1 Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:
2 And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts, and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:
3 And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand.
4 Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands, and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.
5 Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.
6 And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD.
7 So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.
8 Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord GOD; this is the day whereof I have spoken.
9 And they that dwell in the cities of Israel shall go forth, and shall set on fire and burn the weapons, both the shields and the bucklers, the bows and the arrows, and the handstaves, and the spears, and they shall burn them with fire seven years:
10 So that they shall take no wood out of the field, neither cut down any out of the forests; for they shall burn the weapons with fire: and they shall spoil those that spoiled them, and rob those that robbed them, saith the Lord GOD.
11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will give unto Gog a place there of graves in Israel, the valley of the passengers on the east of the sea: and it shall stop the noses of the passengers: and there shall they bury Gog and all his multitude: and they shall call it The valley of Hamongog.
12 And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying of them, that they may cleanse the land.
13 Yea, all the people of the land shall bury them; and it shall be to them a renown the day that I shall be glorified, saith the Lord GOD.
14 And they shall sever out men of continual employment, passing through the land to bury with the passengers those that remain upon the face of the earth, to cleanse it: after the end of seven months shall they search.
15 And the passengers that pass through the land, when any seeth a man's bone, then shall he set up a sign by it, till the buriers have buried it in the valley of Hamongog.
16 And also the name of the city shall be Hamonah. Thus shall they cleanse the land.
17 And, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord GOD; Speak unto every feathered fowl, and to every beast of the field, Assemble yourselves, and come; gather yourselves on every side to my sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh, and drink blood.
18 Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams, of lambs, and of goats, of bullocks, all of them fatlings of Bashan.
19 And ye shall eat fat till ye be full, and drink blood till ye be drunken, of my sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you.
20 Thus ye shall be filled at my table with horses and chariots, with mighty men, and with all men of war, saith the Lord GOD.
21 And I will set my glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them.
22 So the house of Israel shall know that I am the LORD their God from that day and forward.
23 And the heathen shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity: because they trespassed against me, therefore hid I my face from them, and gave them into the hand of their enemies: so fell they all by the sword.
24 According to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions have I done unto them, and hid my face from them.
25 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Now will I bring again the captivity of Jacob, and have mercy upon the whole house of Israel, and will be jealous for my holy name;
26 After that they have borne their shame, and all their trespasses whereby they have trespassed against me, when they dwelt safely in their land, and none made them afraid.
27 When I have brought them again from the people, and gathered them out of their enemies' lands, and am sanctified in them in the sight of many nations;
28 Then shall they know that I am the LORD their God, which caused them to be led into captivity among the heathen: but I have gathered them unto their own land, and have left none of them any more there.
29 Neither will I hide my face any more from them: for I have poured out my spirit upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord GOD.
Chapter 39 of the book of Ezekiel in the King James Version (KJV) of the Holy Bible is a continuation of the prophecy against Gog and Magog that commenced in chapter 38. It is a vivid depiction of the divine judgement that will befall Gog of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal. The chapter is characterized by divine retribution, deliverance, and restoration of Israel, and the revelation of God's glory.
Ezekiel chapter 39 opens with God's pronouncement of judgement against Gog. This judgement is depicted as a decisive and overwhelming military defeat. God, through the prophet Ezekiel, declares that He will turn Gog around, lead him to the mountains of Israel, and strike his bow from his left hand and his arrows from his right hand. The imagery used here suggests a total disarming of Gog, leaving him vulnerable and defeated.
The downfall of Gog is portrayed as a spectacle for all to witness. His soldiers will fall on the mountains of Israel and will not be buried. Instead, they will become food for the birds and the wild animals. This is a vivid portrayal of disgrace and dishonor, contradicting the usual practice of burying the dead with respect. The destruction of Gog's army is so vast that it will take seven months for the house of Israel to clear the land of the corpses.
In contrast to the grim fate of Gog and his army, Ezekiel 39 presents a hopeful picture for the people of Israel. God promises to restore the fortunes of Jacob and have mercy on the whole house of Israel. He will demonstrate His holiness through them in the sight of the nations. The defeat of Gog is not only a judgement against the enemies of Israel but also a means of revealing God's glory, power, and faithfulness to His people.
The chapter further elaborates on the reversal of Israel's fortune. God promises to bring them back from captivity, cleanse them from all their sins, and remove their disgrace among the nations. They will live securely in their land, with no one to make them afraid. This restoration is a demonstration of God's love and faithfulness to His covenant with Israel.
The final theme of Ezekiel 39 is the revelation of God's glory. The defeat of Gog and the restoration of Israel are both means through which God reveals His glory to the nations. God declares that the nations will know that He is the Lord, the Holy One in Israel. This divine self-revelation is a recurring theme in the book of Ezekiel and reaches its climax in this chapter.
God's glory is revealed not only in His judgement against the wicked but also in His mercy towards His people. He restores Israel not because they deserve it, but because of His grace and mercy. This revelation of God's character as both just and merciful is a central theme in the biblical narrative.
In conclusion, Ezekiel chapter 39 presents a vivid depiction of divine judgement and restoration. It paints a picture of a God who is not only powerful and sovereign but also merciful and faithful to His promises. The chapter serves as a reminder that God's ways are not our ways and that His plans often defy human understanding. The downfall of Gog, the restoration of Israel, and the revelation of God's glory are all part of God's divine plan to bring about His perfect will.
This chapter challenges us to trust in God's plans, even when they seem difficult to understand. It reminds us that God is ultimately in control and that He will bring about justice in His time. It also offers hope to those who are suffering, reminding them that God sees their pain and will one day restore them.
Finally, Ezekiel 39 invites us to reflect on the character of God. It presents a God who is both just and merciful, a God who judges the wicked and restores the righteous. This dual nature of God's character is a central theme in the biblical narrative and is beautifully depicted in this chapter.
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