Renewal of the Heart

Ezekiel 36:16-38

16 Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying: 17 "Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their own ways and deeds; to Me their way was like the uncleanness of a woman in her customary impurity. 18 Therefore I poured out My fury on them for the blood they had shed on the land, and for their idols with which they had defiled it. 19 So I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed throughout the countries; I judged them according to their ways and their deeds. 20 When they came to the nations, wherever they went, they profaned My holy name—when they said of them, 'These are the people of the LORD, and yet they have gone out of His land.' 21 But I had concern for My holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations wherever they went.

22 "Therefore say to the house of Israel, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy name's sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went. 23 And I will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the LORD," says the Lord GOD, "when I am hallowed in you before their eyes. 24 For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. 25 Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. 28 Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God. 29 I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses. I will call for the grain and multiply it, and bring no famine upon you. 30 And I will multiply the fruit of your trees and the increase of your fields, so that you need never again bear the reproach of famine among the nations. 31 Then you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good; and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight, for your iniquities and your abominations. 32 Not for your sake do I do this," says the Lord GOD, "let it be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel!"

33 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "On the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will also enable you to dwell in the cities, and the ruins shall be rebuilt. 34 The desolate land shall be tilled instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass by. 35 So they will say, 'This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden; and the wasted, desolate, and ruined cities are now fortified and inhabited.' 36 Then the nations which are left all around you shall know that I, the LORD, have rebuilt the ruined places and planted what was desolate. I, the LORD, have spoken it, and I will do it."

37 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "I will also let the house of Israel inquire of Me to do this for them: I will increase their men like a flock. 38 Like a flock offered as holy sacrifices, like the flock at Jerusalem on its feast days, so shall the ruined cities be filled with flocks of men. Then they shall know that I am the LORD."'"

God’s people had defiled their land with their own ways and actions, making it unclean no impure according to God’s word as the only true standard of good and evil which the tree of the knowledge of good and evil could not impart to Adam nor them.  Only listening to hear God speak and humbly doing according to all He told them would do.  Their way, our way, is to gratify self and desecrate worship and living by the lusts of the eye for coveting, the flesh for immoral pleasures, and the pride of living to imagine our ways of reasoning are better than those of our Creator’s.  God poured out His bowls of judgment on His people for their sin’s just judgement as the wages earned (Romans 6:23) for not living by His decrees, but knowing also that they needed to learn that it was impossible for fallen man to live in righteous ways (Romans 3:23) apart from a change from that corrupt heart leading them to follow their ways instead of His.  Therefore, He “judged them according to their ways and their deeds” until that time that they would see and be made able to understand these things (Galatians 3:22-23) and why they kept falling short.  That Law was their teacher to mature them to see their need (Galatians 3:24-25) of the grace of a supernatural change of heart (Jeremiah 31:33) by the work of the LORD.  No longer would God’s people profane His holy name wherever they went as they struggled to keep His word.  They looked to this promise for when He would rule their hearts by His Spirit, His actual presence in and with each one to guide and enable the sinner to live and think righteously that we may honor and worship in that beauty of holiness (1 Chronicles 16:29-30, Psalm 29:2, 96:9).  God promised Israel that He would show how holy He is for His name’s sake over their own, demonstrating to the world His righteousness and power as the only one to be worshiped and lived for as He dealt with their sin in grace and the merciful judgment of His divine discipline.  He would rescue the remnant, sprinkle cleansing water over them as the blood of the priests ministering to Him in the sanctuary, cleansing their sin and ours once and for all (Hebrews 9:12-14, 12:24).  He would cleanse His chosen ones from idolatry and immortality which had brought judgment on themselves.  He promised a new heart and spirit; a heart of flesh replacing stone tablets of the Law where the commandments would be desired and loved, His Spirit overwhelming our corrupt and sinful spirit which led us from our own lusts to follow His righteous desires.  He will then cause us to live according to His word which we are quite unable to do on our own with checklist laws on stony hearts and sinful spirits leading us to pursue good and evil apart from His necessary instructions day by day (Hebrews 5:14).  Only then can all His people dwell in His kingdom and live to please and worship rightly and righteously as newly born regenerated men and women.  Sin’s punishment is taken away and it’s consequences mitigated by grace and healing to be able to finally be fruitful and multiply to fill the earth with disciples of this good news which God wrought.  Our shame is removed as we reflect back on our former ways of evil abominations and pursue the good instead through confession and forgiveness (1 John 1:9).  Just as the nations surrounding Israel would see and glorify God for His transforming and redemptive work in the time of Ezekiel, so He sets us on display to the world to show his glory and grace for we who are transformed in Jesus Christ with a new nature and desires.  They will observe His flock and acknowledge He is our good Shepherd.  This is the promise of the renewal of the heart and mind which God promised His people and that has come to fruition in Christ at long last!