Daily Bible Devotionals

This Groundworks Ministries Podcast is coming soon! In the meantime, click the “Read Full Chapter” button above to study Ezekiel 46.

“When you divide the land by lot for inheritance, you are to set aside an offering for the Lord, a holy portion of the land.” Ezekiel 45:1a (HCSB)

If you want to start a fight in the Middle East today, all you have to do is ask a simple question: Who truly owns this land?  

Talk of land ownership can become a source of heated debate in almost any country, but most certainly so in Israel. To the exiled Israelites along the banks of the Keber River, whose land and homes had been taken away from them, talk of future land ownership must have been very encouraging. It is definitely more encouraging to them than to us, who read this chapter 2,500 years later!

Israel had been formed on the promise that everyone would be given his own portion of land to live and work. (Genesis 12:17) This was not simply the hopeful promise of a religious sage or the empty promise of political leader. The assurance came straight from the God of all creation! Israel’s exile had shown (more clearly than anything else) the disturbance not only of Israel’s dream but also of God’s favor. No doubt, they listened attentively as Ezekiel described the division of the land in New Jerusalem. Once again, Israel would have the opportunity to return to the land, fortunes restored. But more importantly, they would return to God’s abundant favor, the source of all hoped-for blessings.

The promise of the land of Canaan to the patriarchs’ descendants was an everlasting promise, which brings us to modern Israel. Many claim that God’s favor toward His people, the faithful of Israel (Remember: there are Jews who follow Jesus), has somehow failed or been replaced by the Church. Gentile Christians must recall that they are “grafted in” to the existing covenant promises to retain a proper perspective on God’s relationship to Israel and how both Jewish and Gentile followers of Jesus fit together in the big picture. (Re-read Romans 11:11-31)

It may not be a popular stance, socially, academically, or politically, but God has not forgotten His people or His promises. That fact alone should give Gentile believers in Jesus reason to hope! Because if God can be trusted to keep His promises to the faithful of Israel, He can be trusted to keep His promises to Gentile believers…those of us who are not Jewish but are considered “grafted-in” through Messiah.  

In that sense, the question, “Who owns this land?” becomes irrelevant in the greater kingdom of Messiah. It is irrelevant because the Jerusalem to be inherited in the Olam HaBa (Kingdom to come) is not the Jerusalem one visits today. For those of us who await the New Jerusalem, there is no piece of property we hold eternally sacred! This earth will pass away. That frees us to serve the Messiah with no earthly distractions or affections. We serve the Messiah, who chose to atone for our sin, while we (both Jew & Gentile) were yet sinners, so we could be ONE flock, shepherded by Messiah Jesus, awaiting a common, undisputed Heaven-made homeland. (John 10:16)

“This will be their inheritance: I am their inheritance. You are to give them no possession in Israel: I am their possession.” Ezekiel 44:28 (HCSB)

Priests were chosen from the line of Aaron’s descent. However, a further narrowing of the priestly line occurred at the time of David, when Zadok, the priest, successfully backed Solomon as David’s successor. Only those Levites descended from Aaron through Zadok could serve as priests at the Temple.

According to Ezekiel, the Zadokites alone remained free from the charge of apostasy during the reign of the Israelite kings. Only those priests were allowed to offer sacrifices of “fat and blood.”  The fat was burned after the sacrifice, and the blood poured out on the altar as gifts to the Lord.  

One would suppose that this people group, favored by the Lord, should expect God’s favor to include wealth and worldly possessions. In fact, many Christian leaders would claim that God’s people should expect wealth and prosperity to be the natural outflow of faithfulness. Nothing could be more untrue.

The priests were given no inheritance in the land of Israel. Though a portion of the land surrounding the Temple was given to them, God Himself was to be their inheritance. They were to live off the various sacrifices which they were allowed to share. The pastor’s office as “spiritual shepherd” does not include fleecing or butchering the “sheep” for a profit. Instead, it is to tend to and care for the flock of the Master.

This is a point the New Testament makes clear, underlining the principle that those who live by the Gospel are to be maintained by the Gospel but not exploit it. Paul says that Elders who direct the affairs of the congregation are worthy of double honor – not double pay, as some preachers of our day have suggested. Those doing the work of the Gospel were to receive a twofold honor: the honor of respect and the honor of remuneration. (1 Timothy 5:17; 1 Corinthians 9:7-14; 1 Thessalonians 2:9; 2 Corinthians 11:8-9)

Those who might consider ministry purely as an entrepreneurial pursuit should consider changing their motives and expectations to align themselves with God’s Word!

Of course, the New Testament calls ALL believers “priests.” This means we should all maintain a temporal view of Worldly things and a continual understanding that our “inheritance” is other-worldly: serving & worshipping the Lord for all eternity.

“After this, he brought me to the gate facing east. There I saw the glory of the God of Israel approaching from the east. His voice was like the sound of rushing water and the earth shone with all His glory. The vision seemed like the vision I had seen when I came to destroy the city; also the visions were like the vision I had seen by the K’var River; and I fell on my face. The Lord’s glory entered the house through the gate facing east.” Ezekiel 43:1-4 (CJB)

One of the saddest moments in Israel’s history occurred when the Ark of the Covenant was taken into Philistine hands, and Israel was left deprived of the symbol of God’s help. When Eli heard of the consequential death of his two sons, he fell backward and broke his neck. In the shock of all the events, his daughter-in-law gave premature birth, dying in the process. Before she died, she gasped out that the child should be called “Ichabod,” meaning, “The glory has departed” (1 Samuel 4).

Israel’s condition in Ezekiel 43 was a similar “low point.” The collapse of Jerusalem and the destruction of Solomon’s Temple symbolized the idea that God had departed from His Holy City. (Of course, we know God never truly leaves.)  Ezekiel had been taken to Jerusalem in a vision in chapter 10 to see God depart! That was in 592 B.C. Almost 20 years had passed since that awful day. Nothing could be worse than that. If the description of the new Temple in Ezekiel’s vision is to hold any significance (other than for architects), the essential nature of its glory has to be underlined. This involves the return of God to dwell in His Temple again. This is what these verses now describe.

Ezekiel is brought to the east gate of the temple complex; this gate leads directly to the Temple area. It was from this gate that God’s glory departed in chapter 10. In chapter 43, we have the reverse of chapter 10: God is going to come back through the same gate by which He left. What Ezekiel sees, he tells us, is a reminder of the glory of God that he first encountered in the opening chapters: a vision of glory in chapter 1 and a vision of God coming to destroy the city in chapter 9 (43:3). Ezekiel, for the third time in this book, has come face-to-face with the living God.

If sin had driven the Lord from His Temple, then the holy pursuit of His people would keep Him there - holiness, which is unobtainable by men within the confines of their sinful flesh. But that is the power of the “good news” of the gospel. Jesus has accomplished what we could not. He paid a debt we could not pay, a debt He did not owe, all because He loves us and desires to make us whole and holy.

“Then the man said to me, “The northern and southern chambers that face the temple yard are the holy chambers where the priests who approach the Lord will eat the most holy offerings. There they will deposit the most holy offerings—the grain offerings, sin offerings, and restitution offerings—for the place is holy.” Ezekiel 42:13 (HCSB)

It is difficult to find much drama in these last few chapters of Ezekiel. Most of it reads like an architect’s blueprints! But the essence of what is being communicated is fascinating: we serve a precise God who is fully aware of every detail. Not only does He concern Himself with construction details, but He is also intimately aware of His standard for mankind and how each of us “measures up” to His requirements.

God’s standard for mankind is perfect holiness, an impossible goal for men to reach by their own achievement. The reason is that we are sinful and fall short of God’s requirements. That is why Jesus’ atoning work on the cross was so important. Only Jesus, “God made flesh” (John 1), could accomplish atonement for us, making up the good works lacking in our lives.  

“And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight— if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.” 1 Colossians 1:21-23 (NKJV)

Whenever a building inspector steps onto a worksite, everyone gets nervous. If he is a good inspector, he will explore every detail of construction, ensuring everything meets the standard set by the building codes. The building inspector has the power to shut a whole construction site down, making the contractors start again, even pouring a new foundation.  

