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Encouraging the body of Christ, and all other seekers of truth, to appreciate the rich spiritual treasures that reside in Scripture

Saturday, November 9, 2013

The Hardness of Man; The Holiness of God



"Woe to the shepherds of Israel who only take care of themselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock?" 
-Ezekiel 34:2b


"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh."
-Ezekiel 36:26

The account of Ezekiel is an exhaustive, complex study. After all, this biblical chronicle is filled with unorthodox displays and acts, displays and acts that were instituted to jolt the covenantal people of Israel out of a state of spiritual apathy. The record of Ezekiel contains many sad examples of Hebrew rebellion, idolatry, and false prophecies. And many within the covenantal community did not accept responsibility for their wrongdoing. By and large, the people of Israel refused to admit that they had engaged in deplorable behavior. Humanity often tries to deflect blame and avoid accountability. And through Ezekiel's divine proclamations the Lord laid to rest the notion that His holy justice was not warranted or needed. And even though the reckonings of God may not always make sense, within every movement of the Lord is a divine purpose and reason.

Powerfully embedded within the rich text of Ezekiel is a contrasting theme: the hardness of man and the holiness of God. Ezekiel 34:2 provides us one example of the callous nature of humanity. In the latter half of Ezekiel 34:2 God declared that the shepherds of Israel had refused to care for their flocks. The usage of the term shepherd reflected many roles of great influence within the Jewish nation at the time, such as priests, prophets, and princes. And God candidly called attention to the fact that the shepherds of people had neglected the needs of the people. Instead, the societal elite had chosen to use their positions for expansion of personal profit and expansion of personal power. 

But not too long after God rightly pointed out the despicable lack of mercy or compassion flowing from Israel's leaders the Lord revealed the nature of His benevolence. In Ezekiel 36:27 God stated that he would take the national heart of stone and transform into a heart of flesh. Matthew Henry once wrote, in effect, that the changing from a heart of stone to a heart of flesh denoted a disposition metamorphosis. Stone is rigid and is therefore not malleable. It cannot receive an imprint from an external source. But flesh is sensitive to outside forces. It is tender and soft. It is receptive to impressions and injection from without. 
The working of God to reform and revive dead hearts is undeserved. Just as the return of the Israelites from exile to Jerusalem was without human merit so too God's supernatural refashioning of the heart is not due to even the best of human efforts. No amount of good we could accomplish could ever eradicate all the bad we have done. But God's grace lovingly flows from His heavenly throne and because of this hearts of stone can become hearts of flesh.     


I can’t help but correlate this vein of thought with a passage I recently read in Acts. Per Acts 3 a crippled man was daily carried into the temple grounds in Jerusalem. Handicapped from birth, and now over forty years old, the debilitated individual was continually brought into the Jewish worship complex where he begged for money, supplies, and overall assistance from people on their way to and from Hebrew praise observances. In this we learn that the crippled man was wholly reliant on the generosity of others within the covenantal community to sustain his life. He had likely known despair and destitution for a long time. But one day the apostles Peter and John journeyed to the temple for a prayer service. As Peter and John approached the temple gate the handicapped beggar called out to them, seeking a monetary handout. Scripture states that Peter stopped and asked the handicapped beggar to look at him. The crippled man then locked eyes on Peter, fully expecting to receive silver or gold. In other words, he sought something material to help make it through another day. But Peter declared that he did not have silver or gold to give. Instead, he was prepared and ready to offer a miraculous blessing. In the power of the name of Jesus Christ, Peter told the crippled beggar to stand up and walk. 

And here is where a point of divine intersection occurs. The handicapped man, who had only known a heart of stone was given an opportunity to know a heart of flesh, and a life of faith. When Peter stretched out his hand to help the crippled individual to his feet he essentially invited the beggar to become spiritually revived and refreshed. The courage it took for the man to accept Peter’s hand and help was immense. It required deep trust to believe that Peter’s offer was no cruel prank or joke. It required deep trust to believe that Peter had been granted supernatural authority and ability. And the Bible seems to indicate that it was only upon extending his hand in faith that the crippled man became crippled no more (Acts 3:7). Believe then receive, not the other way around. 

The beggar in Acts 3 had to break away from over forty years of discouragement and despair. He had to break away from forty years of shame, embarrassment, and ridicule. He had to break away from forty years of debilitating thoughts, thoughts that had likely consumed and plagued him relentlessly. He had to break away from his former life, and embrace life anew in Christ. He had to lead, not with his feet, but with his heart. And as a result, a heart of stone was transformed into a heart of flesh. And a heart of flesh can tenderly and gratefully discover the knowledge of God’s great and awesome power. 

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