Ezekiel 47:14

God had made a promise to the *Israelites. He promised that he would be present with them (48:35). But that could only happen after they *turned back to God. And it could only happen after he had changed their hearts, their minds and their attitudes (36:24-32).

If ever the *Israelites needed to hear God’s promise again, this was the time. When Ezekiel received the *vision, they were in *exile. Enemies had destroyed their homes and cities in *Israel. So the *Israelites had to live in foreign countries.

But God had made a promise. He would bring it about. It was impossible to achieve by human effort. But things that are impossible for men are possible with God (Luke 18:27).

In this *vision, God gave each *tribe a share that was the same size. Originally, the land that the *tribes received was very unequal. Some *tribes were not even in this country – they lived on the other side of the Jordan river. Many families – and even one *tribe – were unable to take their land. They had to live elsewhere. There were practical reasons for all these arrangements. But they were not God’s perfect plan. In the ideal arrangement that God told Ezekiel, all the *tribes were equally important. So all the *tribes received equal shares of the land.