Ezekiel 36:16

Ezekiel 36:16 says, Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,  God’s word continued to come to Ezekiel, just as I believe it will to Christians today.  We should hear God’s directions for us not just once or occasionally but every day.   

Verse seventeen adds, 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. God told Ezekiel that when the people of Israel lived in their own land, the land that He had given them, that they defiled it by doing what they wanted to do instead of living up to their covenant relationship with Him.  If we are defeated spiritually today, it will be because we have chosen to go our way instead of following God's guidance.   

Verse eighteen continues, 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:  God said that their defeat had come because He had poured out His fury on their disobedience and failure to repent and return to following Him in obedience to their covenant relationship with Him..  Even as followers of Christ, if we don’t live by the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we can find ourselves temporarily defeated spiritually today, but we will still be a part of God’s people.  The people of Israel still continued to be God’s chosen people through which He would reveal Himself to the world, but when they turned away from doing this, that didn’t keep them from being defeated.  If we are going to be spiritually successful in the world today, we must always be obedient to God.   

Verse nineteen states, 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.  God said He allowed the people of Israel to be scattered throughout the other nations, but He still judged them according to their actions;  Even if they were scattered, those who still remained true to their covenant relationship with God were still His people.  It doesn’t matter where we are in the world today, and even if we are defeated physically or even imprisoned, if we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, we are still a part of God’s kingdom and already have the everlasting victory through our faith in Him.    

Verse twenty adds, 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.   God said that those people of Israel who had followed the way of the heathen had profaned His holy name.  If we who profess to be followers of Christ follow the ways of the world, especially in times of adversity, we profane the name of God and He will not overlook this. 

Ezekiel 36:11

Ezekiel 36:11 says, 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.  God then said that He was going to bless them with people and animals and that they would be even better off than before materially.  I don’t believe that we can take this promise to Israel then and say that if we put our faith in God that He is going to make us materially rich, but we will be spiritually better off than we were before.  God also said that when He caused this to happen that the people of Israel would know that He is God.  We cannot be a Christian without knowing that God is the only God and that He provides the only way to salvation.   

Verse twelve adds, 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.  God said that He was going to cause the people of Israel to walk in their own land once more.  They had been scattered throughout the world, but He was going to assemble them in the promised land once more.  As followers of Christ, we are scattered throughout the world today, but one day, God is going to gather us all together in our heavenly home.  God also said that when this happened that His people would no longer be bereaved because of their status in the world, and as Christians, when God calls us home to glory, we will no longer be bereaved. 

Verse thirteen states, Thus saith the Lord God; Because they say unto you, Thou land devourest up men, and hast bereaved thy nations:   God said that the land of Israel devoured or destroyed people while it lay desolate.  This was because the people of Israel had been defeated or devoured by other nations instead of being a land that protected them.  In effect, this was a judgment on God Who had given them the land but seemingly hadn’t protected the people of Israel.  Of course, they failed to understand that it wasn't the land or God Who had caused the defeat of the Israelites but their own sin that had.  If we are spiritually defeated today, we cannot blame it on the place we live and we especially cannot blame it on God.  It will always be our personal sin that causes us to be defeated spiritually.   

Verse fourteen adds, Therefore thou shalt devour men no more, neither bereave thy nations any more, saith the Lord God.  God said that since other people claimed that Israel had devoured other nations that this would no longer happen.  Israel was to prosper once more in peace and not in war.  I believe that God still expects us as followers of Christ to reach out to the world with His message of forgiveness in peace and not to reach out to them with the destruction of war.   

Verse fifteen continues, 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.  God said that He was going to cause the people of Israel to no longer bear the shame or reproach of the heathen because of their having caused them to fall.  We as Christians and as a nation called a Christian nation are not called to destroy those who don’t believe in God but to reach out to them with the love of God and call on them to repent and accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord.  If we destroy them when they are unsaved, we have helped send them away to everlasting destruction. 

Ezekiel 36:5

Ezekiel 36:5 says, 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.  God said that He had a message for those who thought they had defeated His people.  This message is still true today and we as followers of Christ must share it with the world as a warning to their coming fate if they do not repent and come to God.    

Verse six adds, 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:  God said that His prophecy was to be against all those who oppressed His people because He is a jealous God and who watches over His people and will not allow any others to destroy them forever.   

Verse seven continues, Therefore thus saith the Lord God; I have lifted up mine hand, Surely the heathen that are about you, they shall bear their shame.  God said that He had lifted up His hand against the heathen around the people of Isreal and that the heathen would bear the shame of their own failure to obey Him and also for trying to destroy His people.  When God’s judgment comes, everyone who has not accepted His gift of salvation will bear the shame of their own guilt.  I believe that those who have accepted His gift of salvation and then at times do not obey God’s word to them will also bear shame for their actions when His judgment comes, but they will still be a part of His kingdom.   

Verse eight states, 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.  God said that when He sent His judgement on the heathen that His people would flourish.  This was not everyone who was born in Israel but was everyone who was born in Israel and had put their faith in Him.  It was those who were spiritual Israelites.  We may be born in what is called a Cristian nation or into a family that is considered a Christian family, but this does not make us a part of God’s people.  Only those who individually accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord will ever be a part of God’s people.   

Verse nine adds, For, behold, I am for you, and I will turn unto you, and ye shall be tilled and sown:  God said that since He was for them that the people of Isreal would be tilled and sown, or made ready to bear fruit for Him.  The land had been cursed because of the disobedience of the people of Israel, but it would now be productive again.  If we are to be spiritually productive today, we must be obedient to God in all that we say and do.   

Verse ten continues, 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:  God said that He was going to once again cause the nation of Isreal to be prosperous.  Their houses would be rebuilt and their cities inhabited by His people once more.  I don’t believe that we can say that if we put our faith in God that we will always flourish materially every day, but we will have a home in heaven where we one day will.  It will always depend on our accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, though.