For God’s Holy Name’s Sake – Eze 36

After describing how He will judge the mountains of Edom, Israel’s enemies (Eze 35), God then announces blessings on the mountains of Israel (Eze 36). He goes into great detail talking about how the waste places will be filled and the mountains will prosper with crops and people. The land will be greatly blessed. This is quite a contrast when you consider that Israel has just been completely overrun and carried away into captivity due to their sin.

God’s reason for doing all of this is not because of Israel. They do not deserve God’s blessing. They did not earn it. Actually, they did much to not deserve it. God says very clearly that His reason for blessing them and restoring them was “for mine holy name’s sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went” (v.22).

This is a powerful lesson for us as well. God does what He does for us and with us to bring glory to His name. It should be clear that we are weak, that we are nothing, that we can’t. But we need to realize that God is wanting to do something with weak people that will cause everyone to know how powerful He is!