| Back to Home Page | Back to
Book Index |
Ezekiel Chapter
Forty-six
Ezekiel 46
Chapter Summary
The ordinances of worship for the prince and for the
people, are here described, and the gifts the prince may bestow on his sons and
servants. Our Lord has directed us to do many duties, but he has also left many
things to our choice, that those who delight in his commandments may abound
therein to his glory, without entangling their own consciences, or prescribing
rules unfit for others; but we must never omit our daily worship, nor neglect
to apply the sacrifice of the Lamb of God to our souls, for pardon, peace, and
salvation.
── Matthew Henry《Concise Commentary on Ezekiel》
Ezekiel 46
Verse 3
[3] Likewise the people of the land shall worship at the
door of this gate before the LORD in the sabbaths and in the new moons.
In the sabbaths — Both weekly and other holy days,
which are called sabbaths.
Verse 9
[9] But when the people of the land shall come before the
LORD in the solemn feasts, he that entereth in by the way of the north gate to
worship shall go out by the way of the south gate; and he that entereth by the
way of the south gate shall go forth by the way of the north gate: he shall not
return by the way of the gate whereby he came in, but shall go forth over
against it.
Go forth over against it — Perhaps, only to
prevent all jostling and confusion.
Verse 17
[17] But if he give a gift of his inheritance to one of his
servants, then it shall be his to the year of liberty; after it shall return to
the prince: but his inheritance shall be his sons' for them.
His inheritance — Whatever lands of the prince are
given to servants, shall at the year of Jubilee revert to the sons of the
prince.
For them — And to theirs after them.
Verse 20
[20] Then said he unto me, This is the place where the
priests shall boil the trespass offering and the sin offering, where they shall
bake the meat offering; that they bear them not out into the utter court, to
sanctify the people.
The outer court — Where the people were.
Verse 21
[21] Then he brought me forth into the utter court, and
caused me to pass by the four corners of the court; and, behold, in every
corner of the court there was a court.
A court — A smaller court made up on the outer sides with the
walls of the greater square, and on the inside made with two walls, the one
forty cubits long, the other thirty cubits broad.
Verse 23
[23] And there was a row of building round about in them,
round about them four, and it was made with boiling places under the rows round
about.
A row of building — A range of building
on the inside of the walls of the lesser courts.
Four — Four courts in the four corners.
── John Wesley《Explanatory Notes on Ezekiel》
46 Chapter 46
Verses 1-24
Verse 9
The north gate . . . the south gate.
North and south in religion
Ezekiel’s temple sets forth the order, grandeur, and beauty of the
Church in its vigour, and the life that shall go out from it in floods all over
the world. It is the picture of the Gospel of Christ in its social aspect and
in its healing and regenerating influence. What can be meant, then, by declaring
regarding this temple that those who go in by the south door shall go out by
the north, and that those who go in by the north shall go out by the south? A
man may enter either by the north deer or the south. There is perfect liberty
here. But there is no liberty as to what he shall do after that. He shall go
right through. He shall make for the “over against.” Has not this a very plain
meaning for us--that we should not sit still at that side of religion which
first attracted us, not keep going beck over the old ground, but strive to go
through the whole breadth of religion. There is a north and a south in
religion. There is a bright, sunny side. It is always warm and genial there.
And there is a cold, dark side, which only gets the sun on the longest days.
Some come in by the one side, and some by the other. Some come with grief and
tears, driven by bitter cold or wild blasts. Others come in by the door of hope
and joy, drawn by bright promises. They come calm, easy, and radiant, as to an
old home which they had never lost. Religion has many opposites, though no
contradictions. The Bible is continually speaking of the importance of joining
opposites together, such as prayer and praise, working and waiting, digging and
crying, resting and running, weeping and rejoicing, past and future, time and
eternity. The truth taught in the text, then, is a most practical as well as
suggestive one, and one that lies very near to the root of success--that we
should go on to the opposite good of that which we possess, not simply further
than where we are, but that we should strive to reach and embrace the directly
opposite attainment, not leaving or undervaluing what is possessed, but uniting
to it that which may seem contrary or which may possibly have been considered
by us as wholly antagonistic and incompatible. We shall find that it is these
opposites which not only preserve from exaggeration and caricature, but that
they are needful even for proper rooting and strength. When one finds out how
opposites coalesce and help each other, need each other, claim each other, and
are only themselves when they find each other, he is fortified against moral
scepticism and against religious unrest. What I contend for is not a
compromise, but a junction in which each remains to strengthen and develop the
other. Do we wish to see examples of this in human life? Are not great generals
who have a power of wide and far arrangement also remarkable for the opposite,
the attention to small details? So men who have organised and sustained large
mercantile enterprises have been remarkable combinations of opposite qualities,
cautious and bold, cool and intense, patient and ardent, careful of little
things, observant of the slightest signs, while conceiving great projects. If a
painter is happy in outlines, it will not profit him much unless he studies
minute effects; if he excels in form, he must try to excel also in colour.
