What is the meaning of Ezekiel 36:3? Therefore prophesy The Lord’s first word to Ezekiel is a command to speak—not his own opinions, but God’s sure word (Jeremiah 1:7; 2 Peter 1:21). Prophecy here is not guesswork; it is God’s authoritative announcement, carrying the weight of Isaiah 55:11, “so is My word… it will accomplish what I please.” And declare that this is what the Lord GOD says By repeating that the message comes from “the Lord GOD,” the text underscores absolute divine authority (Exodus 3:14; Psalm 33:9). Whatever follows is not open to negotiation; it is as certain as Numbers 23:19 reminds us: “God is not a man, that He should lie.” Because they have made you desolate The hills and land of Israel have been stripped bare—visible evidence of covenant curses foretold in Leviticus 26:32–33 and Deuteronomy 29:23. Babylon’s campaigns left Jerusalem “a heap of rubble” (2 Kings 25:9–10), fulfilling those earlier warnings to the letter. • Physical ruin: crops burned, cities leveled (Jeremiah 39:8). • Spiritual shame: the land once flowing with milk and honey now echoes lamentations (Lamentations 1:4). And have trampled you on every side Foreign armies marched back and forth without restraint (Psalm 79:1). Like grapes in a press, the land was crushed “on every side,” a phrase echoed in Luke 21:24 when Jesus predicts Gentile trampling of Jerusalem. The indignity is comprehensive—north, south, east, and west (Isaiah 1:7). So that you became a possession of the rest of the nations What rightly belonged to the tribes of Israel (Joshua 13–19) fell into pagan hands (Obadiah 1:13). The Edomites, Ammonites, Philistines, and Babylonians treated the land as spoil (Ezekiel 25). This fulfills Deuteronomy 28:48: “you will serve your enemies whom the LORD will send against you.” • Occupation means exile: the people are scattered (Ezekiel 36:19). • Control shifts: foreigners reap harvests meant for covenant heirs (Joel 3:2). And were taken up in slander by the lips of their talkers The nations didn’t stop at seizing territory; they mocked God’s people, sneering, “Where is their God?” (Psalm 115:2). Israel became “a byword among the nations” (Jeremiah 24:9). The humiliation is verbal and public—exactly what Psalm 44:13 describes: “You make us a reproach to our neighbors… a laughingstock among the peoples.” • Slander questions God’s faithfulness (Malachi 3:15). • Yet even mockery is woven into divine purpose; Romans 2:24 notes, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you,” setting the stage for restoration that will silence every lying tongue (Ezekiel 36:36). summary Ezekiel 36:3 captures God’s indictment against the nations for ravaging His land and ridiculing His people. Each phrase traces a progression: command to prophesy, affirmation of divine authority, catalog of destruction, occupation, and ridicule. The verse lays the groundwork for the stunning promises that follow (36:4–15): God will reverse the desolation, reclaim the land from foreign hands, and turn slander into praise. In short, the Lord exposes the full extent of Israel’s humiliation so that His forthcoming restoration will shine all the brighter to every watching nation. |
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