Bird's-eye view
After the glorious vision of the life-giving river flowing from the temple, Ezekiel's prophecy concludes with the orderly, almost geometric, division of the restored land among the twelve tribes of Israel. This is not a haphazard resettlement; it is a divine reordering of the world. The structure of this chapter is profoundly theological, presenting a picture of God's perfected kingdom. The tribes are no longer arranged according to the messy realities of the original conquest under Joshua, but in a perfectly symmetrical pattern, flowing from north to south, with the sacred portion for the temple, priests, and prince at the very center. This is a picture of a world recentered on the worship of the true and living God.
What we are seeing is a typological blueprint of the New Covenant reality. This is not a literal map for a future Jewish state, but rather a symbolic vision of the Church of Jesus Christ, the true Israel of God. The perfect order, the equal portions, and the central place of the sanctuary all point to the equity, peace, and Christ-centeredness of the gospel kingdom. The old divisions and hierarchies are flattened, and a new, redeemed community is established on a principle of divine grace and order. Ezekiel is showing his fellow exiles, and us, what the world looks like when God puts everything back in its right place, with Himself at the heart of it all.
Outline
- 1. The New Order of the Land (Ezek 48:1-7)
- a. The Northern Boundary Established (Ezek 48:1a)
- b. The Allotment for Dan (Ezek 48:1b)
- c. The Allotment for Asher (Ezek 48:2)
- d. The Allotment for Naphtali (Ezek 48:3)
- e. The Allotment for Manasseh (Ezek 48:4)
- f. The Allotment for Ephraim (Ezek 48:5)
- g. The Allotment for Reuben (Ezek 48:6)
- h. The Allotment for Judah (Ezek 48:7)
Context In Ezekiel
This final chapter is the culmination of the entire book of Ezekiel. The prophet began his ministry by declaring a covenant lawsuit against a corrupt and idolatrous Israel, witnessing in a vision the departure of God's glory from Solomon's temple. After detailing the judgments on Israel and the surrounding nations, the book pivots dramatically in chapter 33 to the theme of restoration. We have the promise of a new heart and a new spirit (Ezek 36), the vision of the valley of dry bones being resurrected into a vast army (Ezek 37), and the defeat of God's ultimate enemies, Gog and Magog (Ezek 38-39). This sets the stage for the final, glorious vision of chapters 40-48: the new temple. Ezekiel is given a detailed tour of a new, perfected temple, from which a river of life flows out to heal the world (Ezek 47). Chapter 48 is the final piece of this restoration vision, showing how the people of God will dwell securely in a land that has been reorganized around this new center of worship. It is the architectural diagram of the new creation.
Key Issues
- The Symbolic Nature of the Land Allotments
- The Order of the Tribes
- The Principle of Equity
- The Centrality of Worship
- Fulfillment in the New Covenant
A Land Measured by Grace
When we get to the end of a book like Ezekiel, with its soaring visions and strange sign-acts, and then run into what looks like a surveyor's report, our first temptation might be to let our eyes glaze over. But we must resist this. God is never boring, and His blueprints are always sermons. The meticulous detail here is not for the purpose of future real estate transactions. Rather, it is to communicate the profound reality of God's perfect, exhaustive, and gracious ordering of His kingdom.
The first conquest under Joshua was a gritty, uneven affair. Some tribes got more land, some less. Some failed to drive out the inhabitants. Borders were contested. The arrangement was a mix of divine promise and human failure. But here, in Ezekiel's vision, all of that is gone. We have a series of perfect, parallel strips of land, running from the east side to the west side. Each tribe receives one portion. This is a picture of divine equity. In the kingdom of God, there are no second-class citizens. The inheritance is not doled out based on merit, or strength, or historical performance, but is assigned by divine fiat. This is a land measured out by grace, and it is a picture of the inheritance that all believers have in Jesus Christ, an inheritance that is equal for all and guaranteed by God Himself.
Verse by Verse Commentary
1 “Now these are the names of the tribes: from the northern extremity, beside the way of Hethlon to Lebo-hamath, as far as Hazar-enan at the border of Damascus, toward the north beside Hamath, running from east to west, Dan, one portion.
The vision begins at the top, geographically and conceptually. The northern border is described, establishing the outer limits of this new, idealized Israel. And the first tribe to be settled is Dan. This is the first of many startling reorganizations. In the old Israel, Dan was a problematic tribe. They were the last to receive their inheritance, and they failed to conquer their allotted territory, eventually migrating far to the north and setting up a center of idolatry (Judges 18). Because of this apostasy, Dan is sometimes omitted from lists of the tribes, most notably in Revelation 7. But here, in this vision of ultimate restoration, Dan is not only included but is given the first portion, right at the top. This is a picture of radical grace. The tribe that was infamous for leading the way into idolatry is now placed in a position of honor in the restored kingdom. The gospel has a way of taking the last and making them first. The slate is wiped clean, and Dan is restored. This is what God does with rebels who are brought home.
