Ezekiel 47, The Perfect Temple (Part Eight)

The Dead Sea is drying up. “A spa built at water’s edge back in the 1970s now needs a trolley to take bathers to the shore. In some places, the sea is retreating by 100 yards a year. The culprit is progress; water that once topped up the Dead Sea now gets diverted for human use. The Dead Sea’s main water source is the Jordan River, which is already 80 percent diverted. Now, following a year of drought, there is a plan to divert even more of the Dead Sea’s lifeblood. Add it all up and the salt flats should keep growing. The Dead Sea could be rescued, say the experts, by cutting a canal to bring water from the Red Sea, 120 miles away. The price tag, though, is $5 billion.” (CBS News) God has a plan to restore the Dead Sea and make it alive.

1 Then he brought me back to the entrance of the temple and there was water flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east, for the temple faced east. The water was coming down from under the south side of the threshold of the temple, south of the altar. 2 Next he brought me out by way of the north gate and led me around the outside to the outer gate that faced east; there the water was trickling from the south side. 3 As the man went out east with a measuring line in his hand, he measured off a third of a mile and led me through the water. It came up to my ankles. 4 Then he measured off a third of a mile and led me through the water. It came up to my knees. He measured off another third of a mile and led me through the water. It came up to my waist. 5 Again he measured off a third of a mile, and it was a river that I could not cross on foot. For the water had risen; it was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be crossed on foot.

6 He asked me, “Do you see this, son of man?” Then he led me back to the bank of the river. 7 When I had returned, I saw a very large number of trees along both sides of the riverbank. 8 He said to me, “This water flows out to the eastern region and goes down to the Arabah. When it enters the sea, the sea of foul water, the water of the sea becomes fresh. 9 Every kind of living creature that swarms will live wherever the river flows, and there will be a huge number of fish because this water goes there. Since the water will become fresh, there will be life everywhere the river goes. 10 Fishermen will stand beside it from En-gedi to En-eglaim. These will become places where nets are spread out to dry. Their fish will consist of many different kinds, like the fish of the Mediterranean Sea. 11 Yet its swamps and marshes will not be healed; they will be left for salt. 12 All kinds of trees providing food will grow along both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. Each month they will bear fresh fruit because the water comes from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be used for eating and their leaves for healing.”

There is a river flowing through the holy city in the eternal state of the kingdom, also (Revelation 21&22), but it flows from God’s throne, whereas this one flows from the temple. But the purpose is the same. “The basic purpose of this divine river was to bring life. Many trees lined its sides. Every kind of fruit tree grew on both sides. Their leaves never withered and their fruit was perennial, bearing every month of the year because the divine river watered these trees. Their fruit provided food and their leaves provided healing. The entire Dead Sea and the Arabah were healed by these waters, causing the Dead Sea to swarm with marine life to the extent that fishermen fished its entire length from En Gedi to En Eglaim, catching a great variety of fish. The Arabah bloomed (cf. Isa 35:1-2, 6-7; Joel 3:18). Only the swamps and marshes were not healed; they were left to provide salt for the people. Everywhere else the river brought its life-giving power.” (Expositor’s Bible Commentary)

The Borders of the Land
13 This is what the Lord Yahweh says: “This is the border you will use to divide the land as an inheritance for the twelve tribes of Israel. Joseph will receive two shares. 14 You will inherit it in equal portions, since I swore to give it to your ancestors. So this land will fall to you as an inheritance.

