Meditation

Hi there,

"The Lord is There" is the final climactic sentence of the book of Ezekiel and caps off the dramatic story of loss and ultimate restoration, directly reversing the departure of God's glory described in chapters 10-11.

God has returned to dwell among his people permanently.

I've shared a great overview of the book from the Bible Project below, which is well worth watching

...but briefly...Ezekiel was a priest writing from exile in Babylon after Jerusalem had fallen and the temple had been destroyed. The central trauma of the book — and of the exile itself — was not just the loss of the city. It was the departure of the glory of God from the temple, recounted in chapters 10 and 11, Ezekiel watches as the glory of God — the Shekinah presence that had dwelt in the temple since Solomon — lifts from the ark, moves to the threshold, crosses to the east gate, and departs.

For Israel, whose entire understanding of covenant and worship was built around God's presence, this was utterly devastating.

From chapter 33 onwards, the tone shifts to restoration. A new heart. A new spirit. The valley of dry bones. A new David. And then nine chapters (40 to 48) detailing a new temple. Its measurements, its gates, its courts, its priesthood. A reminder of the original detail given for the construction of the Tabernacle.

And then, the final verse of the entire book is simply the new name of the city: "The Lord is there."

A quiet ending and a defining triumph.​

Today's text is Ezekiel 48: 30-35

The Gates of the New City

³⁰ “These will be the exits of the city: Beginning on the north side, which is 4,500 cubits long, ³¹ the gates of the city will be named after the tribes of Israel. The three gates on the north side will be the gate of Reuben, the gate of Judah and the gate of Levi.

³² “On the east side, which is 4,500 cubits long, will be three gates: the gate of Joseph, the gate of Benjamin and the gate of Dan.​

³³ “On the south side, which measures 4,500 cubits, will be three gates: the gate of Simeon, the gate of Issachar and the gate of Zebulun.

³⁴ “On the west side, which is 4,500 cubits long, will be three gates: the gate of Gad, the gate of Asher and the gate of Naphtali.​

³⁵ “The distance all around will be 18,000 cubits.

“And the name of the city from that time on will be:

THE LORD IS THERE.”

Encouragement

²⁷ My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people.

Ezekiel 37:27

​Andy

God’s Word In Your Hand

This study is inspired by a remarkable artwork I found on godsfingerprints.com. You can learn more about the background and purchase it here.

(Links are not affiliate links, and I am not compensated for any purchases.)

​Andy

God's Word In Your Hand

Catch Up On Previous Days of BCC

Every previous issue of BCC can be found at https://biblecopyclub.beehiiv.com/ Great to catch up if you’ve fallen behind.

Donate to BCC

Be Encouraged. Join our 1000 strong Facebook Group

Post a picture of your completed page to our Facebook Group today.

Join over 1000 club members doing the same. Your pictures will be a great encouragement to everyone else in the club

...and don't worry about your handwriting.

It is as unique as you are, and God's word looks beautiful in it.

P.S. BCC is even better when shared

If you know someone who would also benefit from Bible Copy Club's daily prompts to copy out scripture by hand, please forward them this ​link​.​