Ezekiel 38:23

Eze 38:23 Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I [am] the LORD.

Ver. 23. Thus will I magnify myself.] This end God proposeth to himself in all his works; and well he may, since he hath none higher than himself to whom to have respect. And let all this that hath been said comfort us against the rage and good success, if any such yet be, of the antichristian rout, since these are but - as he said once of decaying Carthage - the last sprunts and bites of dying wild beasts.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

23. Thus will Jehovah magnify himself—manifest his greatness and power; and sanctify himself—shew himself to be “holy,” i.e. one who is God, Eze_36:23. Then shall he be known as that which he is by all the nations of the earth.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Thus, in this most dreadful manner, will I magnify myself; undeniably prove that I am the mighty, just, faithful, wise, holy, and merciful God toward my people, and that I am the great, just, and terrible One against mine and my church’s enemies.

Sanctify myself; declare I am holy and true to my word.

Many nations; many heathen nations shall see this in the execution of my judgments, and own it to my praise, that I am, and none else is, the Lord.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

God sanctifying himself.

I AN EXPLANATION OF THE FACT. What is it for God to sanctify himself? Man is sanctified when he is set apart for God; and this sanctification is needed in the case of man because he has been alienated from God and devoted to the world. Further, in the case of man, sanctification involves purification, and perhaps the first thought that occurs to us when the word is mentioned is that sin is to be purged out of the heart, and holiness infused by the influence of the Holy Spirit. But now all these notions are inapplicable to God. He is the Lord, not the servant, and he is not, therefore, to be thought of as set apart for any purpose. He never failed in his position, and he does not need the recovery and rededication which we understand by sanctification. Lastly, he never sinned, and therefore he requires no purification. What, then, is meant by God sanctifying himself? The idea seems to be partly interpreted by the earlier phrase, "Thus will I magnify myself." God has not been rightly appreciated by men. His supreme majesty and his ineffable holiness have been slighted. The awful separateness of character which distinguishes between God and man has not been enough regarded. Thus, though God himself has remained unchanged as he is unchangeable, his Name has been profaned. When the Name of God is rescued and restored to its true place of honor, God is said to be sanctified.

II A DESCRIPTION OF THE PROCESS. If this is the sanctification of God, how is it brought about? We are here told that God accomplishes it himself. He is the great Sanctifier. He sanctifies his people by his Spirit. He says, "Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself.

1. This is done by revelation. God manifests himself. His Name was dishonored while his greatness was hidden. He unveils his glory, and then men are amazed to read his great Name. Thus it is rescued from degradation.

2. This is done in judgments. God comes down among defiant men and scatters his foes. The heathen once regarded him as on a level with their own gods. But now his supremacy and therefore his separateness are seen. Thus God is known among the nations and sanctified among men.

3. This is done in spiritual experience. The sanctification by judgments is an external process. It may arouse wonder and even create conviction, but it does not stimulate the veneration which includes love and true worship. But when God manifests himself to his people as he does not unto the world, his holiness and his goodness are brought home to them with a fresh force.

4. This is done in the sanctification of Gods people. They are called upon to sanctify the Lord God in their hearts. (1Pe_3:15) When the heart is consecrated to God, God"s holiness is confessed as it never was before. To be devoted to God is the way to recognize God"s supreme glory.

Making God great and holy.

"I magnify myself, and sanctify myself.

I GOD MAKING HIMSELF GREAT AND HOLY IN THE SIGHT OF MEN. We may ask:

1. Why God magnifies himself; and the answer will be Not for the mere purpose of self-glorification. We cannot think that of him "whose nature and whose name is Love". (see homily on Eze_36:16-21) We conclude that he desires and determines to make His Name to be had in reverence, and to cause himself to be honored as the Great and Holy One, because

(1) it is inherently right that it should be so; and because

(2) it is altogether and immeasurably advantageous and elevating to his children that it should be so; it is indeed the only way by which they can attain a true and worthy manhood; for it is reverence toward God which is the very root of human excellence and nobility.

2. How he magnifies himself. This is by

(1) all that he has said of himself in his Word;

(2) all that he makes known of his disposition and his character by his Divine providence;

(3) by the revelation of himself in the Person of his Son. In these three ways especially God makes us know how great he is, how great his majesty, his power, his goodness, his righteousness; and how holy he is, how utterly he hates sin, how determined he is to rebuke it, and not only to rebuke it, but to conquer and to expel it. Most especially does he "magnify and sanctify himself" in Jesus Christ; for in his Person and in his work we see the greatness of his love, and the intensity of his hatred of sin and the fixedness of his purpose to subdue and to extirpate it.

II OUR DUTY TO MAGNIFY HIM.

1. Why we should do so. Because:

(1) It is the one right thing for us to do. The Great One should be exalted; the Holy One should be honored, because he is great and holy, especially because his greatness is the greatness of goodness as well as of power, and because his holiness is crowned with patience and mercy.

(2) To revere God and magnify him in our heart is the one way to our own moral and spiritual elevation, to nobility of character, to excellency of life.

(3) It is distinctly the way to promote the happiness and well-being of the world.

2. How we can do so.

(1) In our spirit; by cherishing in our hearts the reverence that is "due to his Name;" i.e. due to himself for all that he is and has done for us.

(2) In our life. (see Php_1:20) By bringing all our actions into harmony with the known will of God; by living in such a way that we show ourselves to be loyal subjects of Jesus Christ, consulting his mind and obedient to his Word in everything; by making it clear that we are willing to put forth any effort or submit to any sacrifice in order that Christ may be great in the esteem and in the affections of men; thus we "magnify and sanctify" him.

(3) By our speech. We need not always be introducing the distinctive language of religion into our conversation; yet we may take opportunity in the home, as well as at the desk or in the pulpit, to commend Jesus Christ to the hearts of young and old, as that Divine Savior in whom to trust, as that Divine Lord in whose service they will find freedom, rest, and eternal life. C.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Magnify - Undeniably prove that I am the mighty, just, faithful, wise, holy, and merciful God. Sanctify - Declare I am holy, and true to my word.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.