Ezekiel 43:8

8 By putting their doorstep by my doorstep, and the pillar of their door by the pillar of my door, with only a wall between me and them; and they have made my holy name unclean by the disgusting things which they have done: so in my wrath I sent destruction on them.

Ezekiel 43:8 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 43:8

In their setting of their threshold by my threshold
The threshold is the way of entrance into the house; when men open any other way of entrance into the house of God than he has directed, it is setting up their threshold by his: the Gospel way of entrance into the church of Christ is Christ himself, and faith in him, and a profession of it, and submission to the ordinance of baptism, ( John 10:1 John 10:7 John 10:9 ) ( Acts 2:41 ) ( Acts 9:18 Acts 9:26 ) but when men make carnal descent, religious education, mere morality and civility, the way of entrance into church communion; this is opposite to God's way, and is resented by him; this shall not be hereafter: and their post by my post;
which is done when the ordinances of men are substituted in the room of the ordinances of God, or set upon a level with them; when the ordinances of God are changed and altered, or that brought into his worship which he has not commanded; and the commandments of men are taught for the doctrines of God: so the Pharisees set up the traditions of the elders as equal to the written word, and, made it of no effect by them; as the Papists do, by setting up their traditions, under the name of the traditions of the apostles, and of the church, upon a level with the Scriptures; and the same is done when men set up their own doctrines, concerning the Persons in the Godhead, concerning the power and purity of human nature, and the way of redemption; and oppose their own works to the grace of God, in justification, pardon, and salvation; the allusion is to the setting up of altars and idols in the house of the Lord, by his altar, ( 2 Kings 21:4 2 Kings 21:7 ) : and the wall between me and them;
that these sins and abominable practices were a wall of separation between God and them, and caused him to hide himself from them, withdraw his presence, and deny them communion with him, ( Isaiah 49:2 ) , some render it, "for" or "so that there was but a wall between me and them" F19; so near were their thresholds, posts, and altars, to his: they have even defiled my holy name by their abominations that they
have committed:
by their false doctrines, idolatrous worship, and immoral lives; such abominations as before mentioned: wherefore I have consumed them in mine anger;
as the Jews are now, and all the antichristian states will be.


FOOTNOTES:

F19 (Mhynybw ynyb ryqhw) "ita ut paries [tantum esset] inter me et illos", Piscator.

Ezekiel 43:8 In-Context

6 And the voice of one talking to me came to my ears from inside the house; and the man was by my side.
7 And he said to me, Son of man, this is the place where the seat of my power is and the resting-place of my feet, where I will be among the children of Israel for ever: and no longer will the people of Israel make my holy name unclean, they or their kings, by their loose ways and by the dead bodies of their kings;
8 By putting their doorstep by my doorstep, and the pillar of their door by the pillar of my door, with only a wall between me and them; and they have made my holy name unclean by the disgusting things which they have done: so in my wrath I sent destruction on them.
9 Now let them put their loose ways and the dead bodies of their kings far from me, and I will be among them for ever.
10 You, son of man, give the children of Israel an account of this house, so that they may be shamed because of their evil-doing: and let them see the vision of it and its image.
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