Ezekiel 38+39

Introduction

We’ve seen how the Lord’s message to his people in exile has been much more positive since chapter 33. In that chapter, the news came to them that Jerusalem had fallen to the Babylonians. However, that was not the end of the nation, because in the chapters which followed, God announced to his people in exile hope for the future. There would be better days ahead. The Lord will enable his people to return to Jerusalem, where he will make a covenant of peace with them. He will appoint a new king to rule over them and he’ll also renew them by his Spirit so that they will walk in his ways and do his will; and they will live in peace and they’ll prosper and do well.

As we saw last week, the people in exile regarded themselves as being as good as dead. They were like the dry bones in Ezekiel’s vision. They were living in the land of the dead in Babylon and it seemed to them that there was no hope for them. That’s what they thought. But just as God enabled the dry bones in the vision to rise up and live, so the Lord would enable his people in exile to rise up from the land of the dead in Babylon and return to the Promised Land, where he will dwell in their midst and rule over them by means of the new king.

And I explained that these messages about all the good things they could expect in the future will be fulfilled ultimately when all of God’s people from every nation will be brought into the new heavens and earth, where we will live in peace for ever and for ever and God will dwell with us for ever. We’ll be one people under Christ our King and we’ll worship the Lord God Almighty and we’ll never turn from him, but we’ll serve him for ever. And there will be nothing to disturb our peace and there will be no-one and nothing to hurt us.

However, while that is the ultimate fulfilment of these messages, the Lord’s prophecy to his people in exile was fulfilled in part when the Lord brought the exiles back from Babylon in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah and they rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem so that they could live in safety and without fear. They also rebuilt the temple, which was God’s dwelling-place among them. And they gathered in Jerusalem to confess their sins and to renew the covenant with the Lord. And they promised to walk in his ways and to do his will from that time on. And in due course, the new king came, just as the Lord promised, when the Lord Jesus was born. Gabriel announced to Mary that her son would sit on David’s throne as king. And after he was born, the angel announced to the shepherds that the Christ — God’s Spirit-Anointed King — had been born in the town of David and his coming would bring glory to God in the highest and peace to men on earth. And then, wise men came from the east, looking for the new king who had been born.

And so, the Lord’s prophecies to his exiled people were fulfilled in part when he enabled the exiles to return to the Promised Land and when Christ the King was born. But perhaps the exiles may have listened to these prophecies and wondered to themselves that what had happened before might happen again. If the Babylonians had been able to invade their nation and destroy Jerusalem in the past, what’s to stop another nation from doing the same thing in the future? If it could happen once, who or what will prevent it from happening again?

And so, that’s why we have today’s passage. Chapters 38 and 39 are designed to reassure God’s people. God revealed to Ezekiel the message of these two chapters to reassure his people in exile and to reassure his people in every age that God will protect his people from whatever evil comes their way.

You see, what we have in these two chapters is a message about a great and terrifying king who threatens God’s people. But the great and terrifying king will not succeed, because the Lord God Almighty will destroy him and everyone who aligns themselves with him. And the message is that if the Lord can destroy this great and terrifying king, then he can destroy every other lesser person who rises up against the Lord and his people. God’s people do not need to fear anyone or any power, because the Lord our God is the great King who is above every king. He is the Most High God who rules over all things in heaven and on earth. And Jesus Christ our Saviour is seated beside him. And so, we don’t need to be afraid and we can face the future with confidence, because the Lord our God and Jesus Christ our Saviour are on the throne and they will overcome every opposing power.

Chapter 38

Let’s turn to chapter 38 where it says that the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel. And the Lord told him to set his face against Gog of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. Magog, Meshech and Tubal are names that appear in Genesis 10 as the sons of Japtheth. However, Gog is not mentioned anywhere in the Old Testament apart from here. While scholars have tried to identify him, no one has managed to do so with any degree of certainty. But I don’t think we’re meant to identify him, because he’s portrayed as an almost mythical figure. He’s a character from our worst nightmares. He strikes fear in the heart of everyone who hears about him and his army. And if you look down to verse 4 you’ll see that the Lord says about his army that it comprises horses and fully armed horsemen and there’s a great horde of men with large and small shields and all of them are brandishing swords. So, his army is a war machine. And the Lord goes on to say that Persia and Cush and Put are with Gog and his army as well as Gomer and Beth-Togarmah. Including Meshech and Tubal, the Lord has listed seven nations. Since seven in the Bible often signifies completion or fullness, then it’s likely the Lord means that Gog is the head of a worldwide alliance of nations. And since the nations with Gog all have shields and helmets and troops, then they too are ready for war.

