Sayfadaki görseller
PDF
ePub

before his death: “There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heaven in thy help, and in his excellency on the sky. The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms; and He shall thrust out the enemy before thee, and shall say, Destroy them. Israel then shall dwell in safety alone: The fountain of Jacob shall be upon a land of corn and wine, also his heavens shall drop down dew. Happy art thou, O Israel: who is like unto thee, O people saved by the Lord, the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency! and thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee, and thou shalt tread upon their high places.” Deut. xxxiii. 26—29. It is also the very threat which the wicked Balaam prophetically declared to Balak concerning Israel and his people “in the latter days.” Numb. xxiv. 14—24. The enjoyment of their land, to the extent of the original promise, is accordingly one of the blessings announced to be received by Israel for the Millennial period; and its boundaries are fully marked out in that remarkable prophecy with which the book of Ezekiel concludes: “Thus saith the Lord God, This shall be the border whereby ye shall inherit the land, according to the twelve tribes of Israel; Joseph shall have two portions. And ye shall inherit it, one as well as another; concerning the which I lifted up mine hand, to give it unto your fathers; and this land shall fall unto you for inheritance. And this shall be the border of the land toward the North side; from the great sea, [the Mediterranean, the way of Hethlon, as men go to Zedad; Hamath, Berothah, Sibraim, (which is between the border of Damascus and the border of Hamath.) Hazarhatticon, [which is by the coast of Hauran o, and the border from the sea shall be Hazar-enan, the border of Damascus, and the north northward, and the border of Hamath ; and this is the north side. And the East side ye shall measure from Hauran, and from Damascus, and from Gilead, and from the land of Israel by Jordan from the border unto the East Sea, the Salt or Dead Sea, which having then been “healed” (Ezek. xlviii. 19.) and having lost its present characteristics, will be then named " East" in reference to its situation with respect to Jerusalem] and this is the east side. And the South side southward, from Tamar even to the waters of strife in Kadesh, the river Nile to the great sea, the Mediterranean, and this is the south side southward. The West side also shall be the great sea, the Mediterranean, from the south border till a man come over against Hamath; this is the west side. So shall ye divide this land unto you, according to the tribes of Israel." Ezek.xlvii. 13—21. This is an extent of territory vastly beyond what Israel has ever yet enjoyed. Their land, as formerly possessed, is even given as one of the marks by which the new boundary on one side is to be ascertained: "From the land of Israel by Jordan." ver. 18.

SECTION VI.

NFAV DIVISION OF THE HOLY LAND.

The enlargement of Israel's inheritance will necessarily occasion a new division of the land. Accordingly, the divine allotments to the various tribes, after their restoration, are distinctly recorded in the interesting and important prophecy, concerning the Latter Day, with which the book of Ezekiel concludes. It is a regular division, altogether different from that made in the days of Joshua, the lots of the tribes being proportioned to the extent of the enlarged inheritance. It embraces the whole land, as marked out in the 47th chapter, already cited at the end of the preceding Section,—having the same boundary marks assigned on the North and on the South. It begins "from the North end to the coast of the way of Hethlon, as one goeth to Hamath, Hazarenan, the border of Damascus northward, to the coast of Hamath, (for these are his sides east and west,) a portion for Dan." "And by the border of Gad, at the South side southward, the border shall be even from Tamar unto the waters of strife in Kadesh, and to the river toward the great sea." Ezek. xlviii. 1, 28. Dis

tinct specification is made of the relative situations of the whole, all running parallel to each other from east to west. In this, the N ew Division differs entirely from that made by Joshua; and we know of nothing better calculated to convince the inquirer of its reference to future times, than a careful examination of the prophecy, and the perfect contrast which its division presents to any which has ever yet obtained. The utmost regularity is here prescribed, each lot lying alongside of the others; while the most casual inspection of any map of Palestine will show that the Division by Joshua was re

fulated by no principle of regularity or order. That ivision was made evidently with a respect to what territory had already been acquired, and which could therefore be made available for possession by the different tribes. It was exceedingly irregular, and the manner in which the allotments were made gives pretty striking indications of the division not having been designed to be permanent. The lot of the tribe of Manasseh is divided into two, the parts of which do not lie contiguous ; the extensive country to the east of Jordan was given to the two tribes and a half, at their own request, before any of the rest of the land was conquered; (Numb, xxxii.) and after Joshua's lot was fixed, it was found to be too large for them, and Simeon's lot was taken out of it, (Josh. xix. 1, 9.) These circumstances sufficiently show, that however necessary it was to nave some division at the time, that the one made -was only temporary. But when Israel shall be restored and converted, and receive the whole of the land promised To their fathers, a New Division will be made mote m cordance with their happier circumstances, an^ main as the fixed boundaries of their seveTav v fully and minutely predicted by EzekieU Cx^ distinction of tribes having long been lost, it. _ regained only by miraculous information:;. ^otl cotv doubtless be supplied, otherwise the spe.cl

tained in this chapter had never been ^1»-p«T.\\5 sides the portions allotted to the Twelve -|\e<\ in the centre of these a large portion, cJ%TVto Oblation, is also reserved as an offering xl

