In the previous blogs, we saw that under King Cyrus, representatives of all twelve tribes returned to the land. Although it was only a small part of the people, it represented all of Israel. From that time on, Scripture speaks of one Israel again.
Yet Ezekiel 37 is often pointed out. After all, this prophecy speaks of Judah and Ephraim becoming one again. Some see this as an indication that the ten tribes still exist as a separate people today. But what does Ezekiel actually say?
before the return
It is important to know in this context that Ezekiel spoke these words during the Babylonian exile, even before the return under Cyrus had taken place. His prophecy looks forward to a future in which Judah and Israel will be one again.
two pieces of wood
The prophet Ezekiel is instructed to take two pieces of wood.
Ezekiel 37
16 And you, son of man, take a piece of wood for yourself and write on it: For Judah, and for the Israelites, his companions. Then take another piece of wood and write on it: For Joseph, the piece of wood of Ephraim, and of all the house of Israel, his companions.
17 Bring them together, one with the other, into one piece of wood, so that they become one in your hand.
18 If then your people say to you: Will you not tell us what these things mean to you?
19 Speak then to them: Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will take the piece of wood of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and of the tribes of Israel, his companions, and I will join it to the piece of wood of Judah, and I will make them into one piece of wood. They shall become one in My hand.
20 Those pieces of wood, which you have written, must be in your hand before their eyes.
The meaning is clear. One piece of wood represents Judah, the two-tribe kingdom. The other piece of wood represents Ephraim, the ten-tribe kingdom. Since the days of Rehoboam and Jeroboam, the kingdom had been divided. Judah formed its own kingdom, and the ten tribes formed another kingdom. But God makes known that this division will not be permanent.
Ezekiel must join both pieces of wood together into one piece of wood in his hand. It is a depiction of what God will do with His people.
God Himself gives the explanation
We do not have to fill in the meaning of the two pieces of wood ourselves. God Himself gives the explanation.
21 And speak to them: Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I am going to take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them to their land.
The order is striking. First, God gathers Israel from the nations. Then He brings them back to their land. Only subsequently does He make them one people under one King (:22). The emphasis here is not on the question of where the tribes are located, but on the restoration of Israel as one people and one kingdom.
one people
Next, God says:
22 I will make them one people in the land, on the mountains of Israel.
The purpose of the gathering is clear. Not two peoples. Not two kingdoms. But one people. That aligns with what we saw in earlier blogs. After the return from exile, Scripture no longer speaks of two tribes versus ten tribes, but of one Israel. Yet, that is not the whole story.
more than the return under Cyrus
Some believe that this prophecy was already fulfilled at the return under Cyrus. It is true that representatives of all Israel returned to the land at that time. The separation between two tribes and ten tribes played no role from that moment on. But Ezekiel speaks of more than that.
For the returned people did not form an independent kingdom. It was usually under foreign rule and, moreover, had no king from the house of David on the throne. The situation Ezekiel describes is therefore greater than the return under Cyrus. It looks forward to the future restoration of Israel under the Messiah.
one king
The prophecy continues:
22 (…) They will all have one king as king. They will no longer be like two nations, and no longer be divided into two kingdoms.
And a little further on:
24 And My servant David will be King over them. There will be one Shepherd for them all.
25 They will dwell in the land that I have given to My servant, to Jacob. (…) They will dwell in it (…) for the age, and My servant David will be their Prince for the age.
Here it becomes clear when this prophecy receives its fulfillment. The reunification of Judah and Israel takes place under one King. In John 10:16 we see that Jesus applies this prophecy to Himself. That King is the Messiah, the great Son of David. That raises a simple question. Is Israel today one kingdom under the reign of the Messiah? No.
Therefore, this prophecy cannot yet be fulfilled.
Conclusion
Ezekiel 37 indeed speaks about the reunification of Judah and Israel. However, it is not about finding lost tribes. The emphasis lies on the restoration of the kingdom under the Messiah.
God gathers Israel from the nations and brings them back to their land. Subsequently, He makes them one people under one King. In doing so, the old separation between Judah and Ephraim disappears permanently, and the kingdom is restored under the Messiah, the Son of David.
The return under Cyrus put an end to the separation between two tribes and ten tribes, but did not yet bring about the situation Ezekiel describes. Israel did become one people again, but not yet an independent kingdom under a Davidic King.
The full fulfillment of this prophecy therefore lies in the future, when God will gather all Israel and appoint His King over one people and one kingdom.