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Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
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Matthew Henry |
E Z E K I E L.
CHAP. XL.
The waters of the sanctuary which this prophet saw in vision
are a proper representation of this prophecy. Hitherto the waters have
been sometimes but to the ankles, in other places to the knees, or to
the loins, but now the waters have risen, and have become “a river
which cannot be passed over.” Here is one continued vision, beginning
at this chapter, to the end of the book, which is justly looked upon to
be one of the most difficult portions of scripture in all the book of
God. The Jews will not allow any to read it till they are thirty years
old, and tell those who do read it that, though they cannot understand
every thing in it, “when Elias comes he will explain it.” Many
commentators, both ancient and modern, have owned themselves at a loss
what to make of it and what use to make of it. But because it is hard
to be understood we must not therefore throw it by, but humbly search
concerning it, get as far as we can into it and as much as we can out
of it, and, when we despair of satisfaction in every difficulty we meet
with, bless God that our salvation does not depend upon it, but that
things necessary are plain enough, and wait till God shall reveal even
this unto us. These chapters are the more to be regarded because the
last two chapters of the Revelation seem to have a plain allusion to
them, as
has to the foregoing prophecy of Gog and Magog. Here is the vision of a
glorious temple (in this chapter and
of God’s taking possession of it
(ch. xliii.),
orders concerning the priests that are to minister in this temple
(ch. xliv.),
the division of the land, what portion should be allotted for the
sanctuary, what for the city, and what for the prince, both in his
government of the people and his worship of God
(ch. xlv.),
and further instructions for him and the people,
After the vision of the holy waters we have the borders of the holy
land, and the portions assigned to the tribes, and the dimensions and
gates of the holy city,
Some make this to represent what had been during the flourishing state
of the Jewish church, how glorious Solomon’s temple was in its best
days, that the captives might see what they had lost by sin and might
be the more humbled. But that seems not probable. The general scope of
it I take to be,
1. To assure the captives that they should not only return to their own
land, and be settled there, which had been often promised in the
foregoing chapters, but that they should have, and therefore should be
encouraged to build, another temple, which God would own, and where he
would meet them and bless them, that the ordinances of worship should
be revived, and the sacred priesthood should there attend; and, though
they should not have a king to live in such splendour as formerly, yet
they should have a prince or ruler (who is often spoken of in this
vision), who should countenance the worship of God among them and
should himself be an example of diligent attendance upon it, and that
prince, priests, and people, should have a very comfortable settlement
and subsistence in their own land.
2. To direct them to look further than all this, and to expect the
coming of the Messiah, who had before been prophesied of under the name
of David because he was the man that projected the building of the
temple and that should set up a spiritual temple, even the
gospel-church, the glory of which should far exceed that of Solomon’s
temple, and which should continue to the end of time. The dimensions
of these visionary buildings being so large (the new temple more
spacious than all the old Jerusalem and the new Jerusalem of greater
extent than all the land of Canaan) plainly intimates, as Dr. Lightfoot
observes, that these things cannot be literally, but must spiritually,
understood. At the gospel-temple, erected by Christ and his apostles,
was so closely connected with the second material temple, was erected
so carefully just at the time when that fell into decay, that it might
be ready to receive its glories when it resigned them, that it was
proper enough that they should both be referred to in one and the same
vision. Under the type and figure of a temple and altar, priests and
sacrifices, is foreshown the spiritual worship that should be performed
in gospel times, more agreeable to the nature both of God and man, and
that perfected at last in the kingdom of glory, in which perhaps these
visions will have their full accomplishment, and some think in some
happy and glorious state of the gospel-church on this side heaven, in
the latter days.
In this chapter we have,
I. A general account of this vision of the temple and city,
II. A particular account of it entered upon; and a description given,
1. Of the outside wall,
2. Of the east gate,
3. Of the north gate,
4. Of the south gate
and the chambers and other appurtenances belonging to these gates.
5. Of the inner court, both towards the east and towards the south,
6. Of the tables,
7. Of the lodgings for the singers and the priests,
8. Of the porch of the house,
| The Vision of the Temple. | B. C. 574. |
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1 In the five and twentieth year of our captivity, in the
beginning of the year, in the tenth day of the month, in the
fourteenth year after that the city was smitten, in the selfsame
day the hand of the LORD was upon me, and brought me thither.
2 In the visions of God brought he me into the land of Israel,
and set me upon a very high mountain, by which was as the frame
of a city on the south.
