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Email: <lelgee@voicenet.com>Copyright © L. L. Griffith, 1971, 1996. ISBN 0-929554-01-9. This document may be reproduced in whole or in part provided that this copyright notice is reproduced on each copy made.
The narrative of Chapter 44 continues from the last position of the man and Ezekiel. They were in the presence of the altar in the Inner Court of the sanctuary.
1 Then he brought me back the way of the gate of the outward sanctuary which looketh toward the east; and it [was] shut.
This is the gatehouse through which the Glory of the LORD has entered, per 43:1-4. But the gate is now closed. Psalm 102:13-16 asserts that "when the LORD shall build up Zion, He shall appear in His glory."
2 Then said the LORD unto me; This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter in by it; because the LORD, the God of Israel, hath entered in by it, therefore it shall be shut.
The reader may determine whether Matthew 25:10 applies to this entrance. For what other reason would "the foolish virgins" demand, "Lord, lord, open to us."?
The name which identifies the heavenly family of the "God of Israel" has always mystified the Jews. The composition of the name was a matter of greatest controversy when Jesus Christ appeared and claimed the right to Israel's throne as the One Sent from God. "I and my Father are One," he said, John 10:30, but the Jews did not want, from expediency, to change the ruling family's status quo, preferring themselves and the Roman domination instead.
As the high priest elect as defined in Psalm 110 and Hebrews 7, and as the designated "son of David" and king elect of Judah's line per 2 Samuel 7:12-16, the Christ is the One through which the LORD's dominion over the land promised to Israel is established.
3 [It is] for the prince; the prince, he shall sit in it to eat bread before the LORD; he shall enter by the way of the porch of [that] gate, and shall go out by the way of the same.
From whence he comes and whence he goes is not revealed. That this chamber is reserved for the prince's use appears to be another change in the customs first delivered in the Law of Moses.
The "way of the porch" of the gatehouse lies between the Outer Court and the lower pavement beside the gatehouse. It is presumably a walkway on the perimeter of the Outer Court which connects the north and south porticoes of those gatehouses with the porch of the east gatehouse. See The Sanctuary of the LORD's House, Diagram R, letter j. The chamber is in use during those assemblies which are appointed under the laws of the house. After being sealed at the east threshold, it cannot be used as a public entrance or exit.
The outer east gatehouse is sealed after the reception and glorification of the Bride, Ezekiel 44:1-2; Isaiah 49:18; 60:10-11; 62:5 and Revelation 21:2-22.
This eastern gatehouse may be contrasted with the gatehouse of the temple which Herod the Great rebuilt. The second temple and Herod's temple do not appear to have had dining rooms as a function of the outer east gatehouses. This entrance was sealed by the Moslems in order to prevent the people from using the gatehouse, and the ground before it is still a cemetery. This site will change with the first great earthquake...
Ezekiel's following text describes new ordinances for the sanctuary which apply to the entrance and to the exit gatehouses. The charge for the administration of these ordinances belongs to the priests, who are the Levites. These priests are confined by their work to the gatehouses. Their duties include watching over each gatehouse, and to instruct about the things required for the altar, for the temple, and for the whole sanctuary, serving generally as in the ancient times, except the office of the high priest is denied their order. These Levites, mortals, care for all things for the people as servants, whereas the superior order of priests - like Melchizedek's order - minister as sons of God, immortals.
This commandment concerning the gatehouses is implicit in the proclamation spoken directly by the Spirit of the LORD to Ezekiel in Chapter 43:7-11, where he is addressed as "Son of man," the term which Jesus used in the New Testament in reference to himself.
Jewish tradition ascribes to the prince, (h'nasi) the position of the high priest of the Great Assembly. The last nasi was Simon, the Just, who ruled about 300 B.C. In the Hebrew Scriptures the prince in Israel was one of those men under whose hand a part of the ruling power of the nation was wielded. The princes were the chief men of their tribe. The prince of Levi's tribe was chosen by the LORD to be the nation's high priest. The prince, as shown in this vision, is privileged to have a double portion of the holy oblation set aside for his own personal inheritance. No other individual is ever singled out for such favor in all the history of Israel!
Ezekiel spoke, in earlier prophecy, of one prince called "My servant David, their prince for ever." See Ezekiel 34:23; and 37:24-25.
