Ezekiel 44 - Bible Study, Explanation, and Application
Ezekiel 44 Bible Study
TIMELINE:
Ezekiel gives an exact date for the vision he recorded in chapters 40-48 (40:1), the 25th year of his exile, 14 years after the city of Jerusalem was destroyed, 573 or 572 BC.
Below is a list of kings of Judah and dates for their reign:
Amon (642-640 BC)
Josiah (640-609 BC)
Jehoahaz (also known as Shallum, 609 BC)
Jehoiakim (initially known as Eliakim, 609-598 BC)
Jehoiachin (also known as Jeconiah or Coniah, 598-597 BC)
Zedekiah (His reign ended when Babylon conquered Judah, (597-586 BC)
WHAT WE STUDIED PREVIOUSLY
Ezekiel 1 – Ezekiel had a vision of 4 living creatures, 4 wheels, and God’s throne.
Ezekiel 2 – God commissioned Ezekiel to be a prophet to his rebellious countrymen.
Ezekiel 3 – The end of the heavenly vision. Ezekiel ate a scroll of God’s words, and God called him to be a watchman over the people of Judah.
Ezekiel 4 – Ezekiel prophesies with an object lesson in the street by laying on his side for 430 days, eating rations of bread, and creating a siege scene with a brick that represents Jerusalem.
Ezekiel 5 – After the 430 days, Ezekiel cut off his hair divided it up into 3 parts and used it as a symbol for what would happen to the people of Jerusalem.
Ezekiel 6 – Ezekiel prophesies against the idol worshipers in Judah, telling them their bodies will be thrown at the feet of their powerless gods.
Ezekiel 7 – God spoke to Ezekiel about the day of His judgement. The end was near for the citizens of Jerusalem, and their doom was on the horizon.
Ezekiel 8 – Ezekiel saw a vision of the Temple in Jerusalem. God guided him through the courts and gates of the Temple and showed him the secret idolatries that filled God’s house.
Ezekiel 9 – God sends a man with a writing case to mark the foreheads of those who hated the idolatries of Judah. Afterwards, God sends 6 executioners to kill everyone in Jerusalem who didn’t have the mark.
Ezekiel 10 – God’s glory departed the inner sanctuary of the Temple and ascended to His throne carried by the 4 living creatures.
Ezekiel 11 – God announced judgement on the wicked rulers of Judah. They thought they were safe in Jerusalem, like meat in a cauldron, but God promised to bring them out for death and captivity. At the end of the chapter, God spoke of a future day, when He would regather a remnant of His people and give them a new heart and new spirit.
Ezekiel 12 – Ezekiel prophesied about the downfall of King Zedekiah by carrying his possessions out of his house as if he were going into exile. God promised that His judgement was near, and anyone who suggested otherwise would be put to shame.
Ezekiel 13 – God confronted the false prophets and sorceresses amongst the people of Judah. The false prophets falsely claimed to speak with the authority of God, and the sorceresses hunted the souls of God’s people through witchcraft and divination.
Ezekiel 14 – God condemned the elders of Judah who harbored love for idols in their hearts. He told Ezekiel Jerusalem would not be spared even if righteous men like Noah, Daniel, and Job lived there.
Ezekiel 15 – God compared the citizens of Jerusalem to useless vine wood that was good for nothing except to burn.
Ezekiel 16 – God compared his people to a young woman who he had raised and cared for. When she grew up, she turned her back on God and prostituted herself with foreign nations and idols.
Ezekiel 17 – Ezekiel spoke a parable to the people of Judah about two great eagles. The parable indicated that the King of Judah would betray Babylon and be uprooted by them.
Ezekiel 18 – The people of Judah were accusing God of punishing them for the sins of their ancestors. God clarified that each man was responsible and would be held accountable only for his own sins.
Ezekiel 19 – God lamented the unfaithfulness of His people through two laments, the lament of the lion cubs and the lament of the vine.
Ezekiel 20 - The elders of Israel wanted to consult with God, but God refused them based on their continual and cyclical rebellion against His laws. God spoke of His future judgement on Judah and His future grace that would restore the nation.
