These are the Names of the Tribes

                                                             

                                                 

                                                             

                                                    Ezekiel 48:1-14

 

February 29, 2024

 

These are the Names of the Tribes

“These are the names of the tribes: Beginning at the northern extreme, beside the way of Hethlon to Lebo-hamath, as far as Hazar-enan (which is on the northern border of Damascus over against Hamath), and extending from the east side to the west, Dan, one portion.  Adjoining the territory of Dan, from the east side to the west, Asher, one portion.  Adjoining the territory of Asher, from the east side to the west, Naphtali, one portion.  Adjoining the territory of Naphtali, from the east side to the west, Manasseh, one portion.  Adjoining the territory of Manasseh, from the east side to the west, Ephraim, one portion.  Adjoining the territory of Ephraim, from the east side to the west, Reuben, one portion.  Adjoining the territory of Reuben, from the east side to the west, Judah, one portion.

“Adjoining the territory of Judah, from the east side to the west, shall be the portion which you shall set apart, 25,000 cubits in breadth, and in length equal to one of the tribal portions, from the east side to the west, with the sanctuary in the midst of it.  The portion that you shall set apart for the Lord shall be 25,000 cubits in length and 20,000 in breadth.  These shall be the allotments of the holy portion: the priests shall have an allotment measuring 25,000 cubits on the northern side, 10,000 cubits in breadth on the western side, 10,000 in breadth on the eastern side, and 25,000 in length on the southern side, with the sanctuary of the Lord in the midst of it.  This shall be for the consecrated priests, the sons of Zadok, who kept my charge, who did not go astray when the people of Israel went astray, as the Levites did.  And it shall belong to them as a special portion from the holy portion of the land, a most holy place, adjoining the territory of the Levites.  And alongside the territory of the priests, the Levites shall have an allotment 25,000 cubits in length and 10,000 in breadth. The whole length shall be 25,000 cubits and the breadth 20,000.  They shall not sell or exchange any of it. They shall not alienate this choice portion of the land, for it is holy to the Lord.

One might read this and say, well, that's all about the 12 tribes getting an allotment or their portion of land.  But if you read past verse 11, you missed a significant verse; This shall be for the consecrated priests, the sons of Zadok, who kept my charge, who did not go astray when the people of Israel went astray, as the Levites did.  What is the message to the Church?  As you give thought to verse eleven, you must understand that Zadok's faithfulness had far reaching effect on future generations that came from his lineage.  

Once more, I am reminded of these words from King David, found in Psalm 143:8, “Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust.  Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.”   Trust is essential, yes, necessary for a follower of Christ.  I am guilty of acting as if God is in total agreement with all the things I‘ve planned.  But that is not what a man after God’s own heart did; no, David, before entering into battle, always asked the Lord to guide his steps.

It should remind you and me of this great verse found in Psalm 119:105, Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.  Jan and I were teaching a class of young married couples in Spring, Texas, on Psalm 119, and when we got to verse 105, the teacher asked a question on that verse.  It was that day a young man, “Bob, this is what the Lord has revealed to me, it is not a spotlight, it does not look around the corners on my main street, it is the right amount of light to keep me from stumbling as I take the next step.”  That day, the student became a teacher to me, I was living as if it was a spotlight, not a lamp, and I’m sure from observation that many of us are doing so.

 

We are told in Scripture and often quoted, from Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”  Yes, we hear that verse often, but not verse 12-13, “Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”  Yes, God has a special plan for your life, but it comes back to trust and obedience.  Do you recall Jesus asking Peter do you love me three times, and Peter saying Lord, you know that I love you, but do you recall what Jesus told Peter?  Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”

That was not addressed to pastors, teachers, and missionaries only, but to His Church.  First, we must trust Him, let His Word be the light we need to bring love and integrity to those we encounter, and let each of us listen for the voice of the Holy Spirit to give us marching orders, for that moment.

From the Back Porch, 

Bob Rice

Division of the Land

 

 

 

 Ezekiel 47:13-23

 

February 28, 2024

 

Division of the Land

Thus says the Lord God: “This is the boundary by which you shall divide the land for inheritance among the twelve tribes of Israel. Joseph shall have two portions.  And you shall divide equally what I swore to give to your fathers. This land shall fall to you as your inheritance.

