Ezekiel 36:21-23 says, “But I had pity for mine holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the heathen, whither they went. Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name’s sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went. And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the Lord, saith the Lord God, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes.” Here we see that in recovering His people, God acts on behalf of His holy name. The inward recovery of life is carried out by God for the sake of His name. Many of us can testify that we have been recovered and revived not because of any merit in ourselves but because God did something in us for His own name.
“I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land” (v. 24). In His recovery, God brings us out from the world and brings us back to our own place. He returns us to Christ as our land.
The Lord not only brings us back to the enjoyment of Christ; He also washes us with clean water. Zechariah 13:1 says that the Lord’s blood is a washing fountain. Likewise, the clean water in Ezekiel 36:25 refers to the Lord’s redeeming and cleansing blood. The Lord Jesus washes us with His cleansing blood not only when we are saved but also every time we are revived and brought back to Him.
The Lord washes us from two categories of dirty things— from filthiness and from idols. Filthiness includes all kinds of sinful things, unjust things, unrighteous things, and dark things. It also includes hating others, doing wrong to others, and indulging in worldly amusements. When we were saved, we felt ashamed of these filthy things. When we are revived, we also have such a feeling of shame, not wanting to recall the sinful and worldly things that we were once involved with. The Lord’s blood as the clean water washes us from all our filthiness. Perhaps today we need to be washed from gossip, rumors, jealousy, criticism, and unkindness. We praise the Lord that no matter how filthy we were, the Lord’s blood is the clean water that washes us and cleanses us.
Before we were saved, we had not only a great deal of filthiness, but we also had many idols. This also might have been our situation after we became backslidden and before we were revived. Consider how many idols you had before you were saved or revived. For some, an article of clothing is an idol. They love this item of clothing more than they love the Lord Jesus. Once while Brother Watchman Nee was ministering in Shanghai, he suddenly pointed to a certain sister and asked, “How many chapters are there in Matthew?” She answered, “Twenty-six.” Then Brother Nee asked her how many buttons were on her long gown, and without hesitation she told him the correct number. Brother Nee went on to say, “You know your long gown so well. You even remember how many buttons it has. But you do not remember how many chapters there are in Matthew.” This simple illustration shows us that we may love an article of clothing more than we love the Lord Jesus. Anything that we love more than the Lord is an idol.
Some Christians have never shed a single tear for the Lord Jesus, but they have shed many tears for their clothing. This proves that they love clothing more than the Lord Jesus. Others may care for things such as a doctoral degree or a high position. Still others may desire fame or may want to make a name for themselves. All these things are idols. We need the Lord’s redeeming blood to cleanse us not only from all our filthiness but also from all our idols.