Ezekiel 47 Commentary
Ezekiel winds down beautifully with chapters 47 and 48. If we thought the last section contains the blueprints for Zerubbabel’s temple, we must think twice!
Chapter 47 includes an impossible construction feature. The inclusion of the river or the presence of the river at the Temple complex informs us of Ezekiel’s distant future. It is also our future as we find the same information in the Book of Revelation chapters 21 and 22.
It is not a construction feature for civil engineers instead a symbol or story of God’s ever-expanding generosity to His creation. See how the environment is enriched by the flowing river! Flora and fauna have flourished on the river’s banks. The water freshens up everything along its path. Even the Dead Sea comes back to life!
The symbols or best still, the layered stories in this chapter are all familiar because the New Testament repeats and applies them severally. The basic truth is that we can associate the LORD Jesus Christ with the life-giving water. The trees could be the saints that bear fruit in season and whose leaf doesn’t whither. Psalm 1. We have layers of stories because the trees collectively reflect the Tree of Life whose leaves bring healing. You can think of the special trees in the Garden of Eden, the Tree of Life, and the Tree of Knowledge. Genesis 2. Or the declaration that the LORD Jesus is the Vine. All these symbols or stories come to settle on the core message that ‘Eden is restored’.
The second section repeats the thought of Eden but uses a familiar picture: the Promised Land! Yes, Israel requires land because of the scattering during Jeremiah/Ezekiel’s time. However, the reality is that humanity needs land because the LORD scattered humanity out of the Garden of Peace and Tranquility, the Garden of God. Genesis 3.
In the first section, the river enriches everyone and everything along its path – everything beyond the boundaries of physical Israel. In the second section, “in whatever tribe a foreigner resides, there you are to give them their inheritance.” Thus, Israel becomes a blessing to the nations.
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