Ezekiel 47:12 – “Fruit trees of all kinds will grow along both sides of the river. The leaves of these trees will never turn brown and fall, and there will always be fruit on their branches. There will be a new crop every month, for they are watered by the river flowing from the Temple. The fruit will be for food and the leaves for healing.”
These final chapters of Ezekiel tell of a time that is still yet to come. He is seeing a vision of things God will do, and the exact timeline isn’t clear. Verse 12, highlighted above, sounds a lot like John’s vision in Revelation 22:1-3. In both passages, we see a river flowing, with fruit growing along its banks. Healing is available through these trees along the riverbanks.
This image is interesting to me, particularly in light of the graphic, violent imagery we have read in the book of Ezekiel. Is God double-minded? Does he hate and kill, and then at other times love and heal? How are we to make sense of this God?
Here’s your freedom for today:
God’s heart is always for healing.
God does not sometimes hate and kill, while other times seeming to love or heal. He is not two-faced, nor does he have mixed motives. His goal is always the same: healing. Repeatedly throughout this book we have seen that God’s anger is directed to abusive, evil rulers who have oppressed their people. He is angry when his people worship other gods because he knows there is nothing but evil in that practice. Only God, this God of the Bible, has the power to heal and restore. Only his kingdom has these rivers of healing, flowing through the streets. He will drive everything out that threatens that healing, because you are worth protecting. Come sit by his river today, imagining a world in which you are fully healed, safe, and whole.