Ezekiel 36

20. profaned my holy name, when they--the heathen
said to them--the Israelites.
These, &c.--The Israelites gave a handle of reproach to the heathen against God, who would naturally say, These who take usury, oppress, commit adultery, &c., and who, in such an abject plight, are "gone forth" as exiles "out of His land," are specimens of what Jehovah can or will effect, for His people, and show what kind of a God this so-called holy, omnipotent, covenant-keeping God must be! ( Isaiah 52:5 , Romans 2:24 ).

21. I had pity for mine holy name--that is, I felt pity for it; God's own name, so dishonored, was the primary object of His pitying concern; then His people, secondarily, through His concern for it [FAIRBAIRN].

22. not . . . for your sakes--that is, not for any merit in you; for, on the contrary, on your part, there is everything to call down continued severity (compare Deuteronomy 9:5 Deuteronomy 9:6 ). The sole and sure ground of hope was God's regard to "His own name," as the God of covenant grace ( Psalms 106:45 ), which He must vindicate from the dishonor brought on it by the Jews, before the heathen.

23. sanctify--vindicate and manifest as holy, in opposition to the heathen reproaches of it brought on by the Jews' sins and their
sanctified in you--that is, in respect of you; I shall be regarded in their eyes as the Holy One, and righteous in My dealings towards you ( Ezekiel 20:41 , 28:22 ).

24. Fulfilled primarily in the restoration from Babylon; ultimately to be so in the restoration "from all countries."

25. The external restoration must be preceded by an internal one. The change in their condition must not be superficial, but must be based on a radical renewal of the heart. Then the heathen, understanding from the regenerated lives of God's people how holy God is, would perceive Israel's past troubles to have been only the necessary vindications of His righteousness. Thus God's name would be "sanctified" before the heathen, and God's people be prepared for outward blessings.
sprinkle . . . water--phraseology taken from the law; namely, the water mixed with the ashes of a heifer sprinkled with a hyssop on the unclean ( Numbers 19:9-18 ); the thing signified being the cleansing blood of Christ sprinkled on the conscience and heart ( Hebrews 9:13 Hebrews 9:14 , 10:22 ; compare Jeremiah 33:8 , Ephesians 5:26 ).
from all your idols--Literal idolatry has ceased among the Jews ever since the captivity; so far, the prophecy has been already fulfilled; but "cleansing from all their idols," for example, covetousness, prejudices against Jesus of Nazareth, is yet future.

26. new heart--mind and will.
spirit--motive and principle of action.
stony heart--unimpressible in serious things; like the "stony ground" ( Matthew 13:5 Matthew 13:20 ), unfit for receiving the good seed so as to bring forth fruit.
heart of flesh--not "carnal" in opposition to "spiritual"; but impressible and docile, fit for receiving the good seed. In Ezekiel 18:31 they are commanded, "Make you a new heart, and a new spirit." Here God says, "A new heart will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you." Thus the responsibility of man, and the sovereign grace of God, are shown to be coexistent. Man cannot make himself a new heart unless God gives it ( Philippians 2:12 Philippians 2:13 ).

27. my spirit--( Ezekiel 11:19 , Jeremiah 32:39 ). The partial reformation at the return from Babylon ( Ezra 10:6 , &c. Nehemiah 8:1-9:38') was an earnest of the full renewal hereafter under Messiah.

28. ye . . . my people, . . . I . . . your God--( Ezekiel 11:20 , Jeremiah 30:22 ).

29. save . . . from all . . . uncleannesses--the province of Jesus, according to the signification of His name ( Matthew 1:21 ). To be specially exercised in behalf of the Jews in the latter days ( Romans 11:26 ).
call for . . . corn--as a master "calls for" a servant; all the powers and productions of nature are the servants of Jehovah ( Psalms 105:16 , Matthew 8:8 Matthew 8:9 ). Compare as to the subordination of all the intermediate agents to the Great First Cause, who will give "corn" and all good things to His people, Hosea 2:21 Hosea 2:22 , Zechariah 8:12 .

30. no more reproach of famine among the heathen--to which their taunt ( Ezekiel 36:13 ), "Thou land devourest up men," in part referred.

31. remember your . . . evil ways--with shame and loathing. The unexpected grace and love of God, manifested in Christ to Israel, shall melt the people into true repentance, which mere legal fear could not ( Ezekiel 16:61 Ezekiel 16:63 , Psalms 130:4 , Zechariah 12:10 ; compare Jeremiah 33:8 Jeremiah 33:9 ).

35. they shall say--The heathen, who once made Israel's desolation a ground of reproach against the name of Jehovah Himself ( Ezekiel 36:20 Ezekiel 36:21 ); but now He so vindicates its sanctity ( Ezekiel 36:22 Ezekiel 36:23 ) that these same heathen are constrained to acknowledge Israel's more than renewed blessedness to be God's own work, and a ground for glorifying His name ( Ezekiel 36:36 ).
Eden--as Tyre (the type of the world powers in general: so Assyria, a cedar "in the garden of God, Eden," Ezekiel 31:8 Ezekiel 31:9 ), in original advantages, had been compared to "Eden, the garden of God" ( Ezekiel 28:13 ), from which she had fallen irrecoverably; so Israel, once desolate, is to be as "the garden of Eden" ( Isaiah 51:3 ), and is to be so unchangeably.

36. Lord . . . spoken . . . do it--( Numbers 23:19 ).

37. I will yet for this be inquired of--so as to grant it. On former occasions He had refused to be inquired of by Israel because the inquirers were not in a fit condition of mind to receive a blessing ( Ezekiel 14:3 , 20:3 ). But hereafter, as in the restoration from Babylon ( Ezekiel 36:26 ) to pray aright for the blessings which He is about to give ( Psalms 102:13-17 Psalms 102:20 , Zechariah 12:10-14 , 13:1 ).
like a flock--resuming the image ( Ezekiel 34:23 Ezekiel 34:31 ).

38. As the holy flock--the great flock of choice animals for sacrifice, brought up to Jerusalem at the three great yearly festivals, the passover, pentecost, and feast of the tabernacles.