2 And beside the border of Dan, from the east side to the west side, Asher, one portion.
The pattern is established. Each tribe receives a horizontal strip of land, a perfect portion running from the eastern to the western boundary of the land. Asher is next. In the old arrangement, Asher's territory was on the Mediterranean coast, a fertile but often contested area. Here, their place is secure, fixed by divine decree. The repetition of "one portion" for each tribe emphasizes the principle of equity. There is no jockeying for position here, no complaining about the size of one's inheritance as there was in the days of Joshua. God is the one doing the dividing, and His provision is perfect and sufficient for all.
3 And beside the border of Asher, from the east side to the west side, Naphtali, one portion.
Naphtali follows Asher. In Jacob's blessing, Naphtali was a "doe let loose that bears beautiful fawns" (Gen 49:21). Their original territory was in the beautiful hill country west of the Sea of Galilee. This was the region where Jesus would conduct much of His earthly ministry, the land of "Galilee of the Gentiles" which would see a great light (Isa 9:1-2). Here, their place in the restored kingdom is affirmed, another equal portion in this new, sanctified geography.
4 And beside the border of Naphtali, from the east side to the west side, Manasseh, one portion.
Next is Manasseh. Manasseh was one of the two sons of Joseph, and in the original conquest, this tribe was so large that it received territory on both sides of the Jordan River. That practical, messy division is now gone. Here, Manasseh is brought back into a unified whole, receiving a single, orderly portion just like all the others. The old historical contingencies are smoothed out in this vision of eschatological perfection. The divisions within the people of God are healed.
5 And beside the border of Manasseh, from the east side to the west side, Ephraim, one portion.
Ephraim, Joseph's other son, is placed next to his brother Manasseh. Historically, Ephraim was the most powerful and dominant of the northern tribes. Their pride and rivalry with Judah was a major factor in the division of the kingdom after Solomon. The very name "Ephraim" often stood for the entire rebellious northern kingdom. But in this new arrangement, Ephraim is simply one tribe among twelve, receiving its equal portion. Their former arrogance is gone, and they are integrated peacefully into the whole. This is a picture of the humbling and unifying power of the gospel, where old rivalries are put to death.
6 And beside the border of Ephraim, from the east side to the west side, Reuben, one portion.
Reuben was Jacob's firstborn, but he forfeited the rights of the firstborn through his sin with Bilhah (Gen 35:22; 49:3-4). His tribe chose to settle east of the Jordan, separating themselves somewhat from the main body of Israel. Here, Reuben is brought back across the Jordan, as it were, and placed in line with his brothers. Like Dan, the unfaithful are restored. Like Ephraim, the proud are humbled and given their equal place. The grace of God in this new arrangement overrides all the sins and failures of the past.
7 And beside the border of Reuben, from the east side to the west side, Judah, one portion.
Finally, in this first group of seven northern tribes, we come to Judah. This is significant. Judah was the tribe of the kings, the tribe of David, and ultimately, the tribe of the Messiah. In this new arrangement, Judah is not given a larger or more prominent portion of land. They receive "one portion," just like Dan and Reuben. However, their position is strategic. They are the last tribe before we reach the central, sacred district where the sanctuary and the city will be located (v. 8). This signifies that the way to God, the way to worship, is through the tribe of Judah. It is through the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Lord Jesus Christ, that we approach the holy place. Judah's honor is not in the size of its real estate, but in its proximity to the presence of God and its role in providing the King.
Application
This vision is for us. We are the Israel of God, the inheritors of these promises. The Church of Jesus Christ is this restored land, perfectly ordered around the central reality of our Messiah. What does this ancient surveyor's report have to teach us? First, it teaches us about the radical grace of God. The placement of a tribe like Dan in a place of honor reminds us that our position in God's kingdom has nothing to do with our past performance and everything to do with Christ's perfect performance on our behalf. There is no sin so great that the blood of Christ cannot wash it away and restore us to a place of honor.
Second, it teaches us about the unity and equity of the Church. In Christ, old rivalries and hierarchies are abolished. Whether we were Ephraim (the proud and powerful) or Naphtali (the graceful and quiet), in the Church we are all given "one portion." Our inheritance is Christ Himself, and we all receive all of Him. There is no room for jealousy or pride in the body of Christ. Our inheritance is equal, and it is glorious.
Finally, it teaches us that a rightly ordered life, and a rightly ordered church, is a life that is centered on the worship of God through the Lord Jesus Christ. Judah's portion bordered the sanctuary. Our lives must border on the sanctuary. Our weeks must be structured around the Lord's Day gathering. Our families must be ordered by the Word of God. Our personal lives must be a continual act of worship. This vision from Ezekiel is a call to re-center our world, our communities, and our own hearts on the glorious reality of God in our midst. For the name of that city, the center of this new land, is Yahweh-Shammah: The Lord is There.