But turn back to verse 3, where the Lord says he is against Gog. And in verse 4 the Lord says that he will turn Gog around and will put hooks in his jaw. So, the Lord regards Gog like a wild animal and he’s going to catch him and tame him by putting hooks in his mouth and he’s then going to bring Gog out with his army.

So, the Lord is in charge of Gog and his army. Gog and his army are under God’s control. And in verse 7 the Lord tells Gog and his army to get ready, because after many days they will be called to arms. So, they’re going to be summoned for a fight. but it’s not going to happen immediately. It’s going to happen after many days.

And where is the Lord sending Gog and his army? That’s what we discover in verse 8, where the Lord says that in future years they will invade a land that has recovered from war, whose people were gathered from many nations. So, after many days, Gog and his army will be summoned by God to invade a land where the people were once in exile, but have now returned. Which land is he referring to? It turns out he’s referring to Israel. You can see that in the middle of verse 8 where the Lord refers to the mountains of Israel, which were once desolate during the time of the exile, but they are no longer desolate because the people have been brought back from exile and they now live in safety. And so, for some reason which we don’t know yet, God is going to send Gog and his army against his own people, living in the land of Israel. They will advance on Israel like a storm and they will cover the land like a cloud.

In verses 10 to 13, the Lord says that thoughts will come into Gog’s mind. You see, although the Lord will summon Gog, Gog will not be aware of it. He will think it was his own idea. And so, he’ll devise a plan for invading Israel. And he’ll see that it won’t be difficult, because he’ll see that the people live in unwalled villages. And the people themselves are peaceful and unsuspecting. They’re not prepared or equipped for war. And Gog will attack them because he wants to plunder and loot them. And so, as far as Gog is concerned, invading Israel will be his own idea, because he wants to steal their livestock and goods. And in verse 13 the Lord quotes the words of ancient merchants from Sheba and Dedan and Tarshish. It’s not clear, but I think we’re to regard them like vultures, because they’re hoping to join in the attack and benefit from it. They too want a share in the spoils of war.

In verses 14 and 15, the Lord once again reveals what Gog will do: he will come from his place in the north and many nations will come with him. They will ride on horses and they will be a great horde of men and a mighty army. And they’ll advance on God’s people. And yet, according to the middle of verse 16, it is the Lord himself who will bring Gog against Israel. Although Gog will think it’s his own idea and that he’s the one who planned it, the truth is that the Lord will summon Gog and his army to attack his people. The Lord will cause Gog to attack his people.

Why would the Lord do such a thing? He tells us in the rest of verse 16: ‘so that the nations may know me when I show myself holy through you before their eyes.’ So, the reason the Lord will bring Gog and his army against his people is so that he can destroy them. And by destroying them, he’ll reveal to the world what a great and glorious God he is. The nations will know he is great when he destroys Gog.

In verse 17 the Lord asks Gog whether he’s the one God spoke of in former days. Do you see that? It’s not clear, but I think the answer to that question is ‘no’. So, in the past, God spoke about Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar is the one God spoke about in former days. And in former days, God sent Nebuchadnezzar against his people to punish them for their unfaithfulness. But that’s not why the Lord will send Gog against his people in the days to come. He’s not sending Gog to punish his people. God is sending Gog against his people so that he can destroy Gog. When God attacks God’s people, God will send a great earthquake. And the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and the beasts of the field and every crawling creature and all the people on the face of the earth will tremble at the presence of the Lord. The mountains will be overturned and cliffs will crumble and walls will fall. It’s as if the world is turned upside down and shaken. In fact, it’s like the end of the world. And God will summon a sword against Gog and God will execute judgment on him with plague and bloodshed. God will pour down on Gog and on his troops and on the nations with him torrents of rain and hailstones and burning sulphur. And in this way the Lord will display his greatness and his holiness. He’ll make himself known to the nations and they will know that he is the Lord, the covenant-keeping God, who has bound himself with a promise to his people to love them and to keep them for ever. And because he has bound himself to his people, he will save them from Gog.

Chapter 39

In chapter 39, the Lord announces what he will do to Gog. He says in verse 3 that he will strike him so that he will drop his bow and arrows. And on the mountains of Israel, Gog and his army and the nations with him will fall. And the Lord will give their remains to the birds and the wild animals. So, they will fall in the open field and will be eaten up.

