A new heart from God

The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, the people of Jerusalem have said of your fellow exiles and all the other Israelites, ‘They are far away from the Lord; this land was given to us as our possession’” (Ezekiel 11:14-15).

• Ezekiel heard the Word of the Lord.
• The men in Jerusalem said this about Ezekiel’s common ancestors and the whole house of Israel.
• “They are far away from the Lord.”
• Some had wandered away from God.
• The wording here suggests property redeemed by those in the family who were kinsmen—as in the story of a kinsman redeemer in Ruth’s story.¹
• They (those in Jerusalem) claimed they had received the land inheritance God intended for all Israel.

*Why was the land given to “us”—the people of Jerusalem—as their possession?

*What does it mean to be far away from the Lord?

“Therefore say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Although I sent them far away among the nations and scattered them among the countries, yet for a little while I have been a sanctuary for them in the countries where they have gone.’

“Therefore say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will gather you from the nations and bring you back from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you back the land of Israel again’” (Ezekiel 11:16-17).

• God cast them off and scattered them far away among the nations.
• God existed as their holy and sacred place for a short time.
• It’s unclear here if they stayed with God, seeking refuge in Him, and then chose to wander away, or if after a time God removed His sanctuary.
• He is a refuge for those who seek Him.
• “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1).
• It reads as if they chose to leave God, since He was there for them where they had gone.
• God would gather them and bring them back from the nations.
• God said He would give them back the land of Israel again.

*Who did God scatter? Why did God scatter them?

*Why was God a sanctuary for them “for a little while”?

*How might these verses remind us of God’s remnant?

“They will return to it and remove all its vile images and detestable idols. I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God. “But as for those whose hearts are devoted to their vile images and detestable idols, I will bring down on their own heads what they have done, declares the Sovereign Lord” (Ezekiel 11:18-21).

• They would return and remove all the vile images and detestable idols. Would they really do this?
• They would no longer blaspheme against God—speak irreverently about Him.
• Listen to these amazing promises from God to those He would bring back from exile.
• Given God’s character, I believe these promises can be for anyone who turns back to God.

“This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people” (Hebrews 8:10).

“But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. … And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit” (Ephesians 2:13, 22).

• God would give them an undivided heart, single-minded in its focus.
• God would give them a new spirit that would impact their moral character and attributes.²
• This Spirit of God within them would dwell in their inner heart and being.³
• God would remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh—alive and well.
• With a new heart, they would (willingly) follow God’s decrees and keep His laws.
• They would be His people, and He would be their God.
• They would walk according to God’s decrees and guard and preserve His law.
• God’s character is consistent. We read these promises at other moments in Israel’s history.

“I will surely gather them from all the lands where I banish them in my furious anger and great wrath; I will bring them back to this place and let them live in safety. They will be my people, and I will be their God” (Jeremiah 32:37-38).

• We are grafted in as His people; God will deal with us according to His consistent nature of love, justice, and mercy.

“If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, do not consider yourself to be superior to those other branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you” (Romans 11:17-18).

• God’s judgment to bring their deeds upon them in judgment has the idea of vengeance⁴ for their evil against the Lord.

*How would you describe a heart of stone and a heart of flesh and the difference between them?

*What does it mean to have an undivided heart and a new spirit?

*Why does God do this for those who turn back to Him in repentance?

*What does it mean to bring their deeds upon them (in judgment)?

Then the cherubim, with the wheels beside them, spread their wings, and the glory of the God is Israel was above them. The glory of the Lord went up from within the city and stopped above the mountain east of it. The Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the exiles in Babylonia in the vision given by the Spirit of God. Then the vision I had seen went up from me, and I told the exiles everything the Lord had shown me (Ezekiel 11:22-25).

• The cherubim spread their wings and the glory of the Lord was above them.
• The glory of the Lord went up from the city and stopped above the mountain east of Jerusalem.
• Ezekiel recognized the activity of the Spirit of God; not everyone in ancient history encountered the Holy Spirit.
• At this point the Spirit lifted Ezekiel and brought him from Jerusalem to the exiles in Babylon in a vision.
• The vision left Ezekiel and he then told the exiles everything the Lord had shown him.

 

*Why do you think the cherubim spread their wings?

*How would you feel if you were in exile and Ezekiel told you about his vision? (as described in chapter 11)?

*What do we learn about God’s character through this vision?

*What do we learn about God through His Words to Israel?

 

 

1. Warren Baker, D.R.E., General Editor. The Complete Word Study Old Testament (King James Version). (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 1994) 177
2. Ibid., 1040
3. Ibid., 1012
4. Ibid., 1025