Ezekiel chapter 36

And now, a longer than normal one.

vs 1

Ahhh, perhaps this is why the prophecy against Edom was just before. God got Ezekiel to prophesy to the mountain of Seir, and now he wants him to prophesy to the mountains of Israel.

vs 2

Which again was what the last doom prophecy was about.

vs 3

Which, I might point out, was what God was planning.

vs 4

Wait... God is actually talking to the mountains and the ground? Okay, if you've ever needed a reason to believe that Ezekiel's prophecies that aren't directed to Israel are still directed to Israel, I think here it is.

vs 5

God is comforting the land almost, letting it know that he is going to punish those who have taken it away from Israel.

vs 6

I just have to say it - this verse is more full of typical Ezekiely statements (word of the Lord, this is what the Lord says, etc) than any other so far. It's like every verse has it in it! So God is speaking out of jealousy.

vs 7

Just as people scorn the land because of what happened, so will they scorn all the other nations that God brings low.

vs 8

This land will be fruitful again. Surely comforting to the land - but obviously to the people to know they will be returning one day.

vs 9

Now, just because this is a literary device, I don't know how much we can look into this verse. I mean, you could make an argument that God is saying that land likes to be plowed and sown. Perhaps just land that has been promised for such?

vs 10

See, is this what land really wants, a multiplication of people? I don't know, I can't talk to land. I really wonder if it can be read that way, and not just, "Obviously God is not talking to land, he is talking to the people."

vs 11

As if the land didn't already know that God is Lord.

vs 12

Interesting to think of the land as depriving them of children. I suppose it's a reference to droughts and other such catastrophes.

vs 13

Which I think is not unreasonable, considering God does take special interest in the promised land and its people, so plagues and locusts and such have been known to happen.

vs 14

God has had enough of that stereotype of his land, though. So no more.

vs 15

And no longer will people make up stories and taunts about the promised land being some sort of death trap, or black spot. Although I'm sure people talk about it as such today.

vs 16

That's more like it.

vs 17

Lovely picture.

vs 18

Which is harsh, but God did tell them that's what he'd do.

vs 19

Indeed he did. Although the past tense is a little odd, because it only just happened when it was written.

vs 20

Oh, wait, he might be talking about north kingdom Israel. That would make more sense. You can see, though, that even though the north kingdom people had forgotten they were God's people, other nations hadn't.

vs 21

They profaned it in the land, and profaned it out of the land. Great.

vs 22

This is hope giving, but also harsh. I mean, it's good to know that God is doing it for his own holy name, because that is an eternal thing of importance. But it sort of sucks to know that you're the ones who profaned it in the first place.

vs 23

And so God, in his classic way, will use the people who profaned him to prove to the world that he is holy.

vs 24

Thankfully he seems to be done with cursing and judgment for the moment. Now he's going to rebuild his name by reconstituting his people.

vs 25

He will polish them up so they are almost like a new people.

vs 26

What a fantastic promise. No wonder so many people know this verse from Ezekiel. I think we all feel our heart of stone weighing us down sometimes. It's fantastic to think that God would do this for us. We sometimes feel little bits of it, but I think we all wait for it's eternal completion.

vs 27

As above. The promise of God's Spirit comes so early in the piece, relatively speaking. The whole Acts thing is a fulfilment of this.

vs 28

The relationship will be renewed.

vs 29

The blessings of the land will return, but along with it a washing away of uncleanness. Probably these two ideas could have been broken up by a verse.

vs 30

I can see how tasty this promise is to people, how they want to be able to point to their life and say, "Look, I'm not starving, I must be a Christian." If only we could make it true. I mean, we could, and we do for some people, but we could do so much more.

vs 31

It's the old-fashioned heaping burning coals on their heads. Of course, they will mourn for their own sin, but also the sins of their forefathers that led up to where they are now. That's a good illustration of the connectivity of history for the near eastern culture.

vs 32

A stomach churning verse.

vs 33

It's a comforting thought, that the punishment they are suffering is temporary, that things will get better again, even if they don't know how long it will be.

vs 34

Cultivation of course means wealth and prosperity, the life of the promised land.

vs 35

They, I assume, are the people who pass through, probably people who had heard all the taunts and missayings about God's land.

vs 36

So really, God couldn't do his job properly if he didn't destroy the land so thoroughly that only he could return it to fruitfulness.

vs 37

Once again. God really is a relenting old softie, isn't he? Just... erm... ignore all that killing and suffering that he caused as punishment.

vs 38

The remnant that exists will grow, God will grow his people, because that brings him glory.