Ezekiel 38-39 Gog

God shares with Ezekiel about a battle that is yet to come. It is His judgement against a people not yet formed. The people of Gog in the land of Magog.

Gog is a conglomeration of nations that still has not come together. Some of the people listen in this conglomeration are familiar to Ezekiel but not all of them. I can imagine him scratching his head and saying; “Who?” We are still scratching our heads too.

There is speculation as to who will be included in this conglomeration and when it might happen. Of course, I’m wondering about a few things too. Chief among them is that it appears, to me at least, that Israel will be at ease before this happens. I don’t claim to know prophecy, but we are told that Israel will have unwalled cities, that they are a quiet people who have rest. That is NOT the Israel of today. Something has to happen to bring this safety about first.

We are also told that they will be using the weapons raised against them as firewood for seven years. Is this during the seven years of tribulation? I’m reminded of the Left Behind book series. In the beginning of the Tribulation period, there is a failed attempt against Israel and then there is peace.

If I am confused today, I can’t imagine Ezekiel felt any less confused when God named a people and nation unheard of by him. Let’s rejoin Ezekiel and see how he ‘might have’ handled this prophecy from the Lord.

Holy Spirit, I certainly need Your direction today. This prophecy is still a mystery to me. All I do know for certain is that YOU know and understand what is to come. Lead our journey today and show me what I should take for my own life. Even if all I’m to take is faith that God knows what He is doing and has everything well in hand.

♥ ♦ ♥

Ezekiel climbs from his bed and stretches his arms above his head. “Another day to spend with my Lord” he says as he starts his morning routine.

As soon as the urgent tasks of the morning are completed, Ezekiel goes to his favorite spot; his place where he meets with the Lord. Ezekiel kneels down and settles his mind. He opens his heart and waits. It is not long before he hears God speaking in his spirit. Ezekiel is at full attention in his spirit so that he can clearly hear the words of the Lord. And he has done this so many times, it has become second nature.

God begins speaking to Ezekiel. “Son of man, set your face toward Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him and say, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. And I will turn you about and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you out, and all your army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed in full armor, a great host, all of them with buckler and shield, wielding swords. Persia, Cush, and Put are with them, all of them with shield and helmet; Gomer and all his hordes; Beth-togarmah from the uttermost parts of the north with all his hordes—many peoples are with you” (Ezekiel 38:2-6).

Ezekiel interrupts with a question. “Lord, who is God? I don’t know this people. I recognize other nations that You have listed as ‘with them’, but I don’t know which way I’m to face.”

“Be still and listen. I will tell you what you need to know, in time.”

Ezekiel shakes his head as if to clear it. Then he settles in to wait and see what the Lord will say.

“Be ready and keep ready, you and all your hosts that are assembled about you, and be a guard for them. After many days you will be mustered. In the latter years you will go against the land that is restored from war, the land whose people were gathered from many peoples upon the mountains of Israel, which had been a continual waste. Its people were brought out from the peoples and now dwell securely, all of them. You will advance, coming on like a storm. You will be like a cloud covering the land, you and all your hordes, and many peoples with you” (Ezekiel 38:7-9).

Ezekiel silently tries to work out the clues hidden in the Lord’s message. “This has to be for a later time, as a restoration is promised first. But there was a ‘continual waste’. When is this?”

Before he can get too far afield, God continues speaking and Ezekiel returns his attention to what is being said.

“Thus says the Lord God: On that day, thoughts will come into your mind, and you will devise an evil scheme and say, ‘I will go up against the land of unwalled villages. I will fall upon the quiet people who dwell securely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having no bars or gates,’ to seize spoil and carry off plunder, to turn your hand against the waste places that are now inhabited, and the people who were gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and goods, who dwell at the center of the earth. Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish and all its leaders will say to you, ‘Have you come to seize spoil? Have you assembled your hosts to carry off plunder, to carry away silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods, to seize great spoil?’” (Ezekiel 38:10-13).

“Apparently, Israel will be rich when this happens. As well as at peace. Until a horrible enemy rises against us.” Ezekiel shakes his head again. This time ins sadness of what is to come.

“Therefore, son of man, prophesy, and say to Gog, Thus says the Lord God: On that day when my people Israel are dwelling securely, will you not know it? You will come from your place out of the uttermost parts of the north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great host, a mighty army. You will come up against my people Israel, like a cloud covering the land. In the latter days I will bring you against my land, that the nations may know me, when through you, O Gog, I vindicate my holiness before their eyes” (Ezekiel 38:14-16).

