Ezekiel 36:22 Study Bible: "Therefore tell the house of Israel, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "I do not do this for your sake, house of Israel, but for my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations, where you went.

◄ Ezekiel 36:22 ►

Therefore tell the house of Israel that this is what the Lord GOD says: It is not for your sake that I will act, O house of Israel, but for My holy name, which you profaned among the nations to which you went.

Study Bible

Therefore tell the house of Israel
This phrase sets the stage for a divine proclamation. The "house of Israel" refers to the collective people of Israel, God's chosen nation. In Hebrew, "house" (בֵּית, bayit) often signifies not just a physical dwelling but a lineage or family. Here, it underscores the covenant relationship between God and Israel, reminding them of their identity and calling. Historically, Israel's identity was deeply tied to their covenant with God, and this address serves as a reminder of their unique role and responsibility.

this is what the Lord GOD says
The phrase emphasizes the authority and sovereignty of God. "Lord GOD" in Hebrew is "Adonai Yahweh," combining the title of master (Adonai) with the personal name of God (Yahweh). This dual title underscores God's supreme authority and personal relationship with Israel. It is a reminder that the message comes from the highest authority, demanding attention and reverence.

It is not for your sake
This statement is a humbling reminder to Israel that God's actions are not based on their merit. The Hebrew word for "sake" (לְמַעַן, lema'an) implies purpose or reason. God is clarifying that His forthcoming actions are not due to Israel's righteousness or worthiness. This serves as a theological reminder that God's grace and actions are not contingent upon human behavior but are rooted in His divine purposes.

O house of Israel
Reiterating the address to the "house of Israel" reinforces the collective responsibility and identity of the nation. It is a call to remember their covenantal relationship with God, which they have neglected. The repetition serves to emphasize the seriousness of the message and the need for Israel to heed God's words.

that I am about to act
This phrase indicates imminent divine intervention. The Hebrew verb "act" (עָשָׂה, asah) suggests a decisive and purposeful action. It conveys the certainty and intentionality of God's forthcoming deeds. Historically, this would have been a moment of anticipation, as God's actions often brought about significant change or deliverance.

but for My holy name
God's motivation is rooted in the sanctity of His name. The Hebrew word for "holy" (קָדוֹשׁ, qadosh) signifies something set apart, sacred, and pure. God's name represents His character and reputation. This phrase highlights the importance of God's holiness and the need to uphold His name as sacred. It serves as a reminder that God's ultimate purpose is to glorify Himself and maintain the sanctity of His divine nature.

which you have profaned among the nations
The term "profaned" (חִלֵּל, chalal) in Hebrew means to defile or desecrate. Israel's actions had tarnished God's reputation among the surrounding nations. This phrase underscores the gravity of Israel's sin, as their behavior had not only personal consequences but also affected God's honor. It serves as a call to repentance and a reminder of the broader implications of their actions.

to which you have gone
This phrase refers to Israel's dispersion among the nations, often as a result of exile due to their disobedience. The historical context of the Babylonian exile is significant here, as it was a period of judgment and reflection for Israel. It serves as a reminder of the consequences of straying from God's covenant and the need for restoration and return to faithfulness.

Persons / Places / Events

1. The House of Israel
Refers to the people of Israel, God's chosen nation, who were in exile due to their disobedience and idolatry.

2. The Lord GOD (Yahweh Elohim)
The sovereign and covenant-keeping God of Israel, emphasizing His authority and holiness.

3. The Nations
The surrounding Gentile nations among whom Israel was scattered, witnessing Israel's behavior and God's response.

4. Profaning God's Name
The act of dishonoring or defiling God's holy name through disobedience and idolatry, leading to a misrepresentation of God's character to the nations.

5. Restoration of God's Name
God's initiative to restore His holy name, demonstrating His righteousness and faithfulness, independent of Israel's merit.

Teaching Points

God's Holiness and Reputation
God's actions are motivated by His desire to uphold His holy name. Our lives should reflect His holiness to honor His reputation.

The Consequences of Disobedience
Israel's disobedience led to the profaning of God's name. We must be mindful of how our actions reflect on God's character to others.

