Then said he unto me, This is the place where the priests shall boil the trespa.s.s offering and the sin offering, where they shall bake the meal offering; that they bear them not out into the utter court, to sanctify the people. Then he brought me forth into the utter court, and caused me to pa.s.s by the four corners of the court; and, behold, in every corner of the court there was a court. In the four corners of the court there were courts joined of forty cubits long and thirty broad: these four corners were of one measure. And there was a row of buildings round about them, round about them four, and it was made with boiling places under the rows round about. Then said he unto me, These are the places of them that boil, where the ministers of the house shall boil the sacrifice of the people (verses 19-24).
Again the prophet is brought by the northern gate to the side where the holy chambers of the priests are located. There he saw a place on the two sides westward. The use of this place is made known in verse 20. The final description of buildings round about the court needs no further comment.
THE VISION CONCERNING THE LAND.
Chapter xlvii.
The preceding chapters of this final section of the Book of Ezekiel contain the vision of the Temple and its worship. The last two chapters give a vision of Israel"s land as it will be during the coming age.
I. The Temple Stream and its Healing Waters.
Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward: for the forefront of the house was the east, and the waters came down from under from the right side of the house, from the south of the altar. Then brought he me out by the way of the gate northward, and led me about the way without unto the outer gate toward the gate that looketh eastward; and, behold, there ran out waters on the right side. And when the man went forth eastward, he had a line in his hand, and he measured a thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the waters were to the ankles. Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through the waters; the waters were to the knees. Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through; the waters were to the loins. Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pa.s.s over: for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be pa.s.sed over.
And he said unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen this? Then he brought me, and caused me to return to the brink of the river. Now when I had returned, behold, at the bank of the river were very many trees on the one side and on the other. Then said he unto me, These waters issue out toward the east country, and go down into the desert, and go into the sea: which being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed. And it shall come to pa.s.s, that every thing that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live: and there shall be a very great mult.i.tude of fish, because these waters shall come thither: for they shall be healed; and every thing shall live whither the river cometh. And it shall come to pa.s.s, that the fishers shall stand upon it from En-gedi even unto En-eglaim; they shall be a place to spread forth nets; their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many. But the marshes thereof and the pools thereof shall not be healed: they shall be given to salt. And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine (verses 1-12).
This great vision of the Temple stream has been variously interpreted.
The critical school has treated it only as an imagery of the prophet and speaks of the physical impossibility that such a stream could ever be in existence.[56] Others have spiritualized the vision. A leading annotator states, "Messiah is the temple and the door; from His pierced side flow the living waters, ever increasing, both in the individual believer and in the heart." In this spiritualizing method the waters are also applied to the reading and study of the Word of G.o.d. The same commentator says "some things in the Bible are easy to understand, as the water up to the ankles; others more difficult, which require deeper search, as the waters up to the knees and the loins; and others beyond our reach." Such applications can be made in different ways. The stream which Ezekiel saw is more than typical of the blessings which the land and all the earth will enjoy in the coming age. It is a literal stream. There will be a great outpouring of the Spirit of G.o.d for the age to come, and spiritual blessings will abound everywhere. But the stream Ezekiel beholds tells of the physical blessings which are in store for the earth in that coming day of the restoration of all things. We do not need to trouble ourselves about the manner in which the temple stream is to flow forth, nor do we need to solve the physical difficulties. When the Lord of Creation was on earth in humiliation, and walked among men garbed in servant"s form, nature acknowledged Him and He manifested the Creator"s power. What will it be when He comes again, not as a servant to die, but as the King and Lord of all! Omnipotence will then be displayed to the full. Is there anything too hard for the Lord? (Jere. x.x.xii:27). He who bore the thorns on His brow, the symbol of the curse which on account of man"s sin rests upon Creation, will remove that curse in the day of His power. He paid for it on the cross.
[56] One says: "The double impossibility of the rapid rise of water in the stream and the course of the river across the steep limestone range east of Jerusalem into the Dead Sea does not occur to the prophet." As if Ezekiel had invented this vision.
And Ezekiel was not the only prophet to whom was revealed the physical blessing of the earth in the life and health giving stream. Isaiah had the same vision. "And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water; in the habitation of jackals where each lay shall be gra.s.s with reeds and rushes" (Is. x.x.xv:7). "I will even make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert" (Is. xliii:19).
"Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree" (Is. lv:13). "The desert shall blossom like the rose" (Is. x.x.xv:1). Joel at the close of his great vision concerning the still future day of Israel"s tribulation and the judgment of the nations following the time of trouble, and the Lord"s visible manifestation, also speaks of the blessings of the Millennium.
