For behold, I am for you, and I will turn to you, and you shall be tilled and sown.
Ezekiel 36:9 ESV
Through the Bible: Ezekiel 34–36
Each morning, my wife and son and I sit down to do our Bible reading together. And for the last several days, our time together typically begins with someone saying, “Are we still in Ezekiel? Uggggghhhh….”
Yes, every word of Scripture is equally inspired. But that doesn’t mean that every word of the Bible is equally inspiring. And for 35 chapters, Ezekiel has been less than encouraging.
Which is why Ezekiel 36:9 hits like a beam of sunshine cutting through dark clouds:
“Behold, I am for you.”
We’ve heard the opposite so many times.
When God pronounced judgment on Jerusalem, He said, “Behold, I, even I, am against you” (Ezekiel 5:8).
To Israel’s false prophets: “Behold, I am against you” (13:8).
To the land of Israel itself: “Behold, I am against you” (21:3).
And as Ezekiel’s attention turned toward the nations surrounding Israel, the refrain continued.
To Sidon: “Behold, I am against you” (28:22).
To Pharaoh: “Behold, I am against you” (29:3).
And just one chapter before today’s reading, God said to Mount Seir, representing the nation of Edom, “Behold, I am against you” (35:3). Edom had watched Jerusalem fall and saw an opportunity. With Israel devastated and its people scattered, Edom intended to take possession of the land for itself. “These two nations and these two countries shall be mine,” they said (35:10).
Against you. Against you. Against you.
Then we turn the page.
In chapter 36, the Lord turns from Mount Seir to the mountains of Israel. The mountains that had been devastated would become fruitful again. The cities that had been reduced to rubble would be rebuilt. The people who had been scattered would come home.
And then God says the words we’ve been waiting thirty-five chapters to hear:
“Behold, I am for you.”
Finally! Finally, an assurance that God is for His people!
But the truth is, He never hasn’t been.
When God said He was “against” Jerusalem, He had not stopped loving His people. When He sent them into exile, He had not abandoned His covenant. When He disciplined them for their idolatry, injustice, and rebellion, He had not changed sides.
In fact, His judgment was evidence that He had not given up on them.
God loved His people too much to leave them in the sin that was destroying them. His discipline wasn’t the abandonment of His covenant. It was part of His faithfulness to it.
And Ezekiel 36 makes something else very clear. God’s highest concern isn’t Israel’s comfort. It is His glory.
“It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name.” (Ezekiel 36:22)
God is for His name first and foremost.
But that is extraordinarily good news for His people.
Because what does God do for the sake of His holy name? Look at the catalog of grace in verses 24-28. Here is just a sampling of the “I will” statements in this passage:
- He gathers His scattered people (v. 24).
- He cleanses them from their uncleanness (v. 25).
- He gives them a new heart (v. 26).
- He puts a new spirit within them (v. 26).
- He removes their heart of stone and gives them a heart of flesh (v. 26).
- He puts His Spirit within them (v. 27).
- And He says once again, “You shall be my people, and I will be your God” (v. 28).
God’s glory and the ultimate good of His people are not competing interests. The God who has attached His name to His promises will be faithful to both.
Centuries later, Paul would ask a question that sounds remarkably like Ezekiel 36:
“If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31)
That doesn’t mean God will never discipline us. It doesn’t mean He overlooks our sin. And it certainly doesn’t mean everything that happens to us will feel like He is for us.
Israel spent years in exile when it probably didn’t feel that way at all.
But He was.
Because even when His hand is heavy, His heart is faithful.
Related Content:
This blog will always be a free resource for anyone who wants to grow in their love for God’s Word. If it has blessed you and you would like to support the ministry of 66in52, please consider a one time or recurring donation. Thank you!
Leave a Reply