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Commentary on Ezekiel 44 verses 4–9
This is much to the same purport with what we had in the beginning of ch. 43. As the prophet must look again upon what he had before seen, so he must be told again what he had before heard. Here, as before, he sees the house filled with the glory of the Lord, which strikes an awe upon him, so that he falls prostrate at the sight, the humblest posture of adoration and the expression of a holy awe: I fell upon my face, Eze 44:4. Note, The more we see of the glory of God the more low we shall lie in our own eyes. Now here,
I. God charges the prophet to take a very particular notice of all he saw, and all that was said to him (Eze 44:5): "Behold with thy eyes what is shown thee, particularly the entering in of the house and every going forth of it, all the inlets and all the outlets of the sanctuary;" those he must take special notice of. Note, In acquainting ourselves with divine things we must not aim so much at an abstract speculation of the things themselves as at finding the plain appointed way of converse and communion with those things, that we may go in and out and find pasture. 2. Hear with thy ears all that I say unto thee about the laws and ordinances of the house, which he was to instruct the people in. Note, Those who are appointed to be teachers have need to be very diligent careful learners, that they may neither forget any of the things they are entrusted with nor mistake concerning them.
II. He sends him upon an errand to the people, to the rebellious, even to the house of Israel, Eze 44:6. It is sad to think that the house of Israel should deserve this character from him who perfectly knew them, that a people in covenant with God should be rebellious against him. Who are his subjects if the house of Israel be rebels? But it is an instance of God's rich mercy that, though they had been rebellious, yet, being the house of Israel, he does not cast them off, but sends an ambassador to them, to invite and encourage them to return to their allegiance, which he would not have done if he had been pleased to kill them. The whole race of mankind has fallen under the character here given of the house of Israel; but our Lord Jesus, when he ascended on high, received gifts for men, yea, even for the rebellious also, that, as here, the Lord God might dwell among them, Psa 68:18.
1.He must tell them of their faults, must show them their rebellions, must show the house of Jacob their sins. Note, Those that are sent to comfort God's people must first convince them, and so prepare them for comfort. Let it suffice you of all your abominations, Eze 44:6. Note, It is time for those that have continued long in sin to reckon it long enough, and too long, and to begin to think of taking up in time, and leaving off their evil courses. "Let the time past of your lives suffice, for by this time, surely, you have surfeited upon your abominations and have become sick of them," Pe1 4:3. That which is here charged upon them is, (1.) That they had admitted those to the privileges of the sanctuary that were not entitled to them; whereas God had said, The stranger that comes nigh shall be put to death, they had not only connived at the intrusion of strangers into the sanctuary, but had themselves introduced them (Eze 44:7): You brought in strangers uncircumcised in flesh, and therefore under a legal incapacity to enter into the sanctuary, which was a breaking of the covenant of circumcision, throwing down the hedge of their peculiarity, and laying themselves in common with the rest of the world. Yet if these strangers had been devout and good, though they were not circumcised, the crime would not have been so great; but they were uncircumcised in heart too, unhumbled, unreformed, and strangers indeed to God and all goodness. When they came to offer sacrifice they brought these with them to feast with them upon the sacrifice, because they were fond of their company, and this was one of their abominations, wherewith they polluted God's sanctuary; it was giving that which was holy unto dogs, Mat 7:6. Note, The admission of those who are openly wicked and profane to special ordinances is a polluting of God's sanctuary and a great provocation to him. (2.) That they had employed those in the service of the sanctuary who were not fit for it. Though none but priests and Levites were to minister in the sanctuary, yet we may suppose that all who were priests and Levites did not immediately attend there, but chosen men of them, who were best qualified, who were most wise, serious, and conscientious, and most likely to keep the charge of the holy things carefully; but, in making this choice, they had not regard to merit and qualification for the work: "You have set keepers of my charge in my sanctuary for yourselves, such as you had some favour or affection for, such as you either had got, or hoped to get, money by, or such as would comply with your humours and would dispense with the laws of the sanctuary to please you; thus you have not kept the charge of my holy things." Note, Those who have the choice of the keepers of the holy things, if, to serve some secular selfish purpose, they choose such as are unfit and unfaithful, will justly have it laid at their door, that they have betrayed the holy things by lodging them in bad hands.
2.He must tell them their duty (Eze 44:9): "No stranger shall enter into my sanctuary till he has first submitted to the laws of it." But, lest any should think that this excluded the penitent believing Gentiles from the church, the stranger here is described to be one that is uncircumcised in heart, not in sincerity consenting to the covenant, nor putting away the filth of the flesh; whereas the believing Gentiles were circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, Col 2:11. This circumcision of the heart, in the spirit, not in the letter, was what the unbelieving Jews were strangers to and unconcerned about, while yet they were zealous to keep out of the sanctuary uncircumcised Gentiles, witness their rage against Paul when they did but suspect him to have brought Greeks into the temple, Act 21:28.