3 And he brought me thither, and, behold, there was a man,
whose appearance was like the appearance of brass, with a line
of flax in his hand, and a measuring reed; and he stood in the
gate.
4 And the man said unto me, Son of man, behold with thine eyes,
and hear with thine ears, and set thine heart upon all that I
shall shew thee; for to the intent that I might shew them unto
thee art thou brought hither: declare all that thou seest to
the house of Israel.
Here is,
1. The date of this vision. It was in the twenty-fifth year of
Ezekiel’s captivity
(v. 1),
which some compute to be the thirty-third year of the first captivity,
and is here said to be the fourteenth year after the city was
smitten. See how seasonably the clearest and fullest prospects of
their deliverance were given, when they were in the depth of their
distress, and an assurance of the return of the morning when they were
in the midnight of their captivity: “Then the hand of the Lord was
upon me and brought me thither to Jerusalem, now that it was
in ruins, desolate and deserted”–a pitiable sight to the prophet.
2. The scene where it was laid. The prophet was brought, in the
visions of God, to the land of Israel,
v. 2.
And it was not the first time that he had been brought thither in
vision. We had him carried to Jerusalem to see it in its iniquity and
shame
(ch. viii. 3);
here he is carried thither to have a pleasing prospect of it in its
glory, though its present aspect, now that it was quite depopulated,
was dismal. He was set upon a very high mountain, as Moses upon
the top of Pisgah, to view this land, which was now a second time a
land of promise, not yet in possession. From the top of this
mountain he saw as the frame of a city, the plan and model of
it; but this city was a temple as large as a city. The New
Jerusalem
had no temple therein; this which we have here is all
temple, which comes much to one. It is a city for men to dwell in;
it is a temple for God to dwell in; for in the church on earth God
dwells with men, in that in heaven men dwell with God. Both these are
framed in the counsel of God, framed by infinite wisdom, and all very
good.
3. The particular discoveries of this city (which he had at first a
general view of) were made to him by a man whose appearance was like
the appearance of brass
(v. 3),
not a created angel, but Jesus Christ, who should be found in fashion
as a man, that he might both discover and build the gospel-temple. He
brought him to this city, for it is through Christ that we have both
acquaintance with and access to the benefits and privileges of God’s
house. He it is that shall build the temple of the Lord,
Zech. vi. 13.
His appearing like brass intimates both his brightness and his
strength. John, in vision, saw his feet like unto fine brass,
Rev. i. 15.
4. The dimensions of this city or temple, and the several parts of it,
were taken with a line of flax and a measuring reed, or
rod
(v. 3),
as carpenters have both their line and a wooden measure. The temple of
God is built by line and rule; and those that would let others into the
knowledge of it must do it by that line and rule. The church is formed
according to the scripture, the pattern in the mount. That is
the line and the measuring reed that is in the hand of Christ. With
that doctrine and laws ought to be measured, and examined by that; for
then peace is upon the Israel of God when they walk according to
that rule.
5. Directions are here given to the prophet to receive this revelation
from the Lord and transmit it pure and entire to the church,
v. 4.
(1.) He must carefully observe every thing that was said and done in
this vision. His attention is raised and engaged
(v. 4):
“Behold with thy eyes all that is shown thee (do not only
see it, but look intently upon it), and hear with thy ears all
that is said to thee; diligently hearken to it, and be sure
to set thy heart upon it; attend with a fixedness of thought and
a close application of mind.” What we see of the works of God, and what
we hear of the word of God, will do us no good unless we set out hearts
upon it, as those that reckon ourselves nearly concerned in it, and
expect advantage to our souls by it.
(2.) He must faithfully declare it to the house of Israel, that
they may have the comfort of it. Therefore he receives, that he may
give. Thus the Revelation of Jesus Christ was lodged in the
hands of John, that he might signify it to the churches,
And, because he is to declare it as a message from God, he must
therefore be fully apprised of it himself and much affected with it.
Note, Those who are to preach God’s word to others ought to study it
well themselves and set their hearts upon it. Now the reason given why
he must both observe it himself and declare it to the house of Israel
is because to this intent he is brought hither, and has it shown to
him. Note, When the things of God are shown to us it concerns us to
consider to what intent they are shown to us, and, when we are sitting
under the ministry of the word, to consider to what intent we are
brought thither, that we may answer the end of our coming, and may not
receive the grace of God, in showing us such things, in vain.
| The Vision of the Temple. | B. C. 574. |
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5 And behold a wall on the outside of the house round about,
and in the man’s hand a measuring reed of six cubits long by
the cubit and a hand breadth: so he measured the breadth of the
building, one reed; and the height, one reed.
