Scripture Daily

Context No. 3445 of 4322 · Ezekiel

Context · Reflection

Ezekiel 47:13-17: in context

13The Lord GOD says: “This shall be the border by which you shall divide the land for inheritance according to the twelve tribes of Israel. Joseph shall have two portions. 14You shall inherit it, one as well as another; for I swore to give it to your fathers. This land will fall to you for inheritance. 15“This shall be the border of the land: “On the north side, from the great sea, by the way of Hethlon, to the entrance of Zedad; 16Hamath, Berothah, Sibraim (which is between the border of Damascus and the border of Hamath), to Hazer Hatticon, which is by the border of Hauran. 17The border from the sea shall be Hazar Enon at the border of Damascus; and on the north northward is the border of Hamath. This is the north side.

As Ezekiel's vision describes the boundaries of the restored land, one phrase stands out amid the geography: you shall divide the land, and inherit it, one as well as another, for I swore to give it to your fathers. The inheritance is to be shared equally among the tribes, none favored over another.

And the vision's provisions, in the verses just beyond these, extend even to the foreigner living among them, who is to be given an inheritance too. There is a vision here of God's people sharing his gifts fairly, no tribe grasping more than its portion, each receiving its due share of the promise. God's inheritance is not to be seized by the strong at the expense of the weak, but divided so that all have a place. It is a picture of a community ordered by God's own fairness, where the good things he gives are shared out, and no one, not even the outsider, is left without a portion.

Do I want God's gifts and blessings shared fairly among his people, each with a rightful portion, rather than grasped by the strong at the expense of others?

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