Ezekiel · chapter 36 of 48
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Ezekiel 36 announces the restoration of the mountains of Israel and, above all, of its people. The Lord will act for the sake of his holy name, which was profaned among the nations. He will gather the scattered, cleanse them with clean water, give them a new heart and a new spirit, remove the heart of stone and put his Spirit within them so that they walk in his commands.
After the judgment on Edom in chapter 35, chapter 36 turns to the mountains of Israel, which had been mocked by their enemies. It is one of the best known passages of the book and one of the most echoed in the New Testament in connection with new birth and the new covenant. It begins the messages of restoration, which continue with the dry bones of chapter 37.
The Lord tells Ezekiel to speak to the mountains of Israel. The enemies said that the ancient heights were theirs, and the land of Israel was plundered and scorned by the nations. God swears that the nations will bear their own disgrace, and announces to the mountains that they will put out branches and bear fruit, for his people are about to return. The land will be tilled, people and animals will multiply, the cities will be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt, and the land will no longer devour its people.
Then the Lord recalls why Israel was scattered: it defiled the land by its conduct, with shed blood and idols. He scattered them among the nations, but there they profaned his holy name, since it was said they were the Lord's people and had left his land. God says he will act not for their sake but for the sake of his holy name. He will take his people from among the nations and bring them to their land.
Then he will sprinkle clean water on them and cleanse them from their uncleanness and from all their idols. He will give them a new heart and a new spirit, remove the heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. He will put his Spirit within them, and cause them to walk in his statutes and keep them. They will live in the land, be his people, and he will be their God. Then they will remember their evil ways and be ashamed, and the desolate land will become like the garden of Eden, with fortified and inhabited cities, so that the nations will know that the Lord did it.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
The Lord makes clear that he does not act for Israel's sake but for the sake of his holy name, which was profaned among the nations. Restoration rests not on the people's merit but on God's faithfulness to himself.
God promises to sprinkle clean water on his people and cleanse them from their uncleanness and idols. The image takes up the language of temple purifications and points to an inner cleansing that only God can do.
The Lord promises a new heart and a new spirit, removing the heart of stone and giving one of flesh. This is the center of the chapter: Israel's problem is not fixed by outward rules but by an inner transformation.
God will put his Spirit within his people and cause them to walk in his statutes. Christians see here a promise of the new covenant, fulfilled in the gift of the Holy Spirit to those who believe in Christ.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: To the mountains of Israel. — Ezekiel 36:1
Answer: They will put out branches and bear fruit, and be tilled. — Ezekiel 36:8-9
Answer: For the sake of his holy name, not for Israel's sake. — Ezekiel 36:22
Answer: Clean water, to cleanse them from their uncleanness and idols. — Ezekiel 36:25
Answer: He will remove the heart of stone and give a heart of flesh. — Ezekiel 36:26
Answer: The garden of Eden. — Ezekiel 36:35
Ezekiel 36 teaches that true transformation begins within. We can change habits and rules, but only God can change a heart of stone. In a class or small group it helps to ask: in what areas of my life am I trying to improve by my own effort, and where do I need to ask the Lord for a new heart?
It also comforts. God's restoration does not depend on how well we have done but on his faithfulness. Those who feel they have failed too much can come knowing that God acts for the sake of his name, and that his Spirit gives us the ability to obey.
Ezekiel 36 promises a new heart and God's Spirit for his people. Chapter 37 shows that renewal in one of the best-known visions of the book: the valley of dry bones that come to life.
Many readers see in Ezekiel 36 the background to Jesus' words to Nicodemus about being born of water and the Spirit in John 3, and also to the new covenant of Jeremiah 31 and Hebrews 8. Ezekiel promises cleansing and a Spirit who dwells in the people, which the New Testament sees realized in Christ and the Holy Spirit.
Because the people did not deserve restoration, since their sin had caused the exile. God acts so that his name will not be dishonored among the nations and to show who he is. This does not mean he does not love his people; it means his faithfulness is firmer than human faithfulness.