Ezekiel 21 – Ezekiel spoke of the sword of the Lord that God had sharpened to punish Judah. The king of Babylon stood at a fork in the road, and God was going to direct him and his army to Jerusalem.
Ezekiel 22 – God condemned Judah for a litany of sins and their total neglect of any attempt to keep His commands. He told them He would melt them down like metal within the furnace of Jerusalem.
Ezekiel 23 – God illustrated the unfaithfulness of Israel and Judah with a story about two sisters, Oholah and Oholibah.
Ezekiel 24 – God compared Jerusalem to a corroded pot that would be emptied and melted down. In the second half of the chapter, Ezekiel’s wife died, and God instructed him not to mourn for her publicly as a sign of the fate of the citizens of Jerusalem and their beloved city.
Ezekiel 25 – God prophesied against Ammon, Edom, Seir, Moab, and the Philistines.
Ezekiel 26 - God prophesied against the city of Tyre. God was going to judge them by bringing the nations against them and destroying them. Babylon would attack first, followed by the Greeks under the command of Alexander the Great (332 BC).
Ezekiel 27 – God described the downfall of the city of Tyre. His judgement on them was going to take them from the mountain of wealth, power, and influence, down to obscurity in the depth of the sea, never to rise again.
Ezekiel 28 - God rebuked the king of Tyre, because in his pride, he elevated himself to the status of a God. Some believe the language is comparing the downfall of Tyre’s king to the fall of Satan. God promised to restore Judah, but Tyre would never be restored.
Ezekiel 29 - A prophecy against Egypt and the pride of Pharaoh. Pharaoh was like a dragon in the Nile, but God would draw him out with a hook and cast him into the desert. God would humble Egypt to a lowly nation and give them over to the Babylonians.
Ezekiel 30 - A prophecy against Egypt. The day of the Lord’s judgement would be a day of doom for Egypt. God would bring the nations against Egypt to crush their pride, throw down their idols, take their wealth, and diminish their nation. God said He had broken pharaoh’s arm so he could not take up a sword to defend his nation.
Ezekiel 31 - God warned Egypt by reminding them of the fate of the Assyrian Empire. Assyria was like a mighty ceder, tall and formidable. But when they grew proud, God chopped them down. God told Pharaoh He would do the same to Egypt.
Ezekiel 32 - Pharaoh, like a dragon in the sea, would be caught in God’s net and thrown into the desert to die. The inhabitants of Egypt would be sent down to Sheol with the Assyrians and all the evil nations who went before her.
Ezekiel 33 - Ezekiel was reminded of his role as a watchman. God invited the people of Judah to choose life, because He had no pleasure in the death of the wicked. The people accused God of being unjust. God said He would judge each according to their deeds. A fugitive from Jerusalem came to Ezekiel and informed him of the fall of Jerusalem.
Ezekiel 34 – God rebuked the bad shepherds of Israel for neglecting his flock and scattering them among the nations. The Lord promised to send His “servant David” as a better shepherd.
Ezekiel 35 - A prophecy against Mount Seir (Edom). God was going to judge Seir because they encouraged and relished in the slaughter of the people of Judah. God’s anger was going to make Sier a desolate and uninhabited place.
Ezekiel 36 - God promised a future restoration for the land and people of Judah. He would restore them, not because they were righteous, but in order to vindicate His great name in the eyes of the nations. God would give His people a new heart and spirit to follow His commands.
Ezekiel 37 - Ezekiel saw a vision of a valley of dry bones. God’s Spirit put flesh on the bones and brought them back to life. It was a symbol of the new life God would give to Judah when He restored them. God revealed to Ezekiel that one day He planned to unify the nations of Israel and Judah again under the reign of His servant David (Jesus).
Ezekiel 38 - Prophecy against Gog, the king of Meshech and Tubal (in the far north). In the latter years, Gog would fight with the people of God, but God would destroy his army with an earthquake, a sword, pestilence, torrential rains, fire, hailstones, and sulfur.
