B. Restoration to the Promised Land 33:21-39:29

"The concept of the land is particularly significant to the six messages [33:21-39:29] delivered in that one night before the news of Jerusalem's fall reached the exiles in Babylonia [cf. 33:21-22]. Since Jerusalem had fallen, would the land be lost to Israel (33:21-33)? It was the false shepherds' of Israel who had lost the land for Israel by leading the people astray from the truth. But the true shepherd,' the Messiah, would ultimately restore the land to Israel (ch. 34). Those foreigners who had possessed the land of Israel and had oppressed her people would be judged and removed so that Israel might again possess her own land (35:1-36:15). Then God would restore Israel to her promised land (36:16-37:14) and reunite the nation in fulfillment of God's covenants with her (37:15-28). Never again would a foreign power have dominion over Israel in her land (chs. 38-39)."⁴³⁵

 1. Israel and the Promised Land 33:21-33

 2. False and true shepherds ch. 34

Previously the Lord had said that the Israelites would not occupy the Promised Land because they had disobeyed the Mosaic Covenant. This disobedience was clear from the behavior of the people still in the land (33:25-26) and the Jews in exile (33:31-32). In this message He laid the burden of responsibility for the Israelites' failure at the feet of their leaders (cf. 13:1-14:11; 22).

 3. Preparation of the Promised Land 35:1-36:15

 4. Restoration to the Promised Land 36:16-37:14

Having prepared the land for the Israelites (35:1-36:15), the Lord would bring them back into it. This prophecy consists of four parts (36:16-21, 22-32, 33-38, and 37:1-14).

 5. Reunification in the Promised Land 37:15-28

37:15-17 The Lord also commanded Ezekiel to take two sticks (cf. Zech. 11:7-14). He was to write on one of them "For Judah and for the sons of Israel, Judah's companions."He was to write on the other stick "For Joseph and for the sons of Ephraim, Joseph's companions."One stick represented the Jews of the Southern Kingdom of Judah and the other the Jews of the Northern Kingdom of Israel.⁴⁸²Ezekiel was then to join the two sticks together in his hand end to end so they appeared to be one stick.

37:18-19 When Ezekiel's audience asked him what his symbolic act represented (cf. 4:1; 5:1; 12:9; 17:12; 20:49; 24:19), he was to tell them that the Lord said He would combine the two parts of Israel into one whole nation (cf. Isa. 11:12-13; Jer. 3:18; Hos. 1:11).⁴⁸³

37:20-22 The prophet was to hold these sticks, on which he had written what the Lord told him, in the sight of the exiles. He was to explain that Yahweh promised to bring exiles from both kingdoms back into the land. He would make one united kingdom of them again and set up one king over all of them (cf. Gen. 12:1-3, 7; 16:10; 17:7-9; 22:17-18; 28:4, 13-15). They would no longer be two nations, a divided kingdom.

37:23 These Jews would no longer defile themselves with idols, other detestable things, or transgressions of the Lord's (Mosaic) covenant. The Lord promised to deliver them from the many places where they had gone and sinned and to cleanse them (cf. Jer. 31:31-34). Then they would enter into a proper relationship with Him. In the present State of Israel only about 5 percent of the population is actively religious, and Christ is more firmly rejected there than almost anywhere else.⁴⁸⁴

37:24-25 God's servant David would rule over them and be their king (34:24; 2 Sam. 7:13, 16; Jer. 30:9; Hos. 3:5). They would have only one king who would shepherd them so that they would follow the Lord faithfully (cf. Exod. 19:5-6; Lev. 26:12; Deut. 7:6; 14:2, 21; 26:18-19; 27:9; Jer. 30:22; 31:33; 32:38). They would live in the Promised Land forever, and the Lord's servant David would be their appointed ruler forever. In view of God's promise to David in 2 Samuel 7:12-13, this must refer to the Son of David, Messiah.

37:26-28 The Lord also promised to make a covenant of peace with His people (cf. 16:62; 20:37; 34:25). He would plant them securely in the land and multiply their numbers (cf. Gen. 22:17-18). He would also set His sanctuary in their midst forever (cf. 20:40; 40:5-43:9; Zech. 6:12-13), not temporarily as He had done with the tabernacle and temple. His dwelling place would be with them forever, and He would also establish an intimate relationship with them. The people of the world would know that He is Yahweh who sets aside Israel as sacred for His glory and special purpose in the earth when He would set up His sanctuary in Israel's midst forever (cf. Exod. 19:5-6).

Note that the words "forever"and "everlasting"occur five times in verses 25-28. The reestablished Israelites would live in the land forever and would have an everlasting king, an everlasting covenant, and an everlasting sanctuary. There are also 13 promises in verses 15-28 and 10 "I will"commitments.

 6. Future invasion of the Promised Land chs. 38-39

This is the sixth and last message that Ezekiel received from the Lord the night before the refugees reached the exiles with the message that Jerusalem had fallen (cf. 33:21-22). It too deals with God's plans for Israel in the distant future, when He would restore her to her land. It answers the question, What about future enemies of Israel? This section of the book consists of seven messages each marked by the introductory phrase, "Thus says the Lord God"(38:3, 10, 14, 17; 39:1, 17, 25). This is another apocalyptic passage.

"In Ezekiel 38-39 the prophet used parallels from Israel's first Exodus to describe God's new' exodus preceding the kingdom era. All that God intended for Israel during the first Exodus will be accomplished in the new' one.

• Destruction of Gentile oppressors (Exod. 5-12; Ezek. 38-39)

• Plans for building God's house (Exod. 20-40; Ezek. 40-43)

• Climax: God's glory enters His house (Exod. 40:35; Ezek. 43:5)

• Instructions for worship (Leviticus; Ezek. 43-46)

• Land boundaries for Israel (Num. 34; Ezek. 47)

• Division of land among the tribes (Josh. 14-21; Ezek. 48)"⁴⁸⁵