Similarly, people will stand before the Lord in the last days and be judged according to God’s “building codes”: the Ten Commandments. Each life will be thoroughly scrutinized, and not one detail will be allowed to “slip by” the Inspector’s eye. That is why I am so grateful that Jesus is not just the architect of my salvation but also the finishing carpenter.

“Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” Hebrews 12:2-3 (NIV)

“On his way out, he measured the thickness of the wall of the house at ten-and-a-half feet (at ground level), and the width of all the side-rooms surrounding the house, seven feet (at ground level). There were three floors of side-rooms, thirty on each floor, and the wall around the house was terraced so that the side rooms rested on the terraces and were not supported on the vertical parts of the wall.” Ezekiel 41:5-6 (CJB)

The Temple was used for storing all kinds of treasures, including money (offerings), cups, bowls, silverware, candlesticks, and incense burners. These needed storage areas, and so, as in Solomon’s Temple (1 Kings 6:5-10), Ezekiel’s Temple provides chambers (side rooms) on all three sides of the Temple. Some of the features are worth noting:

1) Its Perfection: It is no coincidence that the temple area and its courtyards measured a hundred cubits square. The dimensions of the entire temple area, including the outer courtyard, are said to have been five hundred cubits square. Everything about God’s plan for the future worship of His people is perfection. The meticulous care over the design of this structure, given in a way that Ezekiel’s listeners would readily appreciate, was meant to convey how carefully He plans every detail.

2) Its Purpose:  The entire function of this elaborate building was to facilitate the worship of God. As such, it provided a place where God would come and take up residence. It had been David’s longing to provide a place for God to dwell that would prove to be a house of prayer for his sons and the whole of Israel. Isaiah expanded on this intent to include people of all nations. (Isaiah 56:6-7)

3) Its Beauty:  The interior of the Temple was wood-paneled, and many surfaces were adorned with intricate carvings of cherubim – no doubt reminding the onlooker of divine things. Also, Ezekiel saw images of palm trees – perhaps, reminding them of an oasis, something appreciated in the hot Middle Eastern desert climate. Maybe the trees were symbols of Eden: In chapter 47, Ezekiel describes the Sanctuary as containing the river and trees of life.

4) Its Symbolism:  The main temple worship event consisted of the sacrifice of “burnt offerings, sin offerings, and guilt offerings.”  Every detail of its architecture was intended to reinforce that this building was designed to take away sin and present the sinner with a way to approach the “Holy One of Israel.”  The writer of Hebrews makes it clear that the Sanctuary and the Temple were meant to be “copies” of Heavenly realities. Ezekiel is describing the glorious future of the people of God in terms that the Jews of Ezekiel’s day (and any future generation who reads God’s Word) would understand.

“In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month in the fourteenth year after Jerusalem had been captured, on that very day the Lord’s hand was on me, and He brought me there. In visions of God He took me to the land of Israel and set me down on a very high mountain. On its southern slope was a structure resembling a city. He brought me there, and I saw a man whose appearance was like bronze, with a linen cord and a measuring rod in his hand. He was standing by the gate. He spoke to me: ‘Son of man, look with your eyes, listen with your ears, and pay attention to everything I am going to show you, for you have been brought here so that I might show it to you. Report everything you see to the house of Israel.’” Ezekiel 40:1-4 (HCSB)

Prophecy can typically be analyzed in three stages: Immediate/present-day, Messianic era, and End Times. That is, a prophecy would generally be given for the (somewhat) immediate observation within the prophet’s generation (using the word “generation” in the greater sense). But that same prophecy might have Messianic implications, pointing to Jesus, as if to say, “Remember the last time these circumstances aligned themselves, and God judged sin & delivered His Remnant? That was a trial run for our greater deliverance through Messiah.”  And, of course, a prophecy fulfilled in the prophet’s generation (as well as being more greatly fulfilled in the days of Jesus) may still be “unfulfilled” in relation to the Day of The Lord or the coming Kingdom.