"And it shall come to pa.s.s in that day, that the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the rivers of Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall come forth of the house of the Lord, and shall water the valley of s.h.i.ttim" (Joel iii:18).
Joel, one of the earliest prophets, living centuries before Ezekiel, saw water coming forth from the house of the Lord for earthly blessings.
Still more definite is the great post-exilic prophet Zechariah. "And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the eastern sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea; in summer and in winter shall it be" (Zech. xiv:8).
The waters Ezekiel saw issued out from under the threshold, from the right side of the house, the south side of the altar. Of the heavenly Jerusalem a similar scene is recorded by John in the Revelation. "And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of G.o.d and of the Lamb" (Rev. xxii:1). The stream has its origin in the midst of the millennial temple. There is no use in speculating about the source of the water supply. It is super-natural.
He who said, "Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters" (Gen. i:6) and He who broke open all the fountains of the deep when His judgment came on the earth (Gen. vii:11) by whose power also the smitten rock in the wilderness supplied the water for His people, He will provide from His inexhaustible resources the life giving stream. And the waters which gush forth are increasing in volume; the stream does not become shallower but deepens in its flow. It is not like a natural river which has its source in a spring and is fed by brooks and rivers. It is a miraculous, unexplainable self-supply which occasions this increase. A thousand cubits are measured and the waters come to the ankles of the prophet. The next thousand cubits bring the waters to the knees; then advancing another thousand cubits the waters come to the loins, and with the fourth thousand they become so deep that the prophet could not fathom them. The four thousand cubits make about a mile and a half, so that the prophet had advanced, under the guidance of the man, this distance from Jerusalem in a southeastern direction.
He is caused to return to the bank of the river, and saw there on both sides many trees. These trees testify of the great fertility which this stream will produce in nature. Expositors who give the vision a purely spiritual meaning explain the trees as being the righteous who shall flourish at the waterbrooks (Psalm i).
The man informs the prophet that these waters go toward the east country and go down into the desert. The word desert in Hebrew is "Arabah" and means "plain," which is the plain of Jordan. It signifies a parched, dry place. Jordan is the type of death, and the sea of salt, the Dead Sea, into which Jordan flows, also signifies death.[57] And now in the Dead Sea this living water from the temple flows, and healing is the blessed result. Where death has reigned so long abundant life now is manifested.
Sodom is restored to its former estate (See chapter xvi). Wheresoever the waters go life follows at once. "There shall be a very great mult.i.tude of fish, because these waters shall come thither, for they shall be healed; and everything shall live whither the river cometh. The fishers shall stand up from En-gedi unto En-eglaim." En-gedi is on the one end and En-eglaim at the other end of the Dead Sea. Yet there will be marshes and pools which remain unhealed; their former condition is unchanged. It has been suggested that this is done for the production of salt. But it is rather a reminder that while the coming age is an age of wonderful blessing, that it is not yet the perfect, eternal age. And the trees will be ever green, never failing, providing meat by their abundant fruit and the leaf is for medicine. It shows the gracious provision made for man living on the earth during the age to come.
Poverty, famine and sickness will be banished.
[57] Ps. lxviii:4 has this word "Arabah;" in the Authorized Version it is translated "heaven." It is in the plural, "Araboth"--"Cast up the way for him that rideth in Araboth"--the places of death. Christ is seen prophetically as the Conqueror of death and Sheol.
II. The Borders of the Land.
Thus saith the Lord G.o.d; This shall be the border, whereby ye shall inherit the land according to the twelve tribes of Israel: Joseph shall have two portions. And ye shall inherit it, one as well as another: concerning the which I lifted up mine hand to give it unto your fathers: and this land shall fall unto you for inheritance. And this shall be the border of the land toward the north side, from the great sea, the way of Hethlon, as men go to Zedad: Hamath, Berothah, Sibraim, which is between the border of Damascus and the border of Hamath; Hazar-hatticon, which is by the coast of Hauran. And the border from the sea shall be Hazar-enan, the border of Damascus, and the north northward, and the border of Hamath. And this is the north side. And the east side ye shall measure from Hauran, and from Damascus, and from Gilead, and from the land of Israel by Jordan, from the border unto the east sea. And this is the east side. And the south side southward, from Tamar even to the waters of strife in Kadesh, the river to the great sea. And this is the south side southward. The west side also shall be the great sea from the border, till a man come over against Hamath. This is the west side.
So shall ye divide this land unto you according to the tribes of Israel (verses 13-21).
