May 29, Ezekiel 45
"And to the prince shall belong the land on both sides of the holy district and the property of the city, alongside the holy district and the property of the city, on the west and on the east, corresponding in length to one of the tribal portions, and extending from the western to the eastern boundary of the land. It is to be his property in Israel. And my princes shall no more oppress my people, but they shall let the house of Israel have the land according to their tribes.” - Ezekiel 45:7-8
In the days of westward expansion in the United States, the government opened giant tracts of land to citizens willing to move to the western frontier. Eager and brave, these settlers rushed westward to stake their claim and build new lives on the frontier. They were willing to face the dangers and hardships of frontier life to have land of their own.
Before the exiles were freed to return to their homeland, God gave Ezekiel specific instructions about the orderly allocation and distribution of the land. The Lord first gave Ezekiel the dimensions of the land areas that would be the holy district, set apart for the temple with its buildings and courtyards. He reserved a border or buffer of open space around the holy tract. Then he reserved a 27.3 square miles tract of land for the priests who ministered in the temple, and another equal portion for the rest of the Levites who assisted the sons of Zadok in their priestly service in the temple.
Then, after they gave first priority to the things of God, the leader (here called the prince) divided the remainder of the land to the people, according to their tribes. The plan enabled the prince to distribute the rest of the land to the people by an orderly and equitable process.
God called the princes who would lead the people to be honest and just leaders. He prohibited violence, oppression and cruel eviction tactics. He reminded them that they were dealing with God's people, not their own. He charged the leaders to establish fair standards of measurement to regulate commerce and trade practices. God wanted upright leaders to model the “new normal” of godliness among the restored people.
When the people gathered for special occasions of sacrifice and feasting, the prince was supposed to provide the animals and food for the events out of the contributions from the people. God provided what they needed for the commanded observances through crowd- funding and responsible administration of the resources.
These plans could have given the returned exiles all they needed and protected them from the sin of greed if they obeyed the instructions from the Lord. But as Malachi and other late prophecies show, the post-exile Jews very quickly descended into selfish disobedience and injustice. They forfeited many of the blessings and benefits they could have enjoyed when they refused to do things God's way.
God has blessed us with so many good gifts to enjoy. His generosity empowers us to not only be blessed, but to bless others as well. Will we trust him and obey him? Can we see that selfishness dishonors God and in the end actually impoverishes instead of enriching us?
Copyright © 2024 by Michael B. McElroy. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Today in God's Word—May 2024
East Tallassee Church of Christ
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