“This shall be the boundary of the land: On the north side, from the Great Sea by way of Hethlon to Lebo-hamath, and on to Zedad,  Berothah, Sibraim (which lies on the border between Damascus and Hamath), as far as Hazer-hatticon, which is on the border of Hauran.  So, the boundary shall run from the sea to Hazar-enan, which is on the northern border of Damascus, with the border of Hamath to the north. This shall be the north side.

“On the east side, the boundary shall run between Hauran and Damascus; along the Jordan between Gilead and the land of Israel; to the eastern sea and as far as Tamar. This shall be the east side.

 “On the south side, it shall run from Tamar as far as the waters of Meribah-kadesh, from there along the Brook of Egypt to the Great Sea. This shall be the south side.

“On the west side, the Great Sea shall be the boundary to a point opposite Lebo-hamath. This shall be the west side.

“So, you shall divide this land among you according to the tribes of Israel. You shall allot it as an inheritance for yourselves and for the sojourners who reside among you and have had children among you. They shall be to you as native-born children of Israel. With you, they shall be allotted an inheritance among the tribes of Israel.  In whatever tribe the sojourner resides, there you shall assign him his inheritance, declares the Lord God.

From Facts about Israel

 

Biblical Borders: The Future Borders of Israel According to the Bible

See also Israel’s Borders in International Law

The current borders of Israel are disputed by the international community, from the UN to the Arab leadership. But these parties insist on ignoring the true legal position, link. Even the US, Israel’s greatest ally, makes misleading statements:

We believe the borders of Israel and Palestine should be based on the 1967 lines [Barack Obama, 2011]

Obama gave US support for a future Palestinian state based on borders that existed before the 1967 Middle East war. Thankfully, Israel’s border disputes will be short-lived. When this age ends, and the 1,000-year ‘Millennial Age’ of Earth begins, Israel’s borders will be firmly established by the God of Israel. In fact, Israel’s future borders are already clearly written in Bible prophecy (if only the world would read it).  Note: Obama’s pastor also had a hate for the USA and often used the Lord’s name in vain when referring to the USA.  I never read anything he said about Israel, but it was a true statement that Obama and his wife had disdain for the USA.

 

Borders of Israel: Summary

“The current land disputes with Israel over the so-called “occupied territories” will be relatively short-lived. Bible prophecy points to a soon-coming age (the Millennium) when the people of Israel (Abraham’s descendants, the Jews) live at peace within the boundaries promised unconditionally to Abraham. Those boundaries span from the River Jordan in the east to the Mediterranean in the west and embrace the disputed territories of the West Bank and Gaza. It is interesting to observe that the boundaries given to Moses as he was about to divide up Canaan for the twelve tribes (Numbers 34) correlate well with the Millennial boundaries given in Ezekiel 47.”

 

In that the people who wrote this were true to my beliefs, I have little to say about what is coming.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

Water Flowing from the Temple

 

Ezekiel 47:1-12

 

February 27, 2024

 

Water Flowing from the Temple

Then he brought me back to the door of the temple, and behold, water was issuing from below the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was flowing down from below the south end of the threshold of the temple, south of the altar.  Then he brought me out by way of the north gate and led me around on the outside to the outer gate that faces toward the east; and behold, the water was trickling out on the south side.

Going on eastward with a measuring line in his hand, the man measured a thousand cubits and then led me through the water, and it was ankle-deep.  Again, he measured a thousand and led me through the water, and it was knee-deep. Again, he measured a thousand and led me through the water, and it was waist-deep.  Again, he measured a thousand, and it was a river that I could not pass through, for the water had risen. It was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be passed through.   And he said to me, “Son of man, have you seen this?”

Then he led me back to the bank of the river.  As I went back, I saw on the bank of the river very many trees on the one side and on the other.  And he said to me, “This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, and enters the sea;​ when the water flows into the sea, the water will become fresh.  And wherever the river goes, every living creature that swarms will live, and there will be very many fish. For this water goes there, that the waters of the sea may become fresh; so, everything will live where the river goes.  Fishermen will stand beside the sea. From Engedi to Eneglaim, it will be a place for the spreading of nets. Its fish will be of very many kinds, like the fish of the Great Sea.  But its swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they are to be left for salt.  And on the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither, nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing.”