And in verse 6 he says that he will send fire on Magog, which is Og’s homeland, and on those who live in safety in the coastlands. So, all those who live in and around Magog will be destroyed by the Lord’s fire. And in this way the Lord will make known his holy name. Everyone will see that he is a great God and that there is no other god but him alone.

And in verses 9 and 10 he says that his people will go out and gather up the weapons that Gog and his men have dropped. And they will burn them up and use them for fuel. In fact, there will be so many weapons that they’ll provide fuel for seven years. No one will have to collect fire-wood from the forest. And God’s people will plunder those who once plundered them.

And their dead bodies — or what is left of them — will be buried in a valley in Israel. So many of them will be buried there, that the cemetery will block the way of anyone travelling there. And it will take seven months to bury them all. And afterwards, others will go through the land and whenever they find any remains — even just a bone — they will mark the spot and someone else will come along and bury it. And in this way, they will cleanse the land. They’ll cleanse the land by burying all the dead.

And the Lord also says that Ezekiel should summon birds and wild animals to come together to eat the flesh and drink the blood of the remains of Gog’s army. So, this bit refers back to what he said in verse 4. The birds and animals are being invited to a feast where they will eat the flesh of Gog’s mighty men and drink the blood of princes. It’s as if the mighty men and princes were rams and lambs which are normally slaughtered for sacrifice. At the Lord’s table, the birds and wild animals will eat their fill of horses and riders and mighty men and soldiers. It’s a gruesome image, isn’t it? But it conveys to us how the Lord will totally annihilate Gog and his mighty army.

In verse 21 the Lord says that he will display his glory among the nations when he punishes Gog and the nations who have sided with him. And the house of Israel will know that he is the Lord their God. So, they will know he is the covenant-keeping God who loves them with a steadfast love and he will keep them. And the nations will realise that the reason God’s people were sent into exile to Babylon is not because the Lord their God was not strong enough to save them from the Babylonians. No one must dishonour the Lord’s name by thinking he was took weak to save his people. On the contrary, he sent his people into exile because of their unfaithfulness. He deliberately hid his face from them and handed them over to their enemies. It wasn’t that he was too weak to save them. Instead he sent them into exile and he let them fall by the sword to punish them for their moral uncleanness and for all the offences they committed.

Up until verse 24, the Lord has been speaking about what Gog will do in the distant future and what the Lord will do to Gog at that time. But from verse 25 to the end of the chapter, the Lord refers to the near future and how he will bring his exiled people back from captivity. He will have compassion on his people once again. The NIV says in verse 26 that they will forget their shame when he brings them back. However, it’s likely that Ezekiel means just the opposite and they will acknowledge what they have done wrong. That fits better with what he has said in previous chapters and it fits what we read in Nehemiah where it says they gathered in Jerusalem to confess their sins. So, when they return from exile, they will acknowledge their shame and guilt and their unfaithfulness in the past. And through them God will show himself holy among the nations. The nations will realise that the Lord alone is God. And God’s people will know that he is indeed their God. So, when the Lord brings them out of exile and back to the Promised Land, they will know that he has bound himself to them with a promise to love them with a steadfast love. Though he was angry with them for a time, and sent them into exile, he will not abandon them, but he will bring them back to the Promised Land. He is their God and they are his people. And he will take care of them.

And so, he will not exile them again. He will no longer hide his face from them. Instead he will pour his Spirit on them. And as we’ve seen in previous chapters, his Spirit will enable them to walk in his ways and to do his will. And so, they will serve the Lord in the Promised Land. And, as the Lord has made clear in the previous verses, he will take care of them. He will protect them from Gog and every other king like Gog who wants to destroy God’s people. The Lord their God is the Sovereign God who rules and reigns in heaven over all that he has made and over all the nations of the world. And he will protect his people Israel.

Application

And so, who is Gog? I said at the beginning that no one has been able to identify him with any certainty, although there have been many efforts to do so. Throughout the generations, whenever God’s people were threatened by some great king or people, they were ready to say that their enemy was Gog. So, people have said that Gog is one of the Roman Emperors or the Goths or the Arabs during the crusades or Germany during the world wars or Russia or Communist China. Whoever is seen as a threat is identified as Gog.

