A couple of weeks ago I was exposed to the difference between “Cat Theology” and “Dog Theology”. In a nutshell, the difference is this . . . A dog says, “You feed me, you care for me, you love me . . . you must be God” . . . while a cat says, “You feed me, you care for me, you love me . . . I must be God.” The point being that it is way too easy to think that salvation is about us . . . to believe that grace is about us . . . to conclude that the blessings are about us . . . when, in fact, it’s really about Him. My reading in Ezekiel this morning brought that home again . . . some good “dog theology” here.

You read Ezekiel and it doesn’t take long to pick up on a phrase that’s repeated pretty regularly. So far, after reading 36 chapters of Ezekiel’s prophesy, I’ve come across the phrase, “Then they (or you) shall know that I am the Lord” fifty times . . . that number increasing to closer to sixty times if you count slight derivations from that exact wording. Whether God has Ezekiel prophesy of judgment or of renewal . . . whether it’s so Israel will know, or the nations around them will know . . . you kind of pick up on the fact that God does what He does so that people will know that He is the Lord.

And I’m reading Ezekiel 36 this morning . . . and nature of the prophesy shifts from judgment and destruction to God’s promise to restore and renew Israel. He speaks of taking them from among the nations where they’ve been scattered . . . and gathering them from all the countries to which they’ve been dispersed . . . and bringing them back to their own land (36:24). God says that He will sprinkle clean water on them so that they will be clean . . . that He will cleanse them from all your filthiness and from all their idols . . . that He will give them a new heart, replacing their hearts of stone with heart of flesh . . . and will be put a new spirit within them . . . His Spirit . . . the Spirit of truth . . . leading them into obedience (36:25-27). “Then,” says God, “you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God” (36:28). Good stuff, huh? What a blessed people, huh? Yeah . . . but it is so not about the people . . . check out what God says just before this promise of renewal and blessing . . .

“But I had concern for My holy name . . . I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy name’s sake . . . I will sanctify My great name . . . and the nations shall know that I am the LORD when I am hallowed in you before their eyes.” (36:21-23)

Israel had sinned and sinned big time. God had hit the wall because of their disobedience and desecration . . . He had had enough of their spiritual harlotry as they took up with very Tom, Dick, and Baal that came along as a new “deity” to craft out of wood or stone, bow down to, and worship. And so, God judged them severely . . . that they might know that He is the LORD. And God, who is faithful to His promise and purposes, would also reserve and restore and renew a remnant . . . that they, and the nations around them, might know that He is the LORD. He would sanctify His great name . . . He would show the holiness of that Name which is above all names . . . He would set on display that most high and lofty of names . . . the only Name to which every knee will bow. Sure, Israel would be blessed by the faithfulness of a gracious God . . . but, make no mistake, the main event was not to be their blessing, but His glory.

And I think about the Name . . . that great Name . .. that High and Holy Name . . . that Name for which God has such great concern . . . and a sense of awe grows. I consider too that His desire is that His Name be hallowed . . . be set apart . . . be deemed holy . . . in and through His people before the nations . . . and a sense of responsibility emerges.

Oh, how I praise Him for saving me and all the associated blessings I’ve known as a new creation in Christ. But that I might remember that it’s not about this “cat” . . . but about His precious Name . . . that He might be exalted . . . the His Name might be lifted up . . . that my blessing might be for His glory . . . and His glory alone.

What a great Name! Amen?

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