“Something for me to do! But how do I prophecy to a people that I don’t know, or even a direction as to where they will come from? Oh. You said from the north. Okay. I can do that.”

“Thus says the Lord God: Are you he of whom I spoke in former days by my servants the prophets of Israel, who in those days prophesied for years that I would bring you against them? But on that day, the day that Gog shall come against the land of Israel, declares the Lord God, my wrath will be roused in my anger. For in my jealousy and in my blazing wrath I declare, On that day there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel. The fish of the sea and the birds of the heavens and the beasts of the field and all creeping things that creep on the ground, and all the people who are on the face of the earth, shall quake at my presence. And the mountains shall be thrown down, and the cliffs shall fall, and every wall shall tumble to the ground. I will summon a sword against Gog on all my mountains, declares the Lord God. Every man’s sword will be against his brother. With pestilence and bloodshed I will enter into judgment with him, and I will rain upon him and his hordes and the many peoples who are with him torrential rains and hailstones, fire and sulfur. So I will show my greatness and my holiness and make myself known in the eyes of many nations. Then they will know that I am the Lord” (Ezekiel 38:17-23).

“O Lord God, who is this one You speak of? To which prophets have You spoken to before about the people of Gog? I want to make certain that I’m hearing You correctly. Or am I to be the first of many with this prophecy? Whoever this Gog is, You will protect Your people. But this earthquake You speak of will be worse than anything Israel has ever seen. What should I tell the people to do in this time? Other than to trust in You. For You are TRULY God!”

“And you, son of man, prophesy against Gog and say, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. And I will turn you about and drive you forward, and bring you up from the uttermost parts of the north, and lead you against the mountains of Israel. Then I will strike your bow from your left hand, and will make your arrows drop out of your right hand. You shall fall on the mountains of Israel, you and all your hordes and the peoples who are with you. I will give you to birds of prey of every sort and to the beasts of the field to be devoured. You shall fall in the open field, for I have spoken, declares the Lord God. I will send fire on Magog and on those who dwell securely in the coastlands, and they shall know that I am the Lord” (Ezekiel 39:1-5).

“You will bring them to fight against us? Why Lord? Will Israel turn against You again? But You will judge and destroy those You brought against Israel instead of Israel herself. For this I am MOST thankful!”

“And my holy name I will make known in the midst of my people Israel, and I will not let my holy name be profaned anymore. And the nations shall know that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel. Behold, it is coming and it will be brought about, declares the Lord God. That is the day of which I have spoken” (Ezekiel 39:7-8).

“Yes Lord! Your name will be known throughout the land after this. NONE would profane Your name after such an incredible victory on behalf of Your people.”

“Then those who dwell in the cities of Israel will go out and make fires of the weapons and burn them, shields and bucklers, bow and arrows, clubs and spears; and they will make fires of them for seven years, so that they will not need to take wood out of the field or cut down any out of the forests, for they will make their fires of the weapons. They will seize the spoil of those who despoiled them, and plunder those who plundered them, declares the Lord God” (Ezekiel 39:9-10).

“For SEVEN YEARS? That is a HUGE army, Lord! Praise be to Your name, Lord God! For what You will do for Your people.”

“On that day I will give to Gog a place for burial in Israel, the Valley of the Travelers, east of the sea. It will block the travelers, for there Gog and all his multitude will be buried. It will be called the Valley of Hamon-gog. For seven months the house of Israel will be burying them, in order to cleanse the land. All the people of the land will bury them, and it will bring them renown on the day that I show my glory, declares the Lord God. They will set apart men to travel through the land regularly and bury those travelers remaining on the face of the land, so as to cleanse it. At the end of seven months they will make their search. And when these travel through the land and anyone sees a human bone, then he shall set up a sign by it, till the buriers have buried it in the Valley of Hamon-gog. (Hamonah is also the name of the city.) Thus shall they cleanse the land” (Ezekiel 39:11-16).

“For SEVEN MONTHS? Lord God, how many is this that You are bringing for burial in Israel? I cannot even fathom their number! I don’t know where the place is of which You speak. But I suppose the people will know, when the time is right.”

