Ezekiel 36: 1 – 38
The Big Gulp
1 “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.” 13 ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Because they say to you, ‘You devour men and bereave your nation of children,’ 14 therefore you shall devour men no more, nor bereave your nation anymore,” says the Lord GOD. 15 “Nor will I let you hear the taunts of the nations anymore, nor bear the reproach of the peoples anymore, nor shall you cause your nation to stumble anymore,” says the Lord GOD.’” 16 Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying: 17 “Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their own ways and deeds; to Me their way was like the uncleanness of a woman in her customary impurity. 18 Therefore I poured out My fury on them for the blood they had shed on the land, and for their idols with which they had defiled it. 19 So I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed throughout the countries; I judged them according to their ways and their deeds. 20 When they came to the nations, wherever they went, they profaned My holy name—when they said of them, ‘These are the people of the LORD, and yet they have gone out of His land.’ 21 But I had concern for My holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations wherever they went. 22 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy name’s sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went. 23 And I will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the LORD,” says the Lord GOD, “when I am hallowed in you before their eyes. 24 For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. 25 Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. 28 Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God. 29 I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses. I will call for the grain and multiply it, and bring no famine upon you. 30 And I will multiply the fruit of your trees and the increase of your fields, so that you need never again bear the reproach of famine among the nations. 31 Then you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good; and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight, for your iniquities and your abominations. 32 Not for your sake do I do this,” says the Lord GOD, “let it be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel!” 33 ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “On the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will also enable you to dwell in the cities, and the ruins shall be rebuilt. 34 The desolate land shall be tilled instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass by. 35 So they will say, ‘This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden; and the wasted, desolate, and ruined cities are now fortified and inhabited.’ 36 Then the nations which are left all around you shall know that I, the LORD, have rebuilt the ruined places and planted what was desolate. I, the LORD, have spoken it, and I will do it.” 37 ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “I will also let the house of Israel inquire of Me to do this for them: I will increase their men like a flock. 38 Like a flock offered as holy sacrifices, like the flock at Jerusalem on its feast days, so shall the ruined cities be filled with flocks of men. Then they shall know that I am the LORD.”
Our Holy God has been more long suffering or patient with the Jewish people than anyone could ever consider. Over and over again they have rejected Him for the other religions of the world. Yet, through His amazing love He never quit on them. We are no different. We commit the same trespasses and although we do deserve punishment, He does not reject us.
Sure, He has taken some drastic measures to get His people to turn from wickedness even to the point of driving them out of His land. Yet, through all of this, He has not forgotten them. He has not abandoned them. His desire is to be their God and He will, based on His faithfulness and promises, bring His people back to Israel. Why? Because these people are special? No, He honors His Holy Name and what He represents to all human beings. He Is Love and every characteristic about Him is Supreme. He alone Is the ever living Creator God. He has always existed. Everything has been created for His good pleasure and His Will will be done.
The physical restoration of the Jews to their homeland should make all the nations of the world know that He exists. The selection of Israel as a called out people for God to work for and through has always been inclusive and exclusive. Any person or nation who sought out a relationship with our Adoni Yahweh were welcomed and brought into the family. So, the position of Israel as God’s people was unique (exclusive). He Is the only God – no other gods were allowed. It was inclusive because anyone who desired to follow Jehovah Elyon – The Lord Most High was accepted.
The Roman Catholic Church is also inclusive and exclusive. The church is located in Rome [exclusive]. Catholic means universal [inclusive] people from all over the world can join and follow the leaders located in Rome.
We as Christians like Israel are inclusive and exclusive. There Is only one name under Heaven in which we can be saved. He Is none other than our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He Is the Way; The Truth; and the Life [exclusive]. Anyone, in the world who comes to Him will not be turned away [inclusive]
1 “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,’”’
Our Lord will begin His message by first reacting to the devastation of the land inflicted by her enemies. In chapter 35 our Righteous Master had prophesied against the mountains of Edom. He said He was against them and everything about them. He will now address His land and His people Israel and announce that He is ‘for’ them.
The people of Edom had in principle insulted Him by mockery ‘Aha’. They had cast dispersion at our Holy Father as to His Power – not a good move to make.
In addition to this insult they intended to take possession ‘of the ancient high places. The pagan worship locations were claimed as belonging to these pagan nations. The same problem is happening today. A philosophy of the Islamic faith is that any location or building once taken over remains forever dedicated to Islam. That is why there is so much trouble with the Temple Mount. The Muslims claim it belongs to them. They built the Dome of The Rock and the Al Asqua Mosque on it. To this day even though it is significant to the Jews, not one Jew is allowed to step foot on it. They settle for praying next to it at the ‘wall’
The use of the word ‘ancient’ suggest that they took on a position that Israel had forced them from their property since they were there before them. Does this sound familiar to today’s problems in Israel?
