Ezekiel 36:38
Like the numerous flocks for sacrifices at Jerusalem during her appointed feasts, so the ruined cities will be filled with flocks of people. Then they will know that I am the LORD."
Like the flocks for sacrifices
This phrase evokes the imagery of the sacrificial system central to Israelite worship, where flocks of sheep were brought to the temple as offerings to God. The Hebrew word for "flocks" (צֹאן, tson) signifies abundance and prosperity. In the context of Ezekiel, this imagery symbolizes the restoration and renewal of Israel, where the people will once again gather in great numbers, akin to the flocks brought for sacrifices, signifying a return to spiritual vitality and divine favor.

like the flocks of Jerusalem on her appointed feasts
The appointed feasts (מוֹעֲדִים, mo'adim) were significant times in the Jewish calendar when Israelites would gather in Jerusalem to celebrate and worship. These feasts, such as Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles, were times of joy, unity, and spiritual renewal. The comparison to these flocks suggests a future where the cities of Israel will be vibrant and full of life, much like Jerusalem during these sacred times, indicating a restoration of communal worship and national identity.

so will the ruined cities be filled with flocks of people
The "ruined cities" refer to the desolate and abandoned places of Israel following the Babylonian exile. The promise that these cities will be "filled with flocks of people" (עָרִים הֶחֳרָבוֹת, arim hecharavot) speaks to a divine reversal of fortune. The Hebrew root for "filled" (מָלֵא, male) conveys a sense of completeness and fulfillment. This prophetic vision assures the Israelites of a future where their communities will be restored, thriving with life and activity, reflecting God's redemptive power.

Then they will know that I am the LORD
This concluding phrase underscores the ultimate purpose of God's actions: the recognition of His sovereignty and faithfulness. The Hebrew word for "know" (יָדַע, yada) implies an intimate, experiential understanding. Through the fulfillment of these promises, the people of Israel will come to a deeper awareness of God's identity and His covenantal relationship with them. This acknowledgment of the LORD (יְהוָה, Yahweh) as the one true God is central to the prophetic message, emphasizing His role as the restorer and redeemer of His people.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Ezekiel
A prophet during the Babylonian exile, Ezekiel conveyed God's messages of judgment and restoration to the Israelites.

2. Jerusalem
The central city of worship for the Israelites, known for its temple and religious feasts.

3. Ruined Cities
Refers to the cities of Israel that were devastated due to the people's disobedience and subsequent exile.

4. Flock for Sacrifices
Symbolizes the people of Israel, likened to sacrificial animals, emphasizing their role in worship and dedication to God.

5. Appointed Feasts
These are the significant religious festivals in Jerusalem, such as Passover, which drew large gatherings of people.
Teaching Points
Restoration and Hope
God's promise to fill the ruined cities with people signifies hope and restoration. Believers can trust in God's ability to restore what is broken in their lives.

Worship and Community
The imagery of flocks during feasts highlights the importance of communal worship. Christians are encouraged to gather regularly for worship and fellowship.

Divine Sovereignty
The phrase "Then they will know that I am the LORD" underscores God's sovereignty and His ultimate plan for His people. Believers are reminded to recognize and submit to God's authority.

Faithfulness in Exile
Just as the Israelites were called to remain faithful during exile, Christians are encouraged to remain steadfast in their faith during challenging times.

Symbolism of Sacrifice
The reference to sacrificial flocks points to the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus. Believers are called to live sacrificially, dedicating their lives to God.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the imagery of "flocks for sacrifices" enhance our understanding of worship and dedication to God?

2. In what ways can the promise of restoration in Ezekiel 36:38 encourage us in our personal lives today?

3. How does the gathering of flocks during Jerusalem's feasts relate to the New Testament concept of the church as a community?

4. What does the phrase "Then they will know that I am the LORD" teach us about God's character and His relationship with His people?

5. How can we apply the lessons of faithfulness and hope from Ezekiel 36:38 to our current circumstances, especially in times of difficulty or "exile"?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Psalm 100
This psalm speaks of entering God's presence with thanksgiving and joy, similar to the imagery of flocks gathering for worship.

Isaiah 40:11
Describes God as a shepherd who gathers and cares for His flock, paralleling the restoration and care promised in Ezekiel.

John 10:14-16
Jesus refers to Himself as the Good Shepherd, connecting the idea of gathering and caring for His people.

Revelation 7:9
Depicts a great multitude from every nation worshiping God, echoing the imagery of a filled city with flocks of people.

Jeremiah 31:10
Speaks of God gathering His people like a shepherd, reinforcing the theme of restoration and divine care.
Prosperity Suspended on Human PrayerJ.D. Davies Ezekiel 36:32-38
Inquire of the LordEzekiel 36:37-38
PrayerA. Stevens, M. A.Ezekiel 36:37-38
PrayerW. A. Salter.Ezekiel 36:37-38
Prayer -- the Forerunner of MercyEzekiel 36:37-38
The Necessity and Power of PrayerEzekiel 36:37-38
The Necessity of PrayerSketches of Four Hundred SermonsEzekiel 36:37-38
The Prayers of the Church Required for the Conversion of SoulsJames Sherman.Ezekiel 36:37-38
Why God Requires His People to PrayF. Edwards, B. A.Ezekiel 36:37-38
People
Ezekiel
Places
Edom, Jerusalem, Mount Seir, Tigris-Euphrates Region
Topics
Appointed, Cities, During, Feasts, Filled, Fixed, Flock, Flocks, Full, Holy, Jerusalem, Offerings, Ones, Ruined, Sacrifice, Sacrifices, Seasons, Sheep, Solemn, Towns, Unpeopled, Waste
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Ezekiel 36:37-38

     7217   exile, in Babylon

Library
January 2. "I Will Cause You to Walk in My Statutes" (Eze. xxxvi. 27).
"I will cause you to walk in My statutes" (Eze. xxxvi. 27). The highest spiritual condition is one where life is spontaneous and flows without effort, like the deep floods of Ezekiel's river, where the struggles of the swimmer ceased, and he was borne by the current's resistless force. So God leads us into spiritual conditions and habits which become the spontaneous impulses of our being, and we live and move in the fulness of the divine life. But these spiritual habits are not the outcome of some
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

May 30. "I Will Put My Spirit Within You" (Ez. xxxvi. 27).
"I will put My Spirit within you" (Ez. xxxvi. 27). "I will put My Spirit within you, and I will cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye shall keep My judgments." "I will put My fear in your hearts, and ye shall not turn away from Me." Oh, friend, would not that be blessed, would not that be such a rest for you, all worn out with this strife in your own strength? Do you not want a strong man to conquer the strong man of self and sin? Do you not want a leader? Do you not want God Himself to be with
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

August 25. "And I Will Put My Spirit Within You, and Cause You to Walk in My Statutes, and Ye Shall Keep My Judgments and do Them" (Ezek. xxxvi. 27).
"And I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye shall keep My judgments and do them" (Ezek. xxxvi. 27). This is a great deal more than a new heart. This a heart filled with the Holy Ghost, the Divine Spirit, the power that causes us to walk in God's commandments. This is the greatest crisis that comes to a Christian's life, when into the spirit that was renewed in conversion, God Himself comes to dwell and make it His abiding place, and hold it by His mighty power
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

The Holy Nation
'Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. 26. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. 27. And I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye shall keep My judgments, and do them. 28. And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

A New Heart.
"A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you."--EZEKIEL xxxvi. 26. In the beautiful and suggestive dream of Solomon, which is recorded in the third chapter of the First Book of Kings, God appears to him, saying, "Ask what I shall give thee"; and Solomon's answer is, "O Lord, I am but a child set over this great people, give me, I pray Thee, a hearing heart." And God said to him, "Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life, nor riches;
John Percival—Sermons at Rugby

Prayer --The Forerunner of Mercy
Now, this morning I shall try, as God shall help me, first to speak of prayer as the prelude of blessing: next I shall try to show why prayer is thus constituted by God the forerunner of his mercies, and then I shall close by an exhortation, as earnest as I can make it, exhorting you to pray, if you would obtain blessings. I. Prayer is the FORERUNNER OF MERCIES. Many despise prayer: they despise it, because they do not understand it. He who knoweth how to use that sacred art of prayer will obtain
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 3: 1857

The Covenant Promise of the Spirit
I. First, as for THE COMMENDATION OF THE TEXT, the tongues of men and of angels might fail. To call it a golden sentence would be much too commonplace: to liken it to a pearl of great price would be too poor a comparison. We cannot feel, much less speak, too much in praise of the great God who has put this clause into the covenant of His grace. In that covenant every sentence is more precious than heaven and earth; and this line is not the least among His choice words of promise: "I will put my spirit
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 37: 1891

The New Heart
And now, my dear friends I shall attempt this morning, first of all, to show the necessity for the great promise contained in my text, that God will give us a new heart and a new spirit, and after that, I shall endeavor to show the nature of the great work which God works in the soul, when he accomplishes this promise; afterwards, a few personal remarks to all my hearers. I. In the first place, it is my business to endeavor to show THE NECESSITY FOR THIS GREAT PROMISE. Not that it needs any showing
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 4: 1858

Free Grace
The other error to which man is very prone, is that of relying upon his own merit. Though there is no righteousness in any man, yet in every man there is a proneness to truth in some fancied merit. Strange that it should be so, but the most reprobate characters have yet some virtue as they imagine, upon which they rely. You will find the most abandoned drunkard pride himself that he is not a swearer. You will find the blaspheming drunkard pride himself that at least he is honest. You will find men
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 5: 1859

What Self Deserves
"Ye shall loathe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities, and for your abominations."--Ezekiel 36:31. IT HAS been the supposition of those who know not by experience that if a man be persuaded that he is pardoned, and that he is a child of God, he will necessarily become proud of the distinction which God has conferred upon him. Especially if he be a believer in predestination, when he finds that he is one of God's chosen, it is supposed that the necessary consequence will be that he will
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 62: 1916

The Stony Heart Removed
"Can aught beneath a power divine The stubborn will subdue? 'Tis thine, eternal Spirit, thine, To form the heart anew. To chase the shades of death away And bid the sinner live! A beam of heaven, a vital ray, 'Tis thine alone to give." But while such a thing would be impossible apart from God, it is certain that God can do it. Oh, how the Master delighteth to undertake impossibilities! To do what others can do were but like unto man; but to accomplish that which is impossible to the creature is a
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 8: 1863

Let Your Hearts be Much Set on Revivals of Religion. ...
Let your hearts be much set on revivals of religion. Never forget that the churches have hitherto existed and prospered by revivals; and that if they are to exist and prosper in time to come, it must be by the same cause which has from the first been their glory and defence.--Joel Hawes If any minister can be satisfied without conversions, he shall have no conversions.--C. H. Spurgeon I do not believe that my desires for a revival were ever half so strong as they ought to be; nor do I see how a minister
E.M. Bounds—Purpose in Prayer

God Has Everything to do with Prayer
Christ is all. We are complete in Him. He is the answer to every need, the perfect Savior. He needs no decoration to heighten His beauty, no prop to increase His stability, no girding to perfect His strength. Who can gild refined gold, whiten the snow, perfume the rose or heighten the colors of the summer sunset? Who will prop the mountains or help the great deep? It is not Christ and philosophy, nor Christ and money, nor civilization, nor diplomacy, nor science, nor organisation. It is Christ alone.
Edward M. Bounds—The Reality of Prayer

