October 24, 2020: Day 63 – Ezekiel 11

Ezekiel is given good news to give to the exiles who found themselves scattered in Egypt, Assyria, and Babylon.  God points out to Ezekiel the root of the problem which was found in the individuals named Jaazaniah and Peltiah who were officials of the people.  It is because of them that the city of Jerusalem was going to be destroyed and all who inhabited that city would be driven out.  

As Ezekiel was relaying this news and Peltiah was actually in attendance, one of the folks who were at the root of the problem, Peltiah died.  This kind of shook Ezekiel up.  He fell on the ground and asked if there would be any of the remnant that would remain after God was done with all of the work, all of the massacre, that he promised he would do.  

This is where the good news comes and this is where we find verses which we should have heard before in some setting.  Look at vs.19 and we hear that God will give those who come back to him after this tragedy a heart of flesh after he has sent His Spirit upon them and removed their heart of stone.  A heart of stone is one which is set in its ways and which cannot change or adapt based upon what God wants us to do.  As a result of all this once again: “They shall be my people, and I will be their God.”  God will gather His people from all the places where they were scattered and bring them back again.  This is good news for Israel.

As Christians we have taken this Scripture and applied it to our understanding of the new covenant which will be placed upon our hearts.  It is a covenant not based upon the law, or the stone, but based upon the life, death, and resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ, or flesh.