The time is coming when the whole earth will rejoice. Moses in his prophetic Song spoke of this: "Rejoice O ye nations, with His people; for He will avenge the blood of His servants, and will render vengeance to His adversaries, and will be merciful unto His land, and to His people" (Deut. xxxii:43). When the Lord comes and delivers His earthly people and brings them back to their land all will be completely reversed. Israel now mourning and suffering will rejoice and all their enemies shall mourn forever, on account of God's righteous judgments. Then will the world know that He is Jehovah.
THE PROMISES OF GRACE.
Chapter xxxvi.
With this chapter the great prophetic utterances of Ezekiel begin which have for a topic the future restoration and blessing of the people Israel. From chapter xxxvi to the end of this book all is unfulfilled. How Jehovah will deal with the enemies of His people in judgment, and then turn in grace and mercy to His own nation to bless them with spiritual and national blessings is the message of this chapter. In chapter xxxvii we find the vision of the dry bones, typical of the national and spiritual resurrection of Israel. The house of Judah and the house of Israel will be united into one, to dwell in the land of their fathers. The great blessings will then be theirs under the covenant of peace, while the tabernacle of God is in the midst of them and the true King reigns over them. Chapters xxxviii and xxxix show the final enemies of Israel, Gog and Magog, and their complete overthrow. Chapters xl-xlviii are millennial, giving a description of the future temple to be built in Jerusalem, its worship and glory.
I. The Judgment of Israel's Enemies.
Also, thou Son of man, prophesy unto the mountains of Israel, and say, Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord: Thus saith the Lord God; Because the enemy hath said against you, Aha, even the ancient high places are ours in possession: Therefore prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord God; Because they have made you desolate, and swallowed you up on every side, that ye might be a possession unto the residue of the heathen, and ye are taken up in the lips of talkers, and are an infamy of the people: Therefore, ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God; Thus saith the Lord God; to the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys, to the desolate wastes, and to the cities that are forsaken, which became a prey and derision to the residue of the heathen that are round about; Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Surely in the fire of my jealousy have I spoken against the residue of the heathen, and against all Idumea, which have appointed my land into their possession with the joy of all their heart, with despiteful minds, to cast it out for a prey. Prophesy therefore concerning the land of Israel, and say unto the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I have spoken in my jealousy and in my fury, because ye have borne the shame of the heathen: Therefore thus saith the Lord God; I have lifted up mine hand, Surely the heathen that are about you, they shall bear their shame (verses 1-7.)
The enemy had spoken blasphemies against the mountains of Israel; the Lord had heard the arrogant language of Edom (xxxv:12-13), and now the prophet is commanded to address the personified mountains of Israel in words of consolation and assurance. Previously he had as God's prophet uttered denunciations against the mountains and high places of Israel (vi:1-7), but now after the time of Israel's chastisement is passed and the dawn of their restoration breaks, the Lord turns against the enemies of His people. The enemy had said against them with a shout of exultation: "Aha! even the ancient high places are ours in possession." Edom and other nations knew that the Lord had promised to Israel the land for their possession. They claimed with a proud taunt Israel's mountains and high places as their possession, and thereby ignored God and His covenant with His people. And so it is that the nations have forgotten what God has promised to Israel. Their land and city has been trodden down by the Gentiles. Gentiles have stretched out their hands to possess the mountains of Israel and occupied the land which by covenant belongs to the seed of Abraham. When the times of the Gentiles come to a close nations will once more attempt to take possession of Israel's land and make an invasion. Then the Lord will arise against these nations. Of this Ezekiel speaks, "Surely in the fire of my jealousy have I spoken against the residue of nations, and against all Edom, which have appointed my land unto themselves for a possession with the joy of all their heart, with despiteful minds, to cast it out for a prey; therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel, and say unto the mountains and to the hills, to the watercourses and to the valleys, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold I have spoken in my jealousy and in my fury, because ye have borne the shame of the nations. Therefore thus saith the Lord God: I have lifted up mine hand, saying, Surely the nations that are round about you, they shall bear their shame."
Jehovah speaks of Israel's land as "my land," and in holy indignation and jealous for His people and their land, He arises now to put judgment and shame upon the nations which reproached Him. He lifts His hand in token of an oath, that He will do this now. His time has come to be merciful to His people and His land, and that will mean judgment for their enemies (See Zech. i:13-19). And that time is not far distant now when God will turn to His ancient people in mercy and put judgment upon the nations which have forgotten God and ignored His infallible word and revealed purposes.
II. The Promised Return to the Land.
But ye, O mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit to my people of Israel; for they are at hand to come. For, behold, I am for you, and I will turn unto you, and ye shall be tilled and sown: And I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, even all of it: and the cities shall be inhabited, and the wastes shall be builded: And I will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall increase and bring fruit: and I will settle you after your old estates, and will do better unto you than at your beginnings: and ye shall know that I am the Lord. Yea, I will cause men to walk upon you, even my people Israel; and they shall possess thee and thou shalt be their inheritance, and thou shalt no more henceforth bereave them of men. Thus saith the Lord God; Because they say unto you, Thou land devourest up men, and hast bereaved thy nations; Therefore thou shalt devour men no more, neither bereave thy nations any more, saith the Lord God. Neither will I cause men to hear in thee the shame of the heathen any more, neither shalt thou bear the reproach of the people any more, neither shalt thou cause thy nations to fall any more, saith the Lord God (verses 8-15).