Summary of Ezekiel 37:15-28
God promises to bring together His people (Judah and Israel) into one land, one nation, with one king. They will be God’s people, and He will be their God.
David will be king over them. They will keep God’s decrees. They will live forever in the land God gives them. God will make an everlasting covenant with His people.
BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 2, Day 5: Ezekiel 37:15-28
11a) God told Ezekiel to take a stick of wood and write on it, ‘Belonging to Judah and the Israelites associated with him.’ Then take another stick of wood, and write on it, ‘Belonging to Joseph (that is, to Ephraim) and all the Israelites associated with him.’ Join them together into one stick so that they will become one in your hand.
b) It illustrates how God promises to bring together His people (Judah and Israel) into one land, one nation, with one king.
12) The covenant of peace and our eternal salvation that God is speaking about that will be everlasting is the New Covenant granted to us by our belief in Christ. Jesus is an ancestor from the line of David.
13a) God will dwell with us forever. He will always be our God. He will make His people holy forever.
b) Christians can be role models to others of what God can do in their lives since He has done so much in the lives of His people. There is a different way to live than what culture says, and Christians can demonstrate this in their daily lives.
14) The knowledge that He is always with me, working for me and through me, and everything is for my good and will work for good. I also know that circumstances are temporal, but He and His promises are forever. I’ve learned that God loves us so much that He always cares for us, comforts us, and provides for us. He is always there when we need Him. Nothing is without His knowledge. He guides us and protects us always.
Conclusions BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 2, Day 5: Ezekiel 37:15-28
Great lesson on how God always watches over His people and works for good in their lives.
End Notes BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 2, Day 5: Ezekiel 37:15-28
Ephraim refers to Israel here since Ephraim was the largest and most powerful tribe in the Northern Kingdom. We see this a couple of times in the Old Testament.
Despite the people having been scattered, they are all still God’s people. All would be restored.
Purity, cleansing, and relationship with God are all the result of the New Covenant.
Ezekiel had previously said David would be the king (Ezekiel 34:23-25).
While we can see Jesus in this passage, the clear reference is to David. We reason this because God would not have said David specifically if He hadn’t meant him.
That being said, God does seem to describe the New Covenant here with his reference of peace (Ezekiel 34:25 and Isaiah 54:10), everlasting (Ezekiel 16:60, Isaiah 55:3, and Hebrews 13:20), and the multiplication of His people (Ezekiel 36:10-11).
The sanctuary is referring to the temple, as Ezekiel continues to outline in Ezekiel 40-48.
God is alive, and Israel is His people.
END NOTES SUMMARIZED
This passage, centered on the prophetic sign-act of joining two sticks, succinctly outlines God’s plan for the complete political and spiritual restoration of Israel.
The analysis can be broken down into four key movements:
- The Sign-Act: God commands Ezekiel to take two sticks, one representing the southern kingdom of Judah and the other representing the northern kingdom of Joseph/Ephraim, and join them into a single stick. This physical act serves as a powerful, tangible symbol of the promise to come.
- The Promise of Reunification: The core message is the end of the centuries-long division of Israel. God Himself will gather His people from exile and reunite the two estranged kingdoms into one nation, permanently ending the political schism.
- The Restored Kingdom: This unified nation will be ruled by one king, identified as “my servant David,” signifying the restoration of the ideal Davidic monarchy. This unified kingdom will be characterized by spiritual purity (cleansing from idolatry) and obedience to God’s laws, all sealed by an everlasting “covenant of peace.”
- The Climax of Divine Presence: The ultimate goal and guarantee of this restoration is God setting His sanctuary (dwelling place) in their midst forever. This permanent, divine presence is the final seal on their security and serves as the ultimate witness to the surrounding nations that Yahweh is the one true God who has set Israel apart for Himself.