In Ezekiel chapter 20, we find the leaders of the nation of Israel presenting themselves before the prophet to ask for guidance from God. We might think this is a good thing for them to be doing, since it’s important for all of us to seek god’s guidance. However, as we consider this chapter in its context, we’ll come to understand that these leaders were rebellious, and responsible for guiding their nation into sin and idolatry. They want to hear from God, but are not prepared to forsake the idols and false gods they have permitted to be set up all over the land. For them, The Lord is just one option out of many, and they aren’t truly committed to taking on board what Ezekiel has to say.
When Ezekiel does begin to speak, he tells them God will not put up with their questions, (Ezekiel 20: 3), and goes on to give them a history lesson about their idolatress past. It’s a very sad tale. God had chosen the nation of Israel out of all the peoples of the world to be his special people. He had miraculously rescued them from slavery in Egypt, showing his power and love time and time again, but they would not let go of their idols. He gave them his laws, but they profaned them. Even when he was forced to punish them for their disobedience during the wilderness wanderings, God gave them chance after chance. Once they had come into the possession of the land God had promised them, they still continued to disobey and set up idols, even though they’d been given more than they could ever have hoped for. WE can read all this in the first 29 verses of the chapter.
Lest we find ourselves judging these rebellious people, let’s pause for a moment and think about our own lives. Do I set up idols in my heart? Maybe I don’t have statues of false gods in my home, but what about the times when I choose to pick up my phone and find out what my friends are doing rather than reading God’s word? What about the occasions when I say or do things I know God wouldn’t approve of, just because it may make me more popular with others? We can all be rebellious, and when it comes down to it, anything we put before God can become an idol in our lives.
That’s the bad news. Yet, with our Saviour, there is always good news, because although there are times when he has to be firm and punish his wayward children as any good and loving parent would, there is a phrase that occurs several times in Ezekiel 20 which gives us hope, and also humbles us as we consider its meaning.
3 times in these first 29 verses of the chapter, the Lord uses the phrase “But for the sake of my name”. He also says he withheld punishment to prevent his name from being profaned in the eyes of the nations. (Ezekiel 20: 9, 14, and 22.) It was the Message translation of these phrases that really made me think. “I acted out of who I was, not by how I felt. And I acted in a way that would evoke honour, not blasphemy, from the nations around them.”
The honour of God’s name is very important to him. In the Bible, we learn that he is just, yet merciful. He is faithful and true. He loves us with an everlasting love. The list goes on and on. There is even a verse that says even when we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, because he cannot disown himself. (2Timothy 2: 13.) Punishing his children doesn’t bring God pleasure, and he often withholds his hand of punishment in order to uphold the honour of his name.
Israel’s history is a wonderful illustration of God staying his hand of punishment until he had no other option. You only need to look into the Old Testament book of Judges to learn about how they fell into a cycle of sin and idolatry, followed by repentance as soon as God allowed them to be attacked and subdued by foreign nations. Each time they cried out to him, he was faithful, and sent a judge to rescue them and help them regain their freedom, even though he knew within a few years, they’d be rebelling again. Ultimately, after centuries of blatant disobedience, when their hearts had become too hard for repentance, he was forced to bring upon them their ultimate punishment, when their land was captured and they were taken into captivity, but if you or I had been God, I think our patience would have run out a lot sooner.
As I consider my own life, recalling the times I have gone off track and been consumed by sin and self, there have been times the lord has allowed difficulties into my life that have brought me back to my knees where I belong. When all is going well, I so easily become self-reliant, and put God on the back burner. However, I can also think of many times when he has graciously withheld his hand of punishment, even though I know I’ve deserved it. Why does he do that? I believe Ezekiel 20 has given us the answer. He does it because he acts out of who he is, not what he feels, and he does it in order to show those around us his true character – how faithful and loving he is. When I consider this, I am truly overwhelmed by his goodness.
So, what does all this mean for you and me? Clearly, we should desire to live God’s way. Our longing should be to bring glory and honour to his name without him having to step in and rescue us from failure. We certainly shouldn’t use the fact that he is loving and forgiving as an excuse to sin. Yet, it is a wonderful source of comfort when we do fail, and we come running to our Father with tear-filled eyes asking him to help us sort out the messes we’ve made.
Finally, we need to remember that when we become Christians, we are made new, and we become Christ’s ambassadors here on earth. So, when people wrong us, and we find ourselves getting angry, perhaps we need to learn a lesson from our Heavenly Father, and act out of who we are, not out of what we feel. If our former response would be to become angry and to desire to put the sin of the person who’s wronged us on public display, perhaps we need to pause, recall the number of times God has done the very opposite for us, and ask him to help us handle things his way – in a way that will bring honour to his name, rather than shame.
Our human nature desires justice when others sin against us, but we have been forgiven so much. If we had received full punishment for all our sins, where would we be today? How many times have we fallen into a self-made hole, cried out to God, and seen him lovingly pull us out, dust us off, and send us on our way again? Shouldn’t we be eager to do the same for others? The Bible says those who have been forgiven little love little. (Luke 7: 47.) I know I have been forgiven many times over, as I let Jesus down every day. So, if I have been forgiven much, then I am called to love much, and to extend that same love and forgiveness to those who wrong me. Then, I will be acting out of who I am instead of what I feel, and I will bring honour to my Saviour’s name.