Ezekiel 48:30 And these are the goings out of the city on the north side, four thousand and five hundred measures.

31 And the gates of the city shall be after the names of the tribes of Israel: three gates northward; one gate of Reuben, one gate of Judah, one gate of Levi.

32 And at the east side four thousand and five hundred: and three gates; and one gate of Joseph, one gate of Benjamin, one gate of Dan.

33 And at the south side four thousand and five hundred measures: and three gates; one gate of Simeon, one gate of Issachar, one gate of Zebulun.

34 At the west side four thousand and five hundred, with their three gates; one gate of Gad, one gate of Asher, one gate of Naphtali.

35 It was round about eighteen thousand measures: and the name of the city from that day shall be, The LORD is there.

Psalm 46:5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.

Isaiah 12:6 Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee

Zephaniah 3:14 Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem.

15 The LORD hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy: the king of Israel, even the LORD, is in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil any more.

17 The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.

Zechariah 2:5 For I, saith the LORD, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her.

10 Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the LORD.

Revelation 21:21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.

22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.

23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.

MEMORY VERSE: And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. —Revelation 21:3

CENTRAL THOUGHT: The holy city, the new Jerusalem, the bride of the Lamb which descended out of heaven from God, with a wall and foundations named for the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles, representing the church of God from both Old and New Testaments, has been given the name Jehovah Shammah, meaning “The Lord is There,” signifying that this is the dwelling place of the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb, who is the Light, Glory and Presence of the city of God.

WORD DEFINITIONS

Ezekiel 48:30 “Goings out”: Some translations read “exits” but the same word is used elsewhere in Scripture to mean “boundary line or border,” which is more likely here, as the measurement for the perimeter of the city was given before the gates were established and named.

Ezekiel 48:35 “The Lord is there”: Hebrew Jehovah Shammah.

Zephaniah 3:17 “He will rest in his love”: Hebrew be silent. “‘He will rest’—literally, be silent—‘in His love; He will joy over thee with singing.’ As to the former, loving hearts on earth know that the deepest love knows no utterance, and can find none. A heart full of love rests as having attained its desire and accomplished its purpose. It keeps a perpetual Sabbath, and is content to be silent…But side by side with this picture of the repose of God’s joy is set with great poetic insight the precisely opposite image of a love which delights in expression, and rejoices over its object with singing. The combination of the two helps to express the depth and intensity of the one love…” (MacLaren’s Expositions). The Septuagint renders the word “renew His love,” which is what many translations use.

LESSON BACKGROUND

Our lesson today begins with the final words of Ezekiel’s description of the Holy City. It bears resemblance to John’s description of the New Jerusalem in the 21st chapter of Revelation. The many terms and measurements in Ezekiel do not work out in a physical, practical sense. We can be sure the hidden depths in these descriptions can only be answered in a spiritual realm. By the connection to John’s vision—his definition of the holy city being “the bride, the Lamb’s wife” which we know to be the church of God (Ephesians 5)—we can discover many clues. Ezekiel speaks of there being one measurement for walls, doors, perimeter, etc.; John speaks of the city being “foursquare.” Ezekiel speaks of there being a “Law of the house.” Spiritually, we know that law is “Holiness unto the Lord.” The law of holiness is the same for individuals (like rooms in a building) as it is for the entire group.

The twelve gates of Revelation 21 correspond to the gates mentioned by Ezekiel; three names from the twelve tribes on the east, three gates named on the north; three on the south; and three on the west. John saw an angel at each gate, and each gate was formed out of one pearl. The wall that he saw had twelve foundations; in each of them was an apostle’s name and each were made with a different precious stone. Again, I don’t pretend to understand the deep allegories in these symbols; however, we know they are there.

But this lesson is about the special name given to the city. Many times in the Old Testament God spoke about a place where He would put His name. In those days it was the tabernacle in the wilderness; later, the tabernacle at Shiloh and then the temple built by Solomon in Jerusalem. Jerusalem, or Zion, became the prophetic term for the church of God, which is His dwelling place, the “place where He puts His name,” now.

The Psalmists, prophets Isaiah, Zephaniah and Zechariah all celebrate the comforting promise that God would dwell “in the midst” of Zion.

Our memory verse gives a very important key. The tabernacle of God, the dwelling place of God, is with His people. And our dwelling place is in God.

—Sis. Angela Gellenbeck

DISCUSSION:

1. Twelve Gates: Whose names were on them?
2. Twelve Foundations: Whose names were on them? Share the meaning of these names.
3. Jehovah Shammah: What does it mean?
4. “He Will Rest in His Love”: Share the meaning of this phrase.
5. Zion: Share the spiritual meaning of this city.

COMMENTS AND APPLICATION

What made Eden a blessed place to live? Was it the blooming flowers, the lush garden, perfect weather, or sparkling rivers? No, none of these beauties compared to the joy of God being there. He came each day to commune with them.

What made the long year on the ark bearable for Noah and His family? Or Jacob’s weary night with a stone for his pillow? What caused the Israelites to survive on the desert? Was it not because God was there? What made the young Hebrew men able to withstand a furnace heated seven times its normal? How did Daniel stay alive in the den full of hungry lions? God was there.

God was there one night in the hay manger in Bethlehem.

“Say of any place ‘Jehovah- shammah, the Lord is there,’ and be it tent or temple, you have spoken glorious things of it… Speak of Gethsemane, and we tell you God was there. Before Herod, and Pilate, and Caiaphas, and on the cross—the Lord was there. Though in a sense there was the hiding of God, and Jesus cried, ‘Why hast thou forsaken me?’ yet in the deepest sense Jehovah was there, bruising the great sacrifice. The thick darkness made a veil for the Lord of glory, and behind it He that made all things bowed His head and said, ‘It is finished.’ God was in Christ Jesus on the cross, and we, beholding Him, feel that we have seen the Father. O Calvary, we say of thee, ‘The Lord is there.’” (Charles Spurgeon).

—Sis. Angela Gellenbeck

REFLECTIONS

“Who all is going to be there?” That’s a question many of us ask while deciding to accept an invitation or not. It’s a legitimate question because the composition of the crowd can make a huge difference. A gathering tends to take on a personality all its own, for good or bad, depending simply on who’s there.

Even in our church services we’re often curious about those in attendance. Have we ever asked who was there—perhaps in our local congregation, at a revival or campmeeting? And the response was a list of names—saints, friends, family. But how wonderful to hear the reply—and the Lord was there!

God utilizes and works through His people with their various potentials and personalities. He sets the tone for the service, each person contributing. He anoints and the unseen presence of His Spirit influences, encourages and inspires. Without it our worship would be futile.

His word gives us the promise that where two or three are gathered together in His name He would be in the midst. We can count on it; He will be there every time and in every place. We are not to be discouraged by small numbers. In worship, God sets a minimum requirement of two. As long as we meet the requirements and conditions, He promises to be there.

Additionally, we have an even more precious and personal promise of His continual presence: Lo, I am with you alway even unto the end of the world. It doesn’t matter where life may take you, He has promised to always be there. And God is not slack concerning His promises.

—Bro. Darrell Johnson