22 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came. 23 And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them. And the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Lord God, when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes. 24 I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. 25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. 26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. 28 You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God. 29 And I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses. And I will summon the grain and make it abundant and lay no famine upon you. 30 I will make the fruit of the tree and the increase of the field abundant, that you may never again suffer the disgrace of famine among the nations. 31 Then you will remember your evil ways, and your deeds that were not good, and you will loathe yourselves for your iniquities and your abominations. 32 It is not for your sake that I will act, declares the Lord God; let that be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your ways, O house of Israel.
You should loathe yourself for your iniquities and your abominations. It is only after we have been renewed that we fully understand our wickedness. Ezekiel talks to the people about how they have acted, but more importantly he is teaching them that the LORD himself is ready to act.
It is not for your sake that God has sent his son to save you. It is not for your sake that Christ died and suffered. He died and suffered for the sake of his holy name. God has placed his name among sinful people. He has sealed you with his name in your Baptism. In Numbers the Aaronic Benediction was given to place the name of God upon the people. It is for his name sake that God sent his Son.
Likewise, it is for God's name sake that he cleanses you with water. He even gives you a new heart and a new spirit. He has removed your wicked heart of stone and given you a healthy heart. All of this is that he places his own spirit in you. With this new spirit you can recognize your own wickedness. You can see the abominations in your own flesh. These likewise should promote within us Good behavior.
No comments:
Post a Comment