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Ezekiel 39 Devotional

No Longer Hiding His Face

“And I will no longer hide My face from them, for I will pour out My Spirit on the house of Israel, declares the Lord GOD.””Ezekiel 39:29 (BSB)

The battle with Gog ends almost before it starts. God strikes the bow from his hand, and he falls on the mountains of Israel (39:3-4). For seven years the people burn the invaders' weapons as fuel, and for seven months they bury the dead to cleanse the land (39:9-12).

Then the chapter widens to explain the whole book. The nations will learn that Israel went into exile for its own unfaithfulness, and that God hid his face from them (39:23-24). Now he will have compassion, gather his people from the lands of their enemies, and leave none of them behind (39:25-28). The final promise is the most personal. His face will no longer be hidden, for his Spirit will be poured out on his people (39:29). Peter told the crowd at Pentecost that the exalted Jesus had received the Spirit the Father promised, and that what they were witnessing was his outpouring (Acts 2:33). For all who belong to Christ, God's face is turned toward them, not away.

To think about: Do you tend to picture God's face as turned toward you or away from you, and how does the gift of his Spirit answer that?

About Ezekiel 39: Gog Defeated and Israel Restored

God declares that Gog’s army will fall on Israel’s mountains, so that His holy name is honored in Israel and among the nations. Israel burns the enemy’s weapons and buries the dead to purify the land, and the nations learn the exile was judgment for sin. God promises to bring His people home and give them His Spirit.

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