6 Then came he unto the gate which looketh toward the east, and
went up the stairs thereof, and measured the threshold of the
gate, which was one reed broad; and the other threshold of the
gate, which was one reed broad.
7 And every little chamber was one reed long, and one reed
broad; and between the little chambers were five cubits; and
the threshold of the gate by the porch of the gate within was
one reed.
8 He measured also the porch of the gate within, one reed.
9 Then measured he the porch of the gate, eight cubits; and the
posts thereof, two cubits; and the porch of the gate was
inward.
10 And the little chambers of the gate eastward were three on
this side, and three on that side; they three were of one
measure: and the posts had one measure on this side and on that
side.
11 And he measured the breadth of the entry of the gate, ten
cubits; and the length of the gate, thirteen cubits.
12 The space also before the little chambers was one cubit
on this side, and the space was one cubit on that side: and
the little chambers were six cubits on this side, and six
cubits on that side.
13 He measured then the gate from the roof of one little
chamber to the roof of another: the breadth was five and twenty
cubits, door against door.
14 He made also posts of threescore cubits, even unto the post
of the court round about the gate.
15 And from the face of the gate of the entrance unto the face
of the porch of the inner gate were fifty cubits.
16 And there were narrow windows to the little chambers, and
to their posts within the gate round about, and likewise to the
arches: and windows were round about inward: and upon each
post were palm trees.
17 Then brought he me into the outward court, and, lo, there
were chambers, and a pavement made for the court round about:
thirty chambers were upon the pavement.
18 And the pavement by the side of the gates over against the
length of the gates was the lower pavement.
19 Then he measured the breadth from the forefront of the lower
gate unto the forefront of the inner court without, a hundred
cubits eastward and northward.
20 And the gate of the outward court that looked toward the
north, he measured the length thereof, and the breadth thereof.
21 And the little chambers thereof were three on this side
and three on that side; and the posts thereof and the arches
thereof were after the measure of the first gate: the length
thereof was fifty cubits, and the breadth five and twenty
cubits.
22 And their windows, and their arches, and their palm trees,
were after the measure of the gate that looketh toward the
east; and they went up unto it by seven steps; and the arches
thereof were before them.
23 And the gate of the inner court was over against the gate
toward the north, and toward the east; and he measured from gate
to gate a hundred cubits.
24 After that he brought me toward the south, and behold a gate
toward the south: and he measured the posts thereof and the
arches thereof according to these measures.
25 And there were windows in it and in the arches thereof
round about, like those windows: the length was fifty cubits,
and the breadth five and twenty cubits.
26 And there were seven steps to go up to it, and the arches
thereof were before them: and it had palm trees, one on this
side, and another on that side, upon the posts thereof.
The measuring-reed which was in the hand of the surveyor-general was
mentioned before,
v. 3.
Here we are told
(v. 5)
what was the exact length of it, which must be observed, because the
house was measured by it. It was six cubits long, reckoning, not
by the common cubit, but the cubit of the sanctuary, the sacred
cubit, by which it was fit that this holy house should be measured, and
that was a hand-breadth (that it, four inches) longer than the common
cubit: the common cubit was eighteen inches, this twenty-two, see
Yet some of the critics contend that this measuring-reed was but
six common cubits in length, and one handbreadth added to the whole.
The former seems more probable. Here is an account,
I. Of the outer wall of the house, which encompassed it round, which
was three yards thick and three yards high, which denotes the
separation between the church and the world on every side and the
divine protection which the church is under. If a wall of this vast
thickness will not secure it, God himself will be a wall of fire
round about it; whoever attack it will do so at their peril.
II. Of the several gates with the chambers adjoining to them. Here is
no mention of the outer court of all, which was called the court of
the Gentiles, some think because in gospel-times there should be
such a vast confluence of Gentiles to the church that their court
should be left unmeasured, to signify that the worshippers in that
court should be unnumbered,
1. He begins with the east gate, because that was the usual way
of entering into the lower end of the temple, the holy of holies being
at the west end, in opposition to the idolatrous heathen that
worshipped towards the east. Now, in the account of this gate, observe,
(1.) That he went up to it by stairs
(v. 6),
for the gospel-church was exalted above that of the Old Testament, and
when we go to worship God we must ascend; so is the call,
Come up hither. Sursum corda–Up with your hearts.
