Ezekiel 36:16-21--The LORD's Concern for His Holy Name

Ezekiel 36:16-21
English Standard Version

The LORD's Concern for His Holy Name
16 The word of the LORD came to me: 17 “Son of man, when the house of Israel lived in their own land, they defiled it by their ways and their deeds. Their ways before me were like the uncleanness of a woman in her menstrual impurity. 18 So I poured out my wrath upon them for the blood that they had shed in the land, for the idols with which they had defiled it. 19 I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed through the countries. In accordance with their ways and their deeds I judged them. 20 But when they came to the nations, wherever they came, they profaned my holy name, in that people said of them, ‘These are the people of the LORD, and yet they had to go out of his land.’ 21 But I had concern for my holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations to which they came.

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How often are you concerned about the LORD's great Name, honor and reputation?  Do you consider how your actions will bring honor or dishonor to Him before you act?  Many Eastern cultures and mid-Eastern cultures still highly emphasize honor and shame, and shaming one's family, especially your father, is one of the worst things someone can do.  Too often, we have no shame in Western culture.  All that to say that in the Bible, a name is also associated with honor and dishonor.  You can glorify someone by treating their name with honor and respect, or you can dishonor someone by treating their name with contempt, dishonor and disrespect (see the third commandment to not take the name of the LORD in vain--it is a commandment about honoring the name of the LORD not just with our words, but with our actions, because we bear His holy Name).  How we conduct ourselves as the LORD's ambassadors directly impacts the reputation of the King and the Kingdom.  An ambassador that acts shamefully and brings dishonor to a king and his kingdom here on earth would be recalled in dishonor and his position of honor would be given to another.  Why do we not expect our heavenly Father and King to act any differently?  Why would we not expect His Name and honor to be of paramount importance to Him, even more important to Him than our comfort?

The children of Israel (both the northern and southern kingdoms are viewed as one people still by the LORD in this book) lived in the Land and defiled it with their wicked behavior, but especially their idolatry that polluted them and their homes and the land.  Everywhere they made their sacrifices, especially child sacrifices, and engaged in sexual immorality and gave themselves over to murder, bribery, sorcery, gossip, slander, lying, stealing, and all other kinds of wickedness and perversion (which was everywhere) was corrupted.  The Land needed the people to leave so that it could have a time of cleansing and restoration.

How would the Land be cleansed?  By the judgment of the LORD as He poured His wrath out on "His" people and Land.  Why do I say "His" people and Land?  Because they bore His Name, but they were so perverted that they brought dishonor instead of honor--you would not recognize them as His children by their actions.  Jesus would later call them children of their father the devil and would tell them that if they belonged to the LORD, they would obey Him and they would love His Son, Jesus.  Everyone who loves the Father loves the Son; He who hates the Son also hates the Father.  The one who loves the Son is the one who obeys Him.  One cannot love the Son and hate His commandments.  Which commandments are those?  The Son has given all of the biblical commandments.  Understanding He has fulfilled the Law and that the Law does not provide us with any self-righteousness does not mean that we suddenly hate the Law which is a manifestation of the very heart of God.  To hate His Law is to hate Him.  It is important to distinguish when the Bible speaks of "The Law" as the system of Legalism that was a false gospel that people preached that they could somehow be good enough on their own merit (many of the world still want to believe in such a system today) and the Law of the LORD as it is described in Psalm 119 which is good, holy , perfect, and beautiful.

For the sake of the LORD's own Name and reputation, He judged His people and scattered them across the nations, but He did not break His covenant with them when He swore by His own Name because there was no one or nothing greater that He could swear by.  However, it would be for the sake of His Name that He would also act to save them once again, though they would not deserve it.  The day would come when the nations would use the Exile as as an excuse to profane the Name of the LORD and to say that He was neither good enough or strong enough to keep His promises to His people (at this time they profaned the Name of the LORD by saying that He was neither good enough nor strong enough to punish His children and teach them to do what is right--He was too permissive and they lacked good discipline).  In both instances--for judgment and restoration--the LORD acts for the good of His people, but He acts primarily for the sake of His own Name, and in so doing, He is not commuting any sin.  We sin when we are selfish and think too highly of ourselves.  The LORD cannot think too highly of Himself because His Name and honor are paramount.  We should keep this in mind when we process the LORD's actions--we should not have a self-centered theology--what I call a "Me-ology" that thinks that the LORD's motivation for action is me and my interests, pleasure, and comfort.  No!  A proper theology knows that the LORD acts primarily for His own Name and reputation, and we should be motivated by the same to act in a way distinctly different than those in the world around us who are motivate by selfishness.  See from this passage how the LORD cares that His name is exalted not just among one people and one Land, but among all people in all lands.  This is the motivating factor behind the Great Commission as we make disciples who worship the LORD with their words and actions and who bring glory to the Name of the LORD from every tribe, tongue and nation (ethnicity or people group).  God desires for His name to be honored among all the nations, and He always acts in accordance with those goals--we even see that His actions to condemn those who are wicked to eternal hellfire will ultimately lead to more glory and the people who are being punished in their own way will "worship" Him forever and ever and all of us who are with Him for all eternity will worship Him for who He is and what He has done for the sake of us, the people He loves, and for the sake of His great Name.  We will glorify and magnify the Name of the LORD forever and ever.  I hope that sounds as exciting to you as it does to me!