Ezekiel 47-48 Don't Miss The Message Among The Details

These chapters were chock full of important details about how the land will be inhabited in the Kingdom Age.  The River of Life flowing from the Temple will transform the land into the Garden of Eden (36:35).  Even foreigners living with the Israelites will be given land of their own.  But my commentary cautioned us not to lose the major messages among these details:

Separation from sin:

“Priests taught people the differences between the holy and the unholy … Israel drifted into sin because they began to erase those differences and became like the pagan nations around them … God put a difference between the holy and the profane.  For people to ‘call evil, good, and good, evil’ … is to violate the basic principle of holy living.”

Worship:

“The heart of the worshipper was far more important than his or her gifts … God’s people don’t decide how they are going to worship the Lord; they simply obey what He has told them in His Word.”

Fulfillment:

“One of the purposes of the millennial kingdom is that God might fulfill His promises to His people, promises He couldn’t fulfill because of their rebellion and unbelief … But during the kingdom, Israel will trust the Lord, obey His word, worship in His Temple as they should, and bring delight to the Lord.”

God’s glory and God’s name:

“If the book of Ezekiel teaches us anything, it teaches us that we must honor God’s name and magnify His glory … ‘They shall know that I am the Lord’ is found at least sixty times … While God’s glory doesn’t dwell in our church buildings, God can be glorified or disgraced by what we do in those buildings we have dedicated to Him.  As His people, we must be reverent and honor His name.”

The Sovereign Rule of God:

“Today, the church of Jesus Christ is left in this world not just to pray ‘Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven,’ but to help accomplish that will in the power of the Holy Spirit.  God is still on the throne and Jesus Christ has ‘all authority in heaven and on earth.’  Need we ask for more?”

Father, what an amazingly different place this town, this state, this nation, and this world would be if we would all seek Your will and seek to glorify You!  Despite the obstacles we face, help us to glorify You and Your Son in all that we do.  Guide me to remember to maintain a difference between the holy and the profane – to never call evil, good, and good, evil.  Don’t let me violate Your basic principles of holy living.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford