The Lord is There and The Lord will Provide

At the very end of Ezekiel 48:35
“And the name of the city from that time on will be: the Lord is there.”

According to Wikipedia: "Jehovah-shammah is a Christian transliteration of the Hebrew יְהוָה שָׁמָּה meaning "Jehovah is there", the name given to the city in Ezekiel's vision in Ezekiel 48:35. These are the final words of the Book of Ezekiel."
This comes after several chapters of Ezekiel's vision, detail description of the distribution of land among the twelve tribes of Israel, as well as the measurements of the New City. I guess Ezekiel wanted us to know that the most important thing about God's promise of a future City and the ultimate fulfillment of our spiritual longings remains to be: "The Lord is There". If the Lord is not where we are and where we will be, our pilgrimage on earth is futile!

While I am on the subject of Hebrew names (I only learned "Jehovah-shammah" this morning!), this site "Beautiful Names in Hebrew" gives a list of the popular ones found in the Old Testament of the Bible. These are my personal favorite:
ADONAI = Lord (Gen 18:3)
EL ROI = All-Seeing God (Gen. 16:13)
EL SHADDAI = God Almighty (Gen 17:1)
ELOHIM = God (Gen 1:1)
JEHOVAH = Self-Existing Lord (Ex. 6:2)
JEHOVAH-JIREH = The Lord will Provide. (Gen. 22:14)
JEHOVAH-ROHI = The Lord Our Shepherd (Ps. 23)
I have committed these names to memory. When the right occasional comes, e.g. when I wonder if the Lord will provide I will remind myself that the Lord I believe in is JEHOVAH-JIREH, and recall the story of how God provided for Abraham a sacrificial ram instead of sacrificing his one and only son Isaac. (Genesis 22:1-14).

I was puzzled about Ezekiel's vision. Wasn't he and the nation of Israel in captivity at that time? This new promise of restoration of Israel's land, temple and priests (Ezekiel chapters 40 to 48), how was it fulfilled? Should I interpret this vision literally or spiritually? Well it seems that I am not the only person asking these questions. Defendinginerrancy.com has an article entitled: "Ezekiel 40–48—How can these prophecies be understood literally when the NT declares that the sacrificial system has been abolished by Christ’s death?". If you are (I am not) a dispensationalist then this interpretation will satisfy you.

One last point for this blog. I am a volunteer in a local Refugee Clinic. I see patients one half day a month and I am the chairman of the board for this not-for-profit organization. What I read this morning in Ezekiel 47:21-23 caught my attention:
"You are to distribute this land among yourselves according to the tribes of Israel. You are to allot it as an inheritance for yourselves and for the foreigners residing among you and who have children. You are to consider them as native-born Israelites; along with you they are to be allotted an inheritance among the tribes of Israel. In whatever tribe a foreigner resides, there you are to give them their inheritance,” declares the Sovereign Lord (ADONAI)."

No matter how I interpret the distribution of land and who are the twelve tribes of Israel, this little nugget of truth jumps out at me in this passage. It reveals the heart of JEHOVAH. Foreigners are important in His eyes. The sharing of God's blessings with them is mandated by ADONAI. I will do well to listen and obey.

“Today, if you hear his voice,
    do not harden your hearts
    as you did in the rebellion.”
(Hebrews 3:15 Psalm 95:7,8)