LIFE-STUDY OF EZEKIEL
Read and pray: “The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29)
A Land Flowing with Milk and Honey
The land, with all its riches, is called “a land flowing with milk and honey” (20:6). Milk and honey are the product of two lives working together, the vegetable life and the animal life. It takes both the vegetable life and the animal life to produce milk and honey. To produce milk we need the cattle, the animal life, and also the pasture, the vegetable life. Milk is therefore the product of these two lives working together.
The principle is the same with honey. Honey is produced by the bees; however, the bees need the flowers of many different kinds of plants. Therefore, both milk and honey are products of these two kinds of life.
As our good land, Christ has two kinds of life; He has the vegetable life and the animal life. The Gospel of John indicates this. On the one hand, the Lord Jesus said that He was the grain of wheat (12:24); this is the vegetable life. On the other hand, this Gospel says that Christ is the Lamb of God (1:29); this is the animal life.
The animal life is for being killed so that the blood may be shed for redemption, whereas the vegetable life is for producing and generating life. A grain of wheat, falling into the ground, dies, grows, and multiplies into many grains.
Thus, with Christ we have the animal life for redemption and the vegetable life for germination. From these two lives blended together, we have the riches of Christ, the milk and the honey — for our enjoyment.
The Boundaries of the Land
Ezekiel presents the boundaries of the good land in a particular yet wonderful way. He says that the boundary on the western side is the Great Sea (47:20). This indicates that the coast of the Mediterranean Sea is the western boundary.
Ezekiel tells us that there is also a sea on the eastern side (v. 18). The sea in the east is not the Great Sea; it is the Dead Sea. At the top of the Dead Sea is the Jordan River, which continues northward to another sea, the Sea of Galilee, or the Sea of Tiberias. At another river, the river of Egypt, is the boundary of the good land on the south (v. 19).
The position of the good land between the waters of the Great Sea on the west and the waters of the Dead Sea on the east is significant. For the good land to be surrounded by water indicates that it is surrounded by death. In the Dead Sea there is nothing but death, and in the Great Sea there is salty water, which signifies death.
Moreover, in typology, the Jordan River signifies death. In this way, the good land is surrounded by death, yet it is not flooded by death. This reminds us of the land that emerged from the waters of death on the third day, thus signifying the resurrected Christ.
Certain portions of the Word indicate that the good land of Canaan is an elevated land (Deut. 32:13; Ezek. 20:40-42; 34:13-15; 37:22). The good land is an elevated land, typifying the resurrected Christ, raised from among the dead. Thus, the good land is not a low land but a high land.
Considering that the Dead Sea is hundreds of meters below sea level, Mount Zion is hundreds of meters above sea level. This means that the good land, as a type of the resurrected Christ, is an elevated land.
On the north side of the good land, there is no river as a boundary; instead, there is Mount Hermon. According to Psalm 133, the dew descends from Mount Hermon and comes down upon the mountains of Zion. This signifies that grace descends from the heavens and comes down upon all the local churches.
This elevated land with Mount Hermon typifies the resurrected Christ, who has ascended to the heavens. Now there is not only resurrection but also ascension, for Christ is not only the resurrected Christ but also the ascended Christ. He is above the waters of death, and He has ascended to the top of the mountain, Mount Hermon.
The Subdivisions of the Good Land
Regarding the subdivisions of the land, seven of the tribes of Israel were in the north and five were in the south. Of all the twelve tribes, Judah and Benjamin were the most beloved by the Lord.
When the twelve tribes were divided, only Judah and Benjamin remained with the Lord and did not participate in the division. For this reason, they were located near the Lord’s dwelling place. Because of the miserable condition of Gad, the portion of his tribe was placed at the extreme south of the land.
We must trust in the Lord’s judgment and estimation concerning us. Others may be mistaken about us, but the Lord cannot be mistaken. He is righteous and knows whether to place us in the north or in the south. He never makes a mistake.
With respect to the church life, we do not know where we should be, but the Lord knows where to place us. For example, no matter how much attention we may give to where we should go in migrating for the propagation of the church life, in the end we will be in the best place under the Lord’s sovereignty.
He knows whether we are Dan or Benjamin, Judah or Gad. We should not blame others, but rather recognize and submit to the Lord’s sovereignty. Dan, however, was never satisfied with the place where he was put. In Revelation 7, the name of Dan is not mentioned in the list of the tribes of Israel because of Dan’s idolatry and degradation (Judg. 18). The Lord temporarily removed his name from the list of the tribes.
🌿Enjoy more:
Hymn: Experience of Christ - “As the Good Land”
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