Everything in actual life needs its opposite to give it substance, pith, and
permanence. We need to be often reminded of this truth, for everyone is
inclined to some particular side of things, by temperament, by habit, or
surroundings.
I. Truth. The
truth of God has many sides, and there are truths which stand as opposites:
whole classes of truths stand as opposites. A healthy, religious life seeks to
lay hold of both of these.
1. Religion embraces truths that are mysterious and truths that are
clear and plain. Can we be right if we seek merely clear things and neglect the
vast mysteries, or if we are fascinated by the mysteries and despise or forget
things easy to understand? Every man needs the plainest truths constantly, for
religion is not mainly an exercise for the intellect or a discipline for faith,
but rest and food for the feeblest. But let no man say, The plain and simple
things are all I want; I care not for mysteries. They perplex me; they weigh
upon me. I avoid them, I pass them by. Do you really think, then, that you have
got hold of these plain truths while you thus act? The plain truths need the
vast and unsearchable to give them force. You yourself need to be awed and
mastered, ay, even bewildered and perplexed by the inscrutable.
2. There are truths of theory and truths of practice. Let the one
class be added to the other. Theology ought to be the most inspiring of all
sciences. If you have entered the temple by this door, it is well; but do not
stay there. Religion is more than theology. A man may be very theological, and
only a very little religious. But you never get a real hold of theology till
you learn the elementary experiences of religion. Truly to pray and be
contrite, and hold fellowship with God opens up theology.
II. Worship.
Worship has many sides. It also abounds in opposites. Such are sorrow and joy,
hope and fear, prayer and praise, supplication and promise, or resolve. How
fully and impartially these are presented in the Word of God; yet how frequent
it is for men to cling to one side of worship. How many enter at the north door
of entreaty, and never really approach the south door of joy and praise. You
must not remain in sorrow. Whoever has brought to God tears, sorrows, fears,
doubts, burdens, let him bring great joy. He may find it hard to do this. It is
called in the Psalms the sacrifice of joy. And truly it is a sacrifice and
often the most costly that one can bring. It may cost you far more to bring joy
to God than to bring labour and tears. So to pass over to the side of joy would
really be the wholesomest endeavour that many a one could make. It would
revolutionise his life. He would be renewed and made a spiritual man in the
mere effort to bring to God joy. But there are those who find it easy to be
glad and grateful, Depression, the awful burden of sin, bitter tears, or a
sorrow that would find relief in tears, they have no experience of. Are they,
then, under no obligation to sorrow! Can they ignore all that side of religion?
Have they found their way to a region where it is superfluous? That cannot be
if they are sinful men. He that does not know the secret of grief must be very
much on the surface of things. There are those, again, who have been very
earnest for themselves. They have pleaded and wrestled for pardon. They have
cried many and many a time with all the earnestness of their nature after
renewal, after deliverance from evil and attainment of Divine freedom; they
have felt, as a crushing load, the burden of their own souls; but they have
never felt the burden of the world’s evil and bondage. They must learn to be in
thorough earnest about some object, and some person not their own, and that can
bring no benefit to them. Only then is a soul truly emancipated, only then,
when it takes up God’s cause and man’s and forgets itself, does it know the
greatness of prayer.
III. Moral and
spiritual life.
1. How common it is to decry feeling and exalt conduct and action.
The tendency is certainly right as to the comparative value of these opposites
if they are regarded as antagonistic. Action, conduct in the full sense of the
word, the action of the man is the end and aim of all. But, on the other hand,
feeling is the proper basis of action and conduct. Pity and compassion are
feelings; can anyone be acting a wise or noble part who decries or ignores
them? Sympathy and benevolence are feelings. Admiration is a feeling. Taken
together, these form that supreme feeling called love. Zeal and enthusiasm are
feelings. Men who speak slightingly of feeling must surely be uneasy when they
reflect on the value which the great human heart sets on these things, and the
immense sway they wield. Surely they must be uneasy when they reflect how very
differently the Word of God speaks, and how intent it is on expelling wrong
feelings and awaking right ones. No! The true course is for men not to excuse
or vindicate their want of feeling, but to lament it, to bewail their poverty,
and press across that they may become rich. There are those who, on the other
hand, rest in emotion, who are pleased with themselves that they are so
susceptible, and have such fine, earnest, lofty desires. This is a huge danger.
