Ezekiel 48:30-35
The Gates of the City
30 “These shall be the exits of the city: On the north side, which is to be 4,500 cubits by measure, 31 three gates, the gate of Reuben, the gate of Judah, and the gate of Levi, the gates of the city being named after the tribes of Israel. 32 On the east side, which is to be 4,500 cubits, three gates, the gate of Joseph, the gate of Benjamin, and the gate of Dan. 33 On the south side, which is to be 4,500 cubits by measure, three gates, the gate of Simeon, the gate of Issachar, and the gate of Zebulun. 34 On the west side, which is to be 4,500 cubits, three gates, the gate of Gad, the gate of Asher, and the gate of Naphtali. 35 The circumference of the city shall be 18,000 cubits. And the name of the city from that time on shall be, The Lord Is There.”
Ok, today we finish Ezekiel. Chapters 40-48 have been focused on a vision of restoration. In the immediately preceding chapters, the focus has been on the building of the temple, its dimensions, and the divisions of the land. In addition, there was the vision of a river, and everywhere the river went—life happened; it was a description similar to that of the Garden of Eden. Very cool stuff, as life is flowing out of this river.
However, this little passage at the end of Ezekiel is even better. It names the gates of the city and the distances around it—not that big a deal, except for one thing: it reveals that God is the Lord of all details. This vision and the previous visions of the city reveal that the Lord is concerned with all things, even the little details. Nothing outside the Lord’s purview. It's not as if He sets plans in motion and then walks away from it to see how it will turn out; like letting loose a spinning top and seeing where it goes or what it crashes into; no, God knows everything because He is intimately involved in everything, even the slightest detail.
Second, it’s clear that the Lord is taking care of the people that remain in the land. They have a specific portion that is set aside for them.
The end of the book is awesome, with the city's name, "The Lord is there," which has incredible significance on several levels, but we need to remember what happened in prior chapters.
Remember that the entire book is about the people of God being in exile, how they have rebelled, worshipped idols, and turned from the Lord despite the Lord calling them time and time again to repent and return—they refused, and they suffered and were disciplined for their stiff-faced, stubborn-heartedness. The people's shame and disaster became a source of mockery, and they were a joke because others would see them and ask, "Where is the Lord?" The glory of the Lord had left them because of their incredible sin.
And as we consider Ezekiel’s calling in all of this, it’s not been easy by any stretch. It’s been a difficult and hard calling. The message he carried was rejected; on several occasions, he became a living parable to the people in shocking ways, including that he wasn’t even allowed to mourn the death of his wife. It’s been rough for Ezekiel as the Lord’s prophet to these rebellious people.
But God, but God, is still faithful to His promises. Ezekiel ends with great hope because the Lord has also promised that a remnant would remain and that He would call His people back from the four corners of the world. God has promised to restore them, and that's what's happening here: the rebuilding of the city and the temple, and the distribution of the land.
But the title of the city is the kicker—the Lord is There, the Lord is with the people. What great hope that would be to them given their circumstances of exile.
But we know of an even greater hope because of Jesus. All throughout the book of Ezekiel we've had the shadow of Jesus and, sitting here in the 21st century we now know, because of the promises of Jesus (Matthew 28.20) our hope is even greater than a physical location because we know the God isn't just there, He is with us. God is everywhere and knows everything. He is with you.
What hope does that give you? The Lord is with you, always, deeply acquainted with everything about your life—greater still, with every thought you've ever had or will have—He is with you, He knows your heart—hope is yours because Jesus is with you.
God bless you and have an incredible day!
Scott