Little comment is needed on these verses. That the literal land and the literal tribes are meant, no intelligent readers can deny. The twelve tribes are then back in the land. The so-called "lost tribes" are united with the house of Judah. Here the borders are given. Joseph has two portions. G.o.d is faithful. He has not forgotten His gracious promises of old. "And ye shall inherit it, one as well as another, concerning which I lifted up mine hand (in oath) to give it unto your fathers; and this land shall fall unto your inheritance." The whole land is to be divided according to the tribes of Israel.
III. Concerning the Stranger in the Land.
And it shall come to pa.s.s, that ye shall divide it by lot for an inheritance unto you, and to the strangers that sojourn among you, which shall beget children among you: and they shall be unto you as born in the country among the children of Israel; they shall have inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel. And it shall come to pa.s.s, that in what tribe the stranger sojourneth, there shall ye give him his inheritance, saith the Lord G.o.d (verses 22-23).
Here is a provision for the strangers. They are no longer to be treated as outcasts, as aliens from the commonwealth of Israel; they are seen fully identified with Israel and share the inheritance. This again confirms other prophecies (See Isaiah lx:1-10.) The strangers shall come and build the walls, and join themselves to Israel. The singing times for Israel have come. No longer will the chosen people be the tail of nations, but the head of all nations. "Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the Lord. And many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day and shall be my people, and I will dwell in the midst of thee."... (Zech.
ii:10-12). No longer will the Jew be despised, but the strangers, the nations, will beseech him to take them to the glory land. "Thus saith the Lord of hosts, In those days it shall come to pa.s.s, that ten men out of all languages of the nations shall take hold, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you, for we have heard that G.o.d is with you" (Zech. viii:23).
PLAN OF THE DIVISION OF THE LAND.
NORTH +---------------------------------------------+DAN+---------------------------------------------+ASHER+---------------------------------------------+NAPHTALI+---------------------------------------------+MANa.s.sEH+---------------------------------------------+EPHRAIM+---------------------------------------------+REUBEN+---------------------------------------------+JUDAH+-------+-----------------------------+-------+DDLEVITES+-----------------------------+aCPRIESTS O PRIESTSCa c+--------+-----------+--------++---+BDb+---+dD+-------+--------+-----------+--------+-------+BENJAMIN+---------------------------------------------+SIMEON+---------------------------------------------+ISSACHAR+---------------------------------------------+ZEBULUN+---------------------------------------------+GAD+---------------------------------------------+ SOUTH
A = The Sanctuary and its Area.
B = The City of Jerusalem.
C = The Possession of the Prince.
D = The Entire Oblation.
a-b-c-d = Territory belonging to City.
THE PORTION OF THE TRIBES; THE TERRITORY OF THE OBLATION; THE CITY, ITS GATES AND NEW NAME.
Chapter xlviii.
I. The portion of Seven Tribes.
Now these are the names of the tribes. From the north end to the coast of the way of Hethlon, as one goeth to Hamath, Hazar-enan, the border of Damascus northward, to the coast of Hamath; for these are his sides east and west; a portion for Dan. And by the border of Dan, from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Asher. And by the border of Asher, from the east side even unto the west side, a portion for Naphtali. And by the border of Naphtali, from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Mana.s.seh. And by the border of Mana.s.seh, from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Ephraim. And by the border of Ephraim, from the east side even unto the west side, a portion for Reuben. And by the border of Reuben, from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Judah.
And by the border of Judah, from the east side unto the west side, shall be the offering which ye shall offer of five and twenty thousand reeds in breadth, and in length as one of the other parts, from the east side unto the west side: and the sanctuary shall be in the midst of it (verses 1-8).
The division of the land to the twelve tribes, then fully restored, is by lot (xlvii:22) but the disposing of it will be by the Lord (Prov.
xvi:33). The order is entirely different from the one found in the Book of Joshua (Josh. xv-xix). Up to the time of the carrying away of the ten tribes and the captivity of Judah, the tribes possessed the territory a.s.signed to them by lot when they entered the land under Joshua. The ten tribes never returned from the captivity, and therefore the division of the land as given here has never been in the history of Israel. It is future. The division is in twelve portions all alike in dimensions, running alongside of each other, from west to east. Seven tribes are in the north, and five in the south. Between the seven tribes in the north and the tribes in the south is the oblation, the heave offering, the portion of the prince, the Levites and the priests, the Temple and the city with its surrounding territory. The tribe of Dan has its portion in the extreme north. It is the furthest away from the sanctuary. Dan was a corrupt tribe, semi-heathen (Judges xviii). Dan is not mentioned among the sealed one in Revelation vii. All the other tribes are placed in a different order from the former position.
