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Daily Devotions

Ezekiel

Ezekiel 
Day 
Day 469

"The land as an inheritance"

Text: Ezekiel 47:13

THE LAND OF ISRAEL

There are many claimants to the land of Israel. There are also those who would like to deny Israel the right to live in the land. This prophecy given to Ezekiel is God’s way of assuring His people that the land of Israel would be theirs as an inheritance gift from Him.

“Thus says the Lord God: ‘These are the borders by which you shall divide the land as an inheritance among the twelve tribes of Israel. Joseph shall have two portions. You shall inherit it equally with one another; for I raised My hand in an oath to give it to your fathers, and this land shall fall to you as your inheritance. This shall be the border of the land on the north: from the Great Sea, by the road to Hethlon, as one goes to Zedad, Hamath, Berothah, Sibraim (which is between the border of Damascus and the border of Hamath), to Hazar Hatticon (which is on the border of Hauran). Thus the boundary shall be from the Sea to Hazar Enan, the border of Damascus; and as for the north, northward, it is the border of Hamath. This is the north side. On the east side you shall mark out the border from between Hauran and Damascus, and between Gilead and the land of Israel, along the Jordan, and along the eastern side of the sea. This is the east side. The south side, toward the South, shall be from Tamar to the waters of Meribah by Kadesh, along the brook to the Great Sea. This is the south side, toward the South. The west side shall be the Great Sea, from the southern boundary until one comes to a point opposite Hamath. This is the west side. Thus you shall divide this land among yourselves according to the tribes of Israel. It shall be that you will divide it by lot as an inheritance for yourselves, and for the strangers who dwell among you and who bear children among you. They shall be to you as native-born among the children of Israel; they shall have an inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel. And it shall be that in whatever tribe the stranger dwells, there you shall give him his inheritance,’ says the Lord God.”
Ezekiel 47:13-23

1. All the tribes of Israel would be given an inheritance.

a) Twelve tribes were distinctly mentioned.

b) Each tribe would receive an equal portion of the land.

2. God’s oath given to the Patriarchs.

a) God promised the three patriarchs the land of Canaan.

b) What God had promised He would also fulfil.

c) He cannot break His oath.

3. Borders of the land.

a) They were clearly described.

b) The children of Israel would occupy:

i) Land in the North.

ii) Land in the East.

iii) Land in the South.

iv) Land in the West.

4. Provision for “strangers”.

a) This was a new development.

b) Strangers were not included in the original plan of inheritance.

c) Who would be these strangers?

i) Godly and righteous people.

ii) People who had come to love the people and the holy land.

iii) They would be honoured and given parcels of land to dwell in.

iv) They are to be considered as “native born”.

v) They are allowed to choose the tribe they wish to associate with
and they would be allowed to have a portion of the land as theirs.