Feeling is for the purpose of action. Those, therefore, who feel strongly
should of all men particularly set their hearts on action, on being extremely,
thoroughly, minutely practical. It is easier for them than other men to be
diligent and thorough. Their glow and enthusiasm ought to give them wings.
2. Devotion and righteousness in like manner stand over against each
other; in other words, some are mainly for God, others mainly for man. There
are those who feel strongly the claims of God and have a constant drawing to
worship. The pleasure they take in devotion is real, but their conscience and
their human affections are dormant. They need to have it strongly brought home
to them that there is a whole side of things of the utmost moment which they
are ignoring, that if a man love God he must love his brother also, and that
this is the love of God to keep His commandments. And is not the opposite type
frequent? The feeling of this class is expressed in such phrases as, The best
worship of God is to do what is right. The best worship of God is to help men.
The best worship of God is to be like Him. What shall we say to this? The
helping of men may be a worship of God, but it may not. It will not be a
worship of God unless there is first, and as the foundation of the life, direct
worship of God. God claims direct worship, and the soul needs it. From whence
will you draw your inspiration and your power to help men if you do not come
into contact with God? (J. Leckie, D. D.)
Verse 10
The prince in the midst of them, when they go in, shall go in; and
when they go forth, shall go forth.
The Prince in the midst
The Prince shall mean to us the man Christ Jesus, whom God has
exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour. Isaiah calls Him the “Prince of Peace”;
and Peter, the “Prince of Life.” I don’t know where the Prince’s central palace
is, nor where He holds His court. It is in the far country which no human eye
has ever explored; somewhere beyond the unknown seas which no embodied soul can
navigate, and from which no traveller has come back to tell the tale. But I
live in hope, the hope that stirs many another eager heart, that on some fair
morning I shall see this King in His beauty, in the land that won’t be far off
then! But this verse tells us something quite good enough and bright enough for
us to know: “The Prince is in the midst of them.” It is not often that the
royalties of earth occupy a place like that; some of them are shut up in splendid
seclusion. Most men know only the names of the great and noble; all of them are
removed from the society of the poor. But our Prince has no preference, no
selection, no priority. He is in the midst of His people, and His light and
smile are always to be seen. The gifts of His bounty are as free to the man who
is lowly, to the sons of poverty, as to the sons of wealth. But it is not
everybody who recognises the presence of the Prince when He is here. He may
smile as royally as the sunlight, and yet you may be so insensible as never to
know He is near. Do you acknowledge His rule? Do you submit to His authority?
Do you obey His command? A prince has laws,--do you honour them? A prince has
reverence,--do you reverence Him? This Prince covets your affections,--do you
love Him? I knew a Christian woman who was always found early in the sanctuary.
She was quite deaf, and heard neither song nor sermon. I asked her why she came
and whether she was the better for it, and her answer is worth recording: “The
communion of saints is sweet in itself, and a neighbour always finds the
lessons and the text for me, and the Lord speaks to me, and His voice is very
sweet to me.” You see that her loyalty brought her into the presence of
royalty. The Prince was there to speak, touch, and smile to her. And the Prince
in the midst of them when they go in shall go in with them. You see that the
loyal hearts that honour Christ bring Him with them. They cross the threshold
together with Christ, and sit together with Him in the pew. I am afraid that
there is too little of this with us. We should seek to be prepared for the
house of prayer beforehand, that we and the Prince may come there hand in hand.
“When they go forth.” That is the best test of any sanctuary service. Do we
carry with us the companion, the guest who says to us as we go forth from the
house of God, what He said to Zacchaeus when He called that publican, “I must
abide at thy house,” thy house. Always understand that where the Prince’s
subjects are, those who are loyal to Him, in whose hearts He reigns--ruling in
the life,--that the Prince is always with them. He does not part company with
them at morning prayer; He does not breathe a benediction on them at the family
gathering, and then retire to the throne of His glory. But He takes His place,
too, in the tram, the ‘bus, or the train. He cheers and gives the strength and
power to the ordinary doings of the day. If we would but remember to realise
this, what a grand and noble business the daily round and common task would be!
