I Suffered Much Pain Over My Holy Reputation!

‘I’m going to put my great and holy name on display, the name that has been ruined in so many countries, the name that you blackened wherever you went. Then the nations will realize who I really am, that I am God, when I show my holiness through you so that they can see it with their own eyes.’ (Eze 36:23, MSG)
In the book of Ezekiel God grieves over the conduct and actions of His people – people who bore His Name wherever they went and in whatever they did, His Reputation was at stake!
Sadly, God’s people had once again failed Him through their conduct and actions! (Eze 36:17,19). They had forgotten that they were His ambassadors (2 Cor 5:20) and that their lifestyle was to reflect the character of their Heavenly Father – good, kind, gentle, holy, true, gracious, compassionate, etc.
After numerous warnings, God finally had to bring judgment upon them but through His prophet He expresses His pain – one of the saddest sentences – ‘I suffered much pain over my holy reputation’ (Eze 36:21, MSG).
Yet, His desire was not to destroy them! In His abundant compassion and love for them, He refers to their complaints and pain and then responds to it – ‘This is what you are saying: Our offenses and sins weigh us down, and we are wasting away because of them. How then can we live?’ Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, O house of Israel?’ (Eze 33:10-11)
His love and grace provided the opportunity for repentance and healing but they had to choose – repentance and healing OR destroyed lives and judgment!
His desire still stands. This is what He requires of us – as followers of Jesus, His ambassadors in this world – that our conduct and actions should always, always bring Glory and Honour to His Holy Name!
0 replies

Leave a Reply

Want to join the discussion?
Feel free to contribute!

Leave a Reply