NOTES for Eze 36:1-38
In his prophetic insight Ezekiel sees that the Lord carries out cleansing and correction "not for us," that is, not in accordance with our ideas and plans. We are unlikely to be able to imagine the beauty of our destiny, to understand what life we are called to. The artist of our salvation is God Himself. He leads us toward the goal He has conceived through our disobedience, our distrust of Him, our unreadiness to follow Him. He does this for the sake of His holy name, that is, for His own sake, for the sake of the love that our stone hearts, incapable of true love and true prayer, cannot cancel. But when we accept the good news of His mercy, our hearts soften, and our spirit is renewed, becoming capable of union with God's Spirit.