God's Sovereign Initiative
God acts for His name's sake, independent of human merit. This reminds us of His grace and the importance of relying on His righteousness.

Witness to the Nations
Our conduct as believers serves as a testimony to the world. We are called to live in a way that draws others to God, not away from Him.

Restoration and Hope
Despite Israel's failure, God promises restoration for His name's sake. This gives us hope that God can redeem and restore us despite our shortcomings.

Bible Study Questions

1. How does understanding God's motivation for His actions in Ezekiel 36:22 impact your view of His character and holiness?

2. In what ways can our actions today either profane or honor God's name among those who do not know Him?

3. Reflect on a time when you experienced God's grace despite your shortcomings. How does this relate to God's actions for His name's sake?

4. How can we, as believers, ensure that our lives serve as a positive witness to those around us, similar to the call in 1 Peter 2:9-12?

5. What steps can you take to align your life more closely with God's holiness, ensuring that His name is honored through your actions?

Connections to Other Scriptures

Leviticus 22:32
Highlights the importance of not profaning God's holy name and the call to be holy as God is holy.

Isaiah 48:9-11
Emphasizes God's actions for the sake of His name, showing His patience and desire to prevent His name from being defiled.

Romans 2:24
Paul references the profaning of God's name among the Gentiles due to the behavior of the Jews, echoing the theme in Ezekiel.

1 Peter 2:9-12
Calls believers to live honorably among the Gentiles, reflecting God's holiness and proclaiming His excellencies.

Sermons

A Vision of the True Golden Age	J.D. Davies	Ezekiel 36:16-32
Profanation and Pity	J.R. Thomson	Ezekiel 36:20-24
God's Motive in Salvation		Ezekiel 36:21-24
Man an Object of Divine Mercy		Ezekiel 36:21-24
The Conversion of Israel	John Skinner, M. A.	Ezekiel 36:21-24

People

Ezekiel

Places

Edom, Jerusalem, Mount Seir, Tigris-Euphrates Region

Topics

Act, Cause, Heathen, Holy, Name's, Nations, O, Polluted, Profaned, Sake, Sakes, Says, Thus, Unclean, Wherever, Whither, Working

Dictionary of Bible Themes

Ezekiel 36:22

1055 God, grace and mercy
7217 exile, in Babylon

Ezekiel 36:16-23

8807 profanity

Ezekiel 36:20-23

1185 God, zeal of
5896 irreverence

Ezekiel 36:21-23

1065 God, holiness of

Ezekiel 36:22-23

1115 God, purpose of
8332 reputation

Library

January 2. "I Will Cause You to Walk in My Statutes" (Eze. xxxvi. 27).
"I will cause you to walk in My statutes" (Eze. xxxvi. 27). The highest spiritual condition is one where life is spontaneous and flows without effort, like the deep floods of Ezekiel's river, where the struggles of the swimmer ceased, and he was borne by the current's resistless force. So God leads us into spiritual conditions and habits which become the spontaneous impulses of our being, and we live and move in the fulness of the divine life. But these spiritual habits are not the outcome of some …
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

May 30. "I Will Put My Spirit Within You" (Ez. xxxvi. 27).
"I will put My Spirit within you" (Ez. xxxvi. 27). "I will put My Spirit within you, and I will cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye shall keep My judgments." "I will put My fear in your hearts, and ye shall not turn away from Me." Oh, friend, would not that be blessed, would not that be such a rest for you, all worn out with this strife in your own strength? Do you not want a strong man to conquer the strong man of self and sin? Do you not want a leader? Do you not want God Himself to be with …
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

August 25. "And I Will Put My Spirit Within You, and Cause You to Walk in My Statutes, and Ye Shall Keep My Judgments and do Them" (Ezek. xxxvi. 27).
"And I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye shall keep My judgments and do them" (Ezek. xxxvi. 27). This is a great deal more than a new heart. This a heart filled with the Holy Ghost, the Divine Spirit, the power that causes us to walk in God's commandments. This is the greatest crisis that comes to a Christian's life, when into the spirit that was renewed in conversion, God Himself comes to dwell and make it His abiding place, and hold it by His mighty power …
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

The Holy Nation
'Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. 26. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. 27. And I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye shall keep My judgments, and do them. 28. And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

