Ezekiel 46:16

The Bible says in Ezekiel 46:16-18, “Thus saith the Lord GOD; If the prince give a gift unto any of his sons, the inheritance thereof shall be his sons'; it shall be their possession by inheritance.[17] But if he give a gift of his inheritance to one of his servants, then it shall be his to the year of liberty; after it shall return to the prince: but his inheritance shall be his sons' for them.[18] Moreover the prince shall not take of the people's inheritance by oppression, to thrust them out of their possession; but he shall give his sons inheritance out of his own possession: that my people be not scattered every man from his possession.” Your property is your property. It does not belong to anyone else. It belongs to you. It doesn’t belong to the government either. This passage is a strong support for capitalism. God established capitalism because capitalism is fair. One of the Ten Commandments is: “Thou shalt not steal.” If someone takes your property without your consent, then they are stealing. Notice verse 18 says that the prince “shall not take of the people's inheritance by oppression.” Every person should be able to pass their material gains onto their family as death. The government should not be taking what belongs to the family. In other words inheritance taxes are a violation of this principle found in these verses. Why does capitalism come from God? If comes from God because God gives freedom to human beings: freedom of choice, and freedom to make their own decisions about their own possessions. Of course, you will give an account to God for what you did with your freedom and your choices.

The Bible says in Ezekiel 46:19-24, “After he brought me through the entry, which was at the side of the gate, into the holy chambers of the priests, which looked toward the north: and, behold, there was a place on the two sides westward.[20] Then said he unto me, This is the place where the priests shall boil the trespass offering and the sin offering, where they shall bake the meat offering; that they bear them not out into the utter court, to sanctify the people.[21] Then he brought me forth into the utter court, and caused me to pass by the four corners of the court; and, behold, in every corner of the court there was a court.[22] In the four corners of the court there were courts joined of forty cubits long and thirty broad: these four corners were of one measure.[23] And there was a row of building round about in them, round about them four, and it was made with boiling places under the rows round about.[24] Then said he unto me, These are the places of them that boil, where the ministers of the house shall boil the sacrifice of the people.” Of course, these verses are all about “boiling” the meat after the animal sacrifices have taken place. Needless to say, massive numbers of animals were being sacrificed daily in the temple area. The only place in our culture that has that many animals being killed is a slaughterhouse. All of the meat that resulted from those animal killings was not disposed of. There is a practical side to serving God. God did not want the meat to be wasted. The old saying “waste not, want not” is applicable. Do not forget the practical part of serving Jesus. Yes, the Lord wants you to believe, but He also wants you to do. By the way, we no longer need a temple where animals are constantly slaughtered. Jesus is the Lamb of God who taketh away the sins of the world.

The Bible says in Ezekiel 47:1-8, “Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward: for the forefront of the house stood toward the east, and the waters came down from under from the right side of the house, at the south side of the altar.[2] Then brought he me out of the way of the gate northward, and led me about the way without unto the utter gate by the way that looketh eastward; and, behold, there ran out waters on the right side.[3] And when the man that had the line in his hand went forth eastward, he measured a thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the waters were to the ancles.[4] Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through the waters; the waters were to the knees. Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through; the waters were to the loins.[5] Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over.[6] And he said unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen this? Then he brought me, and caused me to return to the brink of the river.[7] Now when I had returned, behold, at the bank of the river were very many trees on the one side and on the other.[8] Then said he unto me, These waters issue out toward the east country, and go down into the desert, and go into the sea: which being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed.” The temple symbolized the presence of God. A river coming out of the temple symbolized the life-giving flow that come from God. All the water that you will ever need to wash away your sins comes from God because of the crucifixion of Christ. It is interesting how the depth of the river is expressed here: up to your ankles, then up to your knees, then up to your loins, and then over your head. Perhaps it is telling us that no matter how much you experience about the grace of God or the love of God or the mercy of God, there is always more to experience. Just keep going in deeper and deeper into your personal experience with Christ.

Notice that it says in verse 7, “at the bank of the river were very many trees on the one side and on the other.” The trees symbolize the growth and fruitfulness that is possible if we stay close to the Lord. Partake of what comes from God and you will grow strong and fruitful. The Word of God comes from God. On this same theme the Bible says in Psalms 1:1-3, “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.[2] But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.[3] And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”

The Bible says in Ezekiel 47:9-12, “And it shall come to pass, that every thing that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live: and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither: for they shall be healed; and every thing shall live whither the river cometh.[10] And it shall come to pass, that the fishers shall stand upon it from En-gedi even unto En-eglaim; they shall be a place to spread forth nets; their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many.[11] But the miry places thereof and the marishes thereof shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt.[12] And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine.” And so we are seeing that this part of the Bible makes a great emphasis on the symbolism of a wonderful river that flows from God. The pure waters of this river give life, cleansing, and health. All things that are touched by this river are blessed. And everyone who is supplied by this river is fruitful. One of the challenges of life is to accomplish something, to reach your potential, and to fulfill the reason that you were put on the earth. To accomplish this you must drink from the river of God. Jesus is the river. Jesus said in John 4:14, “But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” And Jesus also said in Revelation 21:6, “And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.”

The Bible says in Ezekiel 47:13-23, “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.[14] 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.[15] And this shall be the border of the land toward the north side, from the great sea, the way of Hethlon, as men go to Zedad;[16] Hamath, Berothah, Sibraim, which is between the border of Damascus and the border of Hamath; Hazar-hatticon, which is by the coast of Hauran.[17] 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.[18] 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. And this is the east side.[19] And the south side southward, from Tamar even to the waters of strife in Kadesh, the river to the great sea. And this is the south side southward.[20] The west side also shall be the great sea from the border, till a man come over against Hamath. This is the west side.[21] So shall ye divide this land unto you according to the tribes of Israel.[22] And it shall come to pass, that ye shall divide it by lot for an inheritance unto you, and to the strangers that sojourn among you, which shall beget children among you: and they shall be unto you as born in the country among the children of Israel; they shall have inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel.[23] And it shall come to pass, that in what tribe the stranger sojourneth, there shall ye give him his inheritance, saith the Lord GOD.”

In these verses God is explaining the division of the land of Israel between the twelve sons of Jacob. Each was given their own property and boundaries. This is capitalism and private ownership. In verse 14 God said to the people of Joseph, “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.” The land of Israel belongs to the Jewish people. It will always belong to the Jewish people because God gave it to them. God gave that land to Israel because of the promise that God made to Israel centuries before Ezekiel wrote these words. God always keeps His promises. God promised Abraham in Genesis 13:14-15, “And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward:[15] For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.”

It is important to also notice what is said in Ezekiel 47:22, “And it shall come to pass, that ye shall divide it by lot for an inheritance unto you, and to the strangers that sojourn among you, which shall beget children among you: and they shall be unto you as born in the country among the children of Israel; they shall have inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel.” The land of Israel was not only given to the Jews. Some of the land was also given to immigrants. God always welcomes immigrants to His kingdom because God has an outstanding invitation to everyone in the world to come to Him. Jesus said, “Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” God says in Isaiah 1:18, “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” If you have never responded to the invitation to come to Jesus, then you can come to him today. And if you do come to the Lord to confess your sins, you will become a citizen of heaven. “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

___________________________________________________