(Verse 4 and following) And he brought me through the way of the north gate in the sight of the house, and I saw, and behold, the glory of the Lord had filled the house of the Lord, and I fell on my face. And the Lord said to me, Son of man, set your heart and see with your eyes, and hear with your ears all that I speak to you concerning all the statutes of the house of the Lord, and concerning all its laws, and set your heart upon the entrance of the temple and on all the exits of the sanctuary. The man who is the leader of the prophet, and who knows everything in the temple by showing, after he showed the closed gate that must never be opened, and yet opened to him who had entered through closed doors. He leads the prophet to the way of the North gate, which is also in the sight of the house, undoubtedly signifying the temple. And when the prophet saw the fullness of the house of the Lord's glory, namely the same house that he saw from the opposite side in the North area, he immediately fell on his face, unable to bear the majesty of the Lord's glory. Because he had been brought low by his humility, the Lord says to him, not as a man but as the Lord: Son of man, set your heart, and so on. In the completion of the tabernacle and the building of the temple constructed by Solomon, the glory of the Lord appeared, which was later destroyed by comparison to the glory of the Gospel, as the Apostle says: For that which was glorified has not been glorified in this respect, because of the excellent glory. For if that which is destroyed is by glory, much more that which remains is in glory (2 Corinthians 3:10). And we must beware lest we think the destruction of the previous glory is an abolition; but we must think thus, that after what is perfect has come, that which was in part will be destroyed: just as if you compare the rays of the sun to a lamp, or the light of a lamp to a small lantern. Therefore, it is also said about John the Baptist: He was a shining lamp in the house (John 5:35). However, when the sun of justice came, the light of the lamp was hidden, as the prophet himself and John the Baptist said: He must increase, but I must decrease (John 3:30). The prophet fell on his face, lest, desiring to see more than human frailty can behold, he should lose even the light of his eyes. Hence the Lord calls him more familiarly "son of man," and commands him to set his heart, and see with his eyes, and hear with his ears. For first the mind must be opened to understand what is said; secondly, the heart must understand with the eyes, concerning which it is said to Abraham: Lift up your eyes and see the stars of heaven (Gen. 15:5); thirdly, it must be heard with these ears, of which the Savior says: He who has ears to hear, let him hear (Luke 8:8), so that he may understand all the ceremonies of the temple and its legal requirements, and finally set his heart on the ways of the temple; for there are different approaches to God. Whether through the paths of the temple, it signifies the order of ceremonies, and the exit of the sanctuary. Therefore, it is the prologue and preparation of the prophet, to understand what he will subsequently learn about the order of the temple. And it should be noted that in this world, the plague which is positioned in the evil and placed in the cold of the North, the celestial order of ceremonies is shown to us.
(V. 6 seqq.) And you shall say to the rebellious house of Israel: Thus says the Lord God: Sufficient for you are all your sins, O house of Israel, because you bring in foreign sons (or foreigners) uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in my sanctuary and to defile my temple, and you offer my bread, fat, and blood, and you have broken (or transgressed) my covenant in all your sins; and you have not kept the precepts of my sanctuary and you have set the ministers of my observances in my sanctuary for yourselves. When he says, let all your crimes and iniquities be sufficient for you, he exhorts you to repentance for your former sins, so that we do not increase sins by sins, and prepare material for future burning; but let us hear what Isaiah speaks: Woe to those who draw sins like a long rope, and iniquities like the yoke of a calf's leather strap (Isa. 5:18). And the first sin is that they bring in alien sons, or uncircumcised foreigners in heart and in flesh, so that they may be in the sanctuary of God and defile the house of God. For a little leaven corrupts the whole lump (1 Cor. 5:6); and in some versions of Proverbs it is written: Do not bring the wicked into the dwelling of the righteous. The Jews and Ebionites press us on this matter, who receive the circumcision of the flesh: how can we explain this passage to those uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh? Indeed, after spiritual understanding, should we also undergo the circumcision of the flesh. But we who read what Paul says: Now I testify to every man who is circumcised that if you are circumcised, Christ will be of no benefit to you (Gal. V, 2). And that of Jeremiah: Behold, your ears are uncircumcised and you refuse to listen (Jer. VI, 10). And in Exodus, Moses spoke before the Lord, saying: Behold, the Israelites have not listened to me; how then will Pharaoh listen to me? But I am slow of speech (Exod. VI, 12), for which the Seventy translated: Am I not unreasoning? which is better rendered in Hebrew: But I have uncircumcised lips. Let us ask them, or rather compel them, to circumcise their ears and desecrate their lips, so that they may seem to fulfill the Scripture. But if they begin to interpret the circumcision of the ears, when we endure nothing shameful or dishonorable to hear, and the circumcision of the lips, when we speak nothing indecent: let us say to them, you must also keep the same interpretation in your heart and in your flesh. We circumcise the heart with the knife of God, and the foreskin is removed from our heart, when unclean thoughts never come out of our heart, and it is not said of us: 'This people's heart has grown fat, and with their ears they have heard heavily' (Acts 28:27). Therefore, the flesh is also circumcised in a similar manner, so that we do not engage in earthly works that we are compelled to do for the needs of the body, such as eating, drinking, sleeping, and wearing clothes. We circumcise these things not for pleasure, luxury, or laziness, but for the sake of the necessity of our nature and the sustenance of this body. The one who drinks wine in moderation due to their stomach and frequent illnesses, and hates drunkenness, circumcises their own flesh (I Tim. 5). Whoever sleeps as much as nature allows, will hear from Solomon: If you sit, you will be