09/24/2022 – Day 209 – Ezekiel 37 – 42 // Commentary – The defeat and disposal of “Gog”, an appropriate prelude to the vision of the coming messianic King and kingdom in chapters 40 through 48.
Last cycle, 12/12/2020 reading, Our posts covered chapter 37, the Valley of Dry Bones, along with the New Temple prophesied in chapters 40 through 42. Check them out, logged in using the filter tool on: “Day 209”. So, to complete all chapters, let’s look at Chapters 38 & 39 on the destruction and disposal of “God” through excerpts once again from one of my favorite commentators, “Henry H. Halley Bible Commentary”. Let’s get started:
“Gog was ruler of the land of Magog. (Jimmy insert: The only other places that God appears in the Bible are 1 Chronicles 5:4 and Revelation 20:8). In Genesis 10:2 Magog, Meshech, Tubal, and Gomer are named the sons of Japheth and founders of the northern group of nations. In Ezekiel 27:13 Meshech and mentioned as being sellers of slaves to Tyre; and in 32:26 as being ancient bandit nations. Rosh is thought by some to mean Russia; by others the identification is regarded as uncertain…
Whatever may be the exact identification of these peoples, Ezekiel speaks of them as dwelling in ‘the uttermost parts of the north’ (18:6, 15; 39:2), and there can be little doubt but that he means nations beyond the Caucasus. A glance at the map makes it plain that he has in mind that part of the world known as Russia.
These peoples were barbarous, and were in a general way spoken of in ancient literature as Scythians. Just about the time of Ezekiel was born Southwest Asia was terrorized by vast hordes of them pouring in from the north (See “Scythian Invasion” under Jeremiah 4. Its horrors were still alive in the memories of Ezekiel’s older associates.
In tases two chapters Ezekiel predicts another Scythian invasion, on a far more stupendous scale, confederate with peoples from the East (38:5), into the Holy Land, against Restored Israel, “in the later years”. (38:8), apparently during the Messianic Age; and that with the help of God, they will so overwhelmingly defeated that their weapons will supply fuel for 7 years. (39:9), and it will take 7 months to bury the dead (39:14).
In the book of Revelation the same words, God and Magog, are used as representing all nations in Satan’s final furious attack on the people of God (Revelation 20: 7-10).”
Soli Deo Gloria!