Ezekiel 44:28

28 "As to priests owning land, I am their inheritance. Don't give any land in Israel to them. I am their 'land,' their inheritance.

Ezekiel 44:28 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 44:28

And it shall be unto them for an inheritance
Either the sin offering, or the priesthood, and the perquisites belonging to it: or, they shall have an inheritance
F18; but what shall it be? God himself: I am their inheritance;
the Lord is the portion and inheritance of his people, who are made priests unto him, whether in a private or public capacity; they are heirs of God, he is their portion in the land of the living, and forever: God in all his perfections is theirs; and though incommunicable, they have the use and advantage of them, so far as they are capable and stand in need of them; as his eternity, immutability, omniscience, omnipotence, omnipresence, grace, mercy, goodness, truth, and faithfulness: he is theirs in all his persons; God the Father is their covenant God and Father; the Son of God is their Head and Husband, their Saviour and Redeemer, Mediator and Peacemaker, their Prophet, Priest, and King; his blood, righteousness, sacrifice, and faithfulness, theirs, and even all that he is and has: the Spirit of God is their convincer and enlightener, their quickener and sanctifier; their Comforter, and the Spirit of adoption to them, the seal and earnest of their future glory; and God under every character is theirs, as the God of nature and providence, and as the God of all grace; and this is an inheritance rich and large, a soul satisfying portion, an inconceivable and an inexhaustible one. And ye shall give them no possession in Israel;
so the priests and Levites had none under the law, but were provided for in another way, ( Numbers 18:20 Numbers 18:21 ) ( Deuteronomy 18:1 Deuteronomy 18:2 ) ( Joshua 13:14 ) , the Lord's people and priests, under the Gospel dispensation, for the most part are the poor of this world, who have no share in the possessions of it; their good things are not here, but in the world to come, and in God himself: "I am their possession"; the Lord is enjoyed by them now; his love is shed abroad in their hearts; they have fellowship with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ, and communion with the Holy Ghost; and which is infinitely better than all the possessions of this world; and besides, provision is made for their outward maintenance, as follows:


FOOTNOTES:

F18 (hlxnl Mhl htyhw) "habebunt etiam hereditarium aliquid", Tigurine version.

Ezekiel 44:28 In-Context

26 But after he has been purified, he must wait another seven days.
27 Then, when he returns to the inside courtyard of the Sanctuary to do his priestly work in the Sanctuary, he must first offer a sin offering for himself. Decree of God, the Master.
28 "As to priests owning land, I am their inheritance. Don't give any land in Israel to them. I am their 'land,' their inheritance.
29 They'll take their meals from the grain offerings, the sin offerings, and the guilt offerings. Everything in Israel offered to God in worship is theirs.
30 The best of everything grown, plus all special gifts, comes to the priests. All that is given in worship to God goes to them. Serve them first. Serve from your best and your home will be blessed.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.