“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.”
The invasion of the land brought shame to the Israelites. The heathen talked about them in awful vengeful manners. This evil attitude stirred up God’s anger. Look at these verses
Lamentation 2, “15 All who pass by clap their hands at you; They hiss and shake their heads at the daughter of Jerusalem: “ Is this the city that is called ‘The perfection of beauty, the joy of the whole earth’?”
Daniel 9, 16 “O Lord, according to all Your righteousness, I pray, let Your anger and Your fury be turned away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain; because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people are a reproach to all those around us.”
Our Lord had heard and seen enough of the heathen’s insults against Him and His people. They had acted with demonic driven elation and malice so now our Holy God will treat them in like manner. He will act with the fire of His jealousy. His intention is to bring revenge upon His enemies. Listen to the cry of God’s people;
Psalm 74, “10 O God, how long will the adversary reproach? Will the enemy blaspheme Your name forever?”
Psalm 123, “3 Have mercy on us, O LORD, have mercy on us! For we are exceedingly filled with contempt. 4 Our soul is exceedingly filled with the scorn of those who are at ease, with the contempt of the proud.”
Jeremiah 48, “27 For was not Israel a derision to you? Was he found among thieves? For whenever you speak of him, you shake your head in scorn”.
‘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.” These verses show us that our ever present Jehovah Shammah was there in every location and was fully aware of what was being said about Him and His people.
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.” 13 ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Because they say to you, ‘You devour men and bereave your nation of children,’ 14 therefore you shall devour men no more, nor bereave your nation anymore,” says the Lord GOD. 15 “Nor will I let you hear the taunts of the nations anymore, nor bear the reproach of the peoples anymore, nor shall you cause your nation to stumble anymore,” says the Lord GOD.’”
‘For behold I AM for you, and I will turn to you and you will be tilled and sown’ are words of great reassurance. One vision has already been performed in the land of Israel as the prophet Amos informs us in chapter 9, 13 “ Behold, the days are coming,” says the LORD, “When the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him who sows seed; the mountains shall drip with sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it. 14 I will bring back the captives of My people Israel; they shall build the waste cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink wine from them; they shall also make gardens and eat fruit from them. 15 I will plant them in their land, and no longer shall they be pulled up from the land I have given them,” says the LORD your God.”
The soil and climate conditions allow farming year round. If you study the agriculture of Israel today it is amazing. Many folks do not know this but much of the produce that feeds the Muslim nations come from Israel. They take Israel’s crops and give them Arabic names and sell them throughout the Middle East. Our Lord does indeed have a great sense of wisdom and humor.
Our Holy Lord declared that He Is the Great ‘I AM”. This is an thrilling all encompassing title. He informs us that He can be anything we need. Do you need love? He responds ‘I AM your love.’ Do you need direction in your life? He says, ‘I AM the Way!’ Are you confused on what is right and wrong? He says, ‘I AM The Truth. Do you desire eternal life? Our Great King says, ‘I AM life. He who believes in Me shall not perish but have eternal life.’ Thank you Lord Jesus.
Besides assuring His people that He would bless them with productivity in goods and crops, He wanted to inform them of a population explosion. In America we are faced with the influence of a major group of people called the ‘baby boomers.’ Who are they? Well after World War II and for other conflicts as well, the baby population goes up. Many children are born during the proceeding peace.
That is the reason in part for the statement, ‘no more shall you bereave them of children.’ The cessation of war will bring about a population growth. The construction industries will see a dramatic growth spurt. There will be a housing surge. Cities will be filled with new Jewish families taking over waster areas and turning them into new housing settlements, businesses, and attractive horticultural areas.
The book of Numbers chapter 13 says “32 And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. 33 There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”
This passage describes the land of Canaan as a land that devours its inhabitants. It was a land of constant trouble where evil and death was common. However, our Magnificent Father Is the Creator. He can take nothing and make it into something. Look at what He did in Genesis chapter 1, “2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. 4 And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day. 6 Then God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” 7 Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so. 8 And God called the firmament Heaven. So the evening and the morning were the second day. 9 Then God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. 10 And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good. 11 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth”; and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 So the evening and the morning were the third day. 14 Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; 15 and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. 16 Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. 17 God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 So the evening and the morning were the fourth day. 21 So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23 So the evening and the morning were the fifth day. 24 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind”; and it was so. 25 And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 And God said, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. 30 Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food”; and it was so. 31 Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.”
