It was time to settle everyone down in their land, their tribal allotments. It’s easy to think this is boring but at the same time, do you know how many wars in history have been started over land border disputes? Or greed for land? Or desire for land that has some sort of financial gain inherent in it?
Land matters.
There was land allotted for the 12 tribes, land for the sanctuary, land for the priests who kept faithful to the LORD even when it was costly, then the land for the Levites, land for gardening and common use, land for the prince and more. They were long and narrow pieces of land that served the people and supplied their needs.
After the land came the gates of the city, Three gates on four sides for each of the tribes. And then this statement:
“The name of the city from that day on will be: ‘Yahweh is There.’ (v. 35).
This is significant because we see in Ezekiel that the glory of the LORD left the city when they were taken into exile. Their sin had become too much. For 70 years ‘Yahweh wasn’t there.’.
But now, to say that his name was there? What hope. What joy. What restoration.
The time of return had come.
It was good.
Very good.