In prior times the eastern gatehouse was the principal entrance into the temple compound. Altogether there were nine gates then. The eastern gate was also the most beautiful of them all. From the terrace below the wall this gate was reached by a stairway of twelve steps. The gate was made of ornamented Corinthian brass; consequently the doors were very heavy. Twenty men were appointed to open them in the morning and also to close them at nightfall. This was the Beautiful Gate where the lame man was laid for so many years, Acts 3:2-13. The gate led into the Court of the Women. The outer portico of the temple, Solomon's Porch, was the place where all the people crowded round to watch.
The charge of the gates is an area where the Law will be changed or modified. In the future temple the four gatehouses (north and south; inner and outer) will remain always open. The inner east gatehouse, reserved for the Prince, is opened and closed at his will, Ezekiel 46:1.
Isaiah, the prophet, alludes to the future house of the LORD in Chapters 54 and 60: "Thy gates shall be open continually,2 they shall not be shut day nor night, that they may bring unto thee the forces of the nations and their kings brought. For the nation and the kingdom that will not serve thee shall be destroyed; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted.3 They glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee, the fir tree, the pine tree, the box together to beautify My sanctuary;4 and I will make the place of My feet glorious. The sons also of those who afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee, and all they who despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet,5 and they shall call thee, The City of the LORD,6 The Zion of the Holy One of Israel."
And "Thou shalt arise and have mercy on Zion; for Thy servants take pleasure in her stones and favor the dust thereof." Stones and dust are all that remains today of the former Zion. Isaiah speaks of the literal Zion for the spiritual Zion is not composed of stones and dust. The Psalmist then, agrees with Ezekiel 44:1-4. His Glory will reappear to enter into a literal city structure.
On the walkway of the outer east gatehouse, the prophet is now taken along to the north gatehouse.
4 Then brought he me the way of the north gate before the house: and I looked, and, behold, the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD: and I fell upon my face.
5 And the LORD said unto me, Son of man, mark well, and behold with thine eyes, and hear with thine ears all that I say unto thee concerning all the ordinances of the house of the LORD, and all the laws thereof; and mark well the entering in of the house, with every going forth of the sanctuary.
This verse is in sharp contrast to the admonition of Isaiah 6:9-13, (vv. 9-10 are repeated in the New Testament). It is the LORD's intention to recreate Israel as a holy nation under the dominion of priests. The conduct of the priests who serve within the Inner court is a matter for serious attention. The abuses of the temple precinct from its beginning to its final destruction in A.D. 70 are well documented in history, and in the Bible. See Nehemiah 13:4-9 as one example.
Sharp reproof follows the warning to Ezekiel.
6 And thou shalt say to the rebellious, [even] to the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; O ye house of Israel, let it suffice you of all your abominations,
The rulers and people are addressed together concerning their past disgusting habits. In the perspective of future time this scene is comparable to time immediately preceding Revelation 11:1- 3, when the event of Revelation 10 occurs. The prophecy of Malachi 3:1-6 concurs with both Revelation texts and with this commandment by Ezekiel. The temple and altar are in the process of building. In the land there is a great affliction against the people - "Jacob's trouble" - and there is a disturbance in the heavens that is causing worldwide distress among the nations.
The house of Israel is commanded toward obedience to the God of Israel for the last time. Ill-conceived traditions and bad customs will not help their plight. Their savior and deliverer comes out of Zion for the nation's salvation, in accordance with all the Old and New Testament prophecies. The Messiah comes at last to redeem the people who turn back to Zion, and to Jerusalem.
7 In that ye have brought [into my sanctuary] strangers, uncircumcised in heart, and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in my sanctuary, to pollute it, [even] my house, when ye offer my bread, the fat and the blood, and they have broken my covenant because of all your abominations.
8 And ye have not kept the charge of mine holy things: but ye have set keepers of my charge in my sanctuary for yourselves.
The kings of the nation favored or disfavored priests for personal reasons. One king, Uzziah, even presumed to burn the incense in the high priest's place. gatehouse, before this vision of the sanctuary of the LORD's house came to him, had prophesied that "the Law shall perish from the priest and counsel from the ancients."8 The priests of Levi's descent had fully corrupted their charge during Ezekiel's lifetime.
