Friday, September 16, 2011

Zealous for His name

Ezekiel 39:25
“Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will now bring Jacob back from captivity and will have compassion on all the people of Israel, and I will be zealous for my holy name."

What does it mean that God is "zealous" for His name? Another translation says that He is "jealous" for His name. What does this mean?
In the context of Ezekiel, God is saying that He will prove to Israel and the nations exactly who He is. In His omnipotence He will act. In His justice He will divide. In His wrath He will punish the wicked. In His mercy He will gather what was scattered. In His compassion He will bind up the wounded. In His wisdom He will establish His people. In His omnipresence He will guard His holy mountain. In His grace He will proclaim His way. In His goodness He will bless. In His love He will discipline. In His generosity He will pour out His Holy Spirit. In His sovereignty He will secure His own. In His Glory He will restore what was lost.
God is not silent. He does act and His actions are proclamations of His character. To say that God is good does not describe His actions or His attribute but His very nature. God is not good because of what He does. What God does is good because He is the definition of good. And He is passionate about the proclamation of His nature, His character, His name. All that He does is so that He, in all His glory, might be known and renowned.
So what would it look like if I was jealous and zealous for the name of the Lord? How would my actions, words and thoughts change if my goal in life was to bring glory to the One who is truly glorious and worthy of glory? What would it look like to remove me from the spotlight of my life and turn my efforts toward shining a light on God?

Lord - teach me to be zealous for Your name. Amen.

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