"They Shall Be My People, and I Will Be Their God"

The Prince of Tyre

God told Ezekiel that he should deliver a message to the prince of Tyre. God explained that because the prince's heart was prideful, and because the prince had declared himself a god, he would be judged. God stated that the prince was wiser than Daniel, but his wisdom had made him proud. As a result, God would bring down foreigners on the prince. These foreigners would force him into a pit, where he would die. God also instructed Ezekiel to raise a lament over the death of the king of Tyre. In this lament, Ezekiel said that all who knew the king were appalled at what he had become.

Many scholars believe that the lamentation over the king of Tyre is a lamentation over the fall of Satan. There are allusions to Satan in this section of Ezekiel. Some references are made to the Garden of Eden and being cast down into a pit.

Sidon

Sidon was a neighboring nation to Tyre. God declared that He was against Sidon and said that the people of Sidon would know that He was God when He executed His judgment on them. He would send diseases into Sidon, and there would be blood in the streets. God proclaimed that Sidon had treated the house of Israel with contempt, and this would be no more.

Security in Israel

God declared that the Israelites would be gathered from the people to whom they had been scattered. They would then return and live in the land God had given to their ancestors. God said that He would execute judgments on the neighboring nations of Israel that had mistreated His people.

Egypt Judged

God told Ezekiel to set his face toward Egypt and prophesy against Pharaoh and Egypt. God declared that He was against Pharaoh, king of Egypt. God said that He would put hooks in Pharaoh's jaws, cast him into the wilderness, and make him food for the beasts of the earth and the birds of the heavens. All of Egypt would then know that God was the Lord. God was going to do this because of the mistreatment of Israel by Pharaoh. God also said that this was going to happen because Pharaoh had declared that the Nile River was his and that he had made it. In response, God would make the land of Egypt a desolate wasteland.

God said that He would give Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and Nebuchadnezzar would plunder it for the wages of his army. God would provide Nebuchadnezzar with Egypt because he had worked for God. After forty years, God would gather the people of Egypt and restore them to the land of Egypt. God would make them small, and they would never rule over other lands again. All of the lands that had supported Egypt would also fall. There were several proclamations by God that Egypt would be destroyed. He compared Egypt to Assyria. Assyria had been a mighty empire, and like Egypt, it had fallen to Nebuchadnezzar.

God commanded Ezekiel to raise a lamentation over the fall of Egypt. God promised to strew Pharaoh's flesh on the mountains and fill Egypt's valleys with his remains. The king of Babylon would cause great numbers to fall by the sword in Egypt. God guaranteed that He would "spread terror in the land of the living" (Ezekiel 32:32, ESV®).

The remaining chapters of Ezekiel are about the restoration of Israel as a whole and are not just references to Judah. Ezekiel's prophecies in these chapters include long-range prophecies that will occur during Jesus' reign after His second coming.

Ezekiel the Watchman

God announced that Ezekiel would be a watchman for Israel. God said that if a watchman blows the trumpet and someone does not notice, the blood will be upon that person's head. However, if a watchman sees trouble and does not blow the trumpet and warn the people, then the blood will be upon the head of the watchman. God told Ezekiel that whenever he heard a warning from God, he was to warn the people. God described how if a righteous man did not obey God, his righteousness would not save him from the punishment for his sins. If a wicked man repented, then he could be saved from evil, but if anyone who was wicked did not repent, then that person could not be saved from judgment.

God prompted Ezekiel to say to the people of Israel that their sins were upon them. God stated that He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked. The wicked needed to turn back from their evil ways. God would judge each person according to their sinful ways.

Jerusalem Destroyed

Jerusalem was destroyed. Ezekiel had been unable to say anything until the destruction of Jerusalem. God made him speak, and he was no longer mute. The people said that Abraham was only a single man, but he had obtained all of these lands from God. God replied that the people had possession of the lands, but their sins were many. He named some of their sins. God warned that He would destroy the people and the land. God pointed out that Ezekiel was like a singer and that the people came to listen to his songs, but they would not do the things he told them. When all of these things happened, the people would know that God was the Lord, and they would also know that a prophet had been with them.

The Shepherds of Israel

God spoke to Ezekiel and commanded him to speak out against the shepherds of Israel. (These shepherds were the leaders of Israel and Judah.) God said that the shepherds should feed the sheep and take care of them, but the shepherds of Israel had only taken from the sheep and killed the fat ones. They had not made the weak strong. They had not healed the sick. They had not sought out the lost. The people had just wandered about. God cautioned that the shepherds would be judged since they had not taken care of His sheep.

God promised that He would seek out His lost sheep and rescue them from the places they had hidden. He would feed them, bring back the strays, and heal the injured. He would judge between one sheep and another sheep. God explained that David would feed them and would be a prince among them. (This refers to the coming Messiah from the house of David: Jesus Christ.)

