35 And I have brought you in unto the wilderness of the peoples, And have been judged with you there face to face. 36 As I was judged with your fathers, In the wilderness of the land of Egypt, So I am judged with you, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah. 37 And I have caused you to pass under the rod, And brought you into the bond of the covenant, 38 And cleared out from you the rebels, And them transgressing against Me, From the land of their sojournings I bring them out, And unto the land of Israel they come not, And ye have known that I 'am' Jehovah.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Ezekiel 20:35-38
Commentary on Ezekiel 20:33-44
(Read Ezekiel 20:33-44)
The wicked Israelites, notwithstanding they follow the sinful ways of other nations, shall not mingle with them in their prosperity, but shall be separated from them for destruction. There is no shaking off God's dominion; and those who will not yield to the power of his grace, shall sink under the power of his wrath. But not one of God's jewels shall be lost in the lumber of this world. He will bring the jews to the land of Israel again; and will give them true repentance. They will be overcome with his kindness: the more we know of God's holiness, the more we see the hateful nature of sin. Those who remain unaffected amidst means of grace, and would live without Christ, like the world around them, may be sure it is the way to destruction.