The book of Ezekiel takes its title from the priest of the same name, son to a man named Buzi. Ezekiel’s priestly lineage shines through in his prophetic ministry; he often concerned himself with topics such as the temple, the priesthood, the glory of the Lord, and the sacrificial system.
As a priest, Ezekiel was deeply concerned with restoring God’s people to holiness. His understanding of the depth of Israel’s sin is clear in his version of Israel’s history.
Ezekiel declares judgment on those clinging to false hope, but offers true hope to those who accept God’s judgment. He linked God’s judgment with the hope of a new heart and spirit.
A most important prophecy of Ezekiel is found in chapter 36:26-27, “I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my spirit within you so that you walk in my statutes, observe my ordinances, and keep them.
This prophecy is a powerful and hopeful message of renewal, transformation, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. It speaks to the promise of God to bring about inner transformation in the lives of His people, and to empower them to walk in obedience and faithfulness.”
I recently read, “Heart is used in Scripture as the most comprehensive term for the authentic person. It is the part of our being where we desire, deliberate, and decide. It has been described as "the place of conscious and decisive spiritual activity," "the comprehensive term for a person as a whole; their feelings, desires, passions, thought, understanding and will," and "the centre of a person. The place to which God turns.”
Our Heavenly Father, open our hearts to Your Word and ways. Thank you, for being tendered hearted to us, teach us to be tenderhearted to others. Take away our stony, stubborn, self-centred hearts and replace them with new hearts that are loving and caring. Like the sunflower blossoms are different but join together into a beautiful display, teach us to join together, displaying love and compassion for each other. In Jesus’ holy name. Amen
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