Why God Intervenes in Israel

• Now, I want to turn to one of the most exciting chapters for me in the Bible and that’s Ezekiel chapter 36. Here is a brief stage by stage description of the return of the Jewish people to their own land. Beginning in Ezekiel 36 verse 16. Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying: “Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their own ways and deeds; to Me their way was like the uncleanness of a woman in her customary impurity.
• ” Notice it was their own land but they defiled it by their sin. So God goes on to say, “Therefore I poured out My fury on them for the blood they had shed on the land, and for their idols with which they had defiled it.” So God brought judgment on the people while still in the land for their sin and their idolatry.
• And the next stage of God’s dealings is in the next verse. “So I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed throughout the countries; judged them according to their ways and their deeds.” So the next judgment after judgment in the land was to be dispersed from the land. And then God says, “They embarrassed me when they came to the other nations.
• ” “When they came to the nations, wherever they went, they profaned My holy name— when they said of them, ‘These are the people of the LORD, and yet they have gone out of His land.’” So the Lord said, “I was embarrassed by the behaviour of the people who were scattered out of the land because they didn’t behave like my people at all.
• Now the next verse is very significant, because you will never understand God’s dealings with Israel until you understand His primary motive. Verse 21, “But I had concern for My holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations wherever they went.” God is not doing it for the sake of the Jewish people.
• He’s doing it for the sake of His name. If you don’t understand that you will not be able to follow what follows in the events of history. God has intervened for the glory of His name. Now God says this is the way I’m going to deal with them. And now, it’s very interesting, it’s very simple. It’s a stage by stage depiction of the restoration of Jewish people to their land and to their God.
• You might say, “Well, God, why did you do it that way. I think they ought to have repented first and then come back to the land.” Well you’ll have to argue that out with God, because God says it’s not going to happen that way. They’re going to come back to the land and then they’re going to repent. I’ve heard many Christians say, “Well, I could believe in the restoration of the Jewish people if they’d repented and acknowledge Jesus as their Messiah.
• ” Well, you’ll have to argue that out with God, because God had arranged it a different way. He says verse 22, Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the LORD GOD: “I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy name’s sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went.
• ” Then the next verse, “And I will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the LORD,” says the LORD GOD, “When I am hallowed in you before their eyes.” “I am going to reclaim the glory of My name by what I do for you and in you.
• ” And then He goes on a few simple steps being exactly fulfilled in our day. The next step, verse 24. “For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land.” Whose land? Your own land. Whether they were in it or not, it was always their land because God gave it to them by an everlasting covenant.
• But they’d been out of it. But he says, “Now,” God says, “I will take you from among the nations, gather you our of all countries, and bring you into your own land.” I’ve been a student in the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. I sat in a class of about thirty people and they came from at least ten different nations.