Not for your sakes do I this, saith the Lord
Not for any worth or worthiness in them; for any merit or desert of theirs; for any goodness in them, or works of righteousness done by them; no, it purely flowed from his own unmerited grace and goodness; for his own sake, and for his own glory, will he do it; see ( Deuteronomy 9:4-6 ) : be it known unto you;
this the Lord would have this people take notice of, who were very fond of their own righteousness and merits, and to trust therein, and ascribe much thereunto, as most men are too apt to do; and therefore, to take down their pride, and take them off of their boastings and vain opinions of themselves, he would have them know and acknowledge this; and be so far from placing any of the favours bestowed on them to the account of the merit of their good works, that they ought to take shame for their evil ones, as follows: be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel;
as men are when they are brought to a true sight and sense of them, and reflect upon the evil of them, and are brought to true repentance for them; see ( Ezekiel 16:61 Ezekiel 16:63 ) .