PRODIGAL PEOPLE

“For I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries, and will bring you into your own land. I will also sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your impurities and all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will place My Spirit within you and cause you to follow My statutes and carefully observe My ordinances. Then you will live in the land that I gave your fathers; you will be My people, and I will be your God.” (Ezekiel 36:24-28 HCSB)

Israel is a prodigal people. In so many ways, the Jewish nation parallels the parable of the prodigal son Jesus told in Luke 15.

Theirs is a story of REBELLION.

“The word of the Lord came to me: ‘Son of man, while the house of Israel lived in their land, they defiled it with their conduct and actions. Their behavior before Me was like menstrual impurity. So I poured out My wrath on them because of the blood they had shed on the land, and because they had defiled it with their idols. I dispersed them among the nations, and they were scattered among the countries. I judged them according to their conduct and actions. When they came to the nations where they went, they profaned My holy name, because it was said about them, “These are the people of Yahweh, yet they had to leave His land [in exile].”’” (Ezekiel 36:16-20)

In the story Jesus shared, we see a son who sought his freedom from serving his father. He wanted his own way, and the father lets him go. It was a road to ruin. Sometimes the judgment of God is to allow us to have what we want. Israel desired to be like the nations—to worship the gods of the heathen and engage in the abominable actions of the pagans—so God allowed them to experience it to the full as they were removed to Babylon.

But, the story’s central character isn’t the wandering son, but the faithful father. It is about his REKNOWN.

“Then I had concern for My holy name, which the house of Israel profaned among the nations where they went. ‘Therefore, say to the house of Israel: This is what the Lord God says: It is not for your sake that I will act, house of Israel, but for My holy name, which you profaned among the nations where you went.

I will honor the holiness of My great name, which has been profaned among the nations-the name you have profaned among them. The nations will know that I am Yahweh’—the declaration of the Lord God—‘when I demonstrate My holiness through you in their sight.’” (Ezekiel 36:21-23)

I would submit that although there are two sons in the story—the prodigal and his elder brother—that their roles are part of the supporting cast. In this divine drama, it is the father who receives top-billing. His love, forgiveness and grace are preeminent.

My last name is Thurman. I am Homer’s boy. My conduct is a reflection on him. If I am caught up in some scandal, then it is connected to my family and reproach comes to our name. The actions of a prodigal bring shame to the Father. In the case of the Jews, it caused the nations around them to profane the name of God.

That name is too sacred to permit such a thing. God would move to restore them for His glorious name’s sake. He would choose to love them though they had chosen to be unfaithful.

I have often pictured the father in the parable of the prodigal son, looking out the window every day for signs of his son’s return. He saw him one day and ran to meet him. He was looking for him and longing for him. That dad never stopped loving him.
The lad carried his name and would ever be his son.

As with the prodigal son, so the prodigal nation is a story about RETURN.

“For I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries, and will bring you into your own land.” (Ezekiel 36:24)

The difficulties that young vagabond experienced away from the father’s house became the goads that would drive the prodigal back to the father’s arms. He would come to his senses and come back home. There he would find the warm embrace of his father to greet him.

So, God allowed the Jews to know the loss of everything in their subjugation to the Babylonians. For seventy years they would be enslaved in a foreign land. All this would do is foster a desire to go back home—and one day that pent-up passion would be released when Cyrus, the king of Persia, would set them free. What a homecoming it would be!

The story of the prodigal is really a story of REGENERATION.

“I will also sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your impurities and all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will place My Spirit within you and cause you to follow My statutes and carefully observe My ordinances. Then you will live in the land that I gave your fathers; you will be My people, and I will be your God.” (Ezekiel 36:25-28)

The father testified of his son that he was lost and now found, dead and now alive. He left in rebellion and returned in submission. He was in a sense reborn—the same and yet a vastly different person.
This is God’s promise to Israel. It has yet to be known in its fullness. While there was a return to Israel by some, many remained scattered through the nations, which is true to this day. Yes, there is now a country called Israel reconstituted, but not all the prodigal people have returned. Most significantly, the Jews are still spiritual prodigals—save for a small remnant that have placed their faith in Christ.

