And I heard one speaking unto me out of the house; and a man stood
by me. And he said unto me, Son of man, this is the place of my
throne, and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in
the midst of the children of Israel for ever, and my holy name,
shall the house of Israel no more defile, they, nor their kings,
with their fornication, and with the carcases of their kings in
their high places. In that they set their threshold by my threshold,
and their post by my post, and there was only a wall between me and
them, they have even defiled my holy name by their abominations that
they have committed: and I consumed them in mine anger. Now let them
put away their fornication and the carcases of their kings, far from
me, and I will dwell in the midst of them for ever. Thou son of man,
shew the house to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of
their iniquities; and let them measure the pattern. And if they be
ashamed of all that they have done, shew them the form of the house,
and the fashion thereof, and its goings out, and its comings in, and
all its forms, and all the ordinances, and all the forms thereof,
and all the laws thereof: and write it in their sight, that they may
keep the whole form thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and do
them. This is the law of the house; Upon the top of the mountain the
whole limit thereof round about shall be most holy. Behold, this is
the law of the house (verses 6-12).
The Glory of the Lord and the Lord of Glory had entered the house,
filling it; and now the voice of one is heard out of the house. The
speaker is the Lord Himself, who had made His dwelling place in the
temple (see also xlvi:20, 24; xlvii:6, 8). The man who stood by Ezekiel
did not speak, as some expositors claim. He is only guide to the prophet
(xliv:1, 4; xlvi:19, 21). He is probably not the same person, who as
the measuring man had accompanied the prophet, for the Hebrew is not
"the man" "stood by me," but "a man." This person, no doubt an angel, is
silent, waiting till the Lord has spoken and then leads the prophet from
place to place.
The first word which the Lord addressed to Ezekiel from the house is
significant: "Son of Man, this is the place of my throne, and the place
of the soles of my feet where I will dwell in the midst of the children
of Israel forever." Of old the Lord dwelt in the midst of the children
of Israel. Thus we read in the book of Exodus, the book of redemption:
"I will dwell among the children of Israel, and I will be their God, and
they shall know that I am Jehovah their God that brought them forth out
of the land of Egypt that I may dwell among them" (Ex. xxix:45, 46). And
now after the long and sad history of Israel's apostasy, blindness,
judgment and dispersion is ended, He comes to make His dwelling place in
their midst again and establishes in Jerusalem His throne. Here He will
dwell and bless His people. Of this Psalm cxxxii speaks, "This is my
rest forever, here will I dwell, for I have desired it." And other
prophets announced that the Lord would dwell in Zion in the midst of His
people and establish His throne there (Joel iii:17, 21; Zech. ii:10, 11;
viii:3, 8). His rest then will be glorious (Is. xi:10). When that time
comes and the Lord of Glory has come back to earth again, all the
promised blessings for Israel, the nations and for all creation will be
realized.
Then His holy name will no longer be defiled and the nation will be
ashamed of all their past history of rebellion and abomination.[47] The
prophet is therefore commanded to set before the people the house in
its measured pattern, so that they might know what a gracious Lord has
prepared for them, what He will yet do for His people. It is to lead
them to repentance, to acknowledgement of their guilt and shame over
their iniquities. Such will be the case in the day of their restoration
when these things will be accomplished.
[47] "The carcases of their kings" may either mean that some of their
idolatrous kings had been buried within the bounds of the Solomonic
temple, or, the word kings may refer to their idols, which had dominion
over them (Is. xxvi:13). The latter may be the right meaning for the
high place mentioned.
When this house on the top of the mountain is established all will be
most holy. His people will be righteous and holy and all Jerusalem with
this sanctuary will be holy unto the Lord (Zech. xiv:20-21). This is
"the Most Holy" of Daniel's prophecy (Dan. ix) to be anointed when the
last prophetic week of seven years has expired.