Ezekiel 47:18-23: a reflection

18“The east side, between Hauran, Damascus, Gilead, and the land of Israel, shall be the Jordan; from the north border to the east sea you shall measure. This is the east side. 19“The south side southward shall be from Tamar as far as the waters of Meriboth Kadesh, to the brook, to the great sea. This is the south side southward. 20“The west side shall be the great sea, from the south border as far as opposite the entrance of Hamath. This is the west side. 21“So you shall divide this land to yourselves according to the tribes of Israel. 22You shall divide it by lot for an inheritance to you and to the aliens who live among you, who will father children among you. Then they shall be to you as the native-born among the children of Israel. They shall have inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel. 23In whatever tribe the stranger lives, there you shall give him his inheritance,” says the Lord GOD.

As Ezekiel describes the boundaries of the restored land and how it is to be divided among the tribes, he includes a command that would have startled his hearers. The foreigners, the aliens who live among you and have children among you, are to be given an inheritance in the land as well: They shall be to you as native-born among the people of Israel; they shall have inheritance among the tribes. The outsider, the stranger, was not to be a permanent second-class dweller, but was to receive a full inheritance, treated as one of God's own people.

Notice the inclusion here: the foreigner given a full inheritance, as native-born. This was remarkable in a world where the outsider was typically excluded from such privileges. But God's design included the stranger, granting the alien among his people a real portion, a genuine belonging, treated as one of them. God's heart, even here, reaches toward the outsider, to bring them in as full members, not to keep them at the margins.

That inclusion foreshadows the fuller inclusion the gospel brings. Once, the New Testament says, the Gentiles were strangers and aliens, far off, without hope; but in Christ, those who were once outsiders have been brought near and made fellow citizens with the saints, full members of God's household, fellow heirs. The stranger given an inheritance in Ezekiel points to the day when former outsiders would be made full heirs in Christ. If you have ever felt like an outsider, far from God, on the margins, hear this: God's heart is to bring the outsider in, to give the stranger a full inheritance. In Christ, you are no longer a stranger but a full member of his people, an heir with all the saints.

Lord, in the restored land you commanded that the foreigners living among your people be given a full inheritance, treated as native-born, not kept at the margins. Thank you that your heart reaches toward the outsider, to bring the stranger in as a full member of your people. And thank you that in Christ this inclusion is fulfilled: that those once far off, strangers and aliens without hope, have been brought near and made fellow citizens with the saints, fellow heirs. When I feel like an outsider, far from you or on the margins, remind me that your heart is to bring me in. In Christ, I am no longer a stranger but a full member of your household, an heir with all your people. Thank you for so great an inclusion.