Ezekiel ends with instructions for the temple, then the division of the land for the twelve tribes. That’s it. It ends abruptly, no closing word or statement.
After all the fantastic prophecies, just like that, it ends.
The city shall be 18,000 cubits round about; and the name of the city from that day shall be, “The Lord is there.” (Ezekiel 48:35) And that’s it.
I guess that’s enough, though. “The Lord is there.” And now it’s time to move forward. To live in this place where He is established.
The prophecies were given, the rebuke, the call to return, the promise of God’s faithfulness. Next come the instructions for settling the land. So we see the returning and the how. Then that’s it. Ezekiel gave his message, with one final statement. “The Lord is there.”
The more I dwell on those final words, the more I see their significance. “The Lord is there.”
The Lord established Israel. He led them to the promised land, He divided the land among the tribes, He promised His blessing if they followed His law. But as everyone knows, Israel rebelled. They were exiled from the Promised Land. The world said God had left them, God was no longer present in their midst.
So here comes Ezekiel with his message from the Lord. “The Lord is there.” That’s the name of Jerusalem, the city, the heart of Israel. “The Lord is there.”
He has not failed His people. Perhaps He hid His face for a season, but His faithfulness never ended. ‘The Lord is there.”
Israel rebelled, turned away, incurred just punishment, yet returned. The Lord made a way for her. And now, “The Lord is there.”
And the Lord is here. He’s in the hearts of those who call on His name. And if we stumble, if we rebel, if we heed His call to return to the Promised Land, He is there. The Lord is there.
He is established in our hearts. And this is where we live and move forward. The Lord is there.
