 , who professed themselves Gospel preachers, ministers of the reformed churches; but departed from the reformation principles; erred from the faith; and either mixed it with the doctrines of men, or wholly dropped, concealed, or dissembled it; departed from the word of God, as the rule of faith and practice; and set up their own reason as their guide in matters of religion; were... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ezekiel 44:11

Yet they shall be ministers in my sanctuary ,.... Though degraded from their office as priests and ministers of the word, yet being restored from their sins and errors, shall have a place in the house of God, and do their work there in a less honourable and a more servile way; as in former times, when ministers had sinned foully, and were degraded from their office, upon repentance they were not restored to that, but only admitted to lay communion; see 2 Kings 23:9 , having charge at... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ezekiel 44:12

Because they ministered unto them before their idols ,.... Had officiated for them in the priest's office, their idols being in the courts of the Lord at the same time; or preached unto them false doctrines, such as are not agreeable to the word of God; and led them into superstition and will worship, and confirmed them therein: and caused the house of Israel to fall into iniquity ; or, "were for a stumbling block of iniquity" F8 למכשול עון "in offendiculum iniquitatis",... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ezekiel 44:13

And they shall not come near unto me, to do the office of priest unto me ,.... To bring the sacrifice to the altar, and offer it there; to sprinkle the blood, or burn the fat, or the incense; to intercede for the people, or bless them; see Hosea 4:6 , nor to come near to any of my holy things in the most holy place ; to do any business, either in the holy or in the most holy place; to offer holy things, or eat of them. The sense is, that these degraded ministers, who had sinned so... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ezekiel 44:14

But I will make them keepers of the charge of the house ,.... To be watchmen or porters in it; to open and shut the doors of it; to sweep and keep it clean; to repair and mend it, and to do such like works, as it follows: for all the service thereof, and for all that shall be done therein ; in a servile way; but not as priests or ministers of the word. read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ezekiel 44:15

But the priests the Levites, the sons of Zadok ;.... The priests who were of the tribe of Levi, whom the Lord chose and separated, to minister to him, and so had a lawful call to this office, and were regularly invested with it; and design true and lawful, as well as faithful, ministers of the word; these are called the sons of Zadok, who descended from Eleazar the son of Aaron in the line of Phinehas, to whom the Lord promised the everlasting priesthood, and who was put into this office by... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ezekiel 44:16

They shall enter into my sanctuary ,.... Both to officiate, and to participate, which strangers and uncircumcised persons might not do, Ezekiel 44:9 , and they shall come near to my table to minister unto me ; which some understand of the altar of burnt offering, which was as a table, and the sacrifice on it was the food of the Lord, Leviticus 3:11 , others, the altar of incense; see Ezekiel 41:22 . Kimchi interprets it of the table of shewbread; but, whatever is meant in the... read more

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