44:2 Why was this east gate to remain closed? Several reasons have been suggested: (1) This was the gate through which God entered the Temple, and no one else could walk where God had (43:4); (2) the closed gate indicated that God would never again leave the Temple (10:19; 11:23); (3) it would prevent people from worshiping the sun as it rises in the east from within the Temple grounds (8:16).
44:3 Although Christ is called a prince (37:25), this prince is probably not Christ because he offers a sacrifice to God (46:4) and he can enter only by the entry room (“porch of that gate”). He is a princely ruler of the city, but he is distinguished from other princes because he will be just and fair (see 45:9). Some, however, have understood this prince to be a prophetic image that anticipates the coming of Christ, who would offer himself as a sacrifice to God.
44:9 Unbelievers would not be allowed to enter the Temple. Ezekiel’s vision was for a restored, purified worship in which only those who prepared themselves physically and spiritually could participate. In 47:22, 23, we find that people from other nations are allowed to join in worship by accepting the standards of faith and practice declared in the law (see Leviticus 24:22; Numbers 15:29).
44:15 Zadok’s descendants are mentioned because many of the priests in Zadok’s line had remained faithful to God, while others had become corrupt. Zadok supported God’s choice of Solomon to succeed David and was therefore appointed high priest during his reign (1 Kings 1:32-35; 2:27, 35). Zadok’s descendants were considered the true priestly line throughout the time between the Old and New Testaments.
44:20-31 These laws were originally given to God’s people in the wilderness. They are recorded in the books of Exodus and Leviticus. They reveal the importance of approaching God respectfully, and they give guidelines for the priests to live above reproach so they could carry out their responsibility to teach the people “the difference between the holy and profane” (44:23).