In this passage, God explains what land each *tribe will receive. He begins at *Israel’s northern border and continues to the *holy area. Verses 8-22 are about the *holy area and the land by it. Then verses 23-29 continue the list of the *tribes and their new land. This has not been the actual arra... [ Continue Reading ]
EZEKIEL’S LAST *VISION EZEKIEL CHAPTER S 40 TO 48 _COMMENTARY: KEITH SIMONS; TRANSLATION: IAN MACKERVOY._ CHAPTER 48 THE SHARE OF THE COUNTRY FOR 7 *TRIBES TO THE NORTH – EZEKIEL 48:1-7 V1 ‘Here is a list of the names of the *tribes. The northern border is from the sea through Hethlon to Lebo... [ Continue Reading ]
The most important place in *Israel did not belong to any *tribe. It belonged to God. And the *temple was in its centre.... [ Continue Reading ]
God’s loyal priests lived in the area that surrounded the *temple. It would not be good if the priests lived far from other people. The priests might neglect to pray for the people. So in this ideal plan, the priests lived in the centre of the country. And all the other *Israelites surrounded them.... [ Continue Reading ]
It is the *Levites’ duty to assist the priests. So the *Levites’ area is next to the priests’ area. And by the word picture, this shows that the *Levites support the priests. In the past, some *Levites have been jealous of the priests (Numbers chapter 16). But in God’s ideal plan, the *Levites are g... [ Continue Reading ]
This is the same city as in 45:6, but we have many more details here. It was the new capital city, and *Israelites from all the *tribes could live there. Verses 30-35, which continue to describe the city, emphasise that fact. The city was near to the *temple. So people who wanted to *worship often... [ Continue Reading ]
The people who lived in the city would own animals. Those animals could feed (find their food) on this land. And because this land was near the city, the people could look after the animals well. That is how a good person should behave (Proverbs 12:10). When people travelled to the *temple to *wors... [ Continue Reading ]
Here was the land were where people from the city could grow their crops. God provides food for people as well as animals. His kindness lasts always (Psalms 136:25). THE SHARE OF LAND FOR THE PRINCE – EZEKIEL 48:21-22 V21 ‘Some land will remain on both sides of the *holy part and the city. This l... [ Continue Reading ]
This was the prince’s land, which God had already described (45:7-8). This prince was loyal to God. In the centre of his land was the *holy land. And in the centre of the *holy land was the *temple. THE SHARE OF THE COUNTRY FOR 5 *TRIBES TO THE SOUTH – EZEKIEL 48:23-29 V23 ‘Here is what the rest o... [ Continue Reading ]
God mentions the *tribes that were south of the *temple in this ideal plan. It is wonderful to see Benjamin’s name in this list. Benjamin was Jacob’s youngest son. And Jacob loved him. But once, after a terrible war, the *tribe of Benjamin almost did not exist. Only by a surprising scheme did the *... [ Continue Reading ]
The list continues until all *Israel’s *tribes had received their land. THE CITY WITH 12 GATES – EZEKIEL 48:30-35 V30 ‘These exits will be the exits of the city. The north side will be 4500 *cubits long. V31 There will be three gates on the north side. Each gate will have the name of a *tribe of *... [ Continue Reading ]
The *prophecy returns to the subject of the capital city (verse 16). God describes a city that is a perfect square. It has walls, so it is a safe city. But it has gates. So people can enter it and they can leave it. The names on the gates may tell us who uses that gate. Or they may tell us who live... [ Continue Reading ]
This is the measurement round the 4 walls. The city’s new name is a brief explanation of Ezekiel’s whole message. This is what God wants. This is his desire for his people. He wants to live with them. He wants to be their only God. He wants them to be able to declare boldly that he is present with... [ Continue Reading ]