"Moreover, when ye shall divide by lot the land for an inheritance, ye shall offer an Oblation unto the Lord, an Holy Portion of the Land; the length shall be the length of five and twenty thousand reeds, [ the reed being six cubits long, Ezek. xl. 5, or nearly eleven feet English.] and the breadth shall be ten thousand. This shall be holy in all the borders thereof round about. Of this there shall be for the Sanctuary five hundred in length, with five hundred in breadth, square round about; and fifty cubits round about for the suburbs thereof. And of this measure shall thou measure the length of five and twenty thousand, and the breadth of ten thousand: and in it shall be the Sanctuary, and The Most Holy Place." Ezek. xlv. 1—3. This is farther described, and its relative situation determined, in another chapter: "And by the border of Judah, from the east side unto the west side, shall be the offering which ye shall offer of five and twenty thousand reeds in breadth, and in length as one of the other parts, from the east side unto the west side, and the Sanctuary shall be in the midst of it." Ezek. xlviii. 8. Concerning this it is said, "The Holy Portion of the land shall be for the priests, the ministers of the Sanctuary, which shall come near to minister unto the Lord; and it shall be a place for their houses, and an holy place for the Sanctuary." Ezek. xlv. 4. Another portion of equal size with that described above, is reserved for the Levites, who formerly had no inheritance: "And, over against the border of the priests, the Levites shall have five and twenty thousand in length, and ten thousand in breadth; all the length shall be five and twenty thousand, and the breadth ten thousand. And they shall not sell of it, neither exchange nor alienate the first fruits of the land: for it is holy unto the Lord." Ezek. xlviii. 13,14. This is also confirmed in the 45th chapter: "And the five and twenty thousand of length, and the ten thousand of breadth, shall also the Levites, the ministers of the House, have for themselves, for a possession for twenty chambers." Ezek. xlv. 5. It is worthy of remark that this portion called the Holy Oblation, which, as we shall afterwards show, is to contain the New Jerusalem, the residence of the Redeemer

[ocr errors]

and glorified saints, is situated between the lots of the
tribes of Judah and Benjamin, which formed the King-
dom of Judah. Christ himself belonged to the tribe of
Judah, of the seed of David; and the tribes of Judah
and Benjamin, having respect to the promise of God that
he would give to the Seed of David his father's throne,
remained faithful in their allegiance, when the kingdom
of Israel revolted. This passage gives a more peculiar
significance to the inscription over the cross of Him
who said, "I am King of the Jews." The Division of
the land into its various portions is in the following or-
der, beginning ut the north border, and descending south-
ward: The portions of Dan, of Asher, of INaphtali, of
Manasseh, of Ephraim, of Reuben, and of Judah (xlviii.
1—7); next of the Holy Portion or "Holy Oblation
four square," offered unto the Lord (xlviii. 8—22); then
follow the portions of the remaining tribes, of Benjamin,
of Simeon, of Issachar, of Zebulun, and of Gad." (xlviii.
23—28.) And "this is the land which ye shall divide
by lot unto the tribes of Israel for inheritance, and these
are iheir portions, sailh the Lord God." ver. 20. But
in this Division is to be noticed another and most re-
markable circumstance. Besides the ancient city of
Jerusalem which is to be rebuilt, and in which the
Sanctuary of the Lord is to be re-erected, particular
mention is here made of another City of nearly ten miles
square, separated by the portion of the Levites, twenty
miles in breadth, from that in which the Sanctuary is
placed: "And the five thousand that are left in the
breadth, over against the five and twenty thousand,
shall be a profane place for The City, for dwelling and
for suburbs, and the City shall be in the midst thereof"
ver. 15. The measurements of this city with its sub-
urbs follow; and it is added, " And the residue in length,
over against the Oblation of the Holy Portion, shall be
ten thousand eastward and ten thousand -west-ward, and
it shall be over against the Oblation of the B.oty Por-
tion; and the increase thereof shall be for food
them that serve The City. And they thai serce
City shall serve it nut of all the tribes of Israel"
ilviii. 15—19. These three compartments, into

« ÖncekiDevam »