According to the other holy prophets of the LORD, a strange thing was to happen to the ministry of the priests because of their corruption. "Her priests have violated My law and have profaned Mine holy things; they have put no difference between holy and the profane, neither have they shown difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hidden their eyes from My sabbaths, and I am profaned among them."9
The choice of high priest is henceforth denied to the nation. The reason is given later.10
"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you that you shall be no priest to me. Seeing you have forgotten the Law of the LORD, I will also forget your children," Hosea says. "There shall be, like people, like priest, and I will punish them for their ways and reward them for their doings." And, "Hear ye this, priests, and listen, house of Israel and give ear, house of the king, for is toward you... I will go return to My place till they acknowledge their offense and seek My face. In their affliction they will seek Me early."11 This was a prophecy of the departure of the Glory from the temple and of an indeterminate interim until a time of affliction forces the nation to early seek to God; the time of "Jacob's trouble."
The prophet Micah declared that "her heads judge for reward and her priests teach for hire, and her prophets divine for money,12 yet they will lean upon the LORD!" His natural astonishment is epitomized in the saying, Ye cannot serve God and Mammon.
Zephaniah revealed that "her priests have polluted the sanctuary, they have done violence to the Law."13
Malachi concludes the testimony against the priests, thus: "A son honors a father and a servant, his master. If then I be a master, Where is My fear, saith the LORD of Sabaoth unto you, O priests that despise My name? And you say, In what way have we despised Thy name?"14
The sons of Levi's order are rejected by the LORD of Sabaoth, according to Hosea. Ezekiel agrees. Unless the individual qualifies as a son of Zadok, "you shall be no priest to Me" serving at "My table... to offer unto Me the fat and the blood." This is a new law for the order under reference in Ezekiel 44:15-16. Their "clothing" is different. The office is removed from the jurisdiction of Levi and Aaron, and given to Judah to perform. The evidence is provided from the prophet Zechariah.
"He showed me Joshua, the high priest, standing before the angel of the LORD... Now, Joshua was clothed with filthy garments and stood before the angel. And he" (the angel of the LORD) "spoke unto those who stood before him, saying, 'Take away the filthy garments from him.' And unto him" (Joshua) "he said, 'Behold, I have caused your iniquity to pass from you, and I will clothe you with a change of raiment.' ...And the angel of the LORD protested unto Joshua, saying 'Thus saith the LORD of Sabaoth, if you are willing to walk in My ways and if you are willing to keep My charge, then you shall also judge My house, and shall keep My courts; and I will give you places to walk among these who stand by.' Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, you and your fellows who sit before you, (for they are men wondered at), for I will bring forth My servant, the branch... 15
The branch patterned after Joshua, the changed high priest, is later described by Zechariah, so: "Thus speaks the LORD of Sabaoth, saying, 'Behold the man whose name is the branch; and he shall grow up out of his place and he shall build the temple of the LORD. And he shall bear the glory and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne and the counsel of peace shall be between them both."16
The preceding proofs are sufficient to show that the priests of the LORD who serve henceforth in the Inner Court will be differently "clothed" for the charge of the altar and of the most holy things of the temple. Psalm 110 states also that an order of priests would rise "after the order of Melchizedek" who would rule in the midst of His enemies.
This same theme was expressed by Jacob when he gave his sons the blessings before his death, Genesis 49. Being instruments of cruelty, Simeon and Levi are divided in Jacob, scattered with Israel. Judah, his Father's children are destined to bow before him; his hand on the neck of his enemies. Levi, divided and scattered, shall bow to Judah, while Judah is praised by his brethren at last! Such is the blessing upon Jacob's sons. On them is based the future kingdom of the LORD having the priests subject to Judah's king, and no longer rivals in the rule of the kingdom.
With these changes correction will be made in the service of the temple where the house of Israel formerly erred. "The carcasses of their kings in their high places," 43:7-9, will have been made an impossibility. The kings and priests will rule for the age to come according to the counsel of peace between them, both immortal of body and incorruptible in spirit.
The covenant for the priesthood of the coming age was established by the LORD during the 40 years of the nation's wandering in the wilderness of Sinai. "And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying, 'Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned away My wrath from the children of Israel while he was zealous for My sake among them that I consumed not the children of Israel in My jealousy. Wherefore, say: Behold, I give unto him My covenant of peace and he shall have it, and his seed after him - the covenant of an everlasting priesthood - because he was zealous for his God and made an atonement for the children of Israel."17
9 Thus saith the Lord GOD; No stranger, uncircumcised in heart, nor uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter into my sanctuary, of any stranger that [is] among the children of Israel.