“As for you, son of man, thus says the Lord God: Speak to the birds of every sort and to all beasts of the field: ‘Assemble and come, gather from all around to the sacrificial feast that I am preparing for you, a great sacrificial feast on the mountains of Israel, and you shall eat flesh and drink blood. You shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth—of rams, of lambs, and of he-goats, of bulls, all of them fat beasts of Bashan. And you shall eat fat till you are filled, and drink blood till you are drunk, at the sacrificial feast that I am preparing for you. And you shall be filled at my table with horses and charioteers, with mighty men and all kinds of warriors,’ declares the Lord God” (Ezekiel 39:17-20).

“A feast of flesh and blood for the birds and beasts. This must take place as the people of Israel are burying the dead. The carnage is beyond my imagination! I am SO GLAD You are on Israel’s side in this!”

“And I will set my glory among the nations, and all the nations shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid on them. The house of Israel shall know that I am the Lord their God, from that day forward. And the nations shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity, because they dealt so treacherously with me that I hid my face from them and gave them into the hand of their adversaries, and they all fell by the sword. I dealt with them according to their uncleanness and their transgressions, and hid my face from them” (Ezekiel 39:21-24).

“NONE will be able to doubt Your glory, Lord. And to have Israel honor You from that day forward is more than enough for me. And, yes, Israel rightly deserved, and still deserves, captivity for the way we have treated You. I pray that she will SOON turn to You forever.”

“Therefore thus says the Lord God: Now I will restore the fortunes of Jacob and have mercy on the whole house of Israel, and I will be jealous for my holy name. They shall forget their shame and all the treachery they have practiced against me, when they dwell securely in their land with none to make them afraid, when I have brought them back from the peoples and gathered them from their enemies’ lands, and through them have vindicated my holiness in the sight of many nations. Then they shall know that I am the Lord their God, because I sent them into exile among the nations and then assembled them into their own land. I will leave none of them remaining among the nations anymore. And I will not hide my face anymore from them, when I pour out my Spirit upon the house of Israel, declares the Lord God” (Ezekiel 39:25-29).

“Is this outpouring for now, Lord? Or is it for after this coming battle? How I pray that Your people will serve You NOW and not have to be removed from the land ever again. I hold fast to Your promises. Until that day, Lord, all I can say is have Your way.”

Ezekiel sinks deeper into thought about this prophecy. “I almost forgot to ask. Do You want me to proclaim this prophecy now or hold onto it.”

“You will proclaim it now, but also write it down so that others will have it to reference when the time comes. You will write down all that I have given you, so that those of tomorrow will see My hand at work.”

Ezekiel slowly rises from his place. He keeps turning the words of the Lord over in his mind as he eats his meal and prepares for the day. He KNOWS that the people are going to have questions for him. “How do I answer them, Lord” Ezekiel silently prays.

“Share what I have given you and answer with what you have received. Nothing more is required of you.”

Ezekiel goes to the marketplace and takes his customary place. As he expected, the people have questions as he delivers the Lord’s words to them. The first of them is the same on Ezekiel had; “Who is Gog?”

Ezekiel does his best to answer all the questions of the people, but after an hour of questions, he holds his hand up for silence. “I don’t have all the answers. These are some of the same questions I asked the Lord as He gave me this word. He told me that; ‘When the time is right, the people will know.’”

The people take a few minutes to think this over. The silent contemplation is broken when one man shouts from the crowd; “When will that time be?”

Ezekiel smiles and shakes his head. “I don’t have the answer for that question either. We simply have to trust the Lord, and know that HIS timing is always perfect.”

Ezekiel shares this prophecy for a full week before he feels released by the Lord from this duty. He is grateful for that release as he still cannot answer the people’s questions.

“Lord God, the people still have questions concerning Your words. And, I have to admit that I do too. But I will trust in You to bring about ALL that You have planned for Your people. Our lives are in Your capable hands. And so is the rest of the world. Do with us as You see fit.”

(to be continued)

Ezekiel’s prayer is mine too. I don’t know what lies ahead, but I know the One who does. And I trust Him with all my heart!

No matter what comes, we can KNOW that God is in control. Yes. Sin will bring about hard things in this world. The fact that we live in a sinful world will even bring about things in our lives that are troubling. But NEVER doubt that God is bigger that our problems.

I have a friend who says; “Don’t tell God how big the storm is; tell the storm how big your God is.” No matter how your particular ‘storm’ ends, if You are a child of God, you are safe in His arms. Even if that ‘safety’ isn’t of this earth but eternity instead.

Father God, thank You for Your hand in my life. Thank You for giving me a curious spirit and a big imagination. THANK YOU for making a way for me to have total security in You! There is nothing this world can do to me that is beyond Your control.