Read Ezekiel
47-48 & 1
John 1
To discover:
As you read note how God’s
grace is necessary for the fulfilment of each part.
To ponder:
Ezekiel is now
returned to the entrance to the temple, where he sees a small stream of water
coming out of the south side of the threshold and heading east, south of the
altar and then out of the temple just south of the east facing outer gate
(47v1-2). It seems Ezekiel exits via the north gate as the eastern one was
closed. The meaning of the water flowing on the south side is unclear. But it
flows towards the place of exile, perhaps symbolic of God’s blessing being
accessible to those in Babylon , and
paradigmatic of it being accessible to all exiled from his presence because of
sin. In what follows, the man travels eastward measuring the water’s depth
every 1500 feet, as it gets deeper and deeper until it becomes an un-crossable
river (47v1-6). With no tributaries causing this, we’re seeing that this is
simply due to its source in the temple – signifying the abundance of blessing
God pours out. The water has two results: It causes trees to grow on its banks
that will never wither, and with leaves that bring healing; and it makes the
salt water of the Dead Sea fresh, enabling swarms of
living creatures to live along it and in it.
The symbolism is echoed by other
prophets, and cautions us against reading the rest of the vision too literally.
But nor should we be too quick to spiritualize it. In reality, the picture is
of God bringing not both biological and spiritual life to that which is barren.
First and foremost it would have been understood to promise the returning
exiles that God is well able to renew them so that they lovingly worship and
obey him, centred on their temple, and experience the covenant blessing on the
land promised in Deuteronomy 28-30. It therefore also looks to that renewal of Israel
(and others) by his Holy Spirit through Christ (as 36v24-27), and looks further
ahead to the new creation, in which they will live forever in a world of abundance,
and free from all sickness and death (Rev 22v1-5). We should remember too, that
Jesus stood up in the temple and called all to come to him and drink, promising
that streams of living water would then flow from them. John tells us this was
a reference to the Holy Spirit (Jn 7v37-39). So Ezekiel’s vision is fulfilled
in Jesus as the true temple-dwelling of God, from whom the blessing of God’s
Spirit comes to those of all nations, who then themselves become a
temple-dwelling of God, from which that blessing flows to others as they share
the gospel.
The man also tells Ezekiel that the
swamps and marshes of the land will still be left for salt (47v11). This could
be a practical act of provision, in which God leaves sufficient salt for the
people to use for seasoning and preserving food. However, it may imply a set
place apart from the place of God’s blessing, where curse is still experienced.
47v13-48v29 records the division of
the land, but not just for Judah ,
for the northern kingdom too (two portions are to be given to Joseph because
his two sons were originally given a tribe’s portion each). This is significant
as the northern tribes no longer existed in any definitive form in Ezekiel’s
day, having been scattered by Assyria in 722BC. God
cannot therefore be talking about a literal proportioning of the land to each
tribe. He is predicting the reunification of the nation in Christ,
incorporating returning exiles from Judah
and any descended from the north who might join them, as well as those from
other nations too. It is just this that we see in the book of Acts. And the man
tells Ezekiel that the latter group in particular are to be considered as equal
as native-born Israelites, sharing equally in the inheritance. It is not
impossible that if the new creation is a renewed heavens and earth rather than
a different one, Israelites who owned a true faith in Christ might receive the
land as specified. But it seems more likely that Ezekiel’s vision is using the
concepts familiar to the people in his day to stress that the nation will be
united and receive just the inheritance God has determined for them, whatever
form that might take (as 1 Pet 1v3-9). Indeed, Jesus teaches the meek will
inherit the whole earth. We should be much encouraged.
48v8-14 repeats earlier teaching
about the portion of the land set-apart for the sanctuary and priests and
Levites, which must not pass hands, as God has apportioned it. 48v15-20 then
describes the land to be given to the city, and as land to supply food for
those who work there. 48v21-22 specifies the land that would be the special
portion of the prince. By including this earlier material here, we must
recognise that the earlier vision of the temple’s design, those who served in
it, and the segmenting of the land around it, has an ultimate symbolic
reference in terms of what is received through the gospel of Christ, even if it
also referred to the ideal the people should have aspired to when they first
returned from Babylon.
Finally, we read of how the gates to
the city will be named after the tribes of Israel ,
and the city itself be a square of 4500 cubits on each side (about 1.5 miles).
This is far smaller than the New Jerusalem of Revelation 21, but the note about
the gates is the same (Rev 21v12). The point in Ezekiel is that the city
represents the entirety of God’s people. And critical is its name: “The LORD is
there.” This is the key thrust of Ezekiel’s vision and his entire message of
hope. God will return to his people, and his presence is what will guarantee
the fulfilment of his promises. We should marvel that just as the New Jerusalem
is the bride of Christ (Rev 21v9-10), this title now refers to the church,
guaranteeing all God’s promises to us.
Praying
it home:
Praise God for his
presence with his people by his Holy Spirit. Pray that you would be active in
sharing the gospel so that this blessing might come to others.
Thinking
further: Ezekiel’s vision
The vision
stretching from chapters 40-48 is extremely hard to understand and commentators
differ hugely on what to make of it. Any thoughts we have must therefore be
very tentative. But from what we have studied, it seems to work on two key
levels: First, we mustn’t forget the impact it would have had on the exiles. To
them it would probably have been understood to be an idealistic picture of what
they should aspire to as they re-populate the land and re-establish worship.
It’s portrayal of these things as actually happening, would have given them
confidence that by these things God would at some time bring the Davidic king,
renew them and the land, and establish them as a united eternal kingdom with
his temple-presence central to that (37v22-28). Second, whereas the people
would not have known exactly how these things would be achieved, in the light
of Christ, we must read the vision through him, and so understand it as also
picturing God dwelling amongst, renewing and uniting his people as this eternal
kingdom through Christ and in the church. Whereas the detail about the
offerings, priests and Levites would have applied directly to the vision’s
first fulfilment, these things would apply to the second only in affirming the
church as an entity where lives are offered to God, and all his people serve
the church according to his designation.
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