Speak To Your Mountain - Preparing For The Return From Exile Series

Speak to Your Mountain

Preparing for the return

Part 1 of a 3 Part Series

Ezek 36:1-12 NKJV, "And you, son of man, prophesy to 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 of you, 'Aha! The ancient heights have become our possession,'"' 3 therefore prophesy, and say, 'Thus says the Lord God: "Because they made you desolate and swallowed you up on every side, so that you became the possession of the rest of the nations, and you are taken up by the lips of talkers and slandered by the people"

4 therefore, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God! Thus says the Lord God to the mountains, the hills, the rivers, the valleys, the desolate wastes, and the cities that have been forsaken, which became plunder and mockery to the rest of the nations all around — 5 therefore thus says the Lord God:"Surely I have spoken in My burning jealousy against the rest of the nations and against all Edom, who gave My land to themselves as a possession, with wholehearted joy and spiteful minds, in order to plunder its open country."'

6 "Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel, and say to the mountains, the hills, the rivers, and the valleys, 'Thus says the Lord God: "Behold, I have spoken in My jealousy and My fury, because you have borne the shame of the nations."

7 Therefore thus says the Lord God: "I have raised My hand in an oath that surely the nations that are around you shall bear their own shame. 8 But you, O mountains of Israel, you shall shoot forth your branches and yield your fruit to My people Israel, for they are about to come. 9 For indeed I am for you, and I will turn to you, and you shall be tilled and sown.

10 I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, all of it; and the cities shall be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt. 11 I will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall increase and bear young; I will make you inhabited as in former times, and do better for you than at your beginnings. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.

12 Yes, I will cause men to walk on you, My people Israel; they shall take possession of you, and you shall be their inheritance; no more shall you bereave them of children."

Throughout the Word, mountains are mentioned in significant ways.

Abraham nearly sacrificed Isaac on the Mountains of Moriah.

Moses received the Law of God on a mountain.

The Prophet Isaiah was in a cave on a mountain when he heard the voice of God.

Caleb was given a mountain as his inheritance.

The Transfiguration was on a mountain

Jesus would retreat to the mountain for R & R.

Here in Ezekiel 36 we see a very powerful word concerning the mountain. The prophet was told to prophecy to the mountain. But this was not just any mountain. This was specifically called the Mountains of Israel.

These were the mountains of Caleb and his descendants. These were the mountains of promise and prosperity. These were the fertile lands of Israel’s orchards and fields. This was the center of their agricultural district; their economic backbone.

Some things had happened to the mountains. You see, the people had backslidden. They had developed a culture of defilement and debauchery.

They had gone so far as to ruin the reputation of Jehovah and he was forced to have them exiled to other lands, to be conquered by other kings and armies. It was a bad time to be an Israelite.

But how many of you know the judgment of God doesn’t last forever? No, I am not talking about the final, eternal judgment, that’s a whole different thing.

I am talking about the judgment of God that’s designed to turn people back to the Lord.

So God tells the prophet to begin prophesying. He told him to prophecy to the mountains and to the cities that lay in rubble, to the agricultural status, to the valley of dry bones.

When God says it’s time to prophecy, then we had better begin speaking as the Lord directs.

Job 22:28 KJV “Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways.”

There are people here who need to begin prophesying.

There are people here to need to be declaring the Word of the Lord

There are people here who need to be remembering God’s prophetic promises, and proclaiming them to the heavens.

You see, when you begin to decree, or proclaim or, pronounce a thing, something begins to happen.