Friday, December 2—Ezekiel 36:25-27
The prophesy in Ezekiel is a promise of new things to come for the Israelites. It’s a reminder to us during the Advent that God keeps His promises, which are fulfilled in His perfect timing. What strikes me about the phrases in this passage is Who is making the changes. The good things to come are established and completed wholly by God.
The sprinkling of water reflects the historic laws God established for the Jews’ ritual cleansing, but foretells the blood of Jesus Christ which will cleanse God’s people once and for all. Through cleansing, a person’s relationship with the heavenly Father is completely restored. God promises to give His people a new heart, representing His commitment to send His very own Son to bring new life to His people. He promises to instill His Spirit in His people, providing eternal life and light. He promises to remove the heart of stone, which is a person’s unwillingness to view things from a heavenly perspective, and replace it with a heart of flesh, a heart that is open to His will. The Message notes the transformation is powered by God: “I’ll put my Spirit in you and make it possible for you to do what I tell you and live by my commands.”
Today, we know God fulfilled His prophecy with the birth, life, death and resurrection of His very own Son. He has already made this transformation possible for each one of us. The question is: have we accepted God’s gift of unimaginable grace? No negotiation is necessary. God has already completed the spiritual logistics. We simply have to accept the life He provided when He kept His promise.
Julie McGowan
