“It was round about eighteen thousand measures: and the name of the city from that day shall be, The Lord is there.” (Ezekiel 48:35 KJV)
It is God’s keen desire to own a dwelling within His people. We must both know and own this truth. In this visionary allotment of inheritance to the children of Israel, God did not leave Himself without a place or dwelling among their tribes. He founded a city of 18,000-cubit circumference whose name is called “The Lord is there”.
The notion and import of this “City” amid Israel’s National inheritance and respective tribal allotment to land and dwellings is to illustrate the pertinent and germane need of God’s inclusion in their National and tribal inter-relations. They must have a place for God in their course.
“Inclusion” has become a recurring slang in our recent vocabulary but that sadly is contra to God’s intended use in the scripture context. We must take notice and caution not to have an inclusion that invigorate God’s exclusion.
We must also note that the notice and notion of “The Lord is there” city structure was not so “outward” in its design and demand as if it is a physical city code for zoning but is in fact intended as cognitive and conscious rationing of our personal space to have a place for God amid our plans and pursuits. God requires a dwelling within you and me – We must consciously allot Him a place or space to dwell in our personal courses. He must be amid our plans and pursuits. He must be found there.
Back in Eden, it was not intrusion on God’s part to visit Adam and Eve from time to time; He had a space in their place. The Bible says, “And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.” (Gen. 3:8 KJV). It cannot be expected of us that God should not come around our space. We must make a place for Him, God demands. Adam and Eve could no longer accommodate God when they switched allegiance to the devil who would later be found in their midst. This is inception of cruel distortion to order and godliness in the course of Man and God was not there anymore
God’s keenest desire is to dwell within His people and that desire still runs. The Bible describes it thus, “I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant. I will establish them and increase their numbers, and I will put my sanctuary among them forever. My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people. Then the nations will know that I the Lord make Israel holy, when my sanctuary is among them forever.’” (Ezekiel 37:26-28 NIV). Notice that the covenant is an everlasting covenant.
Beloved, God demands that we create a City or Dwelling for Him in our lives and daily pursuits. There must be a moment devoted to God in daily planning. This is important to God and must be important to us. He includes Himself in whatever He gives to us. Note that it was God that gave them the Land allotted to them but He allotted a space among that Land for Himself and had it named “The Lord is there”.
How shall we answer should we be asked, “Where is God in our plans and pursuits?” May our ready and joyful answer be to point to the time and space devoted to God as God being “there” in Jesus Name.
