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I WIll Show Myself As Holy

I will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Sovereign Lord, when I am proved holy through you before their eyes.” – Ezekiel 36:23

When is God’s Name Holy?

In this passage from Ezekiel, the people of Israel have been exiled from Promised Land and scattered all over the place due to their unfaithfulness to God. Now, God is about to gather them again and return them to the land He gave them, but the way He tells the people this through the prophet Ezekiel is sobering.

He is not doing it because they have started to be faithful in their exile, but rather He is doing it to show the nations that His name is holy, despite the continued unfaithfulness of the people of Israel…and He wants that to be very clear to the people.

God’s Name Is Holy
When is God’s name holy? Always. God is holy. His name is holy. He does not need us to make His name holy. He does not need us to proclaim His name as holy. God is holy and He will make His name holy among the nations whether His people (Israel or the church) are faithful and show His name to be holy or not.

It can be humbling to know that God is bigger than any of us and bigger than the church. He can act on His own, and He does.

If God were to need us or wait for us to glorify His name and proclaim it as holy in our words and deeds, it would always be tainted at best and, often, His name would be profaned.

Great in Mercy and Grace
One of the greatest ways He makes His name holy among the nations is through the grace and mercy He shows His people despite our unfaithfulness. To be holy is to be set apart for God. How much more set apart can God show Himself to be than when He shows mercy and grace unseen in mankind.

Even when we don’t keep His name holy, God is still holy and He continues to make His name holy among the nations.

Our Father, who art in heaven,

Hallowed be Thy name. You are a holy and righteous God. By Your grace and mercy, You have put Your name upon us and call us Your people and, in doing so, You make us holy. Forgive us for those times we defile Your name and help us to live in a way that honors You and to readily proclaim the works of You, Lord, among all people. Let Your name be glorified throughout the world as the holy God that You are.

Amen

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Kurt