Gary Gleans

The plans of God for the future of the earth are securely in His hands.  There is nothing that is hidden from Him and there is nothing beyond His control.  Every event of the past, present and future is a part of His sovereign plan.  Ezekiel looks into the future as God reveals His plans for the nation of Israel after this period of exile and judgment.  The fact that Israel would return to their land has already been established, but now Ezekiel looks into the distant future to a day when Israel will once again come under attack.  However, the results of this attack will be very different from the results of the Babylonian attack.  God is in control of this world and in control of the circumstances we face in life.  We may be surprised by the things that befall us, but God is never surprised. ISRAEL WILL COME UNDER ATTACK FROM GOG: Ezekiel identifies coalition of nations that are led by and therefore referred to as Gog.  Many have identified ...

Hope is a much more gratifying message than doom.  Ezekiel has been called by God to deliver what, for the most part, has been a message of doom.  God now calls Ezekiel to deliver a much different and much more satisfying message: a message of hope.  One of the biggest questions on the minds of the children of Israel who knew the Scriptures had to have been about the promises of God.  God has made many promises to the fathers of Israel about their inhabiting the land and being a blessing to all the nations.  The destruction of the land, the death of so many people and the captivity in the nations does not seem to fit into that promise from God. However, God now gives Ezekiel two illustrations that depict a message of hope for God’s people and the nation. THE NATION OF ISRAEL WILL BE REVIVED: The first illustration is a valley full of dry bones that represents Israel in her current state of spiritual rebellion and physical captivity.  It appears that Is...

Restoration, redemption, reconciliation and revival are all words that describe the work of God in the hearts of men.  This is God’s purpose in the world and it is God’s plan for the nation of Israel.  God has disciplined His people and they have been taken captive into the nations.  However, this does not mean God has forgotten His people and more importantly this does not mean God has forgotten His promises.  God has a plan and is sovereignly at work in the history of this world to bring mankind back to Himself.  Since the Fall, a breech has been established between God and man that impairs our fellowship, skews our view and pollutes our worship.  God has bridged that breech through the cross of Christ and is in the process of restoring us fully to Himself through His redemptive plan.  Israel serves as a divine illustration and instrument of God for the fulfillment of God’s plan for reconciliation. GOD WILL RESTORE ISRAEL TO HER LAND: Due to Isr...

Ezekiel proclaims judgment on Mt. Seir.   Just as Mr. Zion is a representation of the nation of Israel, Mt. Seir represents Edom or the descendants of Esau.  This is the second time that this proclamation is being made.  Chapter 25 was also dedicated to a condemnation of Edom.  God will not be mocked without consequence, and the Edomites were mocking God because of the fall of Israel.  They were about to experience the consequence of their lack of reverence and respect. EDOM IS CONDEMNED FOR THEIR ARROGANCE: Since the time of Jacob and Esau there has been a competition and jealousy between the descendants of the twin brothers.  The Edomites had become a powerful nation but had also become a people full of arrogance. They viewed themselves as being self-sufficient and would not submit themselves to the Lord.  They were an irreverent people who placed little or no value on the blessings of the Lord.  When they heard of the judgment of Isra...

Leadership is a responsibility God entrusts to men as a means of meeting the needs of His people.  He calls leaders to set an example for others to follow and to serve those who are under their care.  He equips leaders and He expects leaders to use their resources in order to meet the needs of His people.  In this passage, Ezekiel compares Israel’s leaders to shepherds and He calls the children of Israel sheep.  Since the shepherds have been selfish and unfaithful, the sheep are neglected and rebellious.  A shepherd will always be evaluated by the condition of the sheep under his care.  People will almost always reflect the character of their leaders.  This is why leadership is such a great responsibility and why leaders will be severely judged by God.  A leader has an impact far beyond his own life.   GOD’S REJECTION OF ISRAEL’S SHEPHERDS: The shepherds of Israel most likely refer to both the political as well as spiritual leaders....

Everyone has a function to fulfill.  God has place duties upon men and expects them to respond accordingly.  It was Ezekiel’s job to proclaim God’s Word.  God must be faithful to His Word.  The people must respond to God’s Word.  Since God is always faithful, the only possibility of failure is with men not revealing or responding to God’s revelation appropriately.  These are sober warnings to everyone who teaches the Word of God as well as to everyone who hears the Word of God.  We are called to be accurate teachers of the Word of God.  We are also called to be obedient hearers of the Word of God. THE WATCHMAN MUST WARN: Ezekiel had been called by God to be prophet in Israel.  His job was to reveal God’s Word to the people.  His message was not a popular one but it was an accurate one.  When we are called to speak the Word of God we cannot be concerned with the popularity of our message.  Our only concern must be for the a...

Ezekiel concludes God’s condemnation of Egypt in this section by giving a graphic illustration of how God will judge this wicked nation.  God’s hatred of sin is very clear and it is evident that God is willing and able to judge sin in the most complete of ways.  God is patient and merciful, but He will not tolerate the sins of men forever.  He has demonstrated time and time again that He is ready to destroy entire nations and even generations who do not fear Him.  Unfortunately, the population of the world does not recognize God’s coming judgment on them.  Man’s tendency is to think that God’s judgment is always for other people and not Himself.  We are all to be warned about thinking that we are exempt of God’s judgment. EGYPT WILL BE JUDGED BY GOD: Egypt was considered to be like a lion that ruled the nations and had no predators.  This was Egypt’s view of herself and the view that other nations had of her.  God’s view of Egypt was very dif...