A New Heart.
"A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you."--EZEKIEL xxxvi. 26. In the beautiful and suggestive dream of Solomon, which is recorded in the third chapter of the First Book of Kings, God appears to him, saying, "Ask what I shall give thee"; and Solomon's answer is, "O Lord, I am but a child set over this great people, give me, I pray Thee, a hearing heart." And God said to him, "Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life, nor riches; …
John Percival—Sermons at Rugby

Prayer --The Forerunner of Mercy
Now, this morning I shall try, as God shall help me, first to speak of prayer as the prelude of blessing: next I shall try to show why prayer is thus constituted by God the forerunner of his mercies, and then I shall close by an exhortation, as earnest as I can make it, exhorting you to pray, if you would obtain blessings. I. Prayer is the FORERUNNER OF MERCIES. Many despise prayer: they despise it, because they do not understand it. He who knoweth how to use that sacred art of prayer will obtain …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 3: 1857

The Covenant Promise of the Spirit
I. First, as for THE COMMENDATION OF THE TEXT, the tongues of men and of angels might fail. To call it a golden sentence would be much too commonplace: to liken it to a pearl of great price would be too poor a comparison. We cannot feel, much less speak, too much in praise of the great God who has put this clause into the covenant of His grace. In that covenant every sentence is more precious than heaven and earth; and this line is not the least among His choice words of promise: "I will put my spirit …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 37: 1891

The New Heart
And now, my dear friends I shall attempt this morning, first of all, to show the necessity for the great promise contained in my text, that God will give us a new heart and a new spirit, and after that, I shall endeavor to show the nature of the great work which God works in the soul, when he accomplishes this promise; afterwards, a few personal remarks to all my hearers. I. In the first place, it is my business to endeavor to show THE NECESSITY FOR THIS GREAT PROMISE. Not that it needs any showing …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 4: 1858

Free Grace
The other error to which man is very prone, is that of relying upon his own merit. Though there is no righteousness in any man, yet in every man there is a proneness to truth in some fancied merit. Strange that it should be so, but the most reprobate characters have yet some virtue as they imagine, upon which they rely. You will find the most abandoned drunkard pride himself that he is not a swearer. You will find the blaspheming drunkard pride himself that at least he is honest. You will find men …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 5: 1859

What Self Deserves
"Ye shall loathe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities, and for your abominations."--Ezekiel 36:31. IT HAS been the supposition of those who know not by experience that if a man be persuaded that he is pardoned, and that he is a child of God, he will necessarily become proud of the distinction which God has conferred upon him. Especially if he be a believer in predestination, when he finds that he is one of God's chosen, it is supposed that the necessary consequence will be that he will …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 62: 1916

The Stony Heart Removed
"Can aught beneath a power divine The stubborn will subdue? 'Tis thine, eternal Spirit, thine, To form the heart anew. To chase the shades of death away And bid the sinner live! A beam of heaven, a vital ray, 'Tis thine alone to give." But while such a thing would be impossible apart from God, it is certain that God can do it. Oh, how the Master delighteth to undertake impossibilities! To do what others can do were but like unto man; but to accomplish that which is impossible to the creature is a …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 8: 1863

Let Your Hearts be Much Set on Revivals of Religion. ...
Let your hearts be much set on revivals of religion. Never forget that the churches have hitherto existed and prospered by revivals; and that if they are to exist and prosper in time to come, it must be by the same cause which has from the first been their glory and defence.--Joel Hawes If any minister can be satisfied without conversions, he shall have no conversions.--C. H. Spurgeon I do not believe that my desires for a revival were ever half so strong as they ought to be; nor do I see how a minister …
E.M. Bounds—Purpose in Prayer

God Has Everything to do with Prayer
Christ is all. We are complete in Him. He is the answer to every need, the perfect Savior. He needs no decoration to heighten His beauty, no prop to increase His stability, no girding to perfect His strength. Who can gild refined gold, whiten the snow, perfume the rose or heighten the colors of the summer sunset? Who will prop the mountains or help the great deep? It is not Christ and philosophy, nor Christ and money, nor civilization, nor diplomacy, nor science, nor organisation. It is Christ alone. …
Edward M. Bounds—The Reality of Prayer

