And the LORD said to me, “This gate shall remain shut; it shall not be opened, and no one shall enter by it, for the LORD, the God of Israel, has entered by it. Therefore it shall remain shut.
The vision has moved from measuring the temple to guarding it, and Ezekiel now sees a door that will never open again. A shut gate sounds like a loss, yet here it is proof of a homecoming and a question: who may come near?
The Gate Where the Glory Came In
This is not the first time the prophet has stood at this spot. He had watched something pass through it. That memory gives the closed door its meaning.
William KellyThe prophet is brought back again to the gate that looks toward the east. This time it was shut. When he saw it before, the glory of Jehovah came by this very way into the house, and filled it.
A Door Kept Shut as a Record
The shut gate is not neglect. It is deliberate, and it keeps a record.
J. N. DarbyEzekiel 44 makes known that Jehovah has returned to His house. The memorial of His return stands in this: the door He entered by is to remain shut for ever.
The shut door raises a question of time. How long does Jehovah mean to stay?
William KellyThe prophet learns that this restoration of Jehovah's presence will not be temporary. It will last for ever: "this is the place of My throne ... where I will dwell in the midst of the people of Israel forever."
(Kelly is quoting Ezekiel 43:7.)
Why No One Else May Use It
Israel's past failure was not only idol worship. They had shrunk the distance between God and themselves, and the shut gate answers that.
Numerical Bible NotesIn the past kings, priests, and people fell into an evil: they treated Jehovah as though He were just like one of themselves. In their rebellion and idolatry He had become one God among many. They might give Him first place in their collection of gods, but no more than that. In the coming kingdom, where God Himself rules, there will be one Jehovah and His name one. All will acknowledge His absolute supremacy, and the evil of idolatry will be gone from the earth. So the shut East Gate, the gate He entered by, marks the majesty and distinctive glory of Jehovah. No one may enter or go out by that gate.
The Prince — Near, but Not Through
The next verse names one man with a privilege at this gate. Even his access has a limit.
George DavisonThe prince comes in to sit at the East Gate, but he is not allowed to go through it. One only will ever go through that gate — that is Jehovah Himself. Those doors open only to let in the Lord of Hosts.
Is this prince the Messiah? The nearby chapters answer that.
William KellyThe entrance of Jehovah, the God of Israel, was enough to close the gate to all but His representative. But He will have a representative on earth — the prince — and the prince shall sit "to eat bread before Jehovah." He is to have the honour of entering and going out by the way of the porch of that gate. No high priest ever claimed this. He is not a priest but the prince, the earthly chief of Israel. We shall learn from chapters 45 and 46 a little more about him. It is enough to say that he is not the Messiah. Though he is quite distinct from a priest, he needs to offer a sin offering, and he may have sons.
Whose Glory Passed Through
The verse names the one who entered: the God of Israel. Commentators press further — who is He?
J. G. BellettThe glory in the cloud was the God of Israel (Ezekiel 43:4; 44:2). The God of Israel was Jesus of Nazareth (Isaiah 6:1; John 12:41). The Nazarene was like the cloud that veiled a light. In its full brightness no one can approach that light, though faith discovers it.
Summary
- Entered. The gate is shut because someone came through it. The glory of the LORD entered His house from the east, and the prophet saw it.
- Remembered. The sealed door keeps that entrance on record. Jehovah's return is not a visit but for ever.
- Exalted. A gate no one may reuse teaches what Israel had lost: God is not one among many, and no king or priest stands on His level.
- Limited. The prince gets the closest place of any man, eating bread before Jehovah. Yet he may not pass through, and his sin offering and sons show he is not the Messiah.
- Revealed. The glory that passed through was the God of Israel. Commentators name Him as Jesus of Nazareth — the light no one can approach, veiled so faith can see it.