Ezekiel 39 - Prophecy against Gog continued. Gog’s army would be a feast for wild animals. The people of Israel would burn Gog’s weapons for 7 years and it would take them 7 months to bury the bodies and cleanse the land. God promised to restore Israel and pour out His Spirit on them.
Ezekiel 40 - Ezekiel was brought to Israel in a vision. He was put on a high mountain overlooking an enormous structure. It was a new Temple, new in size and proportion to Solomon’s Temple, which had been destroyed by the Babylonians. The chapter contains detailed measurements for the new structure.
Ezekiel 41 - The heavenly being that began measuring the Temple in chapter 40 continues, with Ezekiel writing down exact measurements and documenting specifics about the Temple construction and the furniture.
Ezekiel 42 - The measurement of the Temple continues. Chapter 42 focuses mainly on the buildings, chambers, outer court, and length of the outer walls. The outer wall of the new Temple was 500 cubits square (Ezekiel 42:15-20).
Ezekiel 43 - Ezekiel saw God’s glory returning to the Temple to dwell there (contrast with Eze 10). God told the people He would dwell with them forever. Ezekiel was to share the description of the Temple with the people if they showed remorse for their sins. God provided specific designs for the altar of offering.
OUTLINE:
THE SPECIAL EAST GATE (44:1-3):
Ezekiel’s heavenly guide brought him to the east gate of the Temple.
Since God had entered the Temple through the east gate, it was to be kept sacred. It was to be kept shut and no one, except one person, could use it.
That person was “the prince.” He was allowed to eat at the gate and pass through it. “The prince” will be discussed more in upcoming chapters.
THE LEVITES WHO SERVE IN THE HOLY THINGS (44:4-16):
God was upset with most of the Levites who served in the Jerusalem Temple. They allowed foreigners to enter the sanctuary, profaned the holy things, and broke God’s covenant.
God was going to put an end to this behavior. The rebellious priests were to be demoted to service jobs in the Temple, and only the sons of Zadok, who had not betrayed the Lord, were going to be allowed to minister before God in the sacred things.
RULES FOR THE PRIESTS (44:17-31):
The priests who served in the Temple were to wear linen garments, and the garments were not to be worn outside the inner court.
Priests were not allowed to shave their heads, but they also weren’t allowed to have long hair.
They were not allowed to drink wine in the inner court of the Temple.
They were only allowed to marry virgins or the widows of other priests.
They were to teach the people to distinguish between “the holy and the common and show them how to distinguish between the unclean and the clean” (44:23).
They were to act as judges for the people when disputes arose and teach them about God’s Sabbath days and feasts.
They were to keep themselves ceremonially clean.
They were not to receive a land inheritance in the Promised Land, but they were allotted a portion of the people’s sacrifices and tithes for their sustenance.
BIBLE COMPREHENSION:
Let’s discuss a little bit about why Ezekiel 40-48 is so debated and hard to understand.
Two of the most popular ways to interpret and understand Ezekiel 40-48 are known as the Symbolic interpretation and the Dispensational interpretation.
The Symbolic interpretation understands Ezekiel’s Temple to be symbolic of the Church age and the accomplishments of the Messiah.
The Dispensational interpretation understands the Temple more literally, as a structure that will physically exist during the millennial reign of Christ.
One of the big challenges for those who ascribe to the Symbolic view is giving a reasonable explanation for the level of detail contained in chapters like Ezekiel 44. If the Temple is meant to be taken symbolically, how can one make sense of the very detailed prescriptions God is giving to the priests. How do commands about marriage, feast days, drinking wine, and shaving heads have any symbolic meaning for the future Church. The text doesn’t read like symbolic language.
One of the big challenges for those who ascribe to the Dispensational view is the Book of Hebrews. Hebrews makes it very clear that the followers of Christ are moving away from a priesthood, sacrifices, and the shadows of better things that were fulfilled by Jesus and His Church. It would seem very odd for God to reinstitute a Temple, priesthood, cleanliness laws, and sacrifices, after talking about extensively about the inferiority of those things in comparison to Jesus’ sacrifice and priesthood.