However, since Gog is portrayed as the leader of a worldwide alliance; and since he’s said to attack God’s people ‘after many days’ and ‘In future years’; and since he’s depicted as such a terrifying foe, then I agree with those interpreters who say that Gog represents satan; and the battle the Lord is describing in these two chapters is the last battle which we read about in the book of Revelation. So, in Revelation 20 we read how God allowed satan to go out to deceive the nations — who are described as Gog and Magog — and to gather them for battle. And they will march across the breadth of the earth and will surround God’s people. They will assemble together for one last battle against Christ and his people. But the battle will be short-lived, because as soon as satan and his worldwide army assemble for the fight, fire will come down from heaven to destroy them. And satan will be thrown into the lake of fire to be tormented for ever and for ever.

In Ezekiel, Gog gathers a vast army from around the world to attack God’s people. But they are defeated by God when he sends down burning sulphur on them. In Revelation, satan gathers a vast army from around the world to attack God’s people. But they are defeated by God when he pours down fire upon them. In Ezekiel and in Revelation, the Lord immediately destroys his enemy and saves his people.

And though the idea of a great battle between satan’s forces and all of God’s people is frightening, the Lord has written these things to encourage and to comfort us.

We should be encouraged and comforted, because it’s clear that Gog and his army and satan and his army are under God’s control. In Ezekiel, Gog is depicted as a wild animal who has been tamed by God. God turns him around and puts a hook in his jaw to lead him. And God is the one who brings him out and who summons him. He may be like a wild and ferocious beast, but the Lord is in charge of him. God is in control. That’s in Ezekiel. And in Revelation, satan is only able to gather his army because the Lord lets him.

And as we’ve seen in Ezekiel, the reason the Lord lets him gather his army to attack God’s people is to let the Lord display his greatness and glory. A champion boxer has to defend his title from time to time to remind everyone why he’s the champion. When he takes on a contender and beats them, then he displays his greatness. And the Lord our God is like a champion boxer, because he’s not afraid to take on any contenders for his throne. He knows he will beat satan and will thereby display the glory of his power to all the world.

And we should be encouraged and comforted because in Ezekiel, as soon as Gog and his worldwide army attacks God’s people, God is there to intervene and to stop them. Indeed the Lord will slay Gog and his army; and the birds of the air and the beasts of the field will feed on them. And it will take seven months and more to bury all that remains of Gog and his army. And in the book of Revelation, as soon as satan gathers his army, God sends fire from heaven to destroy them. The outcome of the last battle is certain: God the Great King, the Most High God, will destroy satan and all who side them him against Christ and his church.

And so, these things are written to encourage and comfort us. And if the Lord is able to defeat a mighty king like Gog, and if he’s able to defeat satan when the last battle is fought, then he’s able to help his people in every age. Whenever any evil power rises up against Christ and his church, we need to remember and believe that whatever that power is it’s under the authority and power of the Lord our God just as Gog and satan are under his authority and power. And whenever any evil power rises up against Christ and his church, we need to remember and believe that the Lord our God is able to stop it. Just as he’s able to stop Gog in his tracks, and just as he’s able to stop satan in his tracks, so he’s able to put a stop to whatever power threatens Christ and his church in our day. And the powers that rise up against us include not only powerful unbelievers, but they also includes powerful ideas and ideologies like secularism and powerful religions like Islam. We may regard these things are unstoppable, but the Lord our God is enthroned in heaven and he rules over all things and he’s able to say the word any time he wants and put an end to his enemies and to whatever threatens his people.

So, we don’t need to be afraid. Our God is in control. And if you want one more example to encourage and comfort you, just think of the cross of Christ and how satan stirred up the unbelieving Jews and the Romans to put the Lord Jesus to death. They joined together to crucify the Lord’s Anointed King. And for a time it seemed that God’s enemies had won, when they killed the author of life and his body was buried in the ground. But when everything seemed bleak, God raised his Son from the dead and exalted him to the highest place, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion in this age and in the next. And in this way, God saved his people from their sin and misery in this world; and he accomplished for them an eternal salvation; and he displayed his glory to the world. There’s nothing our God cannot do and there’s no-one who is greater or more powerful than he is. He is the Most High God and he rules and reigns over all things by his Son Jesus Christ. And he is able to deliver his people from whatever evil power rises up to threaten Christ and his church.

And so, we have no reason to be afraid and we can serve the Lord without fear and with gladness, because in the end, satan and all who side with him will be destroyed and we will reign with Christ our King over the new heavens and earth.