For His purposes, for His glory, that all may know…

In this passage, Ezekiel looks to the last days when nations will rise up against Israel and try to destroy it, only to be thrust back and destroyed by God.

There’s quite a bit of debate as to when this will happen, which I won’t get into here. There are others much more qualified to argue the point than I am.

I’m more interested in why God allows this to happen. God tells the leader of those nations to come,

I will bring you against my land, so that the nations may know me when I show myself holy through you before their eyes. (Ezekiel 38:16)

Then after describing the judgment to come against these nations, he says,

And so I will show my greatness and my holiness, and I will make myself known in the sight of many nations.

Then they will know that I am the Lord. (Ezekiel 38:23)

The theme continues in chapter 39.

I will make known my holy name among my people Israel.

I will no longer let my holy name be profaned, and the nations will know that I the Lord am the Holy One in Israel. (Ezekiel 39:7)

And when talking about Israel’s restoration, he once again says,

When I have brought them back from the nations and have gathered them from the countries of their enemies, I will show myself holy through them in the sight of many nations. (Ezekiel 39:27)

What do we get from all of this?

All that God does is for his purposes. All that God does is for his glory.

And all that he does is so that the world may know who he is, and that he is holy. That he is the God above all other gods.

And on the last day, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:10–11)

God chose Israel to be his people, not because Abraham or his descendants were any better than anyone else.

If you look at the lives of Abraham on down through all the people in Israel’s history, you see they were sinners just like everyone else.

In his grace God chose them. And he chose them for his purposes.

He knew they would sin. But he would use them anyway to glorify himself to the world.

He brought Jesus through the Israelites to redeem us from our sins and to reveal himself to us.

And the day will come when he again reveals his glory, power, and grace to the world.

How? By defending Israel in the last days against the nations that would come against them and by pouring his Spirit upon his people and forgiving their sins.

God has chosen us as Christians for the same reasons.

Not because we are any better than others. Not for our own purposes and our own glory.

But because of his grace, and for his purposes and his glory that all may know that he is the Lord,

A compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. (Exodus 34:6–7)

May we all be a people for his purposes and his glory.