SUMMARY
In an extended vision, EzekielEzekiel was a priest and prophet who was raised in Jerusalem and exiled to Babylon in 597 BCE. describes the blessings of God toward Israel after the exile. These blessings are spatial and structural: a restored land, a new TempleThe Jerusalem temple, unlike the tabernacle, was a permanent structure, although (like the tabernacle) it was a place of worship and religious activity. On one occasion Jesus felt such activity was unacceptable and, as reported in all four Gospels, drove from the temple those engaged..., restored rituals, and the ultimate blessingBlessing is the asking for or the giving of God's favor. Isaac was tricked into blessing Jacob instead of his firstborn Esau. At the Last Supper Jesus offered a blessing over bread and wine. To be blessed is to be favored by God. of God’s own presence forever.
ANALYSIS
The book ends with the fourth extended vision of the prophet. These long chapters detail a highly symbolic presentation of a new Temple, new ritual, and a new allocation of land. It would be wrong to give these chapters a literal interpretation, despite all the appearance of concrete details. Their function is given in 43:10: “Describe the temple to the house of Israel, and let them measure the pattern; and let them be ashamed of their iniquities.” The meaning of the structure is also given near the end of its description: “This is the place of my throne and the place for the soles of my feet, where I will reside among the people of Israel forever” (43:7). Ezekiel also lays out the boundaries of the land, with allotments for the 12 tribes (even though 10 of them no longer existed). Again, the purpose is theological rather than geographical: all Israel will be brought back to the Promised Land. The book ends with the new name of Jerusalem: “The LORD is There” (48:35).
