God Speaks to the Mountains: Ezekiel 35:1-36:15 (Shepard Memorial)

Ezekiel 35:1-36:15 afflicts the comfortable and comforts the afflicted to keep the people of God on the straight and narrow path of Jesus Christ.  Here God speaks to the mountains (Mount Seir and the mountains of Israel), representing two different groups of people, a message that points to the final destination of those two groups of people.  For one, represented by Esau or Edom, the final destination is a deserted desert.  For the other group, represented by the mountains of Israel the destination is the fruitful and full of the faithful new heavens and earth.  The passage has two major purposes.  First, it serves as a warning for those who may seem like a brother for a time but ultimately prove through their actions, attitude, and words that they are not.  And second, it comforts afflicted sinners.  Christians should not be comfortable in their sins, their sins should make them upset and troubled (even afflicted), but then the comfort of the gospel message of forgiveness applies.  This is good news.

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