But, the rebirth of the nation is coming, when Christ returns. They will acknowledge their Messiah and He will cleanse them and birth them into the family of God. His Spirit will indwell them as He does the church today. Those who had broken the Old Covenant will enter into the New Covenant and the obedience of faith.

This regeneration is evidenced by REPENTANCE.

“I will save you from all your uncleanness. I will summon the grain and make it plentiful, and will not bring famine on you.

I will also make the fruit of the trees and the produce of the field plentiful, so that you will no longer experience reproach among the nations on account of famine.

Then you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good, and you will loathe yourselves for your iniquities and detestable practices.” (Ezekiel 36:29-31)

The prodigal left home in rebellion and returned with remorse. One who yearned for freedom from his father’s will, was now surrendered to his father’s work. He was a changed man. That is repentance.

So, when Israel comes back to God, the prodigal people will be broken-hearted for their sin. They will be moved by the mercy of God—so grateful for His grace. Not just by their words, but from the depths of their soul, they will be a changed people.

The saga of the prodigal—both the son and the nation—is one of RESTORATION.

“’It is not for your sake that I will act’—the declaration of the Lord God—‘let this be known to you. Be ashamed and humiliated because of your ways, house of Israel! This is what the Lord God says: On the day I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will cause the cities to be inhabited, and the ruins will be rebuilt. The desolate land will be cultivated instead of lying desolate in the sight of everyone who passes by. Then they will say, “This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden. The cities that were once ruined, desolate, and destroyed are [now] fortified and inhabited.”’” (Ezekiel 36:32-36)

Remember the reaction of the elder brother in the parable of the prodigal son. He couldn’t believe how his father was willing to forgive that scoundrel! The boy was restored to his status as a son, despite behaving in such a scandalous manner.

It is amazing isn’t it? That is amazing grace. What Adam forfeited in his rebellion against God, is restored to Adam’s race because “the Son of God became the Son of Man, that the sons of men might become the sons of God!” I heard Bible teacher, John Phillips, say that once and I’ve never forgotten it. How remarkable is that restoration!

God does that in Christ for sinners like me today, and will some day do that for the prodigal people Israel. They have walked a trail of tears in their refusal to honor God and His Son. Their continued rejection of the witness of the Holy Spirit means the Jews are going to have even worse suffering. But, it is then that God will intervene, save them—not only physically, but most importantly, He will save their souls from sin. Israel will be restored and become all that God intended for them to be.

The result will be REPRODUCTION.

“This is what the Lord God says: I will respond to the house of Israel and do this for them: I will multiply them in number like a flock. So the ruined cities will be filled with a flock of people, just as the flock of sheep for sacrifice is filled in Jerusalem during its appointed festivals. Then they will know that I am the Lord." (Ezekiel 36:37-38)

Did the father of the prodigal ever become a grandfather? We don’t know—but, the potential was there! A son who was dead, and now alive, would be a son capable of having a son himself.

What we do know is that when the prodigal people, Israel, are restored they will reproduce. The land will be bountiful in its fruitfulness and the people will be blessed in their fruitfulness, also. Life begets life.

It is cause to celebrate. The father pitched a party for the prodigal upon his return. Here, in Ezekiel, is mentioned the, “appointed festivals.” Feasting, dancing, laughter, singing—what a party that is going to be when Christ reigns over His people and resides among them. Jerusalem was demolished. Jerusalem was rebuilt in a fashion, yet has been under the Gentile shadow for millennia, a pale shade of what she once was. Now, the city is again encircled by foes. Scripture tells us a fiery trial will engulf Zion again—and that seems to be coming soon. But, when Christ comes again and redeems His people, sorrow will be supplanted with singing, grief will give way to gladness and horror like hell will yield to happiness like heaven on earth. He will spread His banquet table and load it with every delight.

Let the party begin!