The Mountains of Israel To be blessed and Israel to be renewed for His Name’s Sake. Let’s know a little bit more about Ezekiel. Ezekiel was born c. 622 BC. He was born in Jerusalem, Israel, and his father’s name was Buzzi. Ezekiel also came from a lineage of priests. He states his first encounter with God was “in the thirtieth year.” Little is known about Ezekiel’s personal life. The son of Buzi, he was apparently a descendant of the priestly family of Zadok. While in Jerusalem, he had been influenced by his older contemporary Jeremiah. Ezekiel was exiled to Babylonia with King Jehoiachin in 597 B.C. or shortly thereafter. Five years later he lived in the Babylonian Jewish settlement of Tel Aviv (Tel Abubu, the hill of the storm god) by the Chebar River. It was there that he received his call to prophecy in a mystical vision (Ezekiel 8:1 ). Josephus speaks of Ezekiel as having been young at the time of his exile, but that is probably not correct. Ezekiel demonstrated the kind of precise knowledge of the Temple and its ritual that could be acquired only from personal and active participation as a priest in the Temple worship. For 22 years Ezekiel continued his ministry. In his early period as a prophet, he denounced his people for their sins and corruption. After the destruction of Jerusalem in 586, however, Ezekiel became the consoler and comforter of the exiles, holding out to them the promise of return to the homeland and the restoration of the Temple and of the throne of David. Ezekiel’s loftiest vision, that of the Valley of Dry Bones (37:1-14), has rarely been matched in its grandeur. It is the prophet’s response to the despair of the exiles, and it has become a powerful symbol of hope, resurrection, and regeneration. In the early days of his ministry, Ezekiel found it difficult to impress his doctrines upon his people. Later, particularly after the destruction of Jerusalem, they recognized him as their spiritual leader, and they turned to him for counsel in their religious dilemmas and perplexities. The community elders evidently assembled in his home for instruction and guidance (It reads in Ezekiel 8:1: And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I sat in mine house, and the elders of Judah sat before me, that the hand of the Lord GOD fell there upon me.) (It reads also in Ezekiel 14:1:Then came certain of the elders of Israel unto me, and sat before me. ), and it is possible that the institution of the synagogue grew out of these gatherings. One of the primary religious issues raised in these meetings was the problem of God’s justice. The exiles thought they were sinless and should not have to suffer for the sins of their ancestors. In his reply Ezekiel laid down a vital principle in Judaism. Before Ezekiel, Jeremiah had asserted that children are not answerable for their parents’ sins. Ezekiel proclaimed a new doctrine, which represents an ethical advance. The individual alone, he said, bears responsibility for his deeds. The belief “If the fathers have eaten sour grapes, the children’s teeth should be set on edge” (It reads in Ezekiel 18:2: What mean ye, that ye use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge?) is no longer tenable. The truth is that “the soul that sinned, it shall die” (It reads in Ezekiel 18:4: Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinned, it shall die.)
In other words, one is not liable for another’s actions, and the innocent cannot be held liable for the guilty; each one, moreover, must atone for his own sins. This idea was a powerful motivation for ethical living.
Ezekiel speaks of an attack of “Gog of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal” (It reads in Ezekiel 38:2: Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, ), who is to lead an armed horde of nations from the north against Israel before the inauguration of God’s sovereignty. This idiom is obscure and has never been adequately explained. Gog is often mentioned in the apocalyptic works; it is to be found also in the Dead Sea Scrolls. In rabbinic works the wars of Gog and Magog are to precede the coming of the Messiah. Ezekiel was the only Hebrew prophet who ministered to his people outside the Holy Land. He is unique in his frequent use of the term “son of man” as the manner of the divine address. Unlike other Hebrew prophets, who placed the ethical above the ritual, Ezekiel fused the two elements, thereby reflecting his dual role as a pious priest and inspired prophet. Ezekiel was a prophet during Judah’s exile in Babylon and he lived among them. Through Ezekiel, God spoke promises over Israel about their restoration. Not only would God restore the people of Israel to their land, but he would give them a new heart and spirit. The reason for the chastisement of Israel was Israel’s sin and profanation of God’s name ( Ezekiel 36:16-21 ). God has good in store for Israel, for His own name’s sake, to revive His people; first, by a spiritual renewal of their hearts, and, next, by an external restoration to prosperity ( Ezekiel 36:22-33 ). The result is that the heathen shall be impressed with the power and goodness of God manifested so palpably towards the restored people ( Ezekiel 36:34-38 ).
“Lets read Ezekiel 36:16-38”
Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their own way and by their doings: their way was before me as the uncleanness of a removed woman. Wherefore I poured my fury upon them for the blood that they had shed upon the land, and for their idols wherewith they had polluted it: And I scattered them among the heathen, and they were dispersed through the countries: according to their way and according to their doings I judged them. And when they entered unto the heathen, whither they went, they profaned my holy name, when they said to them, These are the people of the LORD, and are gone forth out of his land. But I had pity for mine holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the heathen, whither they went. Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord GOD; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name’s sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went. And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, says the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes. For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God. I will also save you from all your uncleanness: and I will call for the corn, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you. And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, that ye shall receive no more reproach of famine among the heathen. Then shall ye remember your own evil ways, and your doings that were not good, and shall clothe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations. Not for your sakes do I this, says the Lord GOD, be it known unto you: be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel. Thus says the Lord GOD; In the day that I shall have cleansed you from all your iniquities I will also cause you to dwell in the cities, and the wastes shall be built. And the desolate land shall be tilled, whereas it lay desolate in the sight of all that passed by. And they shall say, This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are become fenced, and are inhabited. Then the heathen that are left round about you shall know that I the LORD build the ruined places, and plant that that was desolate: I the LORD have spoken it, and I will do it. Thus says the Lord GOD; I will yet for this be enquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them; I will increase them with men like a flock. As the holy flock, as the flock of Jerusalem in her solemn feasts; so shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of men: and they shall know that I am the LORD.
{Lets Pray}
Father God, I thank You and praise You that You are a good and gracious God, long-suffering, tender-hearted and forgiving towards all Your children. I thank You and praise You for Your faithfulness towards Israel, Your chosen nation. Your never-failing promises to all Your people is such a reassurance, for it demonstrates that Your gracious patience, kindness, love and obedience towards Israel and Church all believers is equally sure – for You are the same yesterday, today, and forever. I thank You and praise You that I am apart of the body of Jesus Christ who You sent in Your image. I thank You and praise You for the elders of the Church that know You dearer than any other. I thank You and praise You that You have told us the end from the beginning, and thank You that all Your promises are ‘Yes’ and ‘Amen.’ I thank You and praise You that in Jesus Christ my Savior I can look forward to eternity. Teach me Your ways and guide me Your way always. Keep me from straying from the path of holiness. I Love You, thank You, praise You that in Jesus Christ, I have a cleansed heart, and that by Your amazing grace I have the indwelling Holy Spirit in my life, to guide me into all truth in Jesus Precious Name. I am believing if there is someone out there that does know You and are scared to move forward. You will touch their hearts today in a way that they will fear no longer and be guided towards You and the road You have for them. If there is somebody out there that doesn’t know You I am believing for the right people to be guided in their life and move out of the darkness into Your light. Amen.
{Power Verse}
“Many times I struck your gardens and vineyards, destroying them with blight and mildew. Locusts devoured your fig and olive trees, yet you have not returned to me,” declares the LORD. Amos 4:9
"Only Life Changes" 