Israel’s Blessing and Restoration

Ezekiel 36:1-15

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.'"

The judgment on the nations opposed to God’s chosen people led to Israel’s blessing by the LORD and her coming restoration.  Their enemies saw the corrective discipline of Israel and immediately sought to claim Jerusalem and the territory for themselves.  God spoke intervention through Ezekiel to make it clear that overrunning Israel and slandering while mocking God’s called and chosen children would lead to the judgment of those nations.  He spoke against Edom and the others set in opposition to Israel and Jerusalem with jealousy for His people.  Their hubris in the sight of God was to claim the land given to Abraham and thus Israel as a possession they dared to claim as their own stolen possession in their spite and wrongful elation as they plundered the King’s treasure.  The LORD therefore prophesied for His own and against their enemies out of His jealousy and the people’s shame they bore from all those around them.  As for Israel, they would be fruitful once more and again possess their land to cultivate it and bear fruit as originally entrusted to Adam and then Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob long ago.  The land would be inhabited again because God was for them.  They would rebuild as Nehemiah and others would demonstrate later.  They were promised to do even better after the reconstruction than before they had begun in order to acknowledge Him as their LORD and God again in worship and reasonable service (Romans 12:1) as His people are created for and expected to do.  They would not overrun others anymore but also not be subjected to taunting and reproach.  He would keep them from stumbling (Psalm 140:4, Colossians 1:22, Jude 1:24-25) as a nation by leading them to humility in worship as they put aside their idolatry and immortality of the nations influencing them for evil.  There are similarities in the people of God today, not as a chosen nation but as a people in Christ (1 Peter 2:9-10) who were kept by the power of God from stumbling (1 Peter 1:5) for an eternal deliverance from our enemies and an everlasting end to the shame, slander, and mocking of the ungodly enemies aligned with our adversary.  We shall be free and fruitful at last in a kingdom that lasts forever.  This is the promise of our blessing and restoration as the chosen people of God in Christ.