Ezekiel 33-36

Ezekiel
This next section of Ezekiel, which runs to the end of the book, covers the time after the final exiles, when Jerusalem has been destroyed. Now is the time when God promises restoration, that God will bring life to his people and that their sins will be forgiven.

33: A couple of things are going on here. First - Ezekiel is the sentinel - if he does not speak (blow the trumpet) he will be held accountable. Second, he has a new message. His being mute, imposed during the exile, is lifted and he is allowed to speak now that the judgment he prophesied has been fulfilled with the destruction of Jerusalem. Finally, with the final judgment of those who stayed behind and perhaps attempted to usurp land, Ezekiel becomes popular amongst many people, but it shallow.

34: Shepherds are often a metaphor for the kings. Here the bad kings are bad shepherds and the wealthy are bad sheep. The good and bad sheep will be separated and a new shepherd - a Davidic King - will rule in peace. Of course the Messianic ties to Jesus here are very strong. Think of Jesus the Good Shepherd and the judgment in which Jesus separates the sheep and the goats.

35: A prophecy against the mountain of Edom, and therefore against the Edomites.

36: The attention then turns to the mountains of Israel, which shall be a place of deliverance. Israel - probably those northern tribes that escaped south during the Assyrian exile - will also be restored. However, not because of their holiness, but because of God's glory. It will be a sign to all people that Yahweh is truly God.