without fear; if you sleep, you will sleep sweetly, and you will not fear the coming terror; nor the attacks of the wicked (Prov. III, 24). And whoever flees from fornication and returns to his wife, let Satan not tempt him (I Cor. VII), will hear with the people of Israel: On this day I have taken away the reproach of Egypt from you. He will also use clothing that repels the cold; not clothing that, by its thinness, reveals the body. With flesh weakened by fasting and bounded by self-control, he avoids the reproach of the Egyptians, who pride themselves on their ample flesh. He can say what is commonly read in the Septuagint: 'As my flesh languished, so in a dry and trackless land I appeared to you, in a place devoid of water.' If, therefore, at any time we should wish to introduce aliens into the temple of God, let us circumcise their ears, and their lips, and their heart, and all their flesh, and their eyes, and their taste, and their smell, so that we may do all things with the fear and reason of God. Let the bishops and priests and all the ecclesiastical order hear this, so that they do not bring in uncircumcised sons in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, so that they may not be in the sanctuary of God and pollute his house. For if they do this, what follows will be applicable to them: 'And you offer my breads, breads of course of the offering, in all Churches and in the whole world, sprouting from one bread, and not only breads, but also fatness, of which it is written: 'He has filled them with the fatness of wheat' (Ps. 80:17), and the blood which was shed in Christ's passion.' And the order of reading should be as follows: When you bring uncircumcised foreign children with your heart and body into my sanctuary, and defile my house, you dare to offer bread and fat and blood, mystical sacraments, and you do not understand that you have broken, and you have violated my covenant in all your crimes and impieties, and you have not kept the precepts of my sanctuary, nor have you appointed guardians of my ceremonies in my sanctuary. But every threat is against those who have not heeded the Apostle's warning: Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men's sins (I Tim. V, 22). Or certainly it should be understood thus: You have broken my covenant with all your crimes, and have not kept the precepts of my sanctuary, and you dare to appoint unworthy and foreign custodians in the observation of my sanctuary for yourselves, let it be understood, not for me. And there is sense: That they may serve and minister unto you in carnal things and profane my sanctuary for your worldly comforts.
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SUMMARY
Ezekiel 44:7 delivers a severe divine indictment against the unfaithfulness of Israel's priests and people, who historically defiled God's sacred sanctuary. They allowed "strangers"—individuals both physically uncircumcised and, more critically, "uncircumcised in heart" (lacking true spiritual devotion)—to enter and pollute the very house of God. This grave transgression, particularly during the offering of sacrifices, constituted a direct breach of God's covenant, stemming from a pattern of abominable practices that provoked divine wrath and necessitated the stringent purity regulations for the future temple.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Ezekiel 44:7 employs several powerful literary devices to convey its message of divine indignation and the gravity of Israel's sin. Repetition is prominent, with "my sanctuary" appearing twice, and the emphatic double description "uncircumcised in heart, and uncircumcised in flesh." This repetition underscores the sacredness of the space and the dual nature of the impurity. Parallelism is also evident in the pairing of "my sanctuary" and "my house," emphasizing the singular identity of God's dwelling. The phrase "my bread, the fat and the blood" uses Metonymy, where these elements stand in for the entire sacrificial system, highlighting the defilement of the very core of Israelite worship. The term "abominations" functions as a form of Synecdoche, representing the entire spectrum of Israel's idolatrous and immoral practices that led to their covenant breach. Finally, the verse is rich in Symbolism: circumcision symbolizes covenant membership and purity, while the sanctuary symbolizes God's holy presence among His people. The pollution of these symbols signifies a profound spiritual corruption and a direct affront to God's character.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Ezekiel 44:7 profoundly underscores God's unwavering holiness and His demand for purity in worship and life. The defilement of the sanctuary by those "uncircumcised in heart and flesh" reveals that God's presence cannot coexist with impurity, whether ritualistic or, more significantly, spiritual. This highlights the crucial theological truth that outward religious observance without inward devotion is an abomination to God. The breaking of the covenant through such actions demonstrates that God's relationship with His people is conditional upon their faithfulness and adherence to His standards of holiness. This passage serves as a stark reminder that access to God's presence is not automatic but requires a transformed heart and a commitment to living according to His righteous decrees, a principle that transcends the physical temple and resonates throughout biblical theology.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Ezekiel 44:7, while rooted in the ancient temple context, offers profound and enduring spiritual principles for believers today. Just as the physical temple was to be guarded from impurity, so too are we, as the New Testament teaches, collectively the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16) and individually His dwelling place (1 Corinthians 6:19). This calls us to a vigilant guardianship of the purity of the church community and our personal lives. The "uncircumcised heart" serves as a powerful metaphor for spiritual indifference, rebellion, or a lack of genuine devotion to God. We are challenged to examine our own hearts, ensuring that our worship, service, and daily conduct are not merely external rituals but flow from a heart truly "circumcised" by faith in Christ—a heart set apart for God and responsive to His Spirit. This requires discernment to guard against worldly influences and spiritual impurities that would defile our corporate or individual witness, ensuring that our lives genuinely reflect the holiness of the God we serve.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Who are the "strangers" mentioned in this verse, and why was their presence a problem?
