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TH1203: On-Line
TH1203: EZEKIEL
Please turn in your Bibles to Ezekiel chapter 36, as we continue our study through the Word of God. And keep in mind this last division of this book, chapters 33-48, deal with a future restoration of the nation of Israel, on a physical and a spiritual level. On the physical level they will be reborn as a nation. On a spiritual level they will be reborn in the spirit, they will turn to Jesus as their Messiah. And so let’s dig into this section of the Scriptures and see what the Lord has for us this evening.
EZEKIEL 36
VERSES 1-2
1. The land of Israel had become very fruitful, so much so that the surrounding nations desired it. And now that the children of Israel had been removed from the land, taken into captivity by the Babylonians, the other nations were preparing to move in. The problem is God gave this land to His people, the Jews. And even though they were judged for 70 years for their idolatry, God was going to bring them back. And this land, if you think about it, belongs to God and He gave it to the Jews. And yet, even today we see gentile nations fighting over this little peace of land the size of New Jersey. The gentiles occupy the world except for Israel, and they long for it also! Things haven’t changed much have they? And because of this attitude, God is going to come against them and judge them for it.
VERSE 3
1. When the children of Israel were blessed by God, the nations that surrounded them became jealous, envious of them. So much so that when judgment came upon the children of Israel for their idolatry, the other nations gloated and mocked them. Big mistake! You don’t mess with God’s children!
VERSES 4-5
1. As the land was made desolate by the Babylonians, the other nations, including the Edomites, the descendants of Esau, moved in. They saw it as a spoil of victory or should I say they moved in after the Babylonians were victorious. In Psalm 137:7 we see what the Edomites did as Babylon attacked the Southern Kingdom of Judah. We read "Remember, O LORD, against the sons of Edom the day of Jerusalem, who said, ‘Raze it, raze it, to its very foundation!’" In other words they were calling for the city and it’s people to be destroyed, make it bare, wipe them out! And the Psalmist is crying out to God to give the Edomites their just reward for their actions, and God will repay them for their evil.
2. It is hard to imagine the Edomites doing this because they were family. Esau, who was the father of the Edomites, was also the brother of Jacob, they were twins! It is always sad when family members fight and refuse to love each other and come to the aid of one another, even calling for the destruction of them. Keep in mind that as Christians, we are family, like it or not. And our love for one another is a witness to the world that we are Christ’s. Jesus put it this way in John 13:34-35, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." Now you can try to justify your actions, your behavior all you want, but I think what Jesus is saying is very clear. We are to love one another!
VERSES 6-7
1. It is interesting to me that as you get to the New Testament, and your read of the judgment of the nations in Matthew chapter 25, as Jesus returns to set-up His kingdom here on the earth, He said in verses 45 and 46, "Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." Those that did not care for the Jews, minister to those in need, will be kept out of the kingdom of God. It almost seems like Jesus is teaching a works salvation. But He isn’t. He is teaching of a salvation that works! You see, what Jesus is saying is that what flows from the heart of someone who is not saved is selfishness, no concern for others. You see, what they believe will be manifested in the way they treat others and they will be judged for it. And the same thought is seen here in Ezekiel chapter 36. Judgment was coming upon those nations that surrounded Jerusalem for the way they treated the Jews. It is as the Lord said to Abraham in Genesis 12:3, "I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."
VERSE 8
1. Once you realize where the Jews were at when the Lord said this, you see the great hope He gave to His people, the promise of them returning home once again. You see, the nation was in captivity at this point and Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians. Yes, the false prophets kept telling the people "We are not going into captivity, God loves us!" Then, when they were taken captive they said, "Don’t fix up your homes, we are leaving Babylon shortly, God is going to bring us back!" And when these things did not come to pass and the entire nation was taken captive, the people became discouraged, they had no hope. But in that darkest moment, God splits open that darkness with the light of His Word, to give them a hope! God had not given up on them. It is as Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." The best years are still ahead, God is in control, He knows what He is doing!
2. As Christians we can go through some dark days, months and sometimes even years. It is easy to become discouraged, to lose hope. What can you do about it? Like the Jews in captivity did. Cling to the Word of God, trust in His promise. Romans 15:4 says, "For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope." There are many promises that God has given to us in His Word, promises that He wants us to hold onto. There is comfort, there is hope as we read God’s Word and apply it to our lives.
You can read in the Word "It came to pass..." not "It came to stay..." It is as David said in Psalm 23:4, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; your rod and Your staff, they comfort me." You are passing through those dark times and as you do the Lord is with you, guiding you, comforting you and teaching you. Learn those lessons! Remember it is always darkest before the dawn, don’t lose hope, look to Jesus!
VERSE 9a
1. What a comfort this must have been to them. God was not against them, He was and is for them! It is as Paul said in Romans 8:31, "...If God is for us, who can be against us?" And this is a rhetorical question, no one can stop the work of God in our lives except us. God is not against us, He is for us, because He loves us unconditionally! He loved those stiff-necked, rebellious Jews, and He loves us stiff-necked, rebellious gentiles.
