Ezekiel 36

REVIEW QUESTIONS

Why does Ezekiel repeat the material about the watchman and his responsibilities at this point?

Why does Ezekiel underscore the potential of repentance in Ezekiel 33:10-20?

In what way does Ezekiel envision a sinner manifesting his repentance?

In what sense are God’s promises to the righteous conditional?

Why did some Jews feel that the ways of God were not equal?

How long after the actual event did a fugitive arrive in Babylon with the news that Jerusalem had fallen?

In what sense was the silence imposed on Ezekiel now lifted?

What attitude characterized the pitiful remnant that remained in Judah after the catastrophe of 587 B.C.?

What evidence is there that the survivors of the destruction of Jerusalem really had not changed?

What was the attitude of the exiles toward Ezekiel?

Who were the shepherds condemned by Ezekiel? How had they failed in their duty?

In what way would those shepherds immediately be re placed?

In the more distant future who would God provide for the leadership of His people?

Why is the future covenant referred to as a covenant of peace?

In what way is God’s flock like Adam?

Why is Edom singled out for special condemnation in chapter 35?

Ezekiel 36:1-7

Chapter Sixteen

TRANSFORMATION AND RESTORATION 36:1-37:28

Thus far Ezekiel has expressed his hope for the future in terms of (1) the establishment of new leadership for the people of God; and (2) the punishment of those who previously had opposed His people. He now proceeds to speak of (3) the restoration of the land of Israel (chap. 36); and (4) the rebirth of the nation (chap. 37).

I. THE RESTORATION OF THE LAND

The prophecy against Mt. Seir (chap. 35) is followed by a prophecy unto the mountains of Israel. Here Ezekiel speaks of the material and spiritual aspects of the restoration of Israel. Chapter 36 may be the brightest chapter in the entire book. Four units of thought can be observed here: (1) the redemption of the land (Ezekiel 36:1-7); (2) the repopulation of the land (Ezekiel 36:8-15); (3) the purification of the land (Ezekiel 36:16-21); and (4) the return to the land (Ezekiel 36:22-38).

A. The Redemption of the Land 36:1-7

TRANSLATION

(1) And as for you, son of man, prophesy unto the mountains of Israel, and say, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the LORD. (2) Thus says the Lord GOD: Because the enemy has said against you: Aha! even the ancient high places are our possession; (3) therefore, prophesy and say, Thus says the Lord GOD: because, even because they have made you desolate and swallowed you up on every side that you might be a possession to the rest of the nations, and you are the object of conversation by talkers, and the evil report of people; (4) therefore, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord GOD: Thus says the Lord GOD to the mountains and to the hills, to the streams and to the valleys, and to the desolate wastes, and to the cities which have been forsaken which have become a prey and a derision to the rest of the nations which are round about; (5) therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Surely in the fire of My jealousy I have spoken against the rest of the nations and against Edom, that have appointed My land as a possession for themselves with the joy of all their heart, with disdain of soul, in order that its open country should be for spoil; (6) therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel, and say to the mountains and to the hills, to the streams and to the valleys; Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I in My jealousy and in My fury I have spoken because you have borne the reproach of the nations; (7) therefore thus says the Lord GOD: I have lifted up My hand, surely the nations which are round about you, they shall bear their reproach.

COMMENTS

The enemies who had cast a covetous eye on the ancient hilly terrain of Canaan completely had underestimated the power and intention of the God of Israel (Ezekiel 36:2). He had wonderful plans for His people. On the other hand, the enemies of Israel would have to pay for their crimes against Israel. Three crimes had been committed against the land of Israel (1) they (the Babylonians) had made the land desolate; (2) the rest of the nations, i.e., the neighbors of Israel, had cast covetous eyes upon that vacant land; and (3) they had spoken of the defeated Jews with contempt (Ezekiel 36:3). But God had good news for those forsaken cities and desolate wastes which neighboring nations were attempting to seize even while they spoke so contemptuously about them (Ezekiel 36:4). God was jealous for His people, and the fire of that jealousy was burning against those lands especially Edom which had desired to possess Canaan for themselves (Ezekiel 36:5).

Because the land of Judah had borne the shame of invasion and derision by neighbors, God had spoken in His jealous fury against those nations (Ezekiel 36:6). God had lifted up His hand in a formal oath that those nations would eventually bear their own shame. They would experience the humiliation which they had inflicted upon the Judeans (Ezekiel 36:7).

Ezekiel 36:8-15

B. The Repopulation of the Land 36:8-15

TRANSLATION

(8) But as for you, O mountains of Israel, you shall put forth your branches, and your fruit you shall bear for My people Israel; for they are near to come. (9) For, behold, I am for you, and I will turn to you, and you shall be tilled and sown; (10) and I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, even all of it; and the cities shall be inhabited, and the waste places shall be built up; (11) and I will multiply men upon you and cattle, and they shall increase and be fruitful; and will cause You to be inhabited as in former times, and I will make it better than your beginnings; and you shall know that I am the LORD. (12) And I will cause men to walk upon you, even My people Israel, and they shall possess you, and you shall be an inheritance for them; and you shall no more bereave them of their children. (13) Thus says the Lord GOD: Because they are saying to you: You are a devourer of men, and you have been a bereaver of your nations; (14) therefore you shall not devour men any more, and your nations you shall not again bereave (oracle of the Lord GOD); (15) nor will I allow the shame of the nations to be heard against you any more; nor shall you bear the reproach of peoples any more; nor shall you bereave your nations any more (oracle of the Lord GOD).

