Ezekiel 37:20-23 meaning

Ezekiel 37:20-23 moves from the sign-act of the joining of two sticks, representing the restoration of the whole kingdom, to the explicit declaration of what the reunification means—one land, one nation, one king, cleansed of idolatry, governed by the LORD as their God.

This passage explains the illustration of the joining of two sticks to represent the reunification and restoration of a united kingdom of Israel. God continues with His instruction to Ezekiel on how to instruct the people when they ask the meaning of the sticks:

"The sticks on which you write will be in your hand before their eyes.

Say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I will take the sons of Israel from among the nations where they have gone, and I will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land;"'" (vv. 20-21)

Verses 20-21 frame the restoration and rejoining as a gathering. The sons of Israel are among the nations—plural—scattered in multiple directions that include but extend beyond Babylon. The term nations refers to the Gentiles, all lands and peoples that are not Israel. The gathering is from every side, pulling the dispersed community in from every quarter. The destination is their own land—the specific geographic territory the LORD had given them by covenant.

God originally promised a land to Abraham for His descendants that spanned from the Nile to the Euphrates rivers (Genesis 15:18). Under Solomon the territory reached its greatest spread, but fell far short of the original promise. So in this final, ultimate joining it would be expected that the full extent of the promise will be realized. There will again be a single king ruling a nation that is united.

This is the messianic kingdom Jesus’s disciples expected and asked about after He rose from the dead: "Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?" (Acts 1:6). Jesus’s answer made it clear that He would restore the kingdom to Israel, but that the timing was not for them to know (Acts 1:7). The time of this kingdom will likely be the same time spoken of in Ezekiel 34:11-31, 37:21-28, including the new temple as set forth in Ezekiel 40-48 where God’s presence returns (Ezekiel 43:2-5).

That the LORD used two sticks is likely another picture pointing forward to David as being on the throne. Isaiah announced that a Branch from the stump of Jesse would reign over Israel (Isaiah 11:1-2), Jeremiah asserted a righteous Branch would be raised up for David (Jeremiah 23:5-6, 33:15-16). Jesus is that Branch. The picture might be intended as a new branch that shoots from a cut down stump. Out of a severed tree will come new life. This new life will be the "Servant" whom God will appoint as shepherd over His people.

Jesus will fulfill the role of "My Servant David" referred to in Ezekiel 37:24. He will reign on the throne of David. Zechariah 14:16-17 speaks of this messianic era and says that those of the nations who fought against Israel that fail to come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Booths will experience drought. Zechariah 14 describes a period after the miraculous return of the LORD whose feet will touch down on the Mount of Olives, causing it to split in two (Zechariah 14:4). This is likely to describe the return of Jesus, who will fight for Jerusalem and vanquish its enemies (Zechariah 14:3, Revelation 19:11-21). Israel will be a united kingdom under a messianic king:

and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king will be king for all of them; and they will no longer be two nations and they will no longer be divided into two kingdoms. (v. 22)

The mountains of Israel refer to the highlands of the central and northern territories. These run through the center of Israel and join what was once two kingdoms. They will be rejoined, just as the hills are joined. The one king that will be king for all of them will be the messiah who returns. That they will be one kingdom means there will no longer be two kingdoms but one.

The division that had persisted since Rehoboam and Jeroboam will be no more. The division occurred because Solomon broke the covenant. Both kingdoms fell because the successor kings and the people they led also broke their covenant with God. As a result, the treaty provisions for breaking their vow were invoked, and they were exiled, as promised.

But the LORD is faithful to His word, and He will gather them again, just as He promised in His covenant to them. The LORD promised that after the treaty provisions for breaking the covenant were enforced, that He would restore Israel when He saw their strength gone (Deuteronomy 32:36). The restoration will include a spiritual renewal as well:

"'They will no longer defile themselves with their idols, or with their detestable things, or with any of their transgressions; but I will deliver them from all their dwelling places in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them. And they will be My people, and I will be their God." (v. 23)

Verse 23 grounds the reunification in a spiritual cleansing. The persistent pattern across both kingdoms had been defilement with pagan idol worship. Their pagan service was accompanied by the pagan culture of exploitation and pleasure-seeking. Instead of seeking justice and loving their neighbors, they sought to exploit.

The pagan worship being conducted right in God's temple exposed in Ezekiel 8 had corrupted the people. The LORD's gathering will produce a cleansed people. The phrase they will be My people, and I will be their God reflects that God's work of restoration is rooted in His covenant treaty with Israel. This formula they will be My people, and I will be their God, is a persistent covenant expression from Sinai forward (Exodus 6:7, Leviticus 26:12, Jeremiah 31:33).

This covenant statement ends the announcement of gathering. A fully restored covenant relationship is the goal of the restoration. This restoration spoken of in Ezekiel is likely the same restoration spoken of by Jeremiah in Jeremiah 31:33 as a "new covenant." What is not new is God's faithfulness to the old covenant; God will do as He promised and restore Israel. What is new is that He will write the law on their hearts.

It is a reasonable projection to assume that the turning of all Israel to the LORD would be their recognition that it was the LORD whom they pierced, spoken of in Zechariah 12:10. Likewise, the pouring out of His Spirit (also prophesied in Zechariah 12) seems to be a picture of what would have transpired in Acts 2 if the entire nation had believed. The Holy Spirit will be poured out and will transform the hearts of all who believe. Assuming Revelation 20:1-4 speaks of this same messianic kingdom, it will take place during a thousand-year period where Satan is imprisoned and unable to bring temptation to the world, which explains why this period will be a time of great peace, which is what is spoken of next.