Ezekiel 36:23

Ezekiel 36:23 (ESV): “And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them. And the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Lord God, when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes.”

When God’s people live carnally, they drag His name through the mud, and the world loses sight of His holiness. Yet God will not let His name remain defamed—He will step in, and through those very same people, He will restore His holiness before the watching world.

The Lord spoke to Ezekiel and declared His intention to vindicate His name. He told him that although Israel had defamed His name before the nations because of their sinful ways, He was going to restore them. He would gather them from the nations, bring them back into their land, cleanse them, and put His Spirit within them. God would act on His own behalf so that His name would be vindicated.

What lesson should we take from this? God’s people can and do shape how the world perceives who He is. We must be mindful of how we live so that we do not defame His name. This is why we are instructed to walk circumspectly before those who are outside (Eph 5:15-17). The way we live matters. Let us bring glory to His name instead of reproach. And though He will vindicate His name regardless, we should live in such a way that His holiness is declared to the nations. Amen?

Father, we thank You for redeeming our souls. May we walk in that redemption and bring glory to Your holy name in all the earth. Keep us centered on You, we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.