It should not amaze me at the detail God is showing Ezekiel, but it does, and as I read this to my wife, it became apparent to me that this water coming from the Temple was not your normal water, no it was like the Spirit of God moving, where it went it and those it touched it gave them food, and it brought about new life, and it change those it touched.  People were drawn to that water, for it was a water that touched those who encountered it.

 

When I entered into Christ, I knew that it was like the water from the temple; it was just a trickle. I was a new creation in Christ, but without the boldness to share what had happened.  I recall putting my Bible on the dashboard of my car, and my boss, riding with me, asked if I had gone to church.  I said yes, and did not tell him about how, in a hotel room, I had met the living God and that He had come into my life.  But that living water became more than a trickle in my life as I read the Scriptures and had men like Jack Archer, Ken Ryan, and Greg Hood invest in my spiritual growth, the living water of God's Holy Spirit began to get deeper and deeper.  And God is faithful, in that His Word instructs us to invest in faithful men who will also invest in others.  2 Timothy 2:2, “and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men,^[a] who will be able to teach others also.”

 

Much like the water flowing from the temple, a follower of Christ's life should draw others to the Spirit living in them, and if not, we need to examine ourselves.  2 Corinthians 13:5, ^“Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? —unless indeed you fail to meet the test!”  

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

 

Fear or Faith

 

 

 

Fear or Faith

 

 

We need to define both words, Fear and Faith. 

Define fear: an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat: (fear for) a feeling of anxiety concerning the outcome of something or the safety and well-being of someone.

 

Define Faith: Faith is defined as complete trust, confidence, or assurance in something unseen, often centered on belief in God's character and promises. It is described in the Bible as "the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1),

 

It is my belief and witness that we are engulfed with fear; it is being sold to us every day in most of the ads on the radio, TV, and in print.  Some example gold is being pushed as the answer to your financial survival.  The health care pill pushers are selling fear; all the insurance groups are big on selling fear. If you do not buy a warranty from one of the companies pushing it, to make sure your car is not going to cost you may end up paying thousands unless you pay them a very hefty amount each month for protection.

 

What is the driving force in selling Fear?  Greed, maybe we should define Greed:: intense and selfish desire for something, especially wealth, power, or food. “mercenaries who had allowed greed to overtake their principles."  That is a great definition for many in the Congress of our nation.

 

In the Bible, greed is defined as an intense, selfish, and insatiable desire for possessions, wealth, or power, often described as a form of idolatry that prioritizes material gain over God. It is frequently linked with covetousness and described as "filthy lucre" or "dishonest gain," warning that this craving destroys life and leads to spiritual ruin.  Once more, the Congress of our nation comes to mind.  Their actions speak so much louder than words. 

 

 Ephesians 2:8-10

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

 

 Hebrews 11:1-3

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

 

James 1:2-4

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

 

James 2:26

As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

 

 Galatians 5:5-6

For through the Spirit, we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

 

 1 Corinthians 16:13

Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.

 

 

 Isaiah 41:10

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

 

I'm convinced that anger is the fruit, but fear is the root. To produce better fruit in our lives, we need to tend to the roots. Next time you get angry, stop and ask yourself what you are being threatened by. Ken Shuman

 

​I was taught like a bird dog how to fear.  I've been over many years learning how not to listen to that channel and walk by faith.  Each day, we choose who we will 

serve; Fear or Faith.

 

From our Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

Boiling Places for Offerings

 

Ezekiel 46:19-24

 

February 26, 2024

 

Boiling Places for Offerings

Then he brought me through the entrance, which was at the side of the gate, to the north row of the holy chambers for the priests, and behold, a place was there at the extreme western end of them.  And he said to me, “This is the place where the priests shall boil the guilt offering and the sin offering, and where they shall bake the grain offering, in order not to bring them out into the outer court and so transmit holiness to the people.”

Then he brought me out to the outer court and led me around to the four corners of the court. And behold, in each corner of the court there was another court— in the four corners of the court were small courts, forty cubits long and thirty broad; the four were of the same size.  On the inside, around each of the four courts was a row of masonry, with hearths made at the bottom of the rows all around.  Then he said to me, “These are the kitchens where those who minister at the temple shall boil the sacrifices of the people.”

