The unfaithfulness of God’s people had profaned
His name and tarnished His reputation. For His own sake, God had to restore His
own reputation. He began by restoring the land shown in Ezekiel 36:1-21.
However, more important than the restoration of the land would be the
restoration and renewal of His people.
The unfaithfulness of God’s people
had profaned His name and tarnished His reputation. For His own sake, God had
to restore His own reputation. He began by restoring the land shown in Ezekiel
36:1-21. However, more important than the restoration of the land would be the
restoration and renewal of His people.
In Ezekiel 36:22-32, God described what He would do to renew and transform them and the result of His renewing work in them. In these eleven verses, we find the two words “I will” appear twelve times. They are the things that God said He would do in the lives of His people.
And the very first thing God wants would be to vindicate His own holy character which His people had caused to be profaned among the nations. He needed to vindicate His holy name so that the nations would have the right perspective of Him and His holiness.
In verses 24-27, God promised to work among them to bring about the renewal. Firstly, He would not only gather them from all over nations but would also bring them into their land. Secondly, He would purge and purify them from the effects of their sin. Thirdly, He would give them a new heart and a new spirit. Fourthly, He would replace their stony hearts with a heart of flesh. In other words, He would make them more receptive to Him. Fifthly, He would put His own Spirit in them to enable them to walk in His ways.
In verse 28, God assured them that when they respond to Him, in their renewed and transformed lives, they would become more conscientious to walk in God’s ways. They would be granted to live in the land He had promised to give to their forefathers. There they would truly be His people and He would be their God.
In their new state, there would be further benefits. God would preserve them as they enjoy His plenteous supply and agricultural blessings and famine would be averted from them. What’s more wonderful would be their intense dislike for their past wayward life and would recoil from their past sinful abominable acts. Then they would be ashamed of their past conduct.
We belong to God in Christ. How we live affects His name and reputation because we are His redeemed. Our conduct will either glorify Him or bring dishonor to His name. Thank God, we are not left to glorify Him on our own. He has put His Spirit in us, and He is with us to help us in our spiritual journey. A God-honoring life is possible only as we live a Spirit-controlled, Spirit-directed, and Spirit-guided life. Walk in the Spirit and we will leave no room for our flesh to do his number on us.
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