“And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.” (36:26-27)
This is a beautiful promise from God who continues to aim toward restoration. This same picture of regeneration was used back in chapter 11:
“And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God.”
(Ezekiel 11:19-20)
Notice the focus on a renewed heart, resulting in changed behavior. After the Bathsheba incident, David prayed, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10) Our struggle in the flesh begins in the heart: “They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.” (Ephesians 4:18)
Father, thank you for this reminder of 1) your desire to restore people for your name’s sake, and 2) my need to focus on my heart. Amen.
Speak Your Mind