Sermon Tone Analysis

Notes

[Illus] Jessica on the cover of Access magazine; Access Denied, but here in its Access Limited

FOLLOWING ON THE description of the return of the glory of the Lord to fill the central space of the temple, Ezekiel 44 continues the process of the filling of the various spaces described in chapters 40–42.

No one is allowed access to the Most Holy Place itself, but who may be permitted to enter into the inner court of this holy God?

The question of access to God is, of course, not a new one in Ezekiel’s day.

The tabernacle had strict regulations governing access to the different areas,2 as had Mount Sinai itself before that (Ex.

24).

What is new about Ezekiel’s vision, however, is that the rules of access are tighter than those of the tabernacle, and the basis for those rules is now bound up in the past obedience of the parties concerned.

Those who have proved themselves obedient are rewarded with the closest access to the center, while those who have strayed are allowed only a more limited access.

It is the outworking in visionary, graded form of the question and answer of Psalm 24:3–4:

Who may ascend the hill of the LORD?

Who may stand in his holy place?

He who has clean hands and a pure heart,

who does not lift up his soul to an idol

or swear by what is false.

The issue of ACCESS

East Gate is closed

This section begins with an absolute prohibition of access: the outer east gate is closed and will forever remain closed (Ezek.

44:1–2).

Because the Lord entered through it on his return to the Most Holy Place, it has acquired a special sanctity and may not be used by anyone else

However, the space within the gate may be used by the prince for his sacral meals before the Lord.

When he does so, he is to enter this space from the outer court, not from outside the temple complex, in order that the outer gate may remain perpetually closed (44:3).

But the prince may eat his sacrificial meal in the rooms of the closed east gate (vv.

1-3)

But the prince may eat his sacrificial meal in the rooms of the closed east gate (vv.

1-3)

The Levites may serve in the court of the temple (vv.

4-14)

And the sons of Zadok may comes near to God to offer the sacrifices (vv.

15-31)

can be divided as follows:

The King/Prince (44:1-3) (cf.

40:6-23)

As Ezekiel is taken back to the east gate in the outer wall of the court, the gate is firmly closed (44:1–2).

This was the gate through which Ezekiel had witnessed the return of God’s glory (43:1–4), and as a consequence no one would be allowed to pass this way.

The ‘prince’ (i.e.

king) may use some of the rooms in the gateway (see, 40:6–16) to eat his sacrificial meal, but he must enter these rooms via the portico at the western end of this gateway (44:3; i.e. from the west—from inside—rather than through the gateway—from the east).

This was, no doubt, a way of reflecting the privilege of the king’s position, intimating, in part, the honour of God himself.

Being allowed to eat in the eastern gateway, through which the glory of the Lord had passed, reflected the king’s honour as God’s representative ruler among his people.

Nevertheless, the access given to the king is strictly limited.

He may not abuse this privilege, as Uzziah did in his old age (2 Chron.

26:16–20).

Of greater significance, however, is the shutting of the eastern gate.

This, no doubt, was a way of symbolizing that the Lord, having once entered, was not about to leave the temple again.

Having left once before because of Israel’s sin, the Lord was now back—permanently.

(As to the identity of the ‘prince’, see discussion on 45:13–25.)

The closure of the gate is significant in many ways.

When those who entered the temple via the north and south gates for the first time asked why the east gate was closed, they would be told that the Lord, who had once left his temple, had returned again by means of the east gate.

But, perhaps more significantly, the closure of the gate may be indicative of the Lord’s intention never again to leave his sanctuary.

He had left once before, a consequence of the evil of his people; in the restored temple, for use in the worship of a renewed people, his presence would be permanent.

So the closed gate is not an ominous symbol, but a hopeful one; a people, who by their actions had caused the divine departure, would again know the permanent presence of their God.

observation & prescription concerning the eastern gate (vv.

1-2)

regulation for the prince (v. 3)

Who is this prince?

(cf.

45:13-25)

Messiah?

Probably not.

Ideal figure (see Derek Thomas)

Zadokite priests have access to Yahweh, and the Levites may serve within the courts, but the nāśîʾ is repulsed.

He must eat his meals at the gate.

Sacrificial meal

East Gate closed (cf.

43:1-5)

sanctity

security (cf.

