Font Size
In ch. 6 Ezekiel had spoken judgment against “the mountains of Israel” because the people were following the Canaanite gods for whom they had erected shrines on every high hill. In ch. 36, however, Ezekiel used “the mountains of Israel” as a term to refer to the entire land of Israel (v.8). He spoke of them in a tone that reflected something of the uniqueness of the land, the land God had given to his own special people.
The purpose of this chapter was to encourage Israel to remember that although the surrounding nations had plotted against her to take her land away from her (vv.3-7), these nations would be punished and Israel soon would be brought home from exile and brought back to her hills again. Ezekiel was quick to point out, however, that God would do this not because Israel deserved it but for the sake of his holy name (v.22), and to show the holiness of his name among the nations.
Perhaps no other passage in the OT expresses so forcefully the idea of God’s gracious acts in behalf of Israel as vv.24-28. Notice the verbs: “I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you . . . bring you back. . . . I will sprinkle . . . I will cleanse. . . . 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 by decrees. . . . I will be your God.” When God restores his people, he forgives, regenerates, sanctifies, and empowers.