II. The Oblation; the Remaining Tribes.
The oblation that ye shall offer unto the Lord shall be of five and twenty thousand in length, and of ten thousand in breadth. And for them, even for the priests, shall be this holy oblation; toward the north five and twenty thousand in length, and toward the west ten thousand in breadth, and toward the east ten thousand in breadth, and toward the south five and twenty thousand in length: and the sanctuary of the Lord shall be in the midst thereof. It shall be for the priests that are sanctified of the sons of Zadok; which have kept my charge, which went not astray when the children of Israel went astray, as the Levites went astray. And this oblation of the land that is offered shall be unto them a thing most holy by the border of the Levites. And over against the border of the priests the Levites shall have five and twenty thousand in length, and ten thousand in breadth: all the length shall be five and twenty thousand, and the breadth ten thousand. And they shall not sell of it, neither exchange, nor alienate the firstfruits of the land: for it is holy unto the Lord.
And the five thousand, that are left in the breadth over against the five and twenty thousand, shall be a profane place for the city, for dwelling, and for suburbs: and the city shall be in the midst thereof. And these shall be the measures thereof; the north side four thousand and five hundred, and the south side four thousand and five hundred, and on the east side four thousand and five hundred, and the west side four thousand and five hundred. And the suburbs of the city shall be toward the north two hundred and fifty, and toward the south two hundred and fifty, and toward the east two hundred and fifty, and toward the west two hundred and fifty. And the residue in length over against the oblation of the holy portion shall be ten thousand eastward, and ten thousand westward: and it shall be over against the oblation of the holy portion; and the increase thereof shall be for food unto them that serve the city. And they that serve the city shall serve it out of all the tribes of Israel. All the oblation shall be five and twenty thousand by five and twenty thousand: ye shall offer the holy oblation foursquare, with the possession of the city.
And the residue shall be for the prince, on the one side and on the other of the holy oblation, and of the possession of the city, over against the five and twenty thousand of the oblation toward the east border, and westward over against the five and twenty thousand toward the west border, over against the portions for the prince: and it shall be the holy oblation; and the sanctuary of the house shall be in the midst thereof. Moreover from the possession of the Levites, and from the possession of the city, being in the midst of that which is the prince"s, between the border of Judah and the border of Benjamin, shall be for the prince. As for the rest of the tribes, from the east side unto the west side, Benjamin shall have a portion. And by the border of Benjamin, from the east side unto the west side, Simeon shall have a portion. And by the border of Simeon, from the east side unto the west side, Issachar a portion. And by the border of Issachar, from the east side unto the west side, Zebulun a portion. And by the border of Zebulun, from the east side unto the west side, Gad a portion. And by the border of Gad, at the south side southward, the border shall be even from Tamar unto the waters of strife in Kadesh, and to the river toward the great sea.
This is the land which ye shall divide by lot unto the tribes of Israel for inheritance, and these are their portions, saith the Lord G.o.d (verses 9-29).
Judah"s portion on the north and Benjamin"s portion on the south border are an oblation, that which is offered unto the Lord. In this s.p.a.ce of large dimensions are the portions of the Levites and the priests. The Temple stands in the middle of the portion of the priests, and adjoining is the holy city and its territory.[58] The Prince has his portion on both sides of the oblation, the heave offering. That Judah and Benjamin are bordering on these holy sections is not without meaning. Judah is the royal tribe. He who is now worshipped by His restored people is the Lion of the tribe of Judah, Israel"s King. Judah means "praise". He receives the praises of His people. Benjamin"s other name was Benoni, "the son of suffering" and Benjamin is "the son of the right hand." Both Judah and Benjamin are a reminder of the Lord Jesus Christ.
[58] Consult sketch.
It is impossible to explain fully the measurements given and other details of this chapter. We believe what G.o.d has written, and when the time has come He will surely see to it that all is done according to His word. We do not need to trouble ourselves with supposed difficulties or try to solve them. As stated before in this exposition, Israel"s land will undergo a wonderful change when the Lord comes; these physical changes are unknown to us in their extent. The division of the land, and the setting apart of the oblation will then take place. The details in all these visions are of little importance to us. The main fact is to see that all these prophecies have remained unfulfilled up to now. Nor will they be fulfilled during the present age. As every judgment prediction of the prophecies of Ezekiel, uttered before the destruction of Jerusalem, was fulfilled, so every prediction of glory and blessing in the prophecies spoken after the destruction of the city will be fulfilled. It all awaits His coming and glorious appearing. Let us hold fast this and leave the accomplishment of every detail to the Lord.