(2.) That the chambers adjoining to the gates were but little
chambers, about ten feet square,
v. 7.
These were for those to lodge in who attended the service of the house.
And it becomes such as are made spiritual priests to God to content
themselves with little chambers and not to seek great things to
themselves; so that we may but have a place within the verge of God’s
court we have reason to be thankful though it be in a little chamber, a
mean apartment, though we be but door-keepers there.
(3.) The chambers, as they were each of them four-square, denoting
their stability and due proportion and their exact agreement with the
rule (for they were each of them one reed long and one reed broad), so
they were all of one measure, that there might be an equality
among the attendants on the service of the house.
(4.) The chambers were very many; for in our Father’s house there are
many mansions
(John xiv. 2),
in his house above, and in that here on earth. In the secret of his
tabernacle shall those be hid, and in a safe pavilion, whose desire is
to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of their life,
Some make these chambers to represent the particular congregations of
believers, which are parts of the great temple, the universal church,
which are, and must be, framed by the scripture-line and rule, and
which Jesus Christ takes the measure of, that is, takes cognizance of,
for he walks in the midst of the seven golden candle-sticks.
(5.) It is said
(v. 14),
He made also the posts. He that now measured them was the same
that made them; for Christ is the builder of his church and therefore
is best able to give us the knowledge of it. And his reducing them to
the rule and standard is called his making them, for no account is made
of them further than they agree with that. To the law and to the
testimony.
(6.) Here are posts of sixty cubits, which, some think, was literally
fulfilled when Cyrus, in his edict for rebuilding the temple at
Jerusalem, ordered that the height thereof should be sixty cubits, that
is, thirty yards and more,
(7.) Here were windows to the little chambers, and windows to the
posts and arches (that is, to the cloisters below), and windows
round about
(v. 16),
to signify the light from heaven with which the church is illuminated;
divine revelation is let into it for instruction, direction, and
comfort, to those that dwell in God’s house, light to work by, light to
walk by, light to see themselves and one another by. There were lights
to the little chambers; even the least, and least considerable, parts
and members of the church, shall have light afforded them. All thy
children shall be taught of the Lord. But they are narrow
windows, as those in the temple,
The discoveries made to the church on earth are but narrow and scanty
compared with what shall be in the future state, when we shall no
longer see through a glass darkly.
(8.) Divers courts are here spoken of, an outermost of all, then an
outer court, then an inner, and then the innermost of all, into which
the priests only entered, which (some think) may put us in mind “of the
diversities of gifts, and graces, and offices, in the several members
of Christ’s mystical body here, as also of the several degrees of glory
in the courts and mansions of heaven, as there are stars in several
spheres and stars of several magnitudes in the fixed firmament.”
English Annotations. Some draw nearer to God than others and
have a more intimate acquaintance with divine things; but to a child of
God a day in any of his courts is better than a thousand
elsewhere. These courts had porches, or piazzas, round them, for the
shelter of those that attended in them from wind and weather; for when
we are in the way of our duty to God we may believe ourselves to be
under his special protection, that he will graciously provide for us,
nay, that he will himself be to us a covert from the storm and
tempest,
Isa. iv. 5, 6.
(9.) On the posts were palm-trees engraven
(v. 16),
to signify that the righteous shall flourish like the palm-tree
in the courts of God’s house,
The more they are depressed with the burden of affliction the more
strongly do they grow, as they say of the palm-trees. It likewise
intimates the saints’ victory and triumph over their spiritual enemies;
they have palms in their hands
(Rev. vii. 9);
but lest they should drop these, or have them snatched out of their
hands, they are here engraven upon the posts of the temple as perpetual
monuments of their honour. Thanks be to God, who always causes us
to triumph. Nay, believers shall themselves be made pillars in the
temple of our God, and shall go no more out, and shall have his
name engraven on them, which will be their brightest ornament and
honour,
(10.) Notice is here taken of the pavement of the court,
The word intimates that the pavement was made of
porphyry–stone, which was of the colour of burning
coals; for the brightest and most sparkling glories of this world
should be put and kept under our feet when we draw near to God and are
attending upon him. The stars are, as it were, the burning
coals, or stones of a fiery colour, with which the pavement
of God’s celestial temple is laid; and, if the pavement of the court be
so bright and glittering, how glorious must we conclude the mansions of
that house to be!