VERSES 9b-10
1. The land was not only destroyed but it was desolate as the people were now in captivity. And God is saying that He is not only going to bring the people back into the land, but the land will be rebuilt and restored one day!
VERSES 11-14
1. First of all, the children of the nation were destroyed because they were sacrificed to the god Molech, the god of pleasure and prosperity. You see, many of the pagan worship rituals involved orgies, sexual promiscuity, which resulted in unwanted children. And thus, to get rid of these kids they offered them up, burned them in the fire to the god Molech. Don’t be disgusted, we have murdered over 40 million children in the womb to the god of pleasure and prosperity, we call it "free choice" or "abortion" but God calls it murder!
2. Secondly, the other nations envied the greatness of Israel, how they were blessed. And when they turned from God, and these judgments came upon them, the other nations took advantage and killed many of the men of Israel.
3. But God is saying He is going to turn that around, bring them back into the land, and make the land fruitful once again. We see a glimpse of that when they returned from their Babylonian captivity. And even more so when they became a nation once again in 1948. But I believe this is pointing to a future restoration in the millennial kingdom.
VERSES 15-17
1. The were representatives of God and God is saying by their actions, by their worship of idols, they polluted or defiled the land, made it unclean!
2. We as Christians are also representatives of God. People draw many conclusions about God by what they see us doing and saying. Let me give you an example of what I mean from Time magazine dated May 8, 2000. "Darva Conger is an intensely private woman. We know this because she told every television reporter who asked after she went on national television to compete for, and win, a husband on Who Wants To Marry A Multi-Millionaire? She is also a Christian woman. We know this because she took part in an Easter egg hunt at the Playboy mansion. In fact, Conger’s been hanging out a lot at Hugh Hefner’s house, and is now in talks to pose nude for the magazine." Do you see how our land, this nation is being defiled by people who call themselves Christians, but their actions speak differently. May we be true representatives of God. We aren’t perfect, but may we desire to live holy lives. When people see us, may they see the love of Jesus flow through us.
VERSE 18
1. Judgment came upon them for the innocent they killed, the children they sacrificed to the god Molech. All the blood that was shed, the violence that filled the land because their relationship with God was off, and it was manifested in the way they treated their fellow man!
VERSE 19
1. God kept warning them to turn from their wicked ways and return to Him. He sent them prophet after prophet, but they refused to listen. They did not heed the warning, just as a child who is given a balloon and is told to be careful with it. And you know what happens. The balloon pops because of the way it was handled, and when it does, the child may try to blow it back up. And no matter how hard they try, nothing will happen. Now matter how much effort they put forth, they can’t blow it back up. And I guess you could say God never intended them to, He was going to do the work if they would return to Him.
But they refused God’s grace and thus, they did receive His judgment! Instead of grace, they got justice. I will tell you that I don’t pray for God’s justice in my life, but His grace, getting what I don’t deserve, because I deserve death as I stand before a righteous God in my own righteousness. But in His grace, the righteousness of God has been given to me!
VERSE 20
1. As judgment comes upon a individual or a group of people or even a nation that is to represent God, the unsaved tend to mock God for what has happened. That is what we are seeing here in Ezekiel, as the other nations were mocking God because God could not prevent them from going into captivity like any other nation with their gods.
2. Remember David’s sin with Bathsheba and the murder of here husband Uriah. As Nathan the prophet confronted David with his sin, David finally recognized the wrong he had done. And in II Samuel 12:13-14 we read "So David said to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against the LORD.’ And Nathan said to David, ‘The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die. However, because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also who is born to you shall surely die.’" You see, by David’s actions he gave the enemies of God a chance or opportunity to mock God. Keep that in mind the next time you are going to do something that is wrong. It will not only affect you, but those around you. And your sin is ultimately against a holy God. And it does not end there, you open the door for the enemies of God to come charging through and mock, put down, make fun of our Lord. I am not trying to lay a heavy trip on you, but that is the reality of sin!
VERSES 21-23
1. How is God going to restore His great name? How is He going to reverse all the evil that is being said of Him? He goes on to tell us in the next several verses.
VERSES 24-28
1. Now the million dollar question is "When did this take place?" Some say this speaks of their return from their captivity in Babylon. They went in idol worshipers and they came out men and women of God. Psalm 126:1-3 recounts their return home from captivity. It says "When the LORD brought back the captivity of Zion, we were like those who dream. Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing. Then they said among the nations, ‘The LORD has done great things for them.’ The LORD has done great things for us, and we are glad." Yes there was great joy and excitement in what God had done, and the gentile nations recognized this was the work of God, but what Ezekiel is speaking of goes far beyond what took place as they returned home from Babylon.
