Cleansed, For His Holy Name

Last week we heard that the Lord is for his people, and that he would do more good to them than ever before. This week, in Ezekiel 36:16-38, we learn the Lord's benevolence towards his people is not primarily for their sake, but for his. God's honour is at stake, and he will do whatever it takes to restore the sanctity of his reputation - his holy name. What it takes is a complete transformation of his covenant people and the total cleansing and renewal of the place where he will dwell with them, such that all the world will see.
Apart from such a divine act, we have no hope, and no claim on the blessings promised to the Lord's covenant people. "But God, being rich in mercy, because of great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses," has done just that. He has given us a new heart and put a new spirit within us. In doing this, we are blessed beyond compare and his holy name is vindicated throughout the world. "I am the Lord," he says, "I have spoken, and I will do it."