An Obedient Heart (Ezekiel 36:26-27)

When we see catastrophes resulting from someone's evil intentions, Sandy Hook Elementary, Columbine, 9-11, child trafficking, etc., we might wonder how anyone could be so evil. Events like this confuse us because we would never think of doing something so evil toward innocent people. Many times, other people's evil makes no sense to us, but our evil is justified.

David

In the Old Testament, we have an example of these catastrophes in David. He was among the greatest of the Israelites. Let's consider him because David is called a man after God's own heart. He loved the Lord and wanted God's name to be glorified. He was careful to do God's commands. Do we relate to David? He's a man we want to resemble. Who doesn't remember the story of David stepping up to defeat Goliath with complete faith and trust in the Lord? That's who we want to be like. Here is a man who is faithful and selfless. Plus, he wins every battle.

Okay, we may not resemble David. How many of us would go up in a battle against someone who is nearly ten feet tall, heavily armed, and armored with nothing but a few rocks. I don't think so. That's like carrying a knife to a gunfight. We don't resemble David, but we want to be like him. His rags to riches story has Hollywood written all over it. He is the best we could hope to be.

God took care of David. He protected him and won many battles for David. In response, David was an obedient and great king. There were times when he suffered greatly, but it all worked out in the end.

There is just one problem with being like David. Even David fell. Unlike our movies today, David has a miserable fall. All of his prosperity hardened his heart so that he committed adultery and murder.

When we hear that story, our hearts ache. We don't want to believe that someone so good and pure could do something so horrible.

Us

The truth is that we are all incredibly broken people. Israel and David show us a significant problem with our hearts. Whether we are stubborn and rebellious from the beginning or obedient and righteous, all of us fall short of the good and righteous lives God wants us to live. Who here has lived entirely righteous lives? Maybe it's possible to be righteous from the standard that the world sets, but what about if we hold ourselves up to God's standard? Who here has ever worshipped an idol? You may not know what I mean, so let me say it this way. Who here has ever loved someone or something more than we love God? Have you ever lied? Have you ever lusted after someone or something that is not yours? Have you ever hurt someone in anger, physically or emotionally? How many sins have you committed in your lifetime? What should we do?

After David is caught in his sin, he begs God for mercy.

Psalm 51:1--3 (ESV) --- 1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! 3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.

Then, he says something we need to take note of.

Psalm 51:6 (ESV) --- 6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.

He points out that God wants us to be open and honest about our current condition. He wants us to confess our sinfulness and open our hearts to the truth. This honest evaluation of our hearts pleases God and gives us wisdom. Will you admit your sinfulness? After this, he asks God to do something for him.

Psalm 51:10 (ESV) --- 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

He asks God to create a new heart and renew a right spirit within him. David recognizes that the evil he has done is due to the corruption in his heart. He needs a heart transplant. His heart is filthy with the evil, sinful desires of this world, and he doesn't know how to get rid of them. Have you ever felt that? Do you feel that right now? If our hearts are in line with the world, we are opposed to God. Notice what David says next.

Psalm 51:11--12 (ESV) --- 11 Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.

Why does David say this? David recognizes that he cannot join God if he is sinful. The corruption of his heart makes him unworthy because God is holy, meaning that he is uncorrupted. David knows this, and he wants God to clean him to have a relationship with God again. If God refuses to forgive David of his sins, David will lose God's love and blessings. So he pleads for God to stay with him and forgive him of his sins. He wants God to restore him and uphold him. What do you think? Should God forgive him? He has committed adultery and murdered someone! That's how hard his heart has been. We might say no, but David knows how gracious and compassionate God is. Listen to what he goes on to say.

Psalm 51:16--17 (ESV) --- 16 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

Some might say that David needs to make tremendous sacrifices to atone for his sins. He needs to sell everything he has and give it to the poor. But David says that God would not delight in sacrifice, or he would give it. It would never be enough to atone for what he has done. God delights in David's broken spirit. He delights in his total submission and pursuit of God's forgiveness.

Is this true? Does God want this from us when we sin against him? Is God willing to give us a new heart and a new spirit when we come to him in humility, begging for forgiveness? Is he willing to accept us again into his presence without us offering a tremendous sacrifice?

The Promise

Not only is God willing, but he also promises to do this multiple times in the Old Testament.

Jeremiah 31:33--34 (ESV) --- 33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

Ezekiel 11:19--20 (ESV) --- 19 And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, 20 that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God.

Ezekiel 36:26--28 (ESV) --- 26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. 28 You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God.

God promises to turn their heart of stone into a heart of flesh. He will give all of his people one heart and a totally new spirit so that they join together and keep God's rules and obey God's commands. God will write his law on their heart so that they will desire the will of God in everything they do. Finally, they will be God's treasured possession, and he will be their God.

Think about how monumental that is. These people have shown themselves to be stubborn and rebellious for centuries. How is God going to accomplish such a drastic transformation?

Zechariah 7:12 (ESV) --- 12 They made their hearts diamond-hard lest they should hear the law and the words that the Lord of hosts had sent by his Spirit through the former prophets. Therefore great anger came from the Lord of hosts.

They were tremendously hard-hearted! But God is going to soften those hard hearts somehow. How?

Fulfillment

When Jesus comes onto the scene, we get the picture that Israel is as hard-hearted as ever. The parable