How those are to be Admonished with whom Everything Succeeds According to their Wish, and those with whom Nothing Does.
(Admonition 27.) Differently to be admonished are those who prosper in what they desire in temporal matters, and those who covet indeed the things that are of this world, but yet are wearied with the labour of adversity. For those who prosper in what they desire in temporal matters are to be admonished, when all things answer to their wishes, lest, through fixing their heart on what is given, they neglect to seek the giver; lest they love their pilgrimage instead of their country; lest they turn …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

Jesus Angry with Hard Hearts
But I must not let imagination mislead me: they did nothing of the kind. Instead of this, they sat watching the Lord Jesus, not to be delighted by an act of his power, but to find somewhat of which they might accuse him. When all came to all, the utmost that they would be able to allege would be that he had healed a withered hand on the Sabbath. Overlooking the commendation due for the miracle of healing, they laid the emphasis upon its being done on the Sabbath; and held up their hands with horror …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 32: 1886

The Everlasting Covenant of the Spirit
"They shall be My people, and l will be their God. And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from Me."--JER. xxxii. 38, 40. "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye …
Andrew Murray—The Two Covenants

Good Works.
"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." Ephes. ii. 10. Good works are the ripe fruit from the tree which God has planted in sanctification. In the saint there is life; from that life workings proceed; and those workings are either good or evil. Hence good works are not added to sanctification for mere effect, but belong to it. The discussion of sanctification is not complete without the discussion of Good Works. …
Abraham Kuyper—The Work of the Holy Spirit

Touching Jacob, However, that which He did at his Mother's Bidding...
24. Touching Jacob, however, that which he did at his mother's bidding, so as to seem to deceive his father, if with diligence and in faith it be attended to, is no lie, but a mystery. The which if we shall call lies, all parables also, and figures designed for the signifying of any things soever, which are not to be taken according to their proper meaning, but in them is one thing to be understood from another, shall be said to be lies: which be far from us altogether. For he who thinks this, may …
St. Augustine—Against Lying

Pastor in Parish (I. ).
Master, to the flock I speed, In Thy presence, in Thy name; Show me how to guide, to feed, How aright to cheer and blame; With me knock at every door; Enter with me, I implore. We have talked together about the young Clergyman's secret life, and private life, and his life in (so to speak) non-clerical intercourse with others, and now lastly of his life as it stands related to his immediate leader in the Ministry. In this latter topic we have already touched the great matter which comes now at …
Handley C. G. Moule—To My Younger Brethren

Be Ye Therefore Perfect, Even as Your Father which is in Heaven is Perfect. Matthew 5:48.
In the 43rd verse, the Savior says, "Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy; but I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you, that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward …
Charles G. Finney—Lectures to Professing Christians

The Person Sanctified.
"The putting off of the body of the sins of the flesh."--Col. ii. 11. Sanctification embraces the whole man, body and soul, with all the parts, members, and functions that belong to each respectively. It embraces his person and, all of his person. This is why sanctification progresses from the hour of regeneration all through life, and can be completed only in and through death. St. Paul prays for the church of Thessalonica: "The God of peace sanctify you wholly, and may your whole spirit and soul …
Abraham Kuyper—The Work of the Holy Spirit

Introductory Note.
[a.d. 145-220.] When our Lord repulsed the woman of Canaan (Matt. xv. 22) with apparent harshness, he applied to her people the epithet dogs, with which the children of Israel had thought it piety to reproach them. When He accepted her faith and caused it to be recorded for our learning, He did something more: He reversed the curse of the Canaanite and showed that the Church was designed "for all people;" Catholic alike for all time and for all sorts and conditions of men. Thus the North-African …
Tertullian—Apology

Evidences Internal and Experimental.
1. The external evidences of revealed religion are, in their proper place and sphere, of the highest importance. Christianity rests not upon theory, but upon historical facts sustained by an overwhelming mass of testimony. It is desirable that every Christian, so far as he has opportunity, should make himself acquainted with this testimony for the strengthening of his own faith and the refutation of gainsayers. Nevertheless, many thousands of Christians are fully established in the faith of the gospel …
E. P. Barrows—Companion to the Bible

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