And the trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield its increase, and they shall be secure in their land. And they shall know that I am the LORD, when I break the bars of their yoke, and deliver them from the hand of those who enslaved them.
Ezekiel 34 ends with God taking His scattered flock back from the shepherds who failed them and setting one Shepherd over them. Verse 27 pictures the world those sheep will live in, and ties it to the moment God breaks their yoke — so who is He speaking to, and when has any of this happened?
The people addressed
The blessings named here are things you can eat, harvest and live on. One writer takes that as the clue to who the passage is for. He sets these promises against the church's blessings:
W. TrotterThe blessings of the Church are spiritual blessings in heavenly places — not earthly blessings, as Israel's were. God promised that if they obeyed, He would bless them in their basket and in their store, in the fruit of their body, the fruit of their cattle, and the fruit of the ground. And even in the thousand-year kingdom to come, when they will enjoy spiritual blessings too, having every earthly comfort stands out in what is predicted for them. "And the trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield its increase, and they shall be secure in their land. And they shall know that I am the LORD." (Ezek. 34:27.) There are no such promises as these to the Church.
A real day for the earth
One commentator rules out reading this as a picture of the church or the gospel. He takes the yielding ground as a real change in creation:
William KellyIt is absurd from every point of view to interpret these prophecies of the church or of the gospel. Then the very beasts will have their nature changed, and the earth will yield its increase. It will be the day for which creation waits. Creation groans still and is in pain, but then it is to be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the liberty of the glory of the children of God.
What makes the ground give
The fruitfulness is not the starting point. It follows from the one Shepherd God sets over the flock and the covenant He makes with them:
Numerical Bible NotesHe has one true Shepherd who is to be set over them; in that sense, only one; there is not another, and "He shall feed them, even my servant David." He is the true David, of whom the one in history was only a picture... And so alone will "the covenant of peace" be theirs — the peace of a covenant that can never be broken, and as a result, all nature at peace with them, evil beasts gone... Eden, but a better Eden, has come for them. From the hill of God — His dwelling-place among them, the object of every eye and every heart — blessing will flow out to all the places round about. Heaven yields its seasonable showers... So the curse is removed, and the land yields its increase.
Known through mercy, not through ruin
The phrase "know that I am the LORD" runs all through Ezekiel. It does not always come the same way. One commentator sets the judgment on Edom beside this verse:
J. N. DarbySo Edom's knowledge of Jehovah comes by the judgment itself, not by any spiritual knowledge of Him that follows. When all the earth rejoices, Edom will be desolate... We may see the two means of making Jehovah known in the case of Israel (Ezek. 24:24-27; 28:26; 34:27; 36:11). In the other cases it is by judgment.
Who breaks the yoke
The verse gives the broken yoke and the rescue to God alone. One writer points to the repeated "I will" running through this chapter:
Frank WallaceNo mortal man, political party or decision of nations will ever change Israel's condition, but God can and will. Notice the often repeated expression in chapters 34 and 37, "I will." That is the language of omnipotent deity.
The same writer traces the rescue itself back to God, and follows it through to the safety it leaves behind:
Numerical Bible NotesIn all this they will know that it is Jehovah who has brought them into this blessing. It is Jehovah who has burst the bands of their yoke and delivered them. It is Jehovah who has come in with the deliverance, and it is now eternal. They will never again be a prey, nor will they fear it. There will be no danger and no thought of danger.
Summary
- Cause. Every clause hangs on God's own "I will" — no nation, ruler or policy breaks the yoke; He does.
- Gift. The one Shepherd God sets over them brings a covenant of peace that can never be broken. The fruitful land follows from it.
- Reach. The blessing reaches past the people into the ground itself. The curse lifts, the beasts change, and creation goes free.
- Portion. These are earthly promises, made to Israel in their land. Writers set them apart from the church's spiritual, heavenly blessings.
- Result. Israel comes to know the Lord through mercy and rescue. Edom and the nations come to know Him through judgment.