Profaned Among the Nations

Scripture: 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. I will sanctify my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them; and the nations shall know that I am the Lord, says the Lord God, when through you I display my holiness before their eyes. Ezekiel 36:22-23

Observation: Immediately prior to the Lord raising up the valley of dry bones, he gives this explanation to Ezekiel ... that he will again restore Israel so they may sanctify his name. However, there are two clarifying clauses to this. First, he is not doing this for their sake, but for the sake of his name. Second, the issue is that his name and holiness needs to be restored because Israel itself has profaned his name among the nations. He repeats these again a couple sentences later ... Israel has profaned the Lord, and their restoration is then to demonstrate his power and holiness.

This is the case called out throughout the books for 1-2 Kings. Foreign countries who war with Israel and Judah often win because the Jews have forsaken the Lord, yet they profess Yahweh publicly to those other nations as their God. The result is that other nations - through the hypocrisy of professed faith of Yahweh vs. actual worship of the baals and others - come to view the Lord as weak or ineffectual or meaningless or only on-peer with whatever they believe. This is the issue before the Lord. It is not that the Jews need to be restored, but that his own name and lordship, which is important to all mankind throughout the world, needs to be uplifted and sanctified. It is the Jews themselves who have brought it low in the eyes of mankind.

Application: I feel we could substitute "Christians" for "Jews", and "pride/wealth/power/reputation" for "the baals" ... and the entire observation would apply today. Anyone who encounters the Lord, and discovers the truth of Jesus, may choose to reject faith but cannot dismiss him through ignorance of his greatness. However, many who encounter the hypocrisy of pride and anger and greed and lust within myself and other Christians - yet hear us profess the faith, love, and hope of Jesus - have grounds to reject Jesus.

It is we who are charged to declare the good news of Jesus to the world. And it is we who are the stumbling block to others accepting that good news. I am the stumbling block.

Prayer: Lord, please forgive me for this most of all, that by my own actions your name is profaned. While I declare you as Lord, I profess other words and actions, just as James warned. I am sorry. May my actions and the actions of the Church better align to the hope and truth and love of Jesus. Amen.