1 "Also, thou son of man, prophesy unto the mountains of Israel, and say, 'Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord:'"
God often uses the terms Israel and Judah interchangeably (they are the same people after all). And it’s the regions, the land, not the people, He is talking to here.
2 "'Thus says the Lord God; Because the enemy has said against you, “Aha, even the ancient high places are ours in possession:”'"
Many people coveted the land of Israel because of her beauty, fertility and position in the trade routes.
3 "Therefore prophesy and say, 'Thus says the Lord God; Because they have made you desolate, and swallowed you up on every side, that ye might be a possession unto the residue of the heathen, and ye are taken up in the lips of talkers, and are an infamy of the people:
4 "'Therefore, ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God; Thus says the Lord God to the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys, to the desolate wastes, and to the cities that are forsaken, which became a prey and derision to the residue of the heathen that are round about;
5 "'Therefore thus says the Lord God; Surely in the fire of My jealousy have I spoken against the residue of the heathen, and against all Idumea, which have appointed My land into their possession with the joy of all their heart, with despiteful minds, to cast it out for a prey.'"
Because of the Edomite’s greed for Israel’s land, God condemned them.
6 "Prophesy therefore concerning the land of Israel, and say unto the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys, 'Thus says the Lord God; Behold, I have spoken in My jealousy and in My fury, because ye have borne the shame of the heathen:
7 "'Therefore thus says the Lord God; I have lifted up Mine hand, Surely the heathen that are about you, they shall bear their shame.
8 "'But ye, O mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit to My people of Israel; for they are at hand to come.'"
God promised to bring His people back to their land. Though there never was a government based in Samaria called “Israel” again, there were people from all twelve tribes who returned to the country of Judah.
9 "'For, behold, I am for you, and I will turn unto you, and ye shall be tilled and sown:'"
The land was restored.
10 "'And I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, even all of it: and the cities shall be inhabited, and the wastes shall be built:'"
There was a complete restoration of the land to her pre-captivity state.
11 "'And I will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall increase and bring fruit: and I will settle you after your old estates, and will do better unto you than at your beginnings: and ye shall know that I am the Lord.'"
God made them even more prosperous than they had been up until this point. This may actually be referring to spiritual prosperity with the advent of Christ, since the land in the time of both Joshua and Solomon was extremely prosperous physically.
12 "'Yea, I will cause men to walk upon you, even My people Israel; and they shall possess thee, and thou shall be their inheritance, and thou shall no more henceforth bereave them of men.'"
After the captivity, Judah became so empty and wild it gained a reputation for people dying. This was one of the punishments promised.
13 "'Thus says the Lord God; Because they say unto you, “Thou land devour up men, and have bereaved thy nations:”
14 "'Therefore thou shall devour men no more, neither bereave thy nations any more, says the Lord God.
15 "'Neither will I cause men to hear in thee the shame of the heathen any more, neither shall thou bear the reproach of the people any more, neither shall thou cause thy nations to fall any more, says the Lord God.'"
Death by disease and accidents were greatly reduced or even eliminated. Babies made it to delivery and children made it to old age. Life returned to the blessed state it had been at before.
16 "'Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
17 "'Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their own way and by their doings: their way was before Me as the uncleanness of a removed woman.'"
A woman was considered unclean during the time of her monthly period or any time she had a discharge. No man was allowed to touch her.
The physical land was defiled by the Israelite’s sin, making it unclean to God.
18 "'Wherefore I poured My fury upon them for the blood that they had shed upon the land, and for their idols wherewith they had polluted it:'"
God had punished them- repeatedly.
19 "'And I scattered them among the heathen, and they were dispersed through the countries: according to their way and according to their doings I judged them.'"
He had destroyed their nation and their way of life by allowing Assyria and Babylon to scatter them among the other countries.
20 "'And when they entered unto the heathen, whither they went, they profaned My holy name, when they said to them, These are the people of the Lord, and are gone forth out of His land.'"
Even though they had been punished, they kept sinning! They were bringing a bad name on God.
21 "'But I had pity for Mine holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the heathen, whither they went.'"
God wanted His name to be well thought of. He loves everyone and wants the world to serve Him, to be saved. This won’t happen if His people are indistinguishable from the sinners.
22 "Therefore say unto the house of Israel, 'thus says the Lord God; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for Mine holy name’s sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went.'"
God brought Israel back to her land, not because of any goodness in them. They didn’t deserve it. But because He wants the world to see His power.
23 "'And I will sanctify My great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the Lord, says the Lord God, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes.'"
This miracle of restoration demonstrated to the world who the real God is.
24 "'For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.'"
This happened in the time of Cyrus the Great, king of Persia, about 457BC. Only a minority of Jews returned, since it was easier to just stay in the houses and lives they had established in captivity.
25 "'Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.'"
Those who returned to the land of Judah did put away their idols and served God. His service was their motivating factor for giving up their lives in other lands.
26 "'A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.'"
From the return on, the Jewish state no longer tolerated idol worship, but sought to adhere to the Mosaic Law perfectly (well, perfectly with a few twists added in from their captivity, such as local Synagogues.)
27 "'And I will put My spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye shall keep My judgments, and do them.'"
God has always desired to work through His people’s hearts instead of through laws. The Israelites at the time of Moses refused this arrangement and so the written law had to be given. Now God proposes that arrangement again.
28 "'And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be My people, and I will be your God.
29 "'I will also save you from all your uncleannesses: and I will call for the corn, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you.'"
When we serve God, He makes sure all our needs are taken care of. They aren’t always met in traditional manners, but they are always met. (I was once in need of a new vacuum cleaner. The week before I planned to go buy one, someone GAVE one of the most expensive models on the market to me. That was seven years ago and I am still using it. I could never have afforded one of that quality, but my God can! After forty-four years of service to my God, I have many such stories of His provision.)
30 "'And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, that ye shall receive no more reproach of famine among the heathen.'"
God promises that IF they will serve Him whole-heartedly, He will demonstrate His power to the heathens through them. This will draw the heathens into His worship.
31 "'Then shall ye remember your own evil ways, and your doings that were not good, and shall loathe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations.'"
Those who dedicate themselves to God will be ashamed of their ancestor’s backsliding.
32 "'Not for your sakes do I this, says the Lord God, be it known unto you: be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel.'"
Again, God didn’t do this because Israel is something special, but as a way to draw the rest of the world to Him.
33 "'Thus says the Lord God; In the day that I shall have cleansed you from all your iniquities I will also cause you to dwell in the cities, and the wastes shall be built.
34 "'And the desolate land shall be tilled, whereas it lay desolate in the sight of all that passed by.
35 "'And they shall say, This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are become fenced, and are inhabited.'"
God’s healing of the land became visible to everyone. It was miraculous.
36 "'Then the heathen that are left round about you shall know that I the Lord build the ruined places, and plant that that was desolate: I the Lord have spoken it, and I will do it.
37 "'Thus says the Lord God; I will yet for this be inquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them; I will increase them with men like a flock.'"
When all this happened, God allowed the Israelites to enquirer of Him again.
38 "'As the holy flock, as the flock of Jerusalem in her solemn feasts; so shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of men: and they shall know that I am the Lord.'"