39:1ff The story of the battle continues. The defeat of the evil forces will be final and complete; they will be destroyed by divine intervention. Because of this victory, God’s name will be known throughout the world. His glory will be evident, and the nations will understand that he alone is in charge of human history. God will clearly show his love for his people by restoring them to their homeland.
39:12-16 Two themes are intertwined: God’s total victory over his enemies, and the need to cleanse the land to make it holy. After the final battle, special crews will be appointed to give proper burial to the bodies of the dead enemies in order for the land to be cleansed. The land would have been defiled by unburied corpses. Those who would come in contact with the corpses out in the open would become ceremonially unclean (according to Numbers 19:14-16). There will be so many bodies that all kinds of birds will be called to the “feast” in order to help dispose of them (39:17-20). This message is exciting for us: With God on our side, we are assured of ultimate victory over his foes because God will fight on our behalf (see also Zephaniah 3:14-17; Romans 8:38, 39).
39:29 Both in this prophecy and in Joel 2:28, 29, God promises to pour out his Spirit on his people. The early church believed this began to be fulfilled at Pentecost, when God’s Holy Spirit came to live in all believers (Acts 2:1-18).