their own land

June 22, 2017

The gathering into one nation (Ezek 37:20-37:22)

“When the sticks

On which

You write

Are in your hand,

Before their eyes,

Then say to them.

Thus says Yahweh God!

‘I will take

The people of Israel

From the nations

Among which

They have gone.

I will gather them

From every quarter.

I will bring them

To their own land.

I will make them

One nation

In the land,

On the mountains of Israel.

One king

Shall be king

Over them all.

Never again

Shall there be

Two nations.

Never again

Shall they be divided

Into two kingdoms.’”

Yahweh told Ezekiel to gather the two written sticks in his hand before the people. Then he was to tell them what Yahweh had said. Yahweh was going to gather all the Israelites from the various places where they were living. He was going to bring them back to their own land. Yahweh was going to make them one nation in the mountainous land of Israel. They would have one king over them. Never again would there be two nations, divided into two kingdoms. There would be one nation and one kingdom with one king.

June 19, 2017

The gathering of the cleansed Israel (Ezek 36:24-36:25)

“I will take you

From the nations.

I will gather you

From all the countries.

I will bring you

Into your own land.

I will sprinkle

Clean water

Upon you.

You shall be clean

From all

Your unclean situations.

I will cleanse you

From all

Your idols.”

Yahweh, via Ezekiel, was going to gather all the Israelites from the various nations and countries where they had gone. He was going to bring them into their own land, cleansing them with a sprinkling of clean water. They would be cleaned up from their unclean situation that was due to all their idol worshiping.

June 13, 2017

Yahweh returns them to the good pastures of Israel (Ezek 34:13-34:15)

“‘I will bring them

Out from the various people.

I will gather them

From the various countries.

I will bring them

Into their own land.

I will feed them

On the mountains

Of Israel.

They will be

By the water fountains,

In all the inhabited places

Of the country.

I will feed them

With good pasture.

The mountain heights

Of Israel

Shall be their pasture.

They shall lie down there

In good grazing land.

They shall feed

On rich pasture

On the mountains

Of Israel.

I myself

Will be the shepherd

Of my sheep.

I will make them

Lie down.’

Says Yahweh God.”

Somewhat reminiscent of Psalm 23 about the good shepherd, Yahweh, their God, said that he was going to bring all his lost sheep together from the various countries where they had been. They were going to go back to their own land. Yahweh was going to feed them on the mountains of Israel with flowing water in all the inhabited places of their country. He was going to feed them from the good pastures in the mountain heights of Israel. There they would lie down in this good grazing land. They would eat from the rich pastures on the mountains of Israel. Yahweh was going to be their shepherd, the good shepherd of his sheep. He was going to make them lie down in great green pastures.

December 10, 2016

Do not listen to false predictions (Jer 27:9-27:11)

“‘Therefore

You must not listen

To your prophets,

To your diviners,

To your dreamers,

To your soothsayers,

To your sorcerers.

If they are saying to you.

‘You shall not serve

The king of Babylon.’

They are prophesying

A lie to you.

The result will be

That you will be removed

Far from your land.

I will drive you out.

You will perish. But any nation

That will bring its neck

Under the yoke

Of the king of Babylon,

Thus serve him,

I will leave on its own land.

They will till it.

They will live there.’

Says Yahweh.”

Jeremiah has an oracle of Yahweh about the false prophets who are telling the people not to obey the king of Babylon. Whether it is a prophet, a diviner, a dreamer, a soothsayer, or a sorcerer, who tell them not to serve the king of Babylon, they are prophesying lies. If they listened to these liars, Yahweh was going to drive them out of their land, so that they would perish. However, if any country was to put on the yoke of Babylon and serve its king, Yahweh was going to let them stay on their own land, live there, and till the soil. There is no doubt that Yahweh was on the side of the King of Babylon, as presented here.