The tradition of outward circumcision was begun in ancient times, before the Law was added. Circumcision of the flesh was commanded to Abram who complied because he believed that the LORD would fulfill the promises which He had made to him. The Law did require the stranger who wished to eat the Passover of the Jews to be circumcised, see Exodus 12:43-50.
Since circumcision did not originate from within the Law, why is the ordinance included here? Obviously it is still the mark of a faithful man and a token of his inner convictions also.
This law then also requires an inward circumcision of the mind.
The verse however does not apply only to Israel but to the stranger among the Israelites. Isaiah provides the answer to the question: "Thus saith the LORD, Keep justice and do righteousness; for My salvation is near to come and My righteousness to be revealed... Neither let the son of the foreigner that has joined himself to the LORD speak, saying, 'The LORD has utterly separated me from His people... The sons of the foreigner that join themselves to the LORD to serve and love the name of the LORD, to be His servants, every one that keeps the sabbath from polluting it and takes hold of My covenant; even them will I bring to My holy mountain and make them joyful in My house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices accepted upon Mine altar; for Mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all peoples."18
This ordinance is the validation that foreigners - people from all nations - may participate with Israel in the worship of the LORD when thus qualified.
10 And the Levites that are gone away far from me, when Israel went astray, which went astray away from me after their idols; they shall even bear their iniquity.
The judgment applies from the time of Ezekiel's prophecy, and thereafter. Ezra was unable to establish the genealogy of many Levites at the return from Babylon, when a total of 139 Levites returned. Of the priests, less than 4,300 made the return. Then, from all these, the descendants of Barzillai, the Gileadite, were barred from the priesthood because they were unable to trace their genealogy in the registry of the people; so they were excluded from the service until "a priest with Urim and Thummim" should stand up. Refer to the books of Ezra and Nehemiah for the full records of all the problems attendant to the return in regard to the temple and to the priests.
11 Yet they shall be ministers in my sanctuary, [having] charge at the gates of the house, and ministering to the house: they shall slay the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall stand before them to minister unto them.
The service of former order of Levi is restricted generally to the Outer Court. The stipulation that they slay the animals for the people explains why some slaying blocks are placed outside and beside the stairway of the north inner gatehouse. See Ezekiel 40:40- 41 and on Diagram G, at the top of the diagram, the Stairway of Eight Steps.
12 Because they ministered unto them before their idols, and caused the house of Israel to fall into iniquity; therefore have I lifted up mine hand against them, saith the Lord GOD, and they shall bear their iniquity.
13 And they shall not come near unto me, to do the office of a priest unto me, nor to come near to any of my holy things, in the most holy [place]: but they shall bear their shame, and their abominations which they have committed.
14 But I will make them keepers of the charge of the house, for all the service thereof, and for all that shall be done therein.
The seriousness of their offence cannot be fully appreciated except in contrast to the duties which were assigned to them under the Law of Moses. See Numbers 18 and Exodus 38. The Most Holy Place was defined in Ezekiel 41:4-26, and its service areas in Ezekiel 42:1, leaving little room for doubt but that the Levites have received a substantial demotion from their previous standing under the Law.
Because of this dereliction of duty, a notable change has been made in the future functioning of the priestly service in the house of the LORD. This notable change is reflected in the office of the high priest and in the office of his brethren who will serve, like him, "after the order of Melchizedek" toward the Most Holy things of the house of the LORD.
The exception from the LORD's judgment against the Levites is contained in the next verses.
15 But the priests the Levites, the sons of Zadok, that kept the charge of my sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from me, they shall come near to me to minister unto me, and they shall stand before me to offer unto me the fat and the blood, saith the Lord GOD:
It is doubtful that the phrase "sons of Zadok" is properly translated here; probably the text ought to read the "sons of righteousness," since the whole text speaks of the exceptional faithfulness of some Levites to the LORD during the time of Israel's long apostasy. As "sons of righteousness" the individual's righteousness of faith qualifies him as one of "Abraham's seed," to become an heir according to the promises of God. So, both from within the Law and from outside the Law, these particular righteous ones retain their standard of faith before the LORD.
