by Jill Ice
“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.”
Ezekiel 36:22
Do we ever take too much credit for the good things that happen
to us? Do we ever make statements that
indicate we have more control than we actually do?
Many times in this book, God refers to Himself as “the
Sovereign Lord.” And it is usually in reference to something He is about to do.
He begins some of these statements with the phrase, “The Sovereign Lord says…”
It is a statement of certainty based on the authority and power of God. He is
the ruler over all things and everything is under His control. His words are
always true. Why? All because He is sovereign. He is in control. What He says
will happen. And it will happen in spite of all that we, Israel
has done to offend Him. He will do all these things in order to protect the
holiness of His name, not because of anything Israel
has done to deserve it.
Read verse 36 of chapter 36, “Then the nations that are left
all around you shall know that I am the LORD; I have rebuilt the ruined places
and replanted that which was desolate. I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will
do it.”
God will do what He has promised, not because anyone
deserves it, but because His holy name requires it. He must be true to His name,
to His character. He is a faithful, promise-keeping God.
At the end of this chapter he reinforces that He is and will
be the Sovereign One that calls Israel
to Himself. It is a great verse to
remind us of God’s sovereignty in our lives also.
“And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put
within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh . . . And
I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be
careful to obey my rules.”
Ezekiel 36:26-27
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