2. Others say this speaks of their return from their wanderings, back to Israel in 1948 as they once again became a nation. And this truly was a miracle but when you look at the Jews in Israel today, most of the nation is either agnostic, not believing you can know God or they are atheists, they don’t believe there is a God! So these passages here in Ezekiel can’t be speaking of the Jews returning to Israel after they were driven out in 70 AD by the Romans. It goes far beyond that.
3. This is speaking of a future time of restoration, because at the half-way point of the 7 year tribulation period the Jews are going to be scattered once again as the Antichrist comes after them, killing 2/3 of the Jews and only 1/3 of them making it through the tribulation period as they flee down to Petra and are preserved by God for 3½ years.
And thus, what God is speaking of here is a future time when the nation of Israel will turn to the Lord Jesus Christ as their Messiah, and this takes place at the close of the tribulation period as Jesus returns to set-up His kingdom here on the earth. In fact, Jesus said to the nation as He lamented over their rejection of Him, "for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’" Matthew 23:39. Thus, as they come to Jesus Christ God will do two things to them.
The first thing God will do is give them hearts of flesh, hearts that are sensitive to the things of God. That heart of stone, the heart that was insensitive, hard and cold, God will replace. Secondly, He will put His Spirit within them. It is as Jeremiah 31:31-34 says, "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– 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. 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. 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."
You see, the Old Testament was based upon man’s faithfulness. You do good and you are blessed. You do evil and you are cursed. And you can go through the Old Testament and see the success that man had in trying to keep it. They didn’t have much success! But, in the New Testament, the new covenant is based upon God’s faithfulness and it is a gift that we receive by faith.
And so as you read through these passages in Jeremiah and Ezekiel you can see how God is speaking of the new birth, that the nation of Israel is going to be reborn through Christ. It is as Jesus said in John 3:3-7, "Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ Nicodemus said to Him, ‘How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?’ Jesus answered, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, "You must be born again."’" That is what is going to happen to the nation of Israel, God is not through with them! And the amazing thing is, you can see the blackness of their past actions and contrast them to the light of God’s grace, how beautiful it is. And God has done the same to all who come to Him today, both Jew and gentile!
4. I like the way that Keil describes this portion of Scripture. He says, "Cleansing from sins, which corresponds to justification, and is not to be confounded with sanctification..., is followed by renewal with the Holy Spirit, which takes away the old heart of stone and puts within a new heart of flesh, so that the man can fulfill the commands of God, and walk in newness of life." It is as Paul said in II Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."
VERSES 29-30
1. Not only will they be physically and spiritually restored, but the land will once again be fruitful. Back in 1948, when they returned to the land, the land was a barren wasteland. The Turks cut down many of the trees, and they taxed the people by the number of trees they had, so the people themselves cut down their trees so they would not be taxed so heavily. Things were just a mess, but today they have planted millions of trees all over Israel. In fact, when we go there this year in November we hope to plant a tree from Calvary Chapel of Manitowoc. And the land is blooming once again. The latter rains have returned. They have pineapple trees, citrus trees, olive trees, grape vines, banana trees, and-so-on. They are the fourth largest exporter of fruit in the world and yet the land they occupy is only the size of New Jersey! But as much as that is happening today, in the kingdom age it will even be greater. Isaiah 35:1-2 tells us, "The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them, and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose; It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice, even with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the excellence of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the LORD, the excellency of our God."
VERSE 31
1. As a nation, they will recognize their sin and they will call upon their Messiah, Jesus Christ, to forgive them.
VERSES 32-35
1. Notice the reason that God is going to do this, not because Israel is so great, but because He is! They did not deserve it, they did not earn it, but God’s reputation was on the line and He wanted to show the people who He is and what He can do.
2. In the church today we have developed the concept of "self worth"! The idea is that God would not die for something that was worthless, so we must be worth a lot for Him to do what He did. You only pay for what something is worth, and thus, we are valuable. Garbage! Paul said in Romans 5:8, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." It is all grace, what we don’t deserve, because, for some reason, God loves us! Don’t lose sight of that. The hymn is "Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me." It is not "Amazing me, how great I am, since the day I first began!" And God shows us how gracious He is as He blesses us, not that we deserve it or that we are so spiritual, but because of His grace. Great is His name, not our name! Don’t put yourself ahead of God, you will lose. Give Him the glory and praise Him for His grace!
VERSES 36-38
1. This land that was once desolate, destroyed, will once again be filled with people. The deserts will blossom. Life will overflow this land. And the idea here is just ask of Him and then watch Him do what He has promised and you will see His faithfulness. God desires the same of us today. We don’t have because we don’t ask and if we ask we ask for our own selfish desires. Hold onto His promises and see what God can do. For Israel, their brightest days are in the future. For us, each day should be bright, not because there is an absence of storms, but because we have the SON shining in our lives as we are going through these storms. Keep in mind, even when the sky’s are the darkest, the sun is still shining. And that is so true in our own lives, as I have said, not the SUN but the SON OF GOD, JESUS CHRIST!