Ezekiel 44:16

16 "They shall 1enter My sanctuary; they shall come near to My 2table to minister to Me and keep My charge.

Ezekiel 44:16 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 44:16

They shall enter into my sanctuary
Both to officiate, and to participate, which strangers and uncircumcised persons might not do, ( Ezekiel 44:9 ) : and they shall come near to my table to minister unto me;
which some understand of the altar of burnt offering, which was as a table, and the sacrifice on it was the food of the Lord, ( Leviticus 3:11 Leviticus 3:16 ) , others, the altar of incense; see ( Ezekiel 41:22 ) . Kimchi interprets it of the table of shewbread; but, whatever is meant in the letter, the mystical sense is, the ordinance of the Lord's supper, called the Lord's table, ( 1 Corinthians 10:21 ) , a table richly spread, and well furnished with spiritual provision: here Christ himself sits, bids his people welcome, eats with them, and they with him; and here all the saints are guests, and ministers in particular officiate: and they shall keep my charge;
continue to do so; for this they did before, ( Ezekiel 44:15 ) , but now should be confirmed in their office, and never be displaced, as others; they that honour God he will honour, ( 1 Samuel 2:30 ) .

Ezekiel 44:16 In-Context

14 "Yet I will appoint them to keep charge of the house, of all its service and of all that shall be done in it.
15 "But the Levitical priests, the sons of Zadok, who kept charge of My sanctuary when the sons of Israel went astray from Me, shall come near to Me to minister to Me; and they shall stand before Me to offer Me the fat and the blood," declares the Lord GOD.
16 "They shall enter My sanctuary; they shall come near to My table to minister to Me and keep My charge.
17 "It shall be that when they enter at the gates of the inner court, they shall be clothed with linen garments; and wool shall not be on them while they are ministering in the gates of the inner court and in the house.
18 "Linen turbans shall be on their heads and linen undergarments shall be on their loins; they shall not gird themselves with anything which makes them sweat.

Cross References 2

  • 1. Num 18:5, 7, 8
  • 2. Ezekiel 41:22; Malachi 1:7, 12
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