The circumference of the city shall be eighteen thousand cubits. and the name of the city from that time on shall be The Lord is There. (Ezekiel 48:33)
The verses and chapters preceding this verse are full of all sorts of specific measurements and requirements for the life of the community. Festival regulations. Land allotment specifications. Measurements. More measurements. Even more measurements.
Legit…I skimmed.
But after all these details, this city shall be The Lord is There.
The Lord is there in the way we do life together.
The Lord is there in the rhythms and schedules of balancing home and work.
The Lord is there in our planning for construction projects and what we do with our land and space.
The Lord is there in the rituals and festivals that commemorate our communal stories.
The Lord is there as we make rules about land inheritance and the use of resources and materials.
What difference does it make to our daily lives when we remember that the Lord is There? How does it (or might it) affect our care of creation, our use of resources, our treatment of strangers and foreigners, our use of time, our distribution of wealth and access to services? What difference might it make when we claim our cities as places where the Lord is…not just our sanctuaries?
As I read these verses in light of my recent trip to the Holy Land, there’s some added dimension (see what I did there) to the names of the city gates and the description of the city and temple. But what if the vision isn’t just for Ezekiel and an ancient city, but is also for me (and you) and the city of (insert name of city here)?
The rules and details in most of the book of Ezekiel lose me. I need a commentary to really understand what is going on. But one of the conclusions I come to as I come to the end of the book is that God wants people to know that daily life is infused with God’s presence. God is interested in the details.
Daily life is infused with God’s presence. God is interested in the details.
May we engage in daily life in a way that others see that The Lord is There.