How those are to be Admonished with whom Everything Succeeds According to their Wish, and those with whom Nothing Does.
(Admonition 27.) Differently to be admonished are those who prosper in what they desire in temporal matters, and those who covet indeed the things that are of this world, but yet are wearied with the labour of adversity. For those who prosper in what they desire in temporal matters are to be admonished, when all things answer to their wishes, lest, through fixing their heart on what is given, they neglect to seek the giver; lest they love their pilgrimage instead of their country; lest they turn
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

Jesus Angry with Hard Hearts
But I must not let imagination mislead me: they did nothing of the kind. Instead of this, they sat watching the Lord Jesus, not to be delighted by an act of his power, but to find somewhat of which they might accuse him. When all came to all, the utmost that they would be able to allege would be that he had healed a withered hand on the Sabbath. Overlooking the commendation due for the miracle of healing, they laid the emphasis upon its being done on the Sabbath; and held up their hands with horror
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 32: 1886

The Everlasting Covenant of the Spirit
"They shall be My people, and l will be their God. And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from Me."--JER. xxxii. 38, 40. "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye
Andrew Murray—The Two Covenants

Good Works.
"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." Ephes. ii. 10. Good works are the ripe fruit from the tree which God has planted in sanctification. In the saint there is life; from that life workings proceed; and those workings are either good or evil. Hence good works are not added to sanctification for mere effect, but belong to it. The discussion of sanctification is not complete without the discussion of Good Works.
Abraham Kuyper—The Work of the Holy Spirit

Touching Jacob, However, that which He did at his Mother's Bidding...
24. Touching Jacob, however, that which he did at his mother's bidding, so as to seem to deceive his father, if with diligence and in faith it be attended to, is no lie, but a mystery. The which if we shall call lies, all parables also, and figures designed for the signifying of any things soever, which are not to be taken according to their proper meaning, but in them is one thing to be understood from another, shall be said to be lies: which be far from us altogether. For he who thinks this, may
St. Augustine—Against Lying

Pastor in Parish (I. ).
Master, to the flock I speed, In Thy presence, in Thy name; Show me how to guide, to feed, How aright to cheer and blame; With me knock at every door; Enter with me, I implore. We have talked together about the young Clergyman's secret life, and private life, and his life in (so to speak) non-clerical intercourse with others, and now lastly of his life as it stands related to his immediate leader in the Ministry. In this latter topic we have already touched the great matter which comes now at
Handley C. G. Moule—To My Younger Brethren

Be Ye Therefore Perfect, Even as Your Father which is in Heaven is Perfect. Matthew 5:48.
In the 43rd verse, the Savior says, "Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy; but I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you, that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward
Charles G. Finney—Lectures to Professing Christians

The Person Sanctified.
"The putting off of the body of the sins of the flesh."--Col. ii. 11. Sanctification embraces the whole man, body and soul, with all the parts, members, and functions that belong to each respectively. It embraces his person and, all of his person. This is why sanctification progresses from the hour of regeneration all through life, and can be completed only in and through death. St. Paul prays for the church of Thessalonica: "The God of peace sanctify you wholly, and may your whole spirit and soul
Abraham Kuyper—The Work of the Holy Spirit

Introductory Note.
[a.d. 145-220.] When our Lord repulsed the woman of Canaan (Matt. xv. 22) with apparent harshness, he applied to her people the epithet dogs, with which the children of Israel had thought it piety to reproach them. When He accepted her faith and caused it to be recorded for our learning, He did something more: He reversed the curse of the Canaanite and showed that the Church was designed "for all people;" Catholic alike for all time and for all sorts and conditions of men. Thus the North-African
Tertullian—Apology

Evidences Internal and Experimental.
1. The external evidences of revealed religion are, in their proper place and sphere, of the highest importance. Christianity rests not upon theory, but upon historical facts sustained by an overwhelming mass of testimony. It is desirable that every Christian, so far as he has opportunity, should make himself acquainted with this testimony for the strengthening of his own faith and the refutation of gainsayers. Nevertheless, many thousands of Christians are fully established in the faith of the gospel
E. P. Barrows—Companion to the Bible

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