44 lines
2.2 KiB
Markdown
44 lines
2.2 KiB
Markdown
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title = "Ezekiel 47:21–23"
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date = "2023-07-26"
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### [Read the passage.](https://biblia.com/bible/esv/Ezekiel47.21-23)
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I know I'm going over verses that were supposed to be covered by the last post,
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but I realized I left out the most amazing part, and I think it's worth digging
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into.
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This time, when the land is alotted, those who have immigrated to the land of
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Israel, settled there, and had children there will be given a share of the
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land. They are to be treated the same as the native-born, blood-descendants of
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Abraham. At this point in redemptive history, when Ezekiel is telling all of
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these things to the people, _this is unprecedented_. There had always been
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provisions in the Law to treat aliens and sojourners well, but they were
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usually grouped with the orphans and widows. That is, they were in need of
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special care because they had less financial and social support than those
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around them because they did not have any land inheritance. In an agrarian
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society like those of the time, land was basically equal to wealth, because
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that's how you made food to survive.
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When the land of Israel is divided up among the twelve tribes again, those
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seeking to live near the Lord will be allowed to, and they will be given a
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portion of the inheritance to be established in the land. I'm not sure I can
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express how big a deal this is. Over and over again in the Law of Moses, God
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expresses how important it was to the Israelites that the land must be kept
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within the family. To the extent that if a man dies without any heirs, his
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brother is to marry the widow and beget children with her who will inherit the
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dead man's land. It was allowed to sell land if cash was needed in dire
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straits, but only to a fellow Israelite, not a foreigner. Furthermore, it
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should be sold back at the same price at any time, or even just given back for
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free in the Year of Jubilee.
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Now that we have the story of Peter and Cornelius and understand how God is
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grafting the Jews and Gentiles together into one people in His kingdom, these
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verses make a lot of sense. But I expect there was a lot of confusion over
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these verses with anyone who paid attention to them before Jesus came.
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* * *
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You never change and Your plans have been perfect from the beginning.
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