“Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will yet for this be enquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them; I will increase them with men like a flock.” (Ezekiel 36:37)
It was about the time that King Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon had captured Judah and dethroned Jehoiachin, also called Jeconiah, the 19th king and penultimate of Judah in the 6th century BC when Ezekiel was given a prophesy about Israel. (chapter 36) He prophesied against their religious leaders, the release of the captives, the new covenant He would bring about (chapter 34) and against Mount Seir which is in present day Jordan, for hating Israel and coming against the people of Israel when it was captured (chapter 35).
In his prophecy about Israel, the Lord tells Israel that He will make the desolate places to be fruitful and He will make the captives return and populate Israel for His Name’s sake. (Ezekiel 36:1-25) Then in verse 26, Ezekiel begins to prophesy about the coming new covenant that will be made by Jesus, about forgiveness, a new heart and prosperity in the land. (Ezekiel 36:26-36)
The Lord says, once again (verse 37), He will hear their prayer and answer them, for His Name’s sake because He is merciful and to bring glory to His Name. The Name of the Lord is holy and not to be profaned. This is the second commandment. The first is, “I am the LORD thy God, ... Thou shalt have no other gods before Me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love Me, and keep My commandments. (Exodus 20:2-6) And the second commandment is, “Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain.”
God’s Name is His character. When His Name is profaned, one is desecrating God’s character. To glorify His Name is to bring glory to Him and to His character. God is merciful. He not only has mercy but is mercy. And it’s because of His mercy, His character that He answers our prayers. This is very important to remember. There are many who think they can twist God’s arm into doing what they want by much prayer. While much prayer is needed in some situations, we cannot twist God’s arm to force Him to answer our petitions. Neither will God be forced to do anything. We have to be careful when we pray that we realize it’s because of His mercy that hears us and answers us. It’s the merciful gift of mercy in Jesus and the work of salvation on the cross and shed blood that gives us access to God for His Name’s sake. While some say we do not need to beg, it’s true that we don’t need to beg God because His character is also goodness. He is not only able to help but willing to help. “Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20-21)
Some say we need to remind God of His promises. Believe me that God has not forgotten any of His promises. Instead, we should be thankful for His promises. Instead of reminding God of His promises, we need to thank Him for His promise and thank Him for His faithfulness in giving us all that He said He would give us and for doing all He said He would do for us. He is good and He is merciful for His Name’s sake. And like God told Israel, “I will yet,” He will once again and again and again hear us and answer us because of His Name which is Who He is, His character.
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