Don’t you think the company and oversight of our Prince is to be desired? I do
believe in a religion that has to do with every five minutes of our time. Sure
am I that your burdens would be lighter, your cares lessened, your hands
strengthened, and your hearts cheered, if you could but feel that your Prince
was present to smooth your path and to dwell within prayerful reach of you all
the time; and oh! what a defence that would be against the continuity of
temptations that assail us through life. I remember reading of a lad who was
tempted to steal his master’s goods by one of his fellow workmen. “John, you
can do so-and-so now; the master has gone now; the master is not in.” “No,”
said the lad, “my Master is always in.” Well done, John! that is the true principle
of life. His Master was the Prince. Christ had gone into the shop with him. I
want you to see that my text is especially grandly and beautifully true in the
days of our suffering and trial. If you yourself are called on to drop your
tool, to lay down your pen, to retire awhile from actual life, and to prepare
for illness, the Prince, when you go in, shall go in too; for there, more than
ever, He is near to comfort and to bless. His voice is then so gentle, His
touch so tender, and His companionship so sweet. He makes the sick chamber the
house of God, and the gate of heaven. And my text says a little more than that.
The Prince in the midst of them when they go forth shall go forth too. This is
a promise for the traveller. We travel much nowadays; travel rapidly and in a
good deal of peril. What a promise for the traveller when he goes forth. He
shall go forth too! What a promise for the emigrant as he says “Good-bye” to
his friends. “Good-bye, my lad,” said an old man whom I knew, to a young fellow,
“there is one thing that keeps my heart from breaking and that is that the Lord
is with thee, lad.” Christ was going forth with the boy! What a promise that is
for the youth leaving the parental roof! Or for the evangelist going out to
proclaim the Gospel. The Prince is in the midst of them; when they go forth He
shall go forth. Is not that a grand promise for us in view of our departure
from earth? Our last exit, our going forth from the brief life which is here
our portion, will come, perhaps, soon. At the bedside of the dying, Christ
enters, and He shall not leave us alone then. I think the record of the goings
forth from life of Christians is most encouraging. Rutherford was glorying in
God when his very feet were on the shore, and he said , as he went, “I have
gotten the victory, and Christ, my Savior, is holding out both arms to embrace
me. Why is death called the dark valley, for it grows brighter and brighter,
and it is now so bright I have to shut my eyes.” His lips parted in a smile. So
he went forth, and the Prince went forth with him. Then his eyes were opened,
to be shut no more. An English lady visiting the great Exhibition in Paris, was
seized with sudden illness. But she longed to be loyal to the Prince whom she
had long ago crowned with her heart. In her last moments her speech left her,
but she managed to utter a simple word--Bring. Her friends offered her a drink
of water, and she said again--Bring. Then they moistened her lips, and prayed.
Then they thought she must desire to see some absent friend, and they whispered
in her ear that he should be sent for, and she said, with a last effort, “Bring
forth the royal diadem, and crown Him Lord of all.” And when the Prince, who
was in the midst, when she went forth, went--yes, the two went forth together--Christ
and the saved soul went forth into the silence of the great unknown. (J. J.
Wray.)
Christ among His people
I. Christ the
Prince.
1. His right.
2. His character. Grace not only poured into Christ’s lips, but is
His distinction and beauty in all respects. Purity supreme; forbearance and
tenderness distinguish His dealings; unspeakable condescension and love the
spirit of His life.
3. His dominion, “Prince of the kings of the earth.” His rule is
spiritual. Casts down moral opposition, overcomes enmity, unbelief, thoughts
that exalt themselves against God, and brings into captivity to Divine will.
II. Christ in the
midst of His Church.
1. As a Ruler among His subjects.
2. As a Teacher among His disciples.
3. As a Shepherd among His flock.
4. As a Physician among His patients.
5. As a Husbandman in His vineyard.
III. The intimacy of
Christ’s fellowship.
1. When do we “go in”?
2. When do we “go forth”?
Verse 13
Thou shalt daily prepare a burnt offering unto the Lord.
The Christian’s daily sacrifice
The old legend that the Grecian host lay weather bound in
their port, vainly waiting for a wind to come and carry them to conquest; and
that they were obliged to slay a human sacrifice ere the heavens would be
propitious and fill their sails,--may be translated into the deepest verity of
the Christian life. We may see in it that solemn lesson--no prosperous voyage,
and no final conquest until the natural life has been offered up on the altar
of hourly self-denial. (A. Maclaren, D. D.)
Each day needs its sacrifice
No one, who plunges himself into the affairs of the world without
God, can easily escape out of two sad alternatives. Either he is utterly
wearied and disgusted with their triviality, and dawdles out a languid life of
supercilious superiority to his work, or else he plunges passionately into it,
and, like the ancient queen, dissolves in the cup the precious jewel of his own
soul. (A. Maclaren, D. D.)
──《The Biblical Illustrator》