Answer: The "strangers" (Hebrew: nêkâr H5236, used in conjunction with H1121 bên, meaning "son of" but here indicating a class of people like "sons of foreigners") primarily refer to non-Israelites. Their presence was a problem because they were "uncircumcised in flesh," meaning they had not undergone the physical sign of the Abrahamic covenant, which marked them as outside the covenant community. More critically, they were "uncircumcised in heart," indicating a lack of spiritual devotion to Yahweh, possibly even being idolaters. Allowing such individuals into the sacred inner precincts of the sanctuary, especially during the offering of holy sacrifices, was a profound defilement of God's holy space and a direct violation of the covenant, as it blurred the lines between the holy and the common and undermined the exclusive worship of God. This act was seen as part of a broader pattern of "abominations" that angered God.
What is the significance of being "uncircumcised in heart" as opposed to "uncircumcised in flesh"?
Answer: While "uncircumcised in flesh" refers to the physical state of not having undergone the ritual of circumcision, which was the sign of the covenant with Abraham, "uncircumcised in heart" points to a deeper, spiritual condition. It signifies a heart that is rebellious, stubborn, unresponsive to God's commands, and lacking true devotion or spiritual purity. Prophets like Moses and Jeremiah frequently emphasized that outward ritual without inward transformation was insufficient (Deuteronomy 30:6 and Jeremiah 4:4). In Ezekiel 44:7, the double emphasis highlights that the problem was not just the physical presence of non-covenant people, but the spiritual impurity and lack of devotion that characterized those allowed into God's presence, whether foreign or even Israelite.
How does this verse relate to the New Testament concept of the church?
Answer: Ezekiel 44:7, with its emphasis on the holiness of God's dwelling and the purity required for access, finds profound fulfillment and transformation in the New Testament. The New Testament teaches that the church, the community of believers, is now God's spiritual temple (1 Corinthians 3:16; Ephesians 2:19-22). Individual believers are also temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). The "circumcision of the heart" is no longer a physical ritual but a spiritual reality brought about by faith in Christ (Romans 2:29; Colossians 2:11-12). Therefore, the principle of guarding the sanctity of God's presence applies to maintaining the purity of the church community and the holiness of our individual lives, ensuring that our worship and conduct are pleasing to God, cleansed by Christ's sacrifice.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Ezekiel 44:7, with its stern warning against defiling God's sanctuary by those "uncircumcised in heart, and uncircumcised in flesh," finds its ultimate resolution and profound fulfillment in Jesus Christ. The Old Covenant's physical temple and its rigid purity laws, though essential for their time, pointed forward to a greater reality. Christ Himself is the true temple, the dwelling place of God among humanity (John 2:19-21). Through His perfect life, atoning death, and resurrection, Jesus accomplished what the Levitical system could not: He provided the ultimate cleansing for sin, making true access to God possible for all who believe. The "uncircumcised in heart" are now spiritually "circumcised" in Christ, not by human hands, but by the removal of the sinful nature through faith in Him (Colossians 2:11-12). He is the great High Priest who entered the true sanctuary in heaven, not with the blood of animals, but with His own blood, securing an eternal redemption (Hebrews 9:11-14). Consequently, believers, once "strangers" and alienated from God, are now brought near through Christ's blood, becoming fellow citizens with the saints and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone (Ephesians 2:19-20). Thus, the spiritual purity demanded in Ezekiel is fully realized in the New Covenant through the indwelling Holy Spirit, empowering believers to live as a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ (1 Peter 2:5).