16 Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying: 17 “Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their own ways and deeds; to Me their way was like the uncleanness of a woman in her customary impurity. 18 Therefore I poured out My fury on them for the blood they had shed on the land, and for their idols with which they had defiled it. 19 So I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed throughout the countries; I judged them according to their ways and their deeds. 20 When they came to the nations, wherever they went, they profaned My holy name—when they said of them, ‘These are the people of the LORD, and yet they have gone out of His land.’ 21 But I had concern for My holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations wherever they went. 22 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy name’s sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went. 23 And I will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the LORD,” says the Lord GOD, “when I am hallowed in you before their eyes. 24 For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land.
In the flow of all of His promises our Righteous Lord reveals for their understanding that they were scattered in the past due to their sinful lifestyles and that they should take this information to heart so that they will avoid repeating them. Should we not also head His warnings?
Their sinful conduct of violence polluted the land and was likened to a woman’s menstrual flow. Leviticus chapter 15 declares a woman unclean during her period, “19 ‘If a woman has a discharge, and the discharge from her body is blood, she shall be set apart seven days; and whoever touches her shall be unclean until evening. 20 Everything that she lies on during her impurity shall be unclean; also everything that she sits on shall be unclean. 21 Whoever touches her bed shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. 22 And whoever touches anything that she sat on shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. 23 If anything is on her bed or on anything on which she sits, when he touches it, he shall be unclean until evening. 24 And if any man lies with her at all, so that her impurity is on him, he shall be unclean seven days; and every bed on which he lies shall be unclean.”
Anyone who touched her would be unclean. Our Holy God could look on the defiling of the land with the shedding of innocent blood similar to a menstral discharge. God would make sure. Therefore, He looked upon the land as being in this condition He did not touch anything unclean
What does this fact say about our country? Have we also defiled America by the shedding of innocent blood? I think it is amazing how long suffering and gracious our Glorious God Is that we still survive as a nation. Do you not agree? Leviticus chapter 18 has this to say to us, “25 For the land is defiled; therefore I visit the punishment of its iniquity upon it, and the land vomits out its inhabitants. 26 You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations, either any of your own nation or any stranger who dwells among you 27 (for all these abominations the men of the land have done, who were before you, and thus the land is defiled), 28 lest the land vomit you out also when you defile it, as it vomited out the nations that were before you. 29 For whoever commits any of these abominations, the persons who commit them shall be cut off from among their people. 30 ‘Therefore you shall keep My ordinance, so that you do not commit any of these abominable customs which were committed before you, and that you do not defile yourselves by them: I am the LORD your God.’”
The end results of their action were that they were expelled from His land so it could be purified. Violence and idolatry are the two principal reasons for this discipline by Almighty God. They not only polluted the land but they also profaned His Holy Name as verse 20 indicates. Other nations saw what happened to the Israelites and reasoned that Yahweh was too weak to defend His Own people. He was degraded to a minor god of no importance. This statement should stop us fast in our tracks. Do we see here that our actions also reflect on our Holy Lord’s Name and reputation? Revelation chapter 14 informs us that there are people, who watch us, “13 Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them.” We need to wake up and realize the fact that everything we say and do have consequences – some good and some bad.
Look at what we caused our Holy God to do. ‘21 But I had concern for My holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations wherever they went. 22 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy name’s sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went. 23 And I will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the LORD,” says the Lord GOD, “when I am hallowed in you before their eyes. 24 For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land.’
There is no one among us that represents His Holy Name properly. He must alone defend His Holiness. I am sorry Lord for dishonoring You. Look at the importance of having a good name.
Proverbs 22, “1 A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, loving favor rather than silver and gold.”
Ecclesiastes 7, “1 A good name is better than precious ointment, and the day of death than the day of one’s birth;”
A good name is unique, distinctive, and has power. Have you not grown up where a certain family has this influence. In my town there was a multi-millionaire car dealer. His family lived in the only mansion in our area. We use to take rides past his house as a tourist attraction. I remember being at a party and met this girl. Then she told me her name. My first thought and question to her was, ‘your not related to the car king, are you?’ My interest peaked when she told me that he was her father.
Psalm 106: 8 says, “8 Nevertheless He saved them for His name’s sake, that He might make His mighty power known.”
“I do not act for your sake’ is a statement vital to our understanding. We deserve nothing. There is nothing about us that indicates God should have mercy and pick us for His own. We have failed Him. Knowing that is spite of all of this, He still desires to love and save us. This reason should cause us to be even more appreciative.
25 Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. 28 Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God. 29 I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses. I will call for the grain and multiply it, and bring no famine upon you. 30 And I will multiply the fruit of your trees and the increase of your fields, so that you need never again bear the reproach of famine among the nations. 31 Then you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good; and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight, for your iniquities and your abominations. 32 Not for your sake do I do this,” says the Lord GOD, “let it be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel!” 33 ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “On the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will also enable you to dwell in the cities, and the ruins shall be rebuilt. 34 The desolate land shall be tilled instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass by. 35 So they will say, ‘This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden; and the wasted, desolate, and ruined cities are now fortified and inhabited.’
In these verses we will read about a miracle. Here we will see God’s steps to regenerate humans from vile sinners to followers of a Holy Ever Living God as the prophet Jeremiah informs us in chapter 33, “Behold, I will bring it health and healing; I will heal them and reveal to them the abundance of peace and truth. 7 And I will cause the captives of Judah and the captives of Israel to return, and will rebuild those places as at the first. 8 I will cleanse them from all their iniquity by which they have sinned against Me, and I will pardon all their iniquities by which they have sinned and by which they have transgressed against Me. 9 Then it shall be to Me a name of joy, a praise, and an honor before all nations of the earth, who shall hear all the good that I do to them; they shall fear and tremble for all the goodness and all the prosperity that I provide for it.’ 10 “Thus says the LORD: ‘Again there shall be heard in this place—of which you say, “It is desolate, without man and without beast”—in the cities of Judah, in the streets of Jerusalem that are desolate, without man and without inhabitant and without beast, 11 the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of those who will say: “ Praise the LORD of hosts, for the LORD is good, for His mercy endures forever”— and of those who will bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the LORD. For I will cause the captives of the land to return as at the first,’ says the LORD.”
Another great portion of Scripture comes to us in chapter 31, 31 “Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— 32 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD. 33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.” 35 Thus says the LORD, Who gives the sun for a light by day, the ordinances of the moon and the stars for a light by night, Who disturbs the sea, and its waves roar (The LORD of hosts is His name): 36 “ If those ordinances depart from before Me, says the LORD, then the seed of Israel shall also cease from being a nation before Me forever.” 37 Thus says the LORD: “ If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, says the LORD. 38 “Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, that the city shall be built for the LORD from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate. 39 The surveyor’s line shall again extend straight forward over the hill Gareb; then it shall turn toward Goath. 40 And the whole valley of the dead bodies and of the ashes, and all the fields as far as the Brook Kidron, to the corner of the Horse Gate toward the east, shall be holy to the LORD. It shall not be plucked up or thrown down anymore forever.”
The sprinkling of water was known by every Jew to be a sign of forgiveness. So, when the priest Ezekiel spoke these words he had in mind water that has been cleansed by sacrifice. He must have been familiar with Psalm 51, “1 Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; according to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. 4 Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight— that You may be found just when You speak, and blameless when You judge. 5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me.6 Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom. 7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 8 Make me hear joy and gladness, that the bones You have broken may rejoice. 9 Hide Your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit. 13 Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners shall be converted to You. 14 Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, the God of my salvation, and my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness 15 O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall show forth Your praise. 16 For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart— these, O God, You will not despise. 18 Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion; build the walls of Jerusalem. 19 Then You shall be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering; then they shall offer bulls on Your altar.”
This cleansing was the effect of a prior accepted sacrifice. For our Holy God to forgive there must first come a payment. Someone must die for the crimes committed. In Jewish religious services God allowed a substitution. An innocent animal could be sacrificed instead of a human. This innocent lamb’s life was taken in exchange. Can you not now see the perfect lamb giving His life for ours.
Should we not also be moved with emotional feeling on hearing that we are friends with the Creator?
Our Precious Holy Father must act to show the surrounding countries He Is alive and well and has the power to restore. Other gods cannot do that. The return of the Lord Jesus to the land Is His answer to those who mistreated His Holy Name.
Exodus 19 reveals to us that Israel was to be a kingdom of priests to the entire world, “6 And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.” They failed in this assignment. Instead, they profaned His Holy Name. So, our Mighty God took it upon Himself to do this function. His activities on behalf of Israel will grab the world’s attention so they might know Him.
He set His Name apart by restoring His people to their land and by their moral transformation through His Holy Spirit. He does the same for us. Lives lived in total rebellion, He breaks. Through a humble spirit we seek forgiveness. He shows us the way to eternal life. It is the supreme sacrifice His Holy Son paid for us at Calvary. By coming to Him His way, He forgives us and gives us His Holy Spirit to live in us. This Holy One’s Love and Glory makes us new. It is noticeable to those we come into contact with.