 

My thoughts went to King David as I read these verses this morning, for Ezekiel was allowed to see things that were not yet built, things of the future, things that none of us have yet seen.  And that takes a man who has a heart for God to sit quietly in a room listening and waiting for God to speak.  I believe this prophet was that kind of man, and so was David.  Listen to a part of David’s prayer in Psalm 143:7-10, “Answer me quickly, O Lord!  My spirit fails!  Hide not your face from me, lest I be like those who go down to the pit.  Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust.  Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul. Deliver me from my enemies, O Lord!  I have fled to you for refuge.   Teach me to do your will, for you are my God!  Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!”

 

Observation, we are not the first generation to want God to do it quickly; that is the nature of man.  Now, with that said, how many of us listen for God to speak in the morning?  This morning, I saw the hand of God in a sunrise; it was amazing.  This morning, as I read David's prayer, it was also my prayer, for I want God to show me how to be obedient in seeking His plans for the day and not mine.  I need God to show me how the enemy of my soul has planned to deceive me so that I do not fall into his trap.  Yes, I need Jesus and the Holy Spirit to lead me on level ground.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

The Prince and the Feasts

 

Ezekiel 46:1-18

 

February 23, 2024

 

The Prince and the Feasts

“Thus says the Lord God: The gate of the inner court that faces east shall be shut on the six working days, but on the Sabbath day it shall be opened, and on the day of the new moon it shall be opened.  The prince shall enter by the vestibule of the gate from outside and shall take his stand by the post of the gate. The priests shall offer his burnt offering and his peace offerings, and he shall worship at the threshold of the gate. Then he shall go out, but the gate shall not be shut until evening.  The people of the land shall bow down at the entrance of that gate before the Lord on the Sabbaths and on the new moons.  The burnt offering that the prince offers to the Lord on the Sabbath day shall be six lambs without blemish and a ram without blemish.  And the grain offering with the ram shall be an ephah, and the grain offering with the lambs shall be as much as he is able, together with a hin of oil to each ephah.  On the day of the new moon, he shall offer a bull from the herd without blemish, and six lambs and a ram, which shall be without blemish.  As a grain offering, he shall provide an ephah with the bull and an ephah with the ram, and with the lambs as much as he is able, together with a hin of oil to each ephah.  When the prince enters, he shall enter by the vestibule of the gate, and he shall go out by the same way.

“When the people of the land come before the Lord at the appointed feasts, he who enters by the north gate to worship shall go out by the south gate, and he who enters by the south gate shall go out by the north gate: no one shall return by way of the gate by which he entered, but each shall go out straight ahead.  When they enter, the prince shall enter with them, and when they go out, he shall go out.

“At the feasts and the appointed festivals, the grain offering with a young bull shall be an ephah, and with a ram an ephah, and with the lambs as much as one is able to give, together with a hin of oil to an ephah.  When the prince provides a freewill offering, either a burnt offering or peace offerings as a freewill offering to the Lord, the gate facing east shall be opened for him. And he shall offer his burnt offering or his peace offerings as he does on the Sabbath day. Then he shall go out, and after he has gone out, the gate shall be shut.

“You shall provide a lamb a year old without blemish for a burnt offering to the Lord daily; morning by morning you shall provide it.  And you shall provide a grain offering with it morning by morning, one-sixth of an ephah, and one-third of a hin of oil to moisten the flour, as a grain offering to the Lord. This is a perpetual statute.  Thus, the lamb and the meal offering and the oil shall be provided, morning by morning, for a regular burnt offering.

“Thus says the Lord God: If the prince makes a gift to any of his sons as his inheritance, it shall belong to his sons. It is their property by inheritance.  But if he makes a gift out of his inheritance to one of his servants, it shall be his to the year of liberty. Then it shall revert to the prince; surely it is his inheritance—it shall belong to his sons.  The prince shall not take any of the inheritance of the people, thrusting them out of their property. He shall give his sons their inheritance out of his own property so that none of my people shall be scattered from his property.”