COMMENTS

The fertile hills of Canaan would yet yield their fruit to Israel, not to strangers. The people of God were at hand to come, i.e., the end of the exile was not far off (Ezekiel 36:8). The divine I am against you which God uttered against Mt. Seir (Ezekiel 35:3) is reversed as regards the mountains of Israel. God is not only for the mountains of Israel, He is about to turn unto them, i.e., take an active interest in them. As a result those hills and valleys would once again be cultivated (Ezekiel 36:9). Men would be multiplied in the land as former citizens of both kingdoms united to rebuild their ruined land (Ezekiel 36:10). Beast as well as man would increase until their numbers were equivalent to their former strength in pre-exilic times. Yet God would bless them beyond anything they had experienced in bygone days (Ezekiel 36:11). The feet of God’s people would yet walk over the mountains of Canaan. They would again possess those hills as their national inheritance. No more would those hills rob God’s people of their children through war, pestilence and famine that in former days had occurred there (Ezekiel 36:12).

One of the derogatory allegations hurled at the land of Canaan was that the land devoured its inhabitants. The original inhabitants, the Canaanites, had been destroyed; now Israel had undergone a similar fate.[460] It seemed that every nation which had occupied that land had been bereaved (Ezekiel 36:13). But once Israel returned to that land things would be different. God’s people would neither be devoured nor bereaved (Ezekiel 36:14). No more would they have to endure the derision of the nations because of what occurred to them in that land. The land of Canaan would no more be a stumblingblock to the people who lived in it. They would dwell safely and securely in that land (Ezekiel 36:15). These promises, of course, are conditional. As long as the returnees were faithful to God He would bless them in these ways. History records that even after their return to the land, the Jewish people failed to live up to their commitment to the Lord.

[460] Cf. Numbers 13:12 where the spies reported that Canaan was a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof.

Ezekiel 36:16-21

C. The Purification of the Land 36:16-21

TRANSLATION

(16) And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, (17) Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt upon their land, they defiled it by their way and by their deeds; like the uncleanness of a menstruous woman was their way before Me. (18) And I poured out My fury upon them because of the blood which they poured out upon the land, and because they had defiled it with their idols. (19) And I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed through lands according to their way and according to their deeds I judged them. (20) When they came unto the nations to which they came, they profaned My holy name; men said of them: These are the people of the LORD, and from His land they have gone forth. (21) But I had pity upon My holy name which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations to which they had come.

COMMENTS

In order to set forth clearly the magnificent goodness and grace of God in bringing Israel back to her land, Ezekiel reviews the circumstances which brought about her dispersion among the nations. Israel, the wife of God, had defiled the land by her general course of conduct and by her specific deeds. The divine Husband temporarily avoided the impure wife just as any ancient Israelite male was required to avoid intimacy with his wife during her monthly period (Ezekiel 36:17). God poured out His wrath upon His people because of their inexcusable impurity manifested especially in bloodshed and idolatry (Ezekiel 36:18). The wayward people were judged according to their deeds and were sentenced to exile among the nations (Ezekiel 36:19).

In those foreign lands Israel unwittingly profaned the name of the Lord. The nations did not realize that Israel’s punishment was just retribution for moral and religious shortcomings. They saw the condition of Yahweh’s people and they concluded that the God of Israel was unable to protect His own devotees (Ezekiel 36:20). According to pagan logic, the gods of Babylon had to be superior to Yahweh since the Babylonians had made the land of Israel desolate and dispersed the people of the Lord. Thus the divine name had suffered indignity without cause. God took pity upon His holy name, His reputation, which was being unjustly attacked. God does not take kindly to slanderous accusations concerning His name (Ezekiel 36:21).

