Therefore, say to the house of Israel, The LORD God proclaims: House of Israel, I’m not acting for your sake but for the sake of my holy name, which you degraded among the nations where you have gone. I will make my great name holy, which was degraded among the nations when you dishonored it among them. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD. This is what the LORD God says.

Ezekiel 36:22

Reading the book of Ezekiel is a little like hiking through a thirsty desert. Chapter after chapter, we confront desolation and despair. We hear more about the sins of Israel and her neighbors than we would prefer to know. For those of us who have been making the trek through Ezekiel, chapter 36 comes as a drink of cool water in an oasis of hope. In this chapter, God promises to bring his people back to Israel and to return the land to fruitfulness.

Why will God do these things? Why will he redeem his people and restore the land? God's answer may at first seem surprising, even off-putting: "House of Israel, I’m not acting for your sake but for the sake of my holy name, which you degraded among the nations where you have gone. I will make my great name holy, which was degraded among the nations when you dishonored it among them. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD" (36:22-23). We might expect God to act because he cares for his people, or because he is a merciful, forgiving God. Yet, what the Lord says is that he is restoring Israel for the sake of his name. God wants to make his "great name holy." I know it seems almost like a sacrilege to ask, but we might surely wonder: Is God too concerned about his name?

If I told you that I wrote these Daily Reflections primarily so that people might know and glorify my name, you'd rightly say that my motivation was skewed. But I am not God. It is profoundly right and good for God's name to be known and glorified. Since God's name represents his character, we're talking here about people knowing God as holy and great. This is a matter of worship. And it is utterly right for God to be worshiped. So, what would be egotistical for me is proper and good for God.

But not only for God. You see, God wants his name to be known among the nations, not only so that they will think of him highly, but also so that they will come to know him as the only true God. In a sense, God's "name project" is an evangelistic mission. He wants all nations to know he is the Lord, the one true God, the Savior of the world, the God of compassion and mercy (see Exod. 34:6-7). So, by making his name known, God is not only enhancing his worship. He is also helping the world to know him, his holiness, his mercy, his grace.

QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER REFLECTION: How do you respond when you hear God expressing such concern for his name? Why is it okay for God to seek to glorify his name in a way that would not be appropriate for you and me? In what ways do you help people to know and honor God's name?

PRAYER: Holy God, you have made your name known to us. You are the Lord, the God whose name represents your compassion, mercy, and faithfulness. Your name ought to be known, honored, and glorified.

May all peoples come to know you, Lord, as the only true Savior and Redeemer. May I live in such a way that people are drawn to you as they see your presence in me. May my lips and my life glorify your name. Amen.