THE SOVEREIGN LORD & THE MOUNTAINS OF ISRAEL

EZEKIEL 33-39

Part II

For some years now, I have been drawn to the LORD’s Prophets and been intrigued by their centrality to Christian Faith. (I do understand, of course, that many fellow-Christians are caught up in a “hermeneutic”, as some of my friends express it, that necessitates ignoring what certain Prophets say, claiming that after Christ, these prophetic passages are no longer relevant). But in my experience of the LORD and His WORD, the bottom line is: “The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength”. That kind of love means that when I read elsewhere “This is what the Sovereign LORD says”, then I feel that whether we think it contradicts something else we believe about Him, we had better believe what He says and ask for insight to understand it; not pronounce it irrelevant because it contradicts what we already believe. We must rather adjust what we already believe, and find a way to bring it all together. Although that may seem impossible, we do have the Holy Spirit to “guide us into all truth”.

Which brings me back to Ezekiel 36; in this one chapter, the phrase “This is what the Sovereign LORD says” or “declares” or “word of” is used 16, SIXTEEN, times in 38 verses. (For brevity’s sake, as I discuss the chapter, I will use “the phrase” when I refer to the Sovereign LORD’s declarations.)  It seems to me that Ezekiel wants his audience to know beyond any doubt that the message he brings is not his message, but a message from the Sovereign LORD. So I will take that at face value and attempt to hear His Voice as clearly as I am able.

I also admit that I am using the NIV version of the Biblical text; so, when I count phrases or number of words, I know those will vary according the translation you use, and, of course, anything in English is already far from the original Hebrew.

The photograph below shows Elon Moreh in the center, the mountain from which The Sovereign LORD first showed Abram the LAND. Across the valley to the left is Mount Gerizim and what was Shechem then, now the Arab town of Nablus.  

Again, what is so special about this land?

For almost half of the chapter, before even beginning to address “the people of Israel”, the Sovereign LORD speaks directly to His beloved Mountains. He speaks to His Mountains about His people before addressing the people. In the first approximately 250 words, using “the phrase” 8 times, the LORD, with deep compassion, acknowledges to His Mountains that they have been mistreated and abused. Listen to the agony in these words: “Because they ravaged and hounded you from every side so that you became the possession of the rest of the nations and the object of people’s malicious talk and slander, therefore, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Sovereign LORD: This is what the Sovereign LORD says to the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys, to the desolate ruins and the deserted towns that have been plundered and ridiculed by the rest of the nations around you”. There seems to be a pause at this point during which the tone of voice changes. No one else is addressed; we just wait for Him to continue.

When He does speak again, He declares: “In my burning zeal I have spoken against the rest of the nations, and against all Edom, for with glee and with malice in their hearts they made my land their own possession so that they might plunder its pastureland … I speak in my jealous wrath because you have suffered the scorn of the nations. Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I swear with uplifted hand that the nations around you will also suffer scorn”.

These words are intensely emotional; He has observed and suffered their pain with them; and He is addressing mountains, not human beings. (Of course, we could simply write this off as an example of literary personification, but since it is used here by the Sovereign LORD Himself, not by Ezekiel, I’m taking it as more than a literary device.) Having exposed the pain of His own heart on behalf of His land, He then continues, very tenderly, to reveal to them His plans for them:

“But you, O mountains of Israel, will produce branches and fruit for my people Israel, for they will soon come home. I am concerned for you and will look on you with favor; you will be plowed and sown, and I will multiply the number of people upon you, even the whole house of Israel. The towns will be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt. I will increase the number of men and animals upon you, and they will be fruitful and numerous. I will settle people on you as in the past and will make you prosper more than before.”

This is the point, as I described last week, at which I broke down and wept; let’s read the next words. There is no break in the text; the LORD simply continues to speak to His Mountains: “Then you will know that I am the LORD.”

Certainly this is PERSONIFICATION, but it seems like so much more than a “device”. The LORD’s relationship with His Mountains is such that He portrays them as beings which not only hear His voice, but can understand and respond to Him.

Then He makes them a promise: “I will cause people, my people Israel, to walk upon you. They will possess you, and you will be their inheritance; you will never again deprive them of their children.” There may well be other people who walk on the land, but this is a promise that His own people Israel will not only walk upon His Mountains, but they will “possess” them and the Mountains will be” their inheritance”, not for the next little while, but “you will never again deprive them of their children”.

Quite aside from land and ancestry claims by anyone else, water issues, stone throwing, suicide bombers, security fences or “land for peace” rhetoric, this promise seems to be rather conclusive. Of course, the promise comes with all the Torah instructions regarding justice and how to treat “the foreigner among you”. As the Prophet Micah, quoting Moses (Deuteronomy 10), reminds the people many years later, “He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you; to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Israel, and all of us, must heed this reminder.

In all of this, the Sovereign LORD declares that, “It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of my holy name.”

I suggest we are speaking about a very special land when we speak of ISRAEL.

I’ll continue the conversation next week; join me then.