2. The gates that looked towards the north
(v. 20)
and towards the south
(v. 24),
with their appurtenances, are much the same with that towards the east,
after the measure of the first gate,
v. 21.
But the description is repeated very particularly. And thus largely
was the structure of the tabernacle related in Exodus, and of the
temple in the books of Kings and Chronicles, to signify the special
notice God does take, and his ministers should take, of all that belong
to his church. His delight is in them; his eye is upon them. He knows
all that are his, all his living temples and all that belongs to them.
Observe,
(1.) This temple had not only a gate towards the east, to let into it
the children of the east, that were famous for their wealth and
wisdom, but it had a gate to the north, and another to the south, for
the admission of the poorer and less civilized nations. The new
Jerusalem has twelve gates, three towards each quarter of the
world
(Rev. xxi. 13);
for many shall come from all parts to sit down there,
(2.) To those gates they went up by steps, seven steps
(v. 22-26),
which, as some observe, may remind us of the necessity of advancing in
grace and holiness, adding one grace to another, going from step to
step, from strength to strength, still pressing forward towards
perfection–upward, upward, towards heaven, the temple above.
| The Vision of the Temple. | B. C. 574. |
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27 And there was a gate in the inner court toward the south:
and he measured from gate to gate toward the south a hundred
cubits.
28 And he brought me to the inner court by the south gate: and
he measured the south gate according to these measures;
29 And the little chambers thereof, and the posts thereof, and
the arches thereof, according to these measures: and there were
windows in it and in the arches thereof round about: it was
fifty cubits long, and five and twenty cubits broad.
30 And the arches round about were five and twenty cubits
long, and five cubits broad.
31 And the arches thereof were toward the utter court; and
palm trees were upon the posts thereof: and the going up to it
had eight steps.
32 And he brought me into the inner court toward the east: and
he measured the gate according to these measures.
33 And the little chambers thereof, and the posts thereof, and
the arches thereof, were according to these measures: and
there were windows therein and in the arches thereof round
about: it was fifty cubits long, and five and twenty cubits
broad.
34 And the arches thereof were toward the outward court; and
palm trees were upon the posts thereof, on this side, and on
that side: and the going up to it had eight steps.
35 And he brought me to the north gate, and measured it
according to these measures;
36 The little chambers thereof, the posts thereof, and the
arches thereof, and the windows to it round about: the length
was fifty cubits, and the breadth five and twenty cubits.
37 And the posts thereof were toward the utter court; and
palm trees were upon the posts thereof, on this side, and on
that side: and the going up to it had eight steps.
38 And the chambers and the entries thereof were by the posts
of the gates, where they washed the burnt offering.
In these verses we have a delineation of the inner court. The survey of
the outer court ended with the south side of it. This of the inner
court begins with the south side
(v. 27),
proceeds to the east
(v. 32),
and so to the north
(v. 35);
for here is no gate either of the outer or inner court towards the
west. It should seem that in Solomon’s temple there were gates
westward, for we find porters towards the west,
But Josephus says that in the second temple there was no gate on the
west side. Observe,
1. These gates into the inner court were exactly uniform with those
into the outer court, the dimensions the same, the chambers adjoining
the same, the galleries or rows round the court the same, and the very
engravings on the posts the same. The work of grace, and its workings,
are the same, for substance, in grown Christians that they are in young
beginners, only that the former have got so much nearer their
perfection. The faith of all the saints is alike precious, though it be
not alike strong. There is a great resemblance between one child of God
and another; for all they are brethren and bear the same image.
2. The ascent into the outer court at each gate was by seven
steps, but the ascent into the inner court at each gate was by
eight steps. This is expressly taken notice of
to signify that the nearer we approach to God the more we should rise
above this world and the things of it. The people, who worshipped in
the outer court, must rise seven steps above other people, but the
priests, who attended in the inner court, must rise eight steps above
them, must exceed them at least one step more than they exceed other
people.
| The Vision of the Temple. | B. C. 574. |
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39 And in the porch of the gate were two tables on this side,
and two tables on that side, to slay thereon the burnt offering
and the sin offering and the trespass offering.
40 And at the side without, as one goeth up to the entry of the
north gate, were two tables; and on the other side, which was
at the porch of the gate, were two tables.
41 Four tables were on this side, and four tables on that
side, by the side of the gate; eight tables, whereupon they slew
their sacrifices.
