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Ezekiel / Temple Gates, Priestly Roles, and Exclusions
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The Vision of God's Glory and the Living Creatures Ezekiel's Commission and the Eating of the Scroll Ezekiel Appointed as Watchman and Made Speechless Symbolic Acts of Siege and Judgment on Jerusalem Judgment on Israel for Idolatry The Day of the Lord: Impending Disaster Visions of Temple Abominations The Execution of Jerusalem's Wicked and the Marked Few The Departure of God's Glory from the Temple Condemnation of Jerusalem's Leaders The Departure of God's Glory and Promise of Restoration Signs of Exile and the Futility of False Hopes Condemnation of False Prophets and Diviners Elders' Idolatry and Its Consequences Judgment on Nations and the Limits of Intercession Jerusalem Portrayed as a Useless Vine Jerusalem's Infidelity: Shame, Judgment, and Vindication The Parable of the Two Eagles: Zedekiah's Folly Individual Responsibility and the Call to Repentance A Lament for Israel's Princes Israel's History of Rebellion and Divine Judgment Punishment for Profane Worship and Promise of Restoration A Prophecy Against the Mountains of Israel The Sword of the Lord: Judgment on Jerusalem and the Nations Jerusalem's Corruption and the Search for a Righteous Remnant The Sisters' Harlotry: Samaria and Jerusalem Condemned The Boiling Pot: Prophecy of Jerusalem's Siege The Sign of Ezekiel's Wife's Death: Judgment and Changed Lament Oracle Against Ammon Oracles Against Moab and Seir Judgment on the Philistines Oracle Against Tyre The Fall of Tyre Foretold Lamentation for Tyre, the Merchant City The Pride and Fall of Tyre's Ruler Judgment on Sidon and Promise of Israel's Security Egypt's Humiliation and Years of Desolation The Day of the Lord Against Egypt and Its Allies Egypt Compared to the Fallen Cedar: Pride and Doom Lament for Egypt's Collapse and Descent into Sheol The Watchman's Duty and Personal Responsibility Report of Jerusalem's Fall and the People's Alarm Condemnation of Bad Shepherds and Promise of a Good Shepherd Judgment on Edom for Rejoicing over Israel Promise of Israel's Restoration and Spiritual Renewal The Valley of Dry Bones: National Revival The Two Sticks: Unity of Israel and the Davidic Covenant The Invasion of Gog and Its Defeat Vision of the Future Temple: Introduction and Commission Measurements of the Outer Court and Gateways Courtyard Entrances and Portico Dimensions Inner Court Entrances and Chambers Vestibules and Side Entrance Specifications Details of Inner Chambers and Gate Structure Porches, Chambers, and Steps of the Temple Court Priests' Chambers and the Prince's Quarters The Inner Sanctuary and Holy Place Measurements Priestly Chambers and the Inner Court Layout The Return of God's Glory to the Temple Altar Design and Sacrificial Regulations Temple Gates, Priestly Roles, and Exclusions Land Allotments and the Prince's Portion Worship Regulations: Offerings, Festivals, and the Prince The Life-Giving River Flowing from the Temple Division of the Land and Inheritance Boundaries Tribal Allotments in the Restored Land The City Gates and the Name: 'The Lord Is There'

Temple Gates, Priestly Roles, and Exclusions

Ezekiel 44:1-31

44
Chapter 44
1 Then he returned with me by way of the outer gate of the sanctuary, which faces east, and it was closed. 2 And the LORD said to me, "This gate shall be shut; it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter by it, for the LORD God of Israel has entered by it; and it shall be shut." 3 As for the prince, he is the one. He shall sit in it to eat bread before the LORD. He shall come by way of the gate of the mute gate, and he shall go out by his way. 4 And he brought me by way of the north gate to the front of the house, and I looked, and behold, the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD, and I fell on my face. 5 And the LORD said to me, "Son of Adam, set your heart and see with your eyes and hear with your ears all that I am saying to you, for all the statutes of the house of the LORD and for all his Torahs, and set your heart to the entrance of the house with all the exits of the high place." 6 And you shall say to the rebellious ones, to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord GOD: Enough for you from all your abominations, house of Israel. 7 In your bringing sons of foreignness, uncircumcised of heart and uncircumcised of flesh, to be in my sanctuary to profane my house, in your offering my bread, fat portions and blood, and they profaned my covenant with all your abominations. 8 And you did not keep the charge of my holy things, but you put keepers of my charge in my sanctuary for yourselves. 9 Thus says the Lord GOD: Every son of a foreigner, uncircumcised of heart and uncircumcised of flesh, shall not enter my sanctuary—for every son of a foreigner who is in the midst of the sons of Israel. 10 For only the Levites who distanced themselves from me in the strayings of Israel, who strayed from me after their idols—they bore their iniquity. 11 They will be in my sanctuaries, serving divine visitations at the gates of the house and serving the house. They will slaughter the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they will stand before them to serve them. 12 Because they served them before their idols and became to the house of Israel a stumbling block of iniquity, therefore I lifted my hand against them, utterance of the Lord GOD, and they shall bear their iniquity. 13 And they shall not approach me to serve as priests for me or to approach my holy things, the holy things of holy things, and they shall bear their disgrace and the abominations which they have done. 14 And I will give them as keepers of the charge of the house for all its service and for all that is done in it. 15 And the priests the Levites sons of Zadok who kept the charge of my sanctuaries in the straying of the sons of Israel from me—they shall draw near to me to serve me, and they shall stand before my face to offer to me fat portions and blood, utterance of the Lord GOD. 16 They will enter my sanctuary, and they will present themselves near my table to serve me, and they will keep my charge. 17 And when they come to the gates of the inner Tabernacle courtyard, they shall wear linen garments, and no wool shall come upon them while they perform their priestly service at the gates of the inner Tabernacle courtyard and toward the house. 18 They shall have linen turbans on their heads and linen breeches on their loins; they shall not gird themselves with anything that causes sweat. 19 And when they go out to the outer court, to the people, they shall strip off their garments in which they are ministering and place them in the chambers of the holy things. And they shall put on other garments and not consecrate the people in their garments. 20 They shall not shave their heads, nor let their hair hang loose; they shall cover their heads with a covering. 21 No priest shall drink wine when they enter the inner court. 22 And they shall not take for themselves a widow or a divorced woman as wives, but rather a virgin from the seed of the house of Israel, and the widow who is a widow from a priest they shall take. 23 They will teach my people the difference between the holy and the common, and they will make them know the difference between the unclean and the clean. 24 And in a dispute, they shall stand for judgment. They shall judge it according to my judgments, and they shall keep my Torah and my statutes in all my appointed times, and they shall sanctify my Sabbaths. 25 They shall not go near a dead person among the people to defile themselves, except for a father, mother, son, daughter, brother, or unmarried sister; they may defile themselves for these. 26 And after his purification they shall count seven days for him. 27 And on the day they come to the holy place, to the inner court, to serve in the holy place, he shall present his sin offering, says the Lord GOD. 28 And it will be to them as an inheritance—I am their inheritance—and you shall not give them any held possession in Israel; I am their held possession. 29 They shall eat the grain offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering, and every herem in Israel shall be theirs. 30 The firstfruits of all firstborn of all, and every contribution of all from all your contributions, shall belong to the priests. And you shall give the firstfruits of your threshing floors to the priest, so that he may lay blessing upon your house. 31 Every impure carcass and every torn prey from the birds and from the beasts the priests shall not eat.