Division of the Land
In this last chapter of Ezekiel, we have a fairly plain opening
passage. We see the land of Israel being
divided up among the tribes. Each tribe
gets an allotment of the land as though the land was a giant tiered wedding
cake. One tribe is simply stacked upon
the other. Well, with one tier for the
city, temple, and the prince, of course.
As I read through this passage, something else hit me. Perhaps it is because in my other blog I am
drawing close to the crucifixion story as I pursue truth in Mark. What hit me was just how wrong the religious
context of Jesus’ day was with respect to this portrayal of the land.
Think about it for a second.
In Ezekiel’s portrayal of the land, Jerusalem is to be 80% devoted to
the workings of the temple. Only 20% of
the land is to be for the daily running of the city. I know that I commented upon that much
before.
However, think about the reality of Jesus’ day. Certainly the 80% of the city being devoted
to the temple wasn’t true. The Roman
influence upon the land wouldn’t let that happen. However, even the part of Jerusalem that the
Jews could control – the life in the temple – was being encroached upon by the
world! Remember the story of the
money-changers in the temple? Jesus
drove out the worldly influence within His Father’s house. In Jesus’ day, the world encroached upon the
temple and not the other way around.
This causes me to pause today.
I find myself back to where I was when the allotment for the city was
first discussed several chapters back.
How does my life rate? Am I like
the ideal and symbolic vision given here in these closing chapters of Ezekiel? Am I an 80% kind of guy? Or is my life like the reality of Jerusalem
when Jesus was here on earth? Is the
world encroaching upon my life and it is only when Jesus comes in and starts
tossing things out that I actually find myself being cleansed and following
Him?
Gates
As we close Ezekiel, we come across yet another obscure
passage. There are 12 gates into the
city. That makes sense. Each gate represents one of the 12 tribes of
Israel. Again, that makes sense.
What doesn’t make sense is the arrangement. They are not arranged according to birth
order. They are also not arranged
according to birth parent. Remember that
Jacob had two wives and sons from a total of four women. They don’t seem to be arranged according to
significance, either. The arrangement
appears to be a mystery to which only the Lord God Himself knows the
answer. Some things are beyond reach; I’m
okay with that.
Presence of the Lord
This book ends on an incredible note. The name of the city appears to be changed
from “City of Peace” to “The Lord is There.” {Adonai (YHWH) Shammah} This
is a pretty cool note.
If we think about it, the Lord is telling us something pretty
special here. God is telling us that
there will come a time when the Lord will dwell among His people. Of course, the Lord has done this off and on
throughout the history of the Hebrew people.
During the exodus, the Lord was with them in a pillar of fire and a
cloud of smoke. He filled the tabernacle
when the people stood still and made camp.
He filled the presence of the Holy of Holies in the temple.
But in this instance, we are told that the name of the city – not the
temple – is that The Lord Is There. The
Lord will dwell not just with the High Priest who can go into the Holy of
Holies but with the whole of the people.
He will dwell in the city.
This sounds incredibly New Testament to me. This sounds like a symbolic understanding of
the Holy Spirit coming and dwelling with His people. Yes, I know that the Holy Spirit dwells beyond
the reaches of Jerusalem. The point is
not the geography. The point is that God
dwells with the people. One does not
need to be special, unique, or of a particular lineage to dwell with God.
I think I rather enjoy the focus of this book as it ends. Ezekiel has been challenging to say the
least. I’m sure I’ve missed some things
along the way. But I love the way that
this book looks forward to a new reality.
The Lord dwells among His people.
Amen. Let it be so. May His people be a people through whom the
Lord can be seen!
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