Ezekiel 36
In some of my last blogs I’ve been talking about change. Change can be painful, or good. It can bring out the best in us or it can change the direction that we are going in. But in Ezekiel, we are reminded that change is necessary to bring glory to God.
Ezekiel tells the story of how Israel changed the wrong way and began to worship idols and commit various sins. The nations around Israel wondered about the God of Israel. If God was sovereign and holy, why would he allow His people to sin like this. God’s reputation was at stake with Israel’s actions and Israel and their God became the objects of ridicule. So, God allowed the Babylonians to come into the picture and capture the nation of Israel. Many Israelites, including Ezekiel, were then carried far away to the land of Babylon. God promised that He would bring the Israelites back to their uninhabited cities, their broken-down walls, and he would bless them once again.
Ezekiel 36 says “20 And wherever they went among the nations they profaned my holy name, for it was said of them, ‘These are the Lord’s people, and yet they had to leave his land.’ 21 I had concern for my holy name, which the people of Israel profaned among the nations where they had gone. 22 “Therefore say to the Israelites, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: It is not for your sake, people of Israel, that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you have gone.”
Sometimes we wonder why bad things happen. Sometimes God uses them to grow and refine us. On other occasions God uses them to draw us back to Him. In Ezekiel 36 we find the hard times were because of the Israelites sinfulness and because God wants to glorify His holy name, so He has to discipline them. You see life is not all about us. Yes, Jesus came into this world to die for our sins and that was all about us, but He doesn’t want His name to be mocked and polluted. Sometimes, God has to discipline us to bring us back and to establish His holy reputation to those around us.
Are you going through a difficult time? Has it happened because you’ve allowed other gods and idols in your life? God wants to bless you and bring you back to Himself, but you must turn back him. God loves you and deserves to be lifted up and exalted. Don’t diminish Him and His name with your actions. It’s not always about you. It always should be about Jesus! Put Jesus Christ first. Be blessed and let His glory shine through you.
Your Brother in Christ,
Pastor Steve VanAmburg
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