Ezekiel 35:1

The Bible says in Ezekiel 35:1-8, “Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,[2] Son of man, set thy face against mount Seir, and prophesy against it,[3] And say unto it, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O mount Seir, I am against thee, and I will stretch out mine hand against thee, and I will make thee most desolate.[4] I will lay thy cities waste, and thou shalt be desolate, and thou shalt know that I am the LORD.[5] Because thou hast had a perpetual hatred, and hast shed the blood of the children of Israel by the force of the sword in the time of their calamity, in the time that their iniquity had an end:[6] Therefore, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will prepare thee unto blood, and blood shall pursue thee: thou hast not hated blood, even blood shall pursue thee.[7] Thus will I make mount Seir most desolate, and cut off from it him that passeth out and him that returneth.[8] And I will fill his mountains with his slain men: in thy hills, and in thy valleys, and in all thy rivers, shall they fall that are slain with the sword.” The reason that God brought judgment against mount Seir is made very clear. It is the same reasons that God brought judgment against other kingdoms and cities in that region: because of their hatred for Israel. God said in verse 5, “Because thou hast had a perpetual hatred, and hast shed the blood of the children of Israel by the force of the sword in the time of their calamity.” They hated Israel and they shed the blood of Jewish people. God promised Abraham concerning the Jewish people: “I will bless those that bless thee, and curse those that curse thee.” The leaders and nations and people who oppose Israel today should beware: they are on a path that will bring absolute judgment and destruction from God. The end-times will be all about this very issue.

The Bible says in Ezekiel 35:9-15, “I will make thee perpetual desolations, and thy cities shall not return: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.[10] Because thou hast said, These two nations and these two countries shall be mine, and we will possess it; whereas the LORD was there:[11] Therefore, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will even do according to thine anger, and according to thine envy which thou hast used out of thy hatred against them; and I will make myself known among them, when I have judged thee.[12] And thou shalt know that I am the LORD, and that I have heard all thy blasphemies which thou hast spoken against the mountains of Israel, saying, They are laid desolate, they are given us to consume.[13] Thus with your mouth ye have boasted against me, and have multiplied your words against me: I have heard them.[14] Thus saith the Lord GOD; When the whole earth rejoiceth, I will make thee desolate.[15] As thou didst rejoice at the inheritance of the house of Israel, because it was desolate, so will I do unto thee: thou shalt be desolate, O mount Seir, and all Idumea, even all of it: and they shall know that I am the LORD.” These verses continue to list the sins that Mount Seir committed against Israel and against the Jewish people. In verse 10 the people of Seir said, “These two nations and these two countries shall be mine, and we will possess it.” They wanted Israel’s land. But God gave that land to Israel. Whoever wants that land is going against God and against what God has chosen. To go against God’s will is sin. It is important that a believer in Jesus can always say, “Not my will, but thine be done.”

Verse 11 says that the enemies of Israel had anger, envy, and hatred. But God would judge them, and this judgment would prove to the people of God that God was for them. God is able to protect His people no matter who are the enemies. Of course, God takes care of His own. This is one of the many benefits of being a Christian. The Lord Jesus has us in His hand, and no one can pluck us out. The Lord is Jesus is with us forever as our constant companion, guide, and protector. He judges the world, and He punishes those who hate the Christians.

Verse 12 says that the people of Seir blasphemed and spoke against Israel. And they also spoke against God. By speaking against Israel, they were in effect speaking against God. God said in verse 13, “Thus with your mouth ye have boasted against me, and have multiplied your words against me.” If you are against Israel, you are against God. The spirit that motivates the enemies of Israel is the spirit of antichrist. We have modern day versions of the same sin. These nations will all go into hell because of the God who sees all and hears all. Judgment will fall upon them.

In verse 15 their sin was that they rejoiced. Why is it a sin to rejoice? It depends upon what you rejoice about. If you rejoice about evil, then your rejoicing is evil. That is what the people of Seir did. They rejoiced when they saw bad things happen to Israel. God said they would be punished for that rejoicing. If you want to serve Jesus, make sure you enjoy what is good and hate what is evil.