“Ezekiel first sets forth the manner in which the land would be distributed. It would be divided equally among Israel’s twelve tribes. Two portions would go to Joseph in the form of tribal allotments for his two sons: Manasseh and Ephraim (cf. Ge 48:5-6, 22); the tribe of Joseph had been divided into two tribes to replace Levi. Thus there were twelve tribal land divisions of equal proportions. The tribe of Levi had become the priestly tribe, and in the Millennium they would have a special land for their residence (cf. 45:1-8; 48:8-14). The principle of equality would prevail. Any past abuses of inequity would be remedied.” (Expositor’s)

15 This is to be the border of the land:

On the north side it will extend from the Mediterranean Sea by way of Hethlon and Lebo-hamath to Zedad, 16 Berothah, and Sibraim (which is between the border of Damascus and the border of Hamath), as far as Hazer-hatticon, which is on the border of Hauran. 17 So the border will run from the sea to Hazar-enon at the border of Damascus, with the territory of Hamath to the north. This will be the northern side. 18 On the east side it will run between Hauran and Damascus, along the Jordan between Gilead and the land of Israel; you will measure from the northern border to the eastern sea. This will be the eastern side. 19 On the south side it will run from Tamar to the Waters of Meribath-kadesh, and on to the Brook of Egypt as far as the Mediterranean Sea. This will be the southern side. 20 On the west side the Mediterranean Sea will be the border, from the southern border up to a point opposite Lebo-hamath. This will be the western side.

“Israel’s national boundaries in the Millennium are similar to those of ancient Israel (cf. Nu 34:3-12). The borders followed known place names from Ezekiel’s day and were given in such detail that they are without question to be taken literally.” (Expositor’s)

21 “You are to divide this land among yourselves according to the tribes of Israel. 22 You will allot it as an inheritance for yourselves and for the aliens residing among you, who have fathered children among you. You will treat them like native-born Israelites; along with you, they will be allotted an inheritance among the tribes of Israel. 23 In whatever tribe the alien resides, you will assign his inheritance there.” This is the declaration of the Lord Yahweh. (Ezekiel 47)

“Further guidelines for the distribution of the land are given to treat the question of allotment as it relates to aliens in Israel’s midst. Aliens who had settled within Israel in a given tribe and had borne children (indicating their permanency) were to be included in that given tribe when the land was distributed. These aliens were to be treated as if they were native Israelites. In this Israel would obey the Mosaic covenant (cf. Lev 19:34).” (Expositor’s)

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What the Bible Tells Us About Immigration

Introduction:

• Immigration, the movement of non-native people into a country in order to settle there, has been a strategy for bettering one’s life since the beginning of civilization.
• In Scripture we see Jacob’s family immigrating to Egypt during a famine in their land and ending up there for 400 years before returning to Canaan
• What does God think of immigration? Is He for it, against it?  Does it matter to Him at all?
• Our country, like many others, has faced the issue of people wanting to come to live here and we have had a long history of welcoming immigrants, but recent developments have created a backlash against immigration, especially illegal immigration.
• We question whether immigrants hurt our economy by taking jobs our citizens would otherwise do, by using social services like schools and medical help, and by paying smaller amounts of income tax than more prosperous citizens would.
• We also fear that people of other color, language, creed and practices are changing our sense of what our nation looks like religiously and culturally.
• I don’t have answers to all the issues facing our nation over immigration, but I can speak to what God says in His Word about the immigrant.

 

God Doesn’t Like It When We Mistreat Immigrants

He sees it as equivalent to mistreating His own children

When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.  (Leviticus 19:33-34 ESV)

He sees it as equivalent to mistreating Him

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’  (Matthew 25:41-43 ESV)

His judgment will be swift and sure

Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the LORD of hosts.  (Malachi 3:5 ESV)

 

God Blesses Those Who Love the Immigrant

He rewards us financially when we help immigrants stave off poverty

When you reap your harvest in your field and forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it. It shall be for the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.  (Deuteronomy 24:19 ESV)

He rewards us spiritually when we help immigrants by meeting their needs

Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.  For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,  (Matthew 25:35 ESV)

He will use our efforts to bring many to salvation

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”  (Revelation 7:9-10 ESV)

 

Conclusion:

• We may need a new way as a nation to handle the many immigrants, legal and illegal, who come here or want to come here, but there are many here whom God has brought to our doorstep to minister to in His name.
• We need to equip ourselves to serve these people in a way that meets their greatest physical and social needs so that we can also help meet their spiritual needs.