The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, and majestic in his radiant splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Ezekiel 11:19-20,
"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."
In this chapter, Ezekiel tells of the vision the Lord has given him about the judgment he is bringing to those in Jerusalem. He says, "I will drive you out of the city and hand you over to foreigners and inflict punishment on you." Verse 9.
But the Lord also has a message of hope. He will be a sanctuary for them in their captivity, and he will eventually bring the captive Jews back to "the land of Israel" again.
And there is more. As we see in our passage above, he is going to do something incredible! He is going to change their hearts from within! He will put a new spirit in them, and they will be God's people! He is going to make a change within them that will result in them no longer facing his judgment!
This is that new covenant we read about in Jeremiah 31:33, "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people." The writer of Hebrews quotes this in Hebrews 8:10-12.
And, so, he sends his Son, Jesus Christ, to usher in a new age of God's favor! Our God is a God of hope!
He offers us escape from sin and his judgment it would bring. He gives us a new heart through rebirth!
What a God!
In this chapter, Ezekiel tells of the vision the Lord has given him about the judgment he is bringing to those in Jerusalem. He says, "I will drive you out of the city and hand you over to foreigners and inflict punishment on you." Verse 9.
But the Lord also has a message of hope. He will be a sanctuary for them in their captivity, and he will eventually bring the captive Jews back to "the land of Israel" again.
And there is more. As we see in our passage above, he is going to do something incredible! He is going to change their hearts from within! He will put a new spirit in them, and they will be God's people! He is going to make a change within them that will result in them no longer facing his judgment!
This is that new covenant we read about in Jeremiah 31:33, "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people." The writer of Hebrews quotes this in Hebrews 8:10-12.
And, so, he sends his Son, Jesus Christ, to usher in a new age of God's favor! Our God is a God of hope!
He offers us escape from sin and his judgment it would bring. He gives us a new heart through rebirth!
What a God!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
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