被擄的百姓要很欣慰地知道，雖然附近的邦國－－尤其是以東，處心積慮要佔有以色列的沃土（現因戰亂而荒涼不能居住），但上帝不會允許他們得逞。上帝是要他們回來重建家國的。譏笑以色列的要被譏笑，以色列卻要被尊榮（36：35）。上帝要使以色列的山上很快就生養眾多、結果纍纍（36：8~10、30）。「你就知道我是耶和華」，這句話常被用於審判中，但現在卻要表明上帝的救恩、恩典、善良和信實（36：11）。

        以西結過去常對以色列山發預言，因他們常在那裡拜偶像導致亡國之災（36：12~15）。上帝常在那些背道的百姓被公正地處罰時，宣告自己的聖名。這些外邦人因不了解，而說以色列上帝不能保護自己的百姓。過去，為了避免這種指控，上帝曾慈憐地停止刑罰，好讓外邦人也可以敬奉上帝（20：9、22）。但是以色列人卻留下壞榜樣，在外邦人面前褻瀆上帝。以西結強調，為了上帝的名聲，上帝要行一個重建的神蹟（36：21~22、32）。七十年以後，人民終於回來了，應驗了這個預言。不過，預言的完全應驗，要到福音書的時代。當各地各方上帝的子民（猶太人或外邦人）被潔淨重生，而有新的靈和新的心時，他們就願意順服上帝的旨意了。也只有那時，藉著聖靈，上帝的子民才能遵守住上帝的誡命。

        卅七章是我們所熟悉枯骨復活的預言，枯骨象徵以西結時代亡國的猶大，以及亡於亞述的北國人民。耶路撒冷－－猶大首都的陷落，使一切復國之夢都碎了（37：11）。巴比倫對他們而言像個墳墓，枯骨復活的異象，對那些消沉沮喪的人而言，帶來了復國的新希望。
基於相信在上帝凡事都能的信念（37：3），以西結憑信向枯骨說話。但是，即或枯骨長了皮肉，還是沒有氣息。因為沒有聖靈的工作，就沒有真正的生氣。上帝說祂要使氣息進到枯骨裡，希伯來文的ruah可被譯成「氣息」、「風」或「靈」（由上下文決定）。但每個譯法都代表生命，「四方」更意味著聖靈賞賜生命的普世性作為（參耶49：36；約3：5~8）。這純粹是上帝恩典的作為，要藉耶穌基督的死、復活和永生來實現。

        兩根木杖結合在一起的預兆，代表整個以色列不再分裂成北國（以法蓮）和南國（猶大），卻要在一個王（大衛）的團結下興盛繁榮（37：16~25；參約11：50-53；賽11：12-13）。很明顯這是指到彌賽亞主耶穌的來到，要建立祂榮耀的國度。只有在耶穌基督裡重生的新以色列居民，才能被洗淨，免於罪的捆綁（37：23）。上帝要建立永遠平安的約（37：26上；參耶31：33；賽9：6~7；路1：32~33）並要住在他們中間（37：26下~28），在「大牧者」的治理下他們將享有奇妙的平安（37：24~25）。

        卅七章27至28節的信息，鼓勵那些回歸的人去重建聖殿（拉5：2）。但真正的聖殿在主耶穌的道成肉身時才被建立（約1：14）。這裡不是指外表的聖殿，因27節的原文是：「我的帳慕要在他們以上（或中間）」，意指上帝與他們同在，也就是藉著聖靈居住在他們裡面，他們可以經驗到上帝真正的同在（參林前3：16；6：19）。不過這個預言要等到上帝的帳幕（耶穌，羔羊），在天上與祂的百姓同在時才能完全應驗（啟21：2~3、22；利26：3、11~12）。

        親愛的父，感謝您潔淨我們，並使我們脫離罪的綑綁，為使我們的靈魂重生，您還賜下您的兒子耶穌，我們要在天上，因您所應許的永生與您一同喜樂。奉主耶穌基督的名，阿們！

English

        The exiles are comforted to know that although the surrounding nations, especially Edom, were anxious to possess the hilly and fertile land of Judah, now made desolate and almost uninhabited, the Lord would not allow an overall takeover of the land, since in His plan Israel was to return and become a nation once again. The nations that mocked Israel because of the shame she had borne would themselves meet the same shame (36:6-7), but Israel would again be honoured (36:35). God would cause the mountains of Israel to be fruitful, rebuilt, and repopulated very soon (36:8-10, 30). The often repeated sentence, "Then you shall know that I am the Lord", has until this point been used in the context of God's judgment. But now it comes in relation to the Lord's salvation, grace, goodness, and faithfulness (36:11).