The Bible says in Ezekiel 36:1-15, “Also, thou son of man, prophesy unto the mountains of Israel, and say, Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the LORD:[2] Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because the enemy hath said against you, Aha, even the ancient high places are ours in possession:[3] Therefore prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because they have made you desolate, and swallowed you up on every side, that ye might be a possession unto the residue of the heathen, and ye are taken up in the lips of talkers, and are an infamy of the people:[4] Therefore, ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord GOD; Thus saith the Lord GOD to the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys, to the desolate wastes, and to the cities that are forsaken, which became a prey and derision to the residue of the heathen that are round about;[5] Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Surely in the fire of my jealousy have I spoken against the residue of the heathen, and against all Idumea, which have appointed my land into their possession with the joy of all their heart, with despiteful minds, to cast it out for a prey.[6] Prophesy therefore concerning the land of Israel, and say unto the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I have spoken in my jealousy and in my fury, because ye have borne the shame of the heathen:[7] Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; I have lifted up mine hand, Surely the heathen that are about you, they shall bear their shame.[8] But ye, O mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit to my people of Israel; for they are at hand to come.[9] For, behold, I am for you, and I will turn unto you, and ye shall be tilled and sown:[10] And I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, even all of it: and the cities shall be inhabited, and the wastes shall be builded:[11] And I will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall increase and bring fruit: and I will settle you after your old estates, and will do better unto you than at your beginnings: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.[12] Yea, I will cause men to walk upon you, even my people Israel; and they shall possess thee, and thou shalt be their inheritance, and thou shalt no more henceforth bereave them of men.[13] Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because they say unto you, Thou land devourest up men, and hast bereaved thy nations;[14] Therefore thou shalt devour men no more, neither bereave thy nations any more, saith the Lord GOD.[15] Neither will I cause men to hear in thee the shame of the heathen any more, neither shalt thou bear the reproach of the people any more, neither shalt thou cause thy nations to fall any more, saith the Lord GOD.” In verse 1 God told Ezekiel to tell the people of Israel, “hear the word of the LORD.” It is always good and important to hear the Word of the Lord. God speaks to us through His Word, and God sends preachers to deliver the Word.

The verses in the above passage can be summarized thusly: the enemies of Israel saw that God had judged Israel, and they were happy thinking that the end of Israel had come. But God was not done with Israel. He never will be finished with them. They are His people forever because God promised Abraham that it would be so. As Paul wrote in Romans 11:1-4, “I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.[2] God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying,[3] Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life.[4] But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal.”

Notice the command that God gave to Ezekiel in Ezekiel 36:6, “Prophesy therefore concerning the land of Israel, and say unto the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys, Thus saith the Lord GOD.” God wants the Bible preached and taught everywhere. You are either gifted to teach God’s Word, or you are called to help someone who is. God loves the preaching of the Gospel of Christ. It says in Romans 10:15, quoting from the book of Isaiah, “How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things.” In the end times during the Great Tribulation God will send an angel to preach the gospel, maybe because there are no believers left who can or will do it. It says in Revelation 14:6, “And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people.” The Bible is the greatest and most important book in the world because it is God’s Word. The Lord wants His Word preached so badly that He even wants you to preach if you have no one but to “the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys.” Of course, that language symbolizes that God wants His truth preached everywhere to everyone. Jesus told His disciples, “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.”

The Bible says in Ezekiel 36:16-19, “Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,[17] Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their own way and by their doings: their way was before me as the uncleanness of a removed woman.[18] Wherefore I poured my fury upon them for the blood that they had shed upon the land, and for their idols wherewith they had polluted it:[19] And I scattered them among the heathen, and they were dispersed through the countries: according to their way and according to their doings I judged them.” Once again in verse 17 God tells the Israelites why He removed them from their land. It happened because there is a God who observes the behavior of human beings, and therefore, the principle that we reap what we sow is in effect always. Well, there is one great exception to that rule: if you put your faith in Jesus by calling upon His name, you will be saved from your sins. God said in verse 17, “when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their own way and by their doings.” How did the Israelites get their land in the first place? God gave it to them. What the Lord giveth, He can take away. In the case of the Israelites, God took them out of their land because of their sins. Their sins against God were so great that God said that they had “defiled” the land. If God gives you something, He wants you to use it for His glory. If you know Jesus as Savior, Jesus has given you one or more gifts to use for His glory. What is God’s will for you? Find out what your spiritual gifts are and then find opportunities to use your gifts for Jesus’ sake. That is God’s will. But if you hide your gift and do not use it, then what will you accomplish for the Lord?

Notice that the sinfulness of the Israelites is described as “their own way and by their doings.” That is self-will, and it is at the core of all sin. To serve the Lord, we must forsake our own way and go God’s way. If you do not learn to do that, you will surely add to the defilement of the world. Jesus said, “He that gathers not with me, scatters abroad.” Make your life count for good. Turn to Jesus for salvation, and then start walking in fellowship with Him every day.

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