New Spirit & Heart - Ezekiel 11

Ezekiel 11:19 - 20 "And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh: That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them; and they shall be my people, and I will be their God."

In Jeremiah we saw the physical goings on in Jerusalem. We saw one prophet who told the truth to the king and the people. There were many who failed to warn the people and prophesied to them things they themselves made up. In Ezekiel, we see the spiritual side of things. As the leaders turned the house of God into a temple of idol worship, we see the Lord moving out. It is a time when there seems no hope. Then we come to these two verses where hope is revived.

v5 "And the Spirit of the LORD fell upon me, and said unto me Speak; Thus saith the LORD; Thus have ye said, O house of Israel, for I know the things that come into your mind, everyone of them."

Whoops! They must have thought if they kept it in the head it would be a secret. Not so. Here the Lord reminds us that he knows our intent and our thoughts. I think that is why some were given the mark and spared in the last chapter because the Lord knew the sins of Israel grieved them in their heart and mind.

Pelatiah is given special mention as one that deceived the people:

v13 "And it came to pass, when I prophesied, that Pelatiah the son of Benaliah died. Then fell I down upon my face, and cried with a loud voice, and said, Ah Lord God! wilt thou make a full end of the remnant of Israel?"

This leads to the voice of hope in Ezekiel's ears. Those who came out of this judgment would be given a new heart to replace the stony one. Also, we have a promise that the Lord would not forsake them:

v16 "Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord God; Although I have cast them far off among the heathen, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet will I be to them as a little sanctuary int he countries where they shall come."

A little sanctuary... hope that the Lord would be there where ever they went.

I thing these things were suppose to be told to the people so that the story would go around and be remembered.

v25 "Then I spake unto them of the captivity all the things that the LORD had showed me."