Ezekiel 36:22-38

D. The Return to the Land 36:22-38

TRANSLATION

(22) Therefore, say unto the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord GOD: I am not doing this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy name which you have defiled among the nations to which you came. (23) And I will sanctify My great name which has been profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the LORD (oracle of the Lord GOD) when I am sanctified in you before their eyes. (24) For I shall take you from the nations, and I will gather you from all the lands, and I will bring you unto your own land. (25) And I will sprinkle upon you clean water, and you shall be clean from all your uncleanness, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. (26) And I will give to you a new heart, and a new spirit will I place within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh, and give you a new heart. (27) And My Spirit I will put within you, and I will bring it about that you will walk in My statutes, and that you will keep and do My ordinances. (28) And you shall dwell in the land which I gave to your fathers; and you shall be My people, and I will be your God. (29) And I will save you from all your uncleanness; and I will call unto the grain, and will increase it, and will not bring famine upon you. (30) And I will increase the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, in order that you may no longer receive the reproach of famine among the nations. (31) Then you shall remember your evil ways, and your deeds which were not good; and You shall loathe yourselves in your sight on account of your iniquities and your abominations. (32) Not for your sake will I do this (oracle of the Lord GOD), be it known to you; be ashamed and confounded because of your ways, O house of Israel. (33) Thus says the Lord GOD: In the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will cause cities to be inhabited, and the waste places to be built up. (34) And the desolate land shall be tilled instead of remaining a desolation in the sight of all who pass by. (35) And they shall say: This land which was desolate has become like the garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are fortified and inhabited. (36) And the nations that remain round about you shall know that I the LORD have built the ruined places, and planted the places that were desolate; I the LORD have spoken it, and I will do it. (37) Thus says the Lord GOD: I will yet for this be inquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them; I will increase them with men like a flock. (38) As a holy flock, as the flock of Jerusalem in her appointed times, so shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of men; and they shall know that I am the LORD.

COMMENTS

Israel did not deserve or merit salvation from exile and restoration to their homeland. But it was necessary as part of God’s long-range plan, to re-establish the divine reputation. Since His name was inseparably connected with the fortunes of Israel, positive divine action on behalf of His people was imperative (Ezekiel 36:22). By restoring Israel to the land of Canaan God would sanctify His name, i.e., set it apart for awe and reverence. The restoration of Israel would prove that the Babylonian captivity was not due to God’s weakness. The nations would come to know the God of Israel as truly the great I AM, Yahweh, when they witnessed the sudden reversal of the fortunes of His devoted followers (Ezekiel 36:23-24).

Those who would participate in the great ingathering would enjoy wonderful spiritual blessings. They would be cleansed of their uncleanness. The forgiveness of sin is here compared to the ritual purification by water (Ezekiel 36:25). As a result of this cleansing they would receive a new heart a tender and responsive heart of flesh to replace the stony heart which had so long been impervious to divine pleas and warnings. They would also receive an indwelling Spirit (Ezekiel 36:26), the Holy Spirit of God. This indwelling Spirit would enable God’s people to walk the path of obedience (Ezekiel 36:26).

Nine glorious consequences follow upon the spiritual regeneration of Israel God’s people:

1. God’s people would dwell in the land which God had given to the Patriarchs.

2. The redeemed nation would belong to God as His special possession.

3. The Lord would be their God in the special sense in which He is the God of all who love and obey Him (Ezekiel 36:28),

4. They would enjoy some measure of security in this new status. By the power of the indwelling Spirit, God would save them from uncleanness, i.e., He would help them to overcome their tendency to lapse into sin.

5. God would summon, as if miraculously, the grain, and He would restore the fertility of the land. Fruit trees as well as grain fields would yield their abundant harvests. Famine which periodically had plagued the Canaan of old would be a thing of the past (cf. Ezekiel 34:26-29). No more would non-believers be able to bring reproach on God’s people on this account (Ezekiel 36:29-30).

6. The redeemed people of God would totally loathe and abhor their former life of sin and rebellion (cf. Ezekiel 6:9). They would make a complete break with their past life of rebellion (Ezekiel 36:31).

7. These people would realize that they had not merited or deserved the blessing which they had received from the hand of God. Their salvation would be a pure act of divine grace. It is, therefore, appropriate that they be ashamed of their past con duct which, if dealt with by God in absolute justice, would have demanded complete and final rejection (Ezekiel 36:32).

8. The day of cleansing would be marked by the repopulation of the desolate land of Canaan (Ezekiel 36:33). Even those areas thought by passers-by to be beyond reclamation would be productive again (Ezekiel 36:34). The transformation in the land would cause amazement on the part of those outside the nation. The once ugly and barren land suddenly would become as beautiful as the garden of Eden; the ruined and defenseless cities would be filled and fortified (Ezekiel 36:35). The other nations would recognize the hand of God in all this. God through His prophets had announced beforehand what He would do. He who cannot lie always performs His word. Thus it is that through the fulfillment of prophecy non-believers come to see the works of God in history (Ezekiel 36:36).

9. The redeemed of the Lord, a small band at first, would pray for an increase in numbers. One of the principal concerns of those who know the Lord as savior is that others might share in the blessings of salvation. God here promises to hear that prayer and answer it (Ezekiel 36:37). As the city of Jerusalem swarmed with sacrificial animals before one of the appointed national festivals, so would the waste areas reclaimed by God’s people swarm with men. The fulfillment of this promise would strengthen the faith of God’s people in their God (Ezekiel 36:38).

The promises of the repopulation of Canaan began to be fulfilled in the return of the Jews to Canaan in 538 B.C. But earthly Canaan was but a type of that better country promised to and anticipated by the people of God from the time of Abraham (Hebrews 11:9-10; Hebrews 11:16). The return to Canaan after Babylonian exile was at the same time a fulfillment of a promise and the down payment of a promise. True Israelites, through faith in Christ, have left the bondage of the world and have come into spiritual Canaan (Hebrews 12:22). Properly understood Ezekiel 36:22-38 points to the spiritual realities of this present Gospel age.