Ezekiel 36:16-21 – Living a consecrated life.

In fulfillment of His promise, God gave Israel the promised land. As His covenant people they should have lived to honor Him. But the way they conducted their lives in the promised land was far from acceptable. Ezekiel 36:17 said that they degraded themselves by the way they conducted their lives. Their deeds and conduct were disgusting for they did not live a life separated to God.

The phrase “the uncleanness of a woman in her impurity” means a woman who is having her monthly menstruation. In the Old Testament, a menstruating woman was considered “unclean” and not sinful. God’s instruction on how husbands and wives should conduct themselves during the latter’s monthly period was to emphasize the need to stay holy and set apart for God. It had never been God’s intention to denigrate menstruating women.

In using the illustration of “a menstruating woman in her uncleanness” God intended to show His people that they did not live the consecrated lives expected of them. They did not set themselves apart for Him but were instead influenced by the pagans among them. Copying the conduct of the Canaanites among them, they had a careless disregard for human life. Not only did they serve the foolish pagan idols but like them, they also needlessly shed innocent blood in the promised land.

What they had done had incurred God’s wrath. So, He scattered and dispersed them all over the nations. That resulted in the Lord’s name and His reputation being tainted among the Gentiles. They had caused Him to be disdained by them, something very opposite to the witness they were called to give. God’s good name and reputation should not be disrespected by our conduct.

How we live and conduct our lives among non-believers matters. We either advance the good name of the Lord or discredit Him. This is a call for us to live a life of consecration. We are not to love the world, or the things of the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of God will not be in him. Let us live a life of consecration. Let us love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength.