Ezekiel 44:1 - Meaning and Application

The prophet is brought back to a place he had already seen. Even when we have looked carefully at the things of God, they still deserve another look, because they are so full of meaning. What we have learned should be reviewed again and again. Each time we look over the holy things described in Scripture, we find something new that we had not noticed before.

He is brought a third time to the east gate, and he finds it shut. This suggests that the other gates were open to worshipers at other times. The account of this gate being shut gives honor, first, to the God of Israel. The gate of the inner court, the one through which God’s glory entered when he took possession of the temple, was kept shut afterward, and no one was allowed to enter by it (Ezekiel 44:2). By making this gate different from the others, God preserved the memory of that solemn entrance of his glory into the house. It also taught the people deep reverence for his greatness and holy majesty, just as God told Moses at the burning bush to take off his sandals. God will have a way that is his own.

It also gives honor to the prince of Israel (Ezekiel 44:3). It honors him that, although he may not enter by this gate, since no one may, he may sit there to eat his portion of the peace offerings, the holy meal eaten in God’s presence. He may also enter by the porch of that gate, through a small door or opening beside it. This shows that God places some of his honor on rulers, on the leaders of his people, because he has said, “You are gods.” Some think the prince here means the high priest, or the second priest under him, and that only he was allowed to enter by this gate because he represented God. Christ is the high priest of our confession, and he entered the holy place for us, opening the kingdom of heaven to all believers.