Ezekiel 36:16–38

Read the passage.

Here the Lord reiterates His reasons for punishing Israel with exile, but then continues to explain why He will also restore them to the land He had promised to give them. They had rejected His covanent and followed after false gods, so He scattered them to many different nations. But then these nations began to question the power of the Lord, whose people these were, living in a foreign land instead of their own. Therefore the Lord acted in ways only He could, to restore Israel to the place they belonged.

Not only does He bring them back to the land, but He purifies them, removing the sin from them, and giving them hearts that will pursue righteousness instead of corruption. As they follow in the ways He has laid out for them, the Lord will also bless the land and cause the crops to give abundance. Note the remorse the people will feel for the wicked ways they once did once they have been cleansed. The divine heart transplant the Lord performs in His regenerated people affects not only the outward behavior but also the inward attitudes, causing a complete spiritual transformation. All for the declaration that the name of the Lord is holy.

The Lord will be praised for what He does to restore Israel to the former glory He had provided for it. He will increase the population of His people the way the flocks were multiplied in preparation for the sacrifices on the feast days.

You deserve all honor, glory, and fame. Worthy are You of all our worship.