        Ezekiel's prophecy was to be directed toward the hills of Judah (36:1-15), upon which there had been many high places of idolatrous worship that had contributed to the defilement, downfall, destruction, and deportation of the nation (36:12-15). Although the Lord had vindicated His holy name when His apostate people were justly punished, the Gentiles, devoid of understanding, were saying that the God of Israel could not save His people. In the past, the Lord had mercifully withheld their punishment to avoid this very accusation (cf. 20:9, 22), for His desire was that the Gentiles would come to serve and hallow Him. The children of Israel, however, had set a bad example and had profaned God's name before the nations. Ezekiel stressed that it was for His own name's sake, and not for the sake of Israel's reputation, that He would give them a miraculous restoration (36:21-22, 32). After seventy years, the people did return in fulfillment of prophecy, but the complete fulfillment is to be found in the Gospel age, when God's people from every country (Jew or Gentile — the spiritual seed of Abraham) will be cleansed and regenerated with a new spirit and a new heart which will yield to the will of God. Only then, with the Holy Spirit's indwelling, will God's people be enabled to keep God's commands and do them (36:27).

        With chapter 37, we come to the familiar vision of Ezekiel's valley of dry bones, which symbolized the "whole nation of Israel" — not only those from Judah who were with Ezekiel but those from the Northern Kingdom who had gone into captivity earlier under the Assyrians. After the fall of Jerusalem, Judah's capital, the exiles' hopes of return were crushed (37:11). They felt as though Babylon was their grave. This vision of the dry bones coming to life proclaimed to the despondent people that their nation, which had been slain, would one day be resurrected.

        Knowing that all things are possible with God (37:3), Ezekiel obeyed God and with faith spoke to the dry bones. Even after the bones had taken on flesh, there was no life in them, for without the working of the Spirit of God, there is truly no life. God told Ezekiel that He would cause breath to enter them. The Hebrew word ruah is translated as "breath", "wind", or "spirit", depending on the context. All of them signify life, and the "four winds" signify the universal working of the Spirit of God to give life (cf. Jer. 49:36; John 3:5-8). This was purely an act of God's grace to be fulfilled through Jesus Christ, "who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel" (2 Tim. 1:10).

        The sign of the two sticks joined together signified that Israel would no longer be divided into a Northern Kingdom (Ephraim) and a Southern Kingdom (Judah), but there would be a future prosperous union under one king, David (37:16-25; see John 11:50-53; Isa. 11:12-13). This is clearly a Messianic reference, the fulfillment of which will come when the Lord Jesus returns to establish His glorious Kingdom. Because of the regeneration of the Lord Jesus Christ, the inhabitants of the new Israel will all be cleansed and freed from the bondage of sin (37:23). God will establish an everlasting covenant of peace (37:26a; cf. Jer. 31:33; Isa. 9:6-7; Luke 1:32-33) and dwell in their midst (37:26b-28). They will have wonderful peace under the Good Shepherd who will reign forever (37:24-25).

        The prophetic message in 37:27-28 would have encouraged those who returned from The Exile to rebuild the Temple of the Lord with Zerubbabel (Ezra 5:2), but its actual fulfillment was to begin with the incarnation of the Lord Jesus (John 1:14). It is not speaking of a literal tabernacle, for as verse 27 reads from the Hebrew: "My tabernacle also shall be over [or on] them", indicating a reference to the presence of the Lord in their midst, which believers can experience today in a very real way by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in their hearts (cf. 1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19). The complete fulfillment of this prophecy will be in heaven when the tabernacle of God (Jesus, the Lamb) is with His people (Rev. 21:2, 3, 22; Lev. 26:3, 11-12).

        Dear Father, thank You for cleansing us and setting us free from the bondage of sin and for the regeneration of our souls that You provide through Your Son Jesus. We rejoice in Your promise of external life with You in heaven!