Hebrews 9 informs us, 1 Then indeed, even the first covenant had ordinances of divine service and the earthly sanctuary. 2 For a tabernacle was prepared: the first part, in which was the lampstand, the table, and the showbread, which is called the sanctuary; 3 and behind the second veil, the part of the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of All, 4 which had the golden censer and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which were the golden pot that had the manna, Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant; 5 and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail. 6 Now when these things had been thus prepared, the priests always went into the first part of the tabernacle, performing the services. 7 But into the second part the high priest went alone once a year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the people’s sins committed in ignorance; 8 the Holy Spirit indicating this, that the way into the Holiest of All was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was still standing. 9 It was symbolic for the present time in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make him who performed the service perfect in regard to the conscience— 10 concerned only with foods and drinks, various washings, and fleshly ordinances imposed until the time of reformation. 11 But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. 12 Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, 14 how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? 15 And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. 16 For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. 17 For a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has no power at all while the testator lives. 18 Therefore not even the first covenant was dedicated without blood. 19 For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, 20 saying, “This is the blood of the covenant which God has commanded you.” 21 Then likewise he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry. 22 And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission. 23 Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; 25 not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another— 26 He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. 27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, 28 so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.”
The first thing on being born again is a spiritual cleansing. We do not have any part in this act. He did it all. Because of our Lord Jesus Christ ‘s sacrifice, His blood brings us peace with God. We are free from the penalty of our sins. Praise the Lord!
The Israelites and us equally receive a new heart and a new spirit. The heart includes our mind, will, and emotions. – The whole inner person’ Jeremiah 32 reveals, “37 Behold, I will gather them out of all countries where I have driven them in My anger, in My fury, and in great wrath; I will bring them back to this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely. 38 They shall be My people, and I will be their God; 39 then I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me forever, for the good of them and their children after them. 40 And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from doing them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts so that they will not depart from Me. 41 Yes, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will assuredly plant them in this land, with all My heart and with all My soul.’ 42 “For thus says the LORD: ‘Just as I have brought all this great calamity on this people, so I will bring on them all the good that I have promised them. 43 And fields will be bought in this land of which you say, “It is desolate, without man or beast; it has been given into the hand of the Chaldeans.” 44 Men will buy fields for money, sign deeds and seal them, and take witnesses, in the land of Benjamin, in the places around Jerusalem, in the cities of Judah, in the cities of the mountains, in the cities of the lowland, and in the cities of the South; for I will cause their captives to return,’ says the LORD.”
There will be an inward change from now on. This process of Sanctification will continue throughout our lifetimes. Again this great work is not anything we have to worry about doing. He does it all for us by His Holy Spirit. Psalm 119 “9 How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. 10 With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! 11 Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.”
Instead of hardness there will be tenderness, instead of rebellion there will be submission, instead of coldness there will be warmness, instead of disobedience there will be obedience. The law written on stone that was not obeyed will be written on the hearts and minds to forever remind them of God’s Righteous Directions.
He will help us stay committed to Him through the Holy Spirit using the Word of God to purify our thoughts and minds. He promises us that He will do all this for us. What a Great God we have1
The physical conditions of the land will also be transformed. Look at 2 Chronicles chapter 7 which promises us if we but obey, “14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
If we want to help our country, then we all as followers of the Lord Jesus Christ must take this directive seriously and make it our principal responsibility to do this act daily. Is it too late? I do not think so. Let’s try and see what our Amazing Ruler wil do on behalf of His children.
36 Then the nations which are left all around you shall know that I, the LORD, have rebuilt the ruined places and planted what was desolate. I, the LORD, have spoken it, and I will do it.” 37 ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “I will also let the house of Israel inquire of Me to do this for them: I will increase their men like a flock. 38 Like a flock offered as holy sacrifices, like the flock at Jerusalem on its feast days, so shall the ruined cities be filled with flocks of men. Then they shall know that I am the LORD.”’”
Have you ever felt that your prayers are worthless, that God doesn’t listen? Look at this great promise. ‘I will be enquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them.’ In previous chapters our Great God through Ezekiel had told the Leaders that they could not come and enquirer His advice because of their sin. Here we read that because of His Wonderful work of forgiveness and regeneration He will welcome their prayers. He has explained to His people what He has done and has established the fact that His Word will come true. They can depend on it.
I close with these great words from our Master in Matthew chapter 7, 7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!”
