Ezekiel 36

The destruction of Edom (chapter 35) would prepare the way for the restoration of the mountains of Israel, reversing the devastation threatened in chapter 6.

Israel’s ancient high places (the hill country and mountains) could not be taken by their enemies. The Lord had given this land to his people.

The period of enduring the shame of mockery and plundering would now be over for Israel, and Israel’s enemies would soon endure their own shame by being mocked and plundered.

When God’s people returned to their land, Israel would grow in number and in harvest. This would fulfill the command God gave at creation to “be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 1:28).

God intended the land to provide plenty for his people and their children. Instead, it took their children and consumed its own people. This happened because Israel did not follow the covenant, leading to the Lord's judgment with disastrous effects for them and their children (see Ezekiel 5:17). Now that the people were changing, they would receive the covenant blessing of a fruitful land.

• Ezekiel reminded the people of their guilt and their need for God to change their hearts. In the future, God would cleanse his people.

• In the Old Testament, objects and people are divided into "clean" and "unclean," "sacred" and "profane" categories (see “Clean, Unclean, and Holy” Theme Note).

  God made Israel clean, but the Gentile nations remained unclean. Israel became unclean due to bloodshed and idolatry, which defiled the land. Because they acted like unclean nations, it was fitting for Israel to be scattered among them as punishment. In the future, God would make them clean so he could dwell among them again. Other nations, seeing his holiness in his people, would know he is the Holy One.

  In the New Testament, God’s redemption through Christ redefines the lines between clean and unclean (see Acts 10:15). The Gentiles are no longer outside of God’s grace. They, too, can receive the Holy Spirit and become clean. Jews and Gentiles together now form the one people of God in Christ.

  Those in Christ Jesus are not only clean but also holy because of his priesthood. Therefore, they can come boldly into God’s presence and experience his grace (Hebrews 12:18–29).

• Covenant curses came to Israel because the people defiled their land through sinful behavior.

• A menstrual cloth became polluted by contact with a woman's monthly blood flow. This natural process was not sinful, but it made people ceremonially unclean. Any loss of bodily fluids, like blood, sweat (see study note on Ezekiel 44:17–19), or semen, also caused ceremonial uncleanness (see Leviticus 15).

Israel made the land unsuitable for God's presence by committing murder and worshiping idols. Because they broke their covenant, they were expelled and scattered among the nations (see Deuteronomy 29:22–28).

This scattering also brought shame to the Lord's holy name. It was not the exiles' behavior that took away the Lord's glory. Instead, their exile made other nations think Israel's God could not protect them in their own land.

God sent Israel into exile because he cared about his holiness. He wanted to protect the honor of his holy name, so he planned to bring them back to their land. Israel did not earn this return from exile; it showed the Lord's holiness and power to other nations. Israel could not stay outside the land God promised to Abraham and his descendants forever.

Bringing Israel back to the land was not enough. They would also become a new, transformed Israel. God would sprinkle them with clean water to cleanse them from all impurities that had defiled the land. Such sprinkling with water was a routine part of Jewish purification ceremonies (see Numbers 19). It symbolized a fresh start, with their old sins washed away.

The Lord’s renewal of his people would not be only an outward cleansing. He would give Israel a new heart and a new spirit (Ezekiel 11:19; 18:31).

In the Bible, the heart and spirit refer to a person’s inner thoughts and will, which guide actions. Their stubborn and resistant heart would become soft and responsive. They would be ready to serve the Lord.

Their spirit of rebellion would be replaced with a spirit of obedience.

The spirit of God would bring life and light from darkness and chaos (see Genesis 1:2). This would give people a new ability to follow God's rules and regulations.

In the past, God's Spirit empowered individuals for specific tasks in service to the Lord (see Judges 3:10; 1 Samuel 16:13).

In the future, God's Spirit would empower more people to live holy lives (see Joel 2:28–29). These renewed people would live in Israel, making it suitable for God's presence to dwell among them again.

This change would bring the blessings of the covenant made with Moses, not its curses, and new honor among nearby nations. This blessing would make God's people deeply regret their past and recognize both their unworthiness and God's immense kindness.

The restored land would become like the garden of Eden, a symbol of fertility and fruitfulness. The original garden would be enhanced by restored cities, filled with people like Jerusalem's streets during festivals. The greatest blessing would be God's willingness to hear Israel's prayers again.

He had once refused to listen to his rebellious people (Ezekiel 14:3; 20:3), but now the Lord would turn his face toward them and hear their cries. The proof of this would be the number of people in the rebuilt cities who would acknowledge that the Lord is God.