42 And the four tables were of hewn stone for the burnt
offering, of a cubit and a half long, and a cubit and a half
broad, and one cubit high: whereupon also they laid the
instruments wherewith they slew the burnt offering and the
sacrifice.
43 And within were hooks, a hand broad, fastened round
about: and upon the tables was the flesh of the offering.
44 And without the inner gate were the chambers of the
singers in the inner court, which was at the side of the north
gate; and their prospect was toward the south: one at the side
of the east gate having the prospect toward the north.
45 And he said unto me, This chamber, whose prospect is
toward the south, is for the priests, the keepers of the charge
of the house.
46 And the chamber whose prospect is toward the north is
for the priests, the keepers of the charge of the altar: these
are the sons of Zadok among the sons of Levi, which come near
to the LORD to minister unto him.
47 So he measured the court, a hundred cubits long, and an
hundred cubits broad, four-square; and the altar that was before
the house.
48 And he brought me to the porch of the house, and measured
each post of the porch, five cubits on this side, and five
cubits on that side: and the breadth of the gate was three
cubits on this side, and three cubits on that side.
49 The length of the porch was twenty cubits, and the breadth
eleven cubits; and he brought me by the steps whereby they went
up to it: and there were pillars by the posts, one on this
side, and another on that side.
In these verses we have an account,
I. Of the tables that were in the porch of the gates of the inner
court. We find no description of the altars of burnt-offerings in the
midst of that court till
But, because the one altar under the law was to be exchanged for a
multitude of tables under the gospel, here is early notice taken
of the tables, at our entrance into the inner court; for till we come
to partake of the table of the Lord we are but professors at
large; our admission to that is our entrance into the inner court. But
in this gospel-temple we meet with no altar till after the glory of the
Lord has taken possession of it, for Christ is our altar, that
sanctifies every gift. Here were eight tables provided, whereon to
slay the sacrifices,
v. 41.
We read not of any tables for this purpose either in the tabernacle or
in Solomon’s temple. But here they are provided, to intimate the
multitude of spiritual sacrifices that should be brought to God’s house
in gospel-times, and the multitude of hands that should be employed in
offering up those sacrifices. Here were the shambles for the altar;
here were the dressers on which they laid the flesh of the sacrifice,
the knives with which they cut it up, and the hooks on which they hung
it up, that it might be ready to be offered on the altar
(v. 43),
and there also they washed the burnt-offerings
(v. 38),
to intimate that before we draw near to God’s altar we must have every
thing in readiness, must wash our hands, our hearts, those spiritual
sacrifices, and so compass God’s altar.
II. The use that some of the chambers mentioned before were put to.
1. Some were for the singers,
v. 44.
It should seem they were first provided for before any other that
attended this temple-service, to intimate, not only that the singing of
psalms should still continue a gospel-ordinance, but that the gospel
should furnish all that embrace it with abundant matter for joy and
praise, and give them occasion to break forth into singing,
which is often foretold concerning gospel times,
Christians should be singers. Blessed are those that dwell in God’s
house, they will be still praising him.
2. Others of them were for the priests, both those that kept
the charge of the house, to cleanse it, and to see that none
came into it to pollute it, and to keep it in good repair
(v. 45),
and those that kept the charge of the altar
(v. 46),
that came near to the Lord to minister to him. God will find
convenient lodging for all his servants. Those that do the work of his
house shall enjoy the comforts of it.
III. Of the inner court, the court of the priests, which was fifty
yards square,
The altar that was before the house was placed in the midst of
this court, over-against the three gates, and, standing in a direct
line with the three gates of the outer court, when the gates were set
open all the people in the outer court might through them be spectators
of the service done at the altar. Christ is both our altar and our
sacrifice, to whom we must look with an eye of faith in all our
approaches to God, and he is salvation in the midst of the earth
to be looked unto from all quarters.
IV. Of the porch of the house. The temple is called the house,
emphatically, as if no other house were worthy to be called so. Before
this house there was a porch, to teach us not to rush hastily and
inconsiderately into the presence of God, but gradually, that is,
gravely, and with solemnity, passing first through the outer court,
then the inner, then the porch, ere we enter into the house. Between
this porch and the altar was a place where the priests used to pray,
In the porch, besides the posts on which the doors were hung, there
were pillars, probably for state and ornament, like Jachin and
Boaz–He will establish; in him is strength,
v. 49.
In the gospel church every thing is strong and firm, and every thing
ought to be kept in its place and to be done decently and in order.
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