Jacob Have I Loved

Series on Ezekiel

II. The Foreign Nations

F. Fruit from the Mountains, Text: 35:1-36:38

Title: Jacob Have I Loved

Introduction

These two chapters are a tale of two nations. The ancient rivalry and hatred between them goes back to Jacob and Esau. They are both mountainous countries. Chapter 35 begins with Mt. Seir in Edom. Chapter 36 begins with the mountains of Israel. They are a symbol of power and divinity. Again the prophecies of Ezekiel at this juncture are pointing to the future of Israel and by contrasting the mountains of Israel with Mt. Seir. The Lord can accentuate the extraordinary blessings He has in store for his people over against the judgment that will fall upon Edom. It is a reminder of the words of Malachi 1:3 and Romans 9:13, Jacob have i loved Esau have i hated. The exact historical situation here is that around 586 b.c. the ancient and ongoing invasions of Israel by Edom were stepped up because of the weakened condition of Israel, including both the northern and southern kingdoms as referred to in 35:10. Israel was at its nadir and Edom at its zenith, but the situation was going to be reversed by God. Let us consider the retribution, the restoration and the renewal.

I The Retribution

Chapter 35 consists of God’s judgment upon Edom summed up in verses 1-4, The word of the LORD came to me: “Son of man, set your face against Mount Seir; prophesy against it and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am against you, Mount Seir, and I will stretch out my hand against you and make you a desolate waste. I will turn your towns into ruins and you will be desolate. Then you will know that I am the LORD. It shall be desolate for three reasons: in verse 5 because of their ancient hatred, Because you harbored an ancient hostility and delivered the Israelites over to the sword at the time of their calamity, the time their punishment reached its climax, in verse 10 because of their current warfare, Because you have said, “These two nations and countries will be ours and we will take possession of them,” even though I the LORD was there, and then in verses 13 and 14 the most telling reason of all, they mocked God, You boasted against me and spoke against me without restraint, and I heard it. This is what the Sovereign LORD says: “While the whole earth rejoices, I will make you desolate.” The absurdity of it is obvious. The force of the statement is that everyone would laugh if it were not so serious. What do people like to see better than a braggart put in his place. Everyone rejoices. This is of course an awesome picture of the fate of all who boast against the true and living God, but even as the judgment of their ancient enemy was a cause of rejoicing, the blessing God would bring upon Israel was an even greater cause of rejoicing and we see this in two parts, first the restoration and then the renewal.

II The Restoration

The restoration is found in 36:1-15 and the Lord speaks to the mountains of Israel a message of future vindication. This is certainly not because of their obedience or the fact that they deserve it but because of his covenant promise and because Israel and the land of promise is His possession, and God has been insulted by all the scorn that has been levied on his people. in verses 3-6 we read, Therefore prophesy and say, “This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Because they ravaged and hounded you from every side so that you became the possession of the rest of the nations and the object of people’s malicious talk and slander, therefore, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Sovereign LORD: This is what the Sovereign LORD says to the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys, to the desolate ruins and the deserted towns that have been plundered and ridiculed by the rest of the nations around you-this is what the Sovereign LORD says: ‘In my burning zeal I have spoken against the rest of the nations, and against all Edom, for with glee and with malice in their hearts they made my land their own possession so that they might plunder its pastureland.’ Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel and say to the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I speak in my jealous wrath because you have suffered the scorn of the nations.’” Parenthetically let me interject that this applies to us on an individual basis, that is, when we are scorned or derided for Christ’s sake, that never goes unnoticed. In fact God has a burning zeal to avenge the enemies of his people. No one ought to draw the conclusion that because he does not do it immediately he will never do it. It is to this end that the psalmist observes in Psalm 73:13-19, Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; in vain have I washed my hands in innocence. All day long I have been plagued; I have been punished every morning. If I had said, “I will speak thus,” I would have betrayed your children. When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny. Surely you place them on slippery ground; you cast them down to ruin. How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors! This was written about the exact same sort of problem we have here and which we encounter through human injustice every day of our lives. But to return to the historical significance, i am well aware that there are those who await for these words of blessing in verses 8-11 to be fulfilled literally in the nation Israel, But you, O mountains of Israel, will produce branches and fruit for my people Israel, for they will soon come home. I am concerned for you and will look on you with favor; you will be plowed and sown, and I will multiply the number of people upon you, even the whole house of Israel. The towns will be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt. I will increase the number of men and animals upon you, and they will be fruitful and become numerous. I will settle people on you as in the past and will make you prosper more than before. Then you will know that I am the LORD. I do not want to quarrel with them but we must not miss the fact that there is a literal or intentional fulfillment in the Church. Prophecies of future blessing had to be given to them in the language of a culture that was involved in farming and animal husbandry. However, from the perspective of the New Testament these promises speak to the Church as the new Israel. We are the children of Abraham in the kingdom of God. These materialistic promises have relevance for the church because they speak of peace and fruitfulness and growth and prosperity. The Church takes great comfort in the fulfillment of the sort of greatness, confidence, and certainty of success which is pictured here. American farmers have far outproduced anything grown in ancient or modern Israel. The fruitfulness in view here is spiritual and results from the sowing of the gospel seed and a harvest of righteousness. The second part of the blessing in Ezekiel 36:16 and following points this up even more clearly.

III Renewal

This restoration in verses 16-38 is not a mere physical or material restoration but involves renewal and revival as we shall see again in chapter 37. But here we see the second aspect beginning with a new prophetic announcement in verses 22-27, Therefore say to the house of Israel, “This is what the Sovereign LORD says: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you have gone. I will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD, declares the Sovereign LORD, when I show myself holy through you before their eyes. For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. The development is as follows: they were disobedient to God’s covenant and were accordingly punished, but because of his great name which has been profaned among the nations God will renew them. This renewal which accompanies the restoration described in verse 24 is a perfect description of new covenant repentance, faith and conversion. In fact it describes God regenerating people. If we turn to the third chapter of John, which is one of the primary passages on being born again or regeneration, we discover Jesus saying in 3:5, Unless a man is born of water and the spirit he cannot enter the kingdom of God. An age long debate over the meaning of this verse is ended is we realize that Jesus is echoing his own words in Ezekiel. Men have debated whether this means water baptism endlessly, and some have come up with the utterly unacceptable idea that John 3:5 means we must be baptized in order to be saved. Wise men have concluded that the water in John 5 is the same water mentioned in Ezekiel 36:25. Scholars such as John Murray and a former part of our own congregation Dr. Robert Peterson, once at Biblical Seminary and now at Covenant Seminary have pointed out that when Jesus speaks of water and the Spirit he is speaking of the cleansing promised by the Old Testament prophets. Ezekiel’s prediction would be fulfilled in the ministry of Jesus. Thus we must not miss the fact that this prophecy is speaking of the Church, and God’s end purpose in fulfilling these words is clearly enunciated in verses 36-38, Then the nations around you that remain will know that I the LORD have rebuilt what was destroyed and have replanted what was desolate. I the LORD have spoken, and I will do it. This is what the Sovereign LORD says: “Once again I will yield to the plea of the house of Israel and do this for them: I will make their people as numerous as sheep, as numerous as the flocks for offerings at Jerusalem during her appointed feasts. So will the ruined cities be filled with flocks of people. Then they will know that I am the LORD.” The end of this washing of regeneration as Paul calls it in Titus 3:5 is to produce a holy people who will not repeat the disastrous mistakes of Israel, and ultimately, as always, to glorify the Lord before all peoples.