43:7, 9)

supremacy?

(cf.

Block below)

Third, the closed gate presents a veiled polemic against pagan notions.

Among the many activities involved in the Babylonian New Year festival was the ritual “opening of the gate” (pît bâbi).

The sacred gate (bābu ellu) apparently remained closed to all human traffic except on the great day of the festival when Marduk would exit and later return in procession through it.

The closing of this gate declares on the one hand that Yahweh is not dependent on human arms for residence in the temple.

No one, neither well-intentioned worshipers nor foreign conquerors like Nebuchadrezzar, may enter here.

As the sovereign over Israel, and by extension over the earth, Yahweh opens gates that no one may close, and closes gates that no one may open.

No enemy, either human or divine, will ever crash his sacred residence, remove him from his throne, and drag him off, according to the common treatment of the images of patron deities of conquered lands.

Yahweh reigns supreme.

[Illus] Bali, paper machete head falling off false god being paraded through the street

In this way, both the privilege and restriction of the prince’s position is emphasized.

On the one hand, he holds a unique position among the laity with special privileges, including access to a private room in part of the central east-west spine of the new temple, an especially holy location.

On the other hand, this room is in the outer part of that region, and the prince has no access to the inner court.

Thus, compared to the past, when the kings frequently treated the sanctuary as a royal chapel, as if it were their own preserve in which they might establish whatever innovations they wished (e.g., 2 Kings 16:10–18), in future the royal figure has a limited, though still honorable, position.

The Foreigners (44:4-9)

44:9 Every foreigner uncircumcised of heart and uncircumcised of flesh shall not come into my sanctuary—not Israel’s past idolatry can be summarized as one offense: They violated Yahweh’s sacred space.

Stricter observance of procedures and regulations designed to protect the sacred space will prevent future violation.

One regulation forbids foreigners from entering the sanctuary (see Exod 12:43–51).

Moving forwards from the outer east gate, and round to the right, Ezekiel enters the inner court via the north inner gateway (44:4), coming face to face with the glory of God in the temple.

Ezekiel falls on his face, something which Daniel was also to do (Dan.

8:17).

It is an expression of unworthiness and defilement in God’s presence.

Who may enter the temple and worship God?

Only the covenant people of God.

Foreigners, those who were ‘uncircumcised in heart and flesh’ (44:7), were not permitted to enter.

This was something which had been violated in Solomon’s temple, when foreign guards had been placed in charge (44:8; cf. 2 Kings 11:4).

These had permitted those who were spiritually unfit to enter the temple and thus defile it.

Herod’s temple, unlike Solomon’s, provided a ‘court’ for Gentiles to meet.

It more or less surrounded the temple area itself.

Preventing access to the ‘Court of Israel’ was a four-and-a-half foot high stone wall acting as a kind of partition.

On it was an inscription forbidding Gentiles to go any further on pain of death.

According to Josephus, there were many such inscriptions written in Greek and Latin at equal distances from each other.

Two such notices were discovered (one in 1971 and the other in 1935) and read: ‘No foreigner may enter within the barricade which surrounds the temple and enclosure.

Anyone who is caught doing so will have himself to blame for his ensuing death.’3

44:9 While resident aliens are forbidden a role in temple service, the qualifying phrase uncircumcised in heart and flesh (cf.

v. 7) may suggest that aliens with the appropriate inner orientation announced in 36:26–27 could become members of the covenant community.

Residence alone, however, was not enough to qualify.

(ii) Regulations concerning foreigners (verses 4–9).

It had become the custom in former years to employ foreigners (especially foreign slaves) in the variety of menial tasks which were essential to the proper functioning of the temple.

The foreigners, while not necessarily evil persons as such, were alien to the faith and worship of Israel; they were “uncircumcised in heart and flesh” (verse 7) meaning that, both literally and emotionally, they were not a part of the covenant community.

This legislative portion of the vision, expressed as the words of God to the prophet, is critical of Israel, not the foreigners.

To the foreign servants of the temple had been delegated a variety of tasks: they were janitors, doormen, cleaners, assistants in various sacrificial activities, and the like.

Their tasks as such held no particular appeal, and those responsible for the temple in the past had no doubt been glad of the regiment of foreign servants placed at their disposal.