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Ezekiel 36 (ESV)

²² “Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came. ²³ And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them. And the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Lord God, when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes. ²⁴ I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. ²⁵ I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you.

²⁶ 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. ²⁷ And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. ²⁸ You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God.

REFLECTION:

God not only cares about the salvation of the people of Israel, but also the salvation of all nations and peoples. If the people of Israel are allowed to stay in their sins and be taken captive forever by the enemy, then the people of those hostile countries will come to the conclusion that their god is more powerful than the God of Israel. God is the only true God, and will never allow false gods to share His glory. Therefore, in order to protect His holy name, God will call the exiled people scattered in the nations to return home and cleanse their lives so that they can manifest the glory of God. God promised not only to restore the nation of Israel physically, but also to restore the people of Israel spiritually. In order to achieve this goal, God will get rid of their heart of stone and give them a new heart and a new spirit, so that they will be able to do God’s will. This is the new covenant promised by God, and this new covenant is finally realized in Christ. No matter how unclean our past lives is, now God wants to give us a fresh start. After our sins are cleansed, we will get a “new heart” given by God, and the Spirit of God will enter us to help and guide us daily. “You shall be my people, and I will be your God.” If we receive this great promise from God, we will get all the abundance that God has given us. We should have this kind of faith, walk with God throughout our lives, look to God in all things, and experience His grace and love.

PRAYER:

Ask God to change the hidden stubbornness in your heart. This stubbornness may be hidden by your external humility and piety. It is not known to people but only you know it. Ask God to fix your eyes on His promise and make your heart soft and full of passion, obey the teachings of the Holy Spirit every day, and do not follow your own will to do things that are not pleasing to God.

HYMN:

Shepherd of my Soul – youtu.be/cucSmTlJ718