Ezekiel 34-37
Today’s reading covers a lot of ground, and I cannot possibly do it justice here. (Of course, that is true every single day, but it seems especially true today!) Here we go, nonetheless!
In Ezekiel 34, the LORD delivers a searing indictment of Israel’s leadership, the “shepherds”, who instead of caring for the “flock”, destructively exploit the people for their own gain. Unfortunately, the same might be said of any number of political and spiritual leaders today. But let’s not just consider all those “out there”. What about we ourselves? How might we exploit others for our own gain? Something to think about…
The LORD promises to replace the evil shepherds, with a better One. He declares that He Himself will be Israel’s Shepherd. (Ez. 34:11-16) He then says that He will establish David as the Shepherd. (Ez. 34:23-24) Clearly, the LORD does not mean David himself but one of his descendants, the Messiah, the Christ. (Reading between the lines, if the LORD is the Shepherd and this “David” is also to be the Shepherd, then the coming Messiah must be the LORD Himself…)
The LORD reiterates His promise to restore the people to their land and to make them dwell securely as His own flock. (Ez. 34:25-31; 36:1-15) We know from Jeremiah that the exile in Babylon is to last 70 years, and (spoiler alert!) we shall see that the people do indeed return to the land. But although we can see that return from exile as a token of the fulfillment of God’s promise here, it is by no means the full package. After returning to the land, the Jews certainly do not dwell securely and they are dispersed among the nations all over again after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 A.D. Even with the establishment of the modern state of Israel in 1948, most Jews remain abroad, and Israel is surrounded by enemies, not secure. The complete fulfillment is yet to come…
Like the Book of Obadiah, Ezekiel 35 focuses on God’s judgment on Edom (Mount Seir). We should not see this chapter as randomly stuck here in the middle of other material about Israel. Rather, the judgment on Edom is part of the promise to make Israel dwell securely in the land, unafraid of her neighbors. (Ez. 37:5)
The LORD makes it clear that His actions in renewing Israel are entirely for His own name’s sake. (Ez. 36:16-38) It is not because Israel deserves or earns any such favorable treatment. Instead, Israel should be thoroughly ashamed. (Ez. 36:32) We should not miss the LORD’s promise to give Israel a new heart and to make His Spirit dwell within them. (Ez. 36:26-27) But has Israel herself seen this renewal? No. Again, the complete fulfillment is yet to come…
I expect we’ve all heard of Ezekiel’s vision of the valley of dry bones. (Ez. 37:1-14) It is, indeed, an extraordinary vision in which long-dead bones are reassembled, clothed in flesh, and brought back to life to form a vast living army. We can, of course, see the whole idea of resurrection here. But our notion of resurrection — eternal life, going to heaven, etc. — is not really the point of this vision. Instead, the vision is meant as a metaphor for the nation, that although Israel has been devastated by two “nuclear blasts” (the first named “Assyria” and the second named “Babylon”), the nation shall yet live again and thrive. (Ez. 37:11-14) In other words, there is hope! But again, the complete fulfillment is yet to come…
Finally, the LORD declares that all these promises are for the whole house of Israel, not just Judah. (Ez. 37:15-23) The LORD knows those who are His, regardless of where they might be scattered, even if we think the “ten lost tribes” are lost. Indeed there are Israelites scattered all around the world to this day, but the LORD will one day gather them back to the Promised Land and forge them into one nation, no longer Northern and Southern Kingdoms, but one united Israel.
My Servant David shall be King over them, and they shall all have one Shepherd. They shall walk in My rules and be careful to obey My statutes. They shall dwell in the land that I gave to My servant Jacob, where your fathers lived. They and their children and their children’s children shall dwell there forever, and David My Servant shall be their Prince forever. I will make a covenant of peace with them. It shall be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will set them in their land and multiply them, and will set My sanctuary in their midst forevermore. My dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD who sanctifies Israel, when My sanctuary is in their midst forevermore.
Ezekiel 37:24-28
I am looking forward to that day! How about you?
One more thing…
I personally don’t find the commentary in The Chronological Study Bible to be all that helpful. Sometimes I don’t like what they say, but I squelch my criticisms. Today, however, it is just flat out wrong, and I can’t keep silent. In the section titled “The Sacred and Profane (Ezek. 36:22-26)” on page 845 in the NKJV edition that I have, they say that the Babylonian captivity caused Israel to “come into contact with the nations” and that this contact is what caused the LORD’s name to be profaned. “Contaminated by the nations, Israel had become impure…”
What?! That is pure bunk! It represents a complete misunderstanding of the situation. The exile did not cause Israel to become impure. Israel’s impurity is what caused the exile! Through her sin, Israel thoroughly misrepresented the LORD, profaning the LORD’s name. Israel’s sin brought about her destruction, but from the outside looking in (i.e., from the nations’ perspective), it appeared as though the LORD was weak, unable to protect Israel from stronger gods, and that further profaned His name. Then Israel’s ongoing unfaithfulness while in exile — continuing to misrepresent the LORD — profaned His name yet more. Any notion that Israel was just fine and that contact with Babylon is what made her impure is ludicrous!
So for anyone who has this study Bible, please do not just accept the commentary as authoritative. Use some discernment and filter out the error.
And another thing…
With Ezekiel’s vision of the valley of dry bones, it’s time for another African American Spiritual, “Dry Bones”: