Reputation of God
Ezekiel 20:6 – On that day I swore to bring them out of the land of Egypt to a land which I had picked out for them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands. 7 – I said to them, “Each of you must get rid of the detestable idols you keep before you, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt; I am the LORD your God.”
verse 8 – But they rebelled against me, and refused to listen to me; no one got rid of their detestable idols, nor did they abandon the idols of Egypt. Then I decided to pour out my rage on them and fully vent my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt. 9 – I acted for the sake of my reputation, so that I would not be profaned before the nations among whom they lived, before whom I revealed myself by bringing them out of the land of Egypt.
Israel was God’s special people among the nations for a specific reason: to give God a good reputation among the nations of the world. The sad news is that it didn’t turn out that way. These verses describe Israel’s rebellion and their refusal to get rid of their detestable idols. Israel wanted to be like the nations around them – but in doing that they were ruining God’s reputation. How would the nations of the world be blessed if God had a bad reputation among the people He chose as His special possession to spread good words about Him? God’s intervention against Israel was for the purpose of saving as many as possible from the world.
Think about how we are living our lives. Are we giving God a good reputation in our communities? Are we giving God a good reputation at work? Are we giving God a good reputation at home? Hypocrisy in a Christian is not good – it makes God look like a liar and He will end up acting to save His reputation. His reputation is of vital importance for saving the world for the gospel of the kingdom is tied to it!
God’s reputation is this: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life – John 3:16. If we are living like the rest of the world, then how are we strengthening this good news about Jesus to the world? God must surely intervene. God still has a people elected to give Him a good reputation. This is Spiritual Israel. Let’s believe in Jesus, follow Him, and lay aside the gods of this world. Let’s start our walk with Him afresh and spread good news about Him to the world around us today!
Where two are gathered 