Ezekiel 36:31-32

Ezekiel 36:31-32

[31] Then shall ye remember  your own evil  ways,  and your doings  that were not good,  and shall lothe  yourselves in your own sight  for your iniquities  and for your abominations.  [32] Not for your sakes do  I this, saith  the Lord  GOD,  be it known  unto you: be ashamed  and confounded  for your own ways,  O house  of Israel. 

What does Ezekiel 36:31-32 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

Then the Israelites would, seventh, remember their former sins and loathe themselves (cf. Ezekiel 6:9; Ezekiel 20:43). Again, the Lord would not accomplish this regathering for the sake of His people, but for the sake of His reputation among the rest of the world"s population (cf. Ezekiel 36:22). This present announcement of God"s gracious dealings with His people should shame them and bring them to their knees in repentance.
"This context and that of similar accounts of God"s restoration of Israel to her land, along with the historical perspective, make it clear that the return mentioned in this passage does not refer to the return to Canaan under Zerubbabel but to a final and complete restoration under the Messiah in the end times. The details of Israel"s reestablishment on her land set forth above simply did not occur in the returns under Zerubbabel, Ezra , and Nehemiah." [1]
This new covenant passage in Ezekiel 36:22-32 has much in common with the new covenant passage in Jeremiah 31:31-34. A significant difference is that Jeremiah put more emphasis on the role of God"s Word in Israel"s transformation whereas Ezekiel put more emphasis on the role of God"s Spirit. Both His Word and His Spirit will be crucial in Israel"s future restoration.