In the Letter to the Romans the apostle Paul makes numerous points concerning the viability of the Law of Moses in comparison with the whole Word of God which was spoken before, during and after the tenancy of the Law of Moses upon Israel. Moses' Law could not look upon the heart of a man; the spirit of the Word of God however searches both the reins and the heart of a man in order to determine what power - knowledge of good or of evil - guides him. The Greek New Testament therefore reveals the condemnation of the lawyers and their scribes who would pervert the Law, and reveals the appeal of the Lord and his apostles who urged the people toward purity of heart in all matters toward God and men in accordance with their knowledge.
16 They shall enter into my sanctuary, and they shall come near to my table, to minister unto me, and they shall keep my charge.
They will have free access to the Most Holy things. The table refers to the
things of the LORD which are spread out for the eating of those whom He has
invited to "eat bread" in His presence. David, in Psalm 23, thus
expresses the hospitality of the LORD's house for the age to come. And, in the
New Testament, this service is prefigured by the Lord's Supper, (which is
rightly disputed as being the Christian alternative to the Jewish Passover). See
Luke 22:14-30 and 1 Corinthians 10:1-22 for the perspective.
Of the sin of
the apostate Levites, Paul writes in Romans 11:7-9, quoting David from Psalm
69:22, "Let their table become a snare before them..." And
indeed their service at the altar did become an intolerable condition of sin in
the sight of God.
In the first temple, in the antitypical service, the calling was a privilege reserved to Aaron and his sons only. God has turned the offence and default of the Levites into a greater blessing. For, the service is moved by a covenant of peace to Phinehas as an everlasting covenant, (i.e., as a covenant for the millennial age); and so belongs to the order of Melchizedek for the coming ages.
They have the charge of purifying the altar "in the day when they shall make it," 43:19-27. This order of priests is last mentioned in Ezekiel 48:10-11: "And the sanctuary of the LORD shall be in the midst of it... for the priests that are sanctified of the sons of Zadok who have kept My charge, who went not astray when the children of Israel went astray as the Levites went astray."
Jeremiah, and Isaiah, agreeably express the Word of God in regard to the change of the ordinance concerning the Levites.
"Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will perform that good thing which I have promised unto the house of Israel and to the house of Judah. In those days and at that time will I cause the branch of righteousness to grow up unto David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days Judah shall be saved and Jerusalem shall dwell safely; and this is the name by which she shall be called, the lord our righteousness. For, thus saith the LORD, David shall never lack a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel, neither shall the priests lack a man to offer burnt offerings and to kindle meal offerings and to do sacrifice continually."19
"And the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah, saying, 'Thus saith the LORD, If you can break My covenant of the day and My covenant of the night and that there should not be day nor night in their season, then may also My covenant be broken with David, My servant, that he should not have a son to reign upon his throne and with the Levites My ministers. As the host of the heaven cannot be numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured, so will I multiply the seed of David, My servant, and the Levites who minister unto Me."20
There is ample witness from the prophets as to why the office of the high priest's family is being changed by the LORD.
The apostle, in his Letter to the Hebrews, speaks of the matter: "If indeed then perfection were through the Levitical priesthood, for upon it the people received the Law, what need yet was there for another to arise as priest according to the order of Melchizedek? And, not to be named according to the order of Aaron? ...For, the priesthood being changed, from necessity a change of Law also takes place. For he of whom these things are said has part in a different tribe, of which no one has given attendance at the altar. For, it is manifest that out Lord has sprung out of Judah, concerning which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning the priesthood. And, more abundantly, it is yet quite manifest, since according to the similitude of Melchizedek, a different priest arises who has not been constituted according to a law of fleshly commandment, but according to a power of indissoluble life. For he testifies, 'Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.'"21
The inability of the Jewish leaders to accept and understand22 this mechanism of change at the first coming of Jesus Christ was partly the basis of the accusation against him,23 against Stephen,24 and against the apostle Paul himself.25 They resisted the change...
The One Who is responsible for changing any custom of the law which was delivered to Moses is the LORD God Almighty Himself out of Whom comes laws of righteousness. A renewed law will go forth from Zion when the LORD agains builds up the kingdom...
But the messengers who bore the good news - which was badly received by the ruling priests and leaders of the people - suffered their damage on God's behalf. The expediency of the Jewish leaders, with their collaborators, does not exonerate any of them from the further judgment to come. The Jewish traditions and customs which oppose the Law and the Word of God in the Holy Scriptures are strong stumbling blocks in the pathway of peace for the present nation.
After noting the exception of verse 15-16, the text resumes concerning the demoted Levitical priests. Ezekiel 44:17-31 spells out the ordinances of the house and the laws governing the clothing of these ordinary priests.