 

Once again, we must remember the timeline; we believe this Temple will be built after Christ's return, and in the 1000-year reign on the Earth.  And once more, we go to Scripture to see if it is for Salvation or for worship, and in agreement with God that they have sinned, by thoughts or deeds.  A great place to start is 1 John 2:2, “He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.”  There was one sin that Jesus did not die for, and that was the sin of unbelief.  John 3:18-20 makes that clear, along with the cost to the one who does not put their faith in the only Son of God.  ^“Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.  And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.  For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.”

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

The Portion for the Prince

 

Ezekiel 45:7-25

 

February 22, 2024

 

The Portion for the Prince

“And to the prince shall belong the land on both sides of the holy district and the property of the city, alongside the holy district and the property of the city, on the west and on the east, corresponding in length to one of the tribal portions, and extending from the western to the eastern boundary of the land. It is to be his property in Israel. And my princes shall no more oppress my people, but they shall let the house of Israel have the land according to their tribes.

 “Thus says the Lord God: Enough, O princes of Israel! Put away violence and oppression, and execute justice and righteousness. Cease your evictions of my people, declares the Lord God.

“You shall have just balances, a just ephah, and a just bath. The ephah and the bath shall be of the same measure, the bath containing one tenth of a homer, and the ephah one tenth of a homer; the homer shall be the standard measure.  The shekel shall be twenty gerahs; twenty shekels plus twenty-five shekels plus fifteen shekels shall be your mina. 

“This is the offering that you shall make: one sixth of an ephah from each homer of wheat, and one sixth of an ephah from each homer of barley,  and as the fixed portion of oil, measured in baths, one tenth of a bath from each cor (the cor, like the homer, contains ten baths).  And one sheep from every flock of two hundred, from the watering places of Israel, for grain offering, burnt offering, and peace offerings, to make atonement for them, declares the Lord God. All the people of the land shall be obliged to give this offering to the prince in Israel.  It shall be the prince's duty to furnish the burnt offerings, grain offerings, and drink offerings, at the feasts, the new moons, and the Sabbaths, all the appointed feasts of the house of Israel: he shall provide the sin offerings, grain offerings, burnt offerings, and peace offerings, to make atonement on behalf of the house of Israel.

“Thus says the Lord God: In the first month, on the first day of the month, you shall take a bull from the herd without blemish, and purify the sanctuary.  The priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering and put it on the doorposts of the temple, the four corners of the ledge of the altar, and the posts of the gate of the inner court.  You shall do the same on the seventh day of the month for anyone who has sinned through error or ignorance; so you shall make atonement for the temple.

“In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, you shall celebrate the Feast of the Passover, and for seven days unleavened bread shall be eaten.  On that day, the prince shall provide for himself and all the people of the land a young bull for a sin offering.  And on the seven days of the festival, he shall provide as a burnt offering to the Lord seven young bulls and seven rams without blemish, on each of the seven days; and a male goat daily for a sin offering.  And he shall provide as a grain offering an ephah for each bull, an ephah for each ram, and a hin of oil to each ephah.  In the seventh month, on the fifteenth day of the month, and for the seven days of the feast, he shall make the same provision for sin offerings, burnt offerings, and grain offerings, and for the oil.

 

Let me share first that we are no longer under the law, for in Christ we have received grace.  Does that mean we cannot learn from the Law? If that were so, why did God command you and me to take the whole counsel of the word?  Acts 20:26-27, “Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.”  Do not let anyone put you under religious rule and traditions. In 2 Timothy 2:1,2, “You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.”  Galatians 5:1,
“For freedom, Christ has set us free; stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”

 

In Galatians 5:1–15, the apostle Paul discusses the nature of Christian freedom, beginning with an admonition to “stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage” (Galatians 5:1, NKJV). 

“Paul contends that Jesus Christ came to set believers free from a burdensome, legalistic existence as slaves to the law. Therefore, Christians must ensure that they stay free and not get bound up again under a yoke of bondage to the law. (Taken from “Got Questions”)

Let me be clear that Ezekiel's temple has not yet been built; many believe it will be so when Christ returns.  They believe that during the 1000-year reign, the Temple will be built.  That will be a time Satan will be bound, and yet we know that the prince will be at his best performance during that time.  But we also know that after the 1000-year reign, that old serpent will be free, and a great battle will take place, and they, the children of the devil, will spend eternity in a place of torment.  

Anyone who is in Christ should never desire another human to go to hell, and it was not designed for humans but for the devil and his angels.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice