Ezekiel chapter 44

vs 1

Okay, interesting. Where is this leading I wonder.

vs 2

So because God went through the gate, now no-one else can. God remains holy, separate, and so even a gate he goes through becomes holy and cannot be used for mundane travel.

vs 3

Okay, I'll admit - I didn't really know what a portico was until I looked it up just now. Even the dictionary definition didn't give me a huge amount of help, but searching for images on Google was great. So it would seem he can only come up to the gate, not go through the main gate.

vs 4

It would be a pretty spectacular sight, one imagines. And we must imagine, because what did it look like? No idea, he doesn't say.

vs 5

You know, he did it too, because he gives such good and detailed descriptions.

vs 6

Wow, that's a stern message.

vs 7

In addition to all the other stuff - it's like all that other stuff is a footnote compared to these two charges.

vs 8

Outsourcing is fine, just not when God tells you to do something.

vs 9

That's why there is a court of Gentiles, I suppose.

vs 10

That doesn't sound good.

vs 11

So they have some jobs... but you know there is going to be a but.

vs 12

Okay, yes, we read that. What is the consequence! I'm on tenderhooks.

vs 13

So it's like they are forever unclean. They can do some things - welcome at the door, kill the animals and stuff - but they can never enter God's presence, or go near his holy items. That's like the best thing about being a priest.

vs 14

Also, they put their lives at risk as guards.

vs 15

Punishment for the sinner also turns to reward for the righteous. Nice. Also, this shows there were some priests who were diligent - and yet the exile still came.

vs 16

Now they are rewarded with the ability to draw near to God when no-one else - not even other priests - can.

vs 17

No idea why. Sheep are not evil. Perhaps it's just cleaner and more special.

vs 18

Or perhaps it has something to do with perspiration. I wouldn't have seen that coming.

vs 19

God is so holy that even contact with garments worn purely for him can be consecrated. But that's not how God wants it to be, so he puts rules in place - instead of lessening his glory.

vs 20

I can just imagine that this verse has been used by generations of fathers telling their sons to get a haircut.

vs 21

Drink it afterwards.

vs 22

Because the next best thing to a virgin is a priest's widow. I could make a joke there, but no doubt you've seen it coming. That goes to show how pure he wants his people to be, especially his priests.

vs 23

Yes, this is nothing new. But they're actually meant to do it this time.

vs 24

Again, this is their job. Now they should do it.

vs 25

It seems harsh on the one hand, but then you see that God has made allowances. In fact, the law is not awesome for what it prevents you from doing, but because of the huge number of allowances it makes for commonsense and reasonable need.

vs 26

Fair enough.

vs 27

Again, God makes a way for someone who is unclean to make amends and be able to come back before God. Amazing.

vs 28

And that should be enough, really. These days in Australia (but actually the practice has been this way for hundreds of years), the church needs lands and money-making investments, because it couldn't do what it does just on the strength of weekly donations. If Australia's churches were to survive only on what was coming in, there would be a lot less of them.

vs 29

This was the way it was always meant to be. There were not many times in history that it was so, though.

vs 30

See, God doesn't pretend that he's going to eat it. Why would he do that? He basically says, "Give it to me, because I'm God and I deserve it. But I don't need it, so the priests are going to eat it." None of this, "The monkey king eats it" or whatever.

vs 31

Again, this is just another law that they should really already know. God is re-teaching them the laws. This also shows just how steeped in the law the prophets really are.