God would make a covenant of peace with Israel. He would send showers of blessing to Israel, and the people would live in safety. They would longer be consumed with hunger. They would know that they were His people, and He was their God.

Prophecy against the Edomites

God ordered Ezekiel to face Mount Seir and declare that God was against the people there. God said that He would stretch out His hand and make Mount Seir a desolate place. He would destroy the cities there. He would do this because the Edomites that lived there had displayed constant aggression against Israel. The dead would fall by the sword in their hills, ravines, and valleys. Their cities would be empty, and they would know then that God was the Lord. God declared that since they had rejoiced when Israel was judged, God would judge Mount Seir and all of Edom.

Mountains of Israel

God warned that because the lands surrounding Israel had enjoyed its troubles, these lands would suffer for their sins. Israel would soon return home, and the land would once again be fruitful. The cities would be inhabited again as in times past. The people of Israel would multiply. (According to biblical scholars, these things will occur during Christ's reign.)

His Holy Name

God gave another message to Ezekiel. He told Ezekiel His reasons for what He had done. He explained that when the house of Israel lived in its own land, the land was defiled by the actions of the people. This was why God had to judge the people and scatter them. God showed them His wrath for the blood they had shed and for the idols they had worshipped. These were God's people, but they had to leave the land. God was concerned for His holy name, which the people had cursed in the countries in which they were scattered.

God instructed Ezekiel to tell the people that it was not for their benefit that God was about to act, but it was for His holy name, which had been profaned. God said that He would vindicate His name, which the nations and the people had disrespected.

A New Heart and a New Spirit

God revealed to the people that He would bring them back to their land. He would sprinkle water on them and make them clean and also cleanse them of their idols. He would give them a new heart and a new spirit and make them follow His laws. He would raise the grain so they would not hunger, and the people would loathe their evil ways. God emphasized that this was not for the people but for His holy name. God would restore the land when the people returned so that the nations surrounding them would know that He was God.

The Valley of Bones

God took Ezekiel to the middle of a valley. The valley was full of bones. God asked him if the bones could live, and Ezekiel answered that only God knew. God ordered him to prophesy over the bones and tell them to hear the word of God. God then said: "Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord" (Ezekiel 37:5-6).

Ezekiel did what God told him to do, and the bones were covered in muscle. God then ordered him to prophesy to the breath and say that God said: "Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live" (Ezekiel 37:9). Ezekiel again did what he was told, and the bones lived and stood up. They made up a large army.

Gog: A Coming Battle

God had Ezekiel turn to face Gog, from the land of Magog. He was the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. God told Ezekiel to say that God was against this chief prince. God warned that He would put hooks into the jaws of Gog, and that He would bring Gog and his army out. Persia, Cush, and Put would come out as well. Gomer would also come, and Beth-togarmah would come from the north with a great army.

God advised that Israel should keep ready and should advance like a coming storm. An evil plan would come against the unwalled cities. The people of Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish and its leaders would ask if Israel came to collect spoils.

Ezekiel was to tell Gog to attack Israel. When Gog went to attack, God's wrath would come, and a great earthquake would follow in Israel. All of the creatures would shake in God's presence. The mountains and cliffs would crumble. A great rain would also fall—along with hail, fire, and sulfur—on the army of Gog. God would set His glory among the nations, and the house of Israel would know that God was the Lord.

Israel Restored

God guaranteed that He would restore the house of Israel. The people of Israel would forget their shame and evil deeds from the past. This would happen when God brought them back from the lands where they had been scattered. God said that the people of Israel would know then that He was their God. God would pour out His Spirit on them.

Summary

God used the prophet Ezekiel to state that Tyre would be judged. The prince of Tyre had become prideful and declared himself a god. The nation of Sidon would also be judged for treating Israel with contempt. God declared that He was against Pharaoh, king of Egypt, for all the wrong that Egypt had done to Israel. God announced that Ezekiel would be a watchman for Israel and would be responsible for delivering God's words of warning to the people. God spoke about the destruction of Israel. He emphasized that the destruction of the house of Israel was related to defending His holy name. God explained that He would give Israel a new heart and a new spirit. God showed Ezekiel a vision of a valley of dry bones that were made to come back to life. Ezekiel foretold of a coming battle with Gog, and God promised that Israel would be restored.

Application and Reflection

Application

God emphasized that the destruction of Israel had to do with protecting His holy name. God is a God of justice, and the continued abominations that the house of Israel committed reflected poorly on God since the people were His chosen people. We must remember that as Christians, we also represent God, and how we behave affects how others perceive God. Poor behavior can hurt our witness to others of Christ's gospel.

Reflection

God said that He would judge each person according to their sins. That does not mean that your sins will not harm others, though. The punishment for those sins will be on you if you fail to repent of them. Do you have sins you must ask forgiveness for and repent of?