At first glance, today’s chapter appears to be written as an “impressionist painting.”  It is as if Ezekiel is conveying truths using abstract and exaggerated details. It can be compared to Debussy's music or Renoir's paintings. But simultaneously, he is communicating the concrete truth of God’s Word. For men to understand prophecy rightly, God’s truth must transcend the “impression” and be revealed as “concrete” by the Holy Spirit. Ezekiel understood what he saw because he was spiritually enabled to “see, hear, and pay attention.”  He was commanded to communicate that truth to the House of Israel. This idea is nothing new to anyone who has closely read the parables of Jesus.

“He told them, ‘The secret of the Kingdom of God has been given to you, but to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that, “They may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise, they might turn and be forgiven!”’” Mark 4:11-12 (NIV)

Isaiah was given a similar charge to preach God’s Word, but with the caveat that his audience would not believe.

“He said, ‘Go and tell this people: Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’” Isaiah 6:9 (NIV)

It is not that God only wants certain people to know the truth, yet others do not believe. Rather, He knows that men will not believe unless they earnestly seek truth in Him. (Matthew 7:7; John 6:44; Jeremiah 29:12-14) Keep seeking Him in His Word!

This Groundworks Ministries Podcast is coming soon! In the meantime, click the “Read Full Chapter” button above to study Ezekiel 39.

“This is what the Lord God says: Are you the one I spoke about in former times through My servants, the prophets of Israel, who for years prophesied in those times that I would bring you against them? Now on that day, the day when Gog comes against the land of Israel”—this is the declaration of the Lord God— ‘My wrath will flare up. I swear in My zeal and fiery rage: On that day there will be a great earthquake in the land of Israel. The fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the animals of the field, every creature that crawls on the ground, and every human being on the face of the earth will tremble before Me. The mountains will be thrown down, the cliffs will collapse, and every wall will fall to the ground. I will call for a sword against him on all My mountains”—the declaration of the Lord God— “and every man’s sword will be against his brother. I will execute judgment on him with plague and bloodshed. I will pour out torrential rain, hailstones, fire, and brimstone on him, as well as his troops and the many peoples who are with him. I will display My greatness and holiness, and will reveal Myself in the sight of many nations. Then they will know that I am Yahweh.’”  Ezekiel 38:17-23 (HCSB)

The promises in the previous chapters of a return to the land might have sounded fine if Babylon was all there was to contend with. After all, the Babylonian empire was already beginning to diminish. But, as Paul put it,

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against rulers, against authorities, against the power of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 6:12 (NIV)

You see, the “Enemy” was never Babylon. The Enemy is the Devil. He is the root source of all opposition to Godliness. Jonah did not understand this concept. That is why he resisted God’s call to preach to Nineveh, Israel’s international enemy, in Jonah’s day. If the enemy were Nineveh, how could they repent and follow God? And if the true enemy were Babylon, how could Nebuchadnezzar eventually repent? (Daniel 4:34-36)

All of Israel’s past international (and intra-national) enemies have been humbled by the Lord, as will be the case of their present and future enemies. If God is FOR His people, who could be against them? (Romans 8:31) In today’s passage, Ezekiel is speaking prophetically of the rise of an international enemy called “Gog.”  The nation of Gog didn’t exist at the time of Ezekiel’s prophecy, nor does it today (although it may be forming at the moment). But of course, that is an arbitrary item because we know who the real enemy is, and we can spot his lies & tactics if we are familiar with God’s Word.

It is easy to misinterpret chapters 38-39. For example, citing that a figure called “Gog” comes out of the North, many theologians with a Bible in one hand and a TV remote in the other have proclaimed Gog to be Russia for the past century. However, the collapse of the Soviet Union has challenged that interpretation. Who knows? Have you considered that, while Babylon was prophesied to have been an invader from the North, they actually resided in the East? When they conquered Israel, Babylon invaded from the North, but my point is that anyone in Ezekiel’s time looking for a northern invader would have ruled out Babylon. All we must know is that what God promises, He brings to pass.