17 And it shall come to pass, [that] when they enter in at the gates of the inner court, they shall be clothed with linen garments; and no wool shall come upon them, whiles they minister in the gates of the inner court, and within.
18 They shall have linen bonnets upon their heads, and shall have linen breeches upon their loins; they shall not gird [themselves] with any thing that causeth sweat.
19 And when they go forth into the utter court, [even] into the utter court to the people, they shall put off their garments wherein they ministered, and lay them in the holy chambers, and they shall put on other garments; and they shall not sanctify the people with their garments.
20 Neither shall they shave their heads, nor suffer their locks to grow long; they shall only poll their heads.
No extreme of hair style is permitted. The shaved head was a sign of the idol priests, while traditionally, long hair is a distinguishing feature of the Nazarite, and of women. A New Testament principle follows this law: "Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man have long hair, it is a shame to him? But,if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her, for it is given to her for a covering."26
The Levites are therefore required to trim their hair beneath the covering turban.
21 Neither shall any priest drink wine, when they enter into the inner court.
22 Neither shall they take for their wives a widow, nor her that is put away: but they shall take maidens of the seed of the house of Israel, or a widow that had a priest before.
The law does not even speak concerning marriage to a woman who is not of
Israel. Should a priest
then even think of marrying an alien woman!?
(How often is this
principle violated in the brotherhood today?)
23 And they shall teach my people [the difference] between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.
24 And in controversy they shall stand in judgment; [and] they shall judge it according to my judgments: and they shall keep my laws and my statutes in all mine assemblies; and they shall hallow my sabbaths.
Isaiah declared the Word of God: "I will restore your judges as at the first and your counselors as at the beginning. Afterward you shall be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city. Zion shall be redeemed with justice and her converts with righteousness."27 Later Isaiah prophesied: "In mercy shall the throne be established, and he shall sit upon it in truth in the tabernacle of David, judging and seeking justice, and swiftly executing righteousness."28
The first judges of Israel were not qualified for the office of judge by sex or by birth as are these Levites, for the LORD "raised up judges who delivered them out of the hand of those who spoiled them."29 Those selected judges made war when and as they were directed by God.
In these three references, the throne is connected with the office of the priests. In The Revelation mention is made of one "called Faithful and True; and in righteousness he does judge and make war."30 The charge made to Joshua, the changed high priest, during his change of garments made before the LORD was, "Thus saith the LORD of Sabaoth, if you are willing to walk in My ways and if you are willing to keep My charge, then you shall also judge My house, and shall keep My courts; and I will give you places to walk among these who stand by."31
25 And they shall come at no dead person to defile themselves: but for father, or for mother, or for son, or for daughter, for brother, or for sister that hath had no husband, they may defile themselves.
26 And after he is cleansed, they shall reckon unto him seven days.
27 And in the day that he goeth into the sanctuary, unto the inner court, to minister in the sanctuary, he shall offer his sin offering, saith the Lord GOD.
28 And it shall be unto them for an inheritance: I [am] their inheritance: and ye shall give them no possession in Israel: I [am] their possession.
As the servants of the sanctuary of the house of the LORD, the Levites receive clothing, and room and board, so to speak. Their families doubtless also partake of these provisions.
29 They shall eat the meal offering, and the sin offering, and the trespass offering; and every dedicated thing in Israel shall be theirs.
30 And the first of all the firstfruits of all [things], and every oblation of all, of every [sort] of your oblations, shall be the priest's: ye shall also give unto the priest the first of your dough, that he may cause the blessing to rest in thine house.
This blessing is the covenant of peace and the abundance of prosperity which the LORD commands upon all the sons of Israel, who love Him and keep His commandments.32 The tithes of the people are the possession of the priests and their families in place of any other possession or inheritance. The tithes represent the life which the LORD supplies them. Both priest and people are taught therefore to love God and to love the people whom they shall teach of God.
The chapter concludes with a reminder.
31 The priests shall not eat of any thing that is dead of itself, or torn, whether it be fowl or beast.
This injunction is original Law. Ordinances pertaining to the high priest and his family in past times are found in Leviticus 6, and 16.
"Doth not wisdom cry and understanding put forth her voice? She stands in the top of high places, by the way in the places of the paths. She cries at the gates, at the entry of the city, at the entrance of the doors."
- Proverbs 8:1-3
