Ezekiel 47:12

Usually trees only have fruit in certain months. But these trees in the *vision did something that would be impossible by natural means. They had fruit all the year. They had fruit because of the water that came from God’s *temple.

In the Bible, fruit is often a word picture. It means the good things that a good person achieves. Bad people are like a garden that yields no fruit (Isaiah 5:7). But good people achieve good things. They do this because God’s Spirit is in their lives (Isaiah 61:1-3; Galatians 5:22-23).

The description of the trees here is similar to Psalms 1:3. In that Psalm, the description is of a good person who loves God’s law. That person does good things constantly because his strength comes from God.

The trees yield both food and medicine. They provide for people, and they cure people. So the trees have the same qualities as the water gives to them. The water gives life and it cures. And the trees give food and they cure. In the same manner, God’s people do his work. And as they do it, they start to show some of the same qualities as God himself (Ephesians 5:1). Their aim is not that people should praise them. They do those things so that people will give honour to God (1 Peter 2:12).

The country called *Israel – Ezekiel 47:13-23

v13 The *LORD your King says, ‘The country will have these borders. Divide the country into 12 parts for the *tribes of *Israel. One part shall be for each *tribe but two parts shall be for Joseph. v14 You will divide the country so that each part is the same size. I promised to give this country to your *ancestors. So, this country will be for you as family property.

v15 The country will have these borders. On the north side, the border will start at the Great Sea. It will go by way of Hethlon, toward Lebo Hamath and on to the town called Zedad. v16 It will continue through Berothah and Sibraim. These towns are on the border between Damascus and Hamath. This border will end at the town called Hazer Hatticon on the border of the country called Hauran. v17 So the border will go from the Great Sea east to the town called Hazar Enan. Here the land that belongs to Damascus and Hamath will be on the north side. This will be the northern border of the country. v18 On the east, the border goes south from a point between Hauran and Damascus. It will go along the Jordan between Gilead and the country called *Israel. It will continue to the town called Tamar on the east sea. This will be the east side of the country. v19 On the south side, the border will go east from Tamar all the way to the waters called Meribah Kadesh. Then it will go along the river of Egypt to the Great Sea. This will be the southern border of the country. v20 On the west side, the Great Sea will be the border up to a place across from Lebo Hamath. This will be the western border of your country.

v21 You will divide this country between the *tribes of *Israel. v22 You will divide the land and you will give it to your families to possess it. Those foreign families who have lived among you must have a share of the land. You must accept these foreigners the same as people born in *Israel. They must share the land with the *tribes of *Israel. v23 You will include the foreigners with the *tribes in which they live.’ This is what the *LORD your King says.