What is the context?
The Lord makes the reason for His action explicit: it is for His holy name, which Israel has profaned among the nations. The coming restoration is not a reward the people have earned.
He will show the holiness of His great name in them before the nations’ eyes. What had become an occasion to misunderstand Him will become a display of who He is.
The aim reaches beyond Israel’s relief. The nations will know that He is the Lord. His concern for His name and His mercy toward His people belong to the same act.
How is this passage commonly understood?
Henry sees God’s glory as the purpose of the redemption pictured by the restoration. The USCCB notes emphasize God’s initiative rather than the people’s deserving it.
Cambridge explains the display of holiness through the Lord making His character and divine power known. The cleansing and renewal described next show that this involves more than a public display of strength.
Where does this fit in God's plan?
Jesus teaches His disciples to pray for the Father’s name to be hallowed, His kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth in Matthew 6:9–13. That prayer brings the concern for God’s name into the life of those who follow Jesus.
Ezekiel describes what the Lord will do; Jesus teaches His people what to desire and ask for. Praying this way means wanting God to be known truthfully through His rule and through lives that honor Him, rather than seeking only relief for ourselves.
What is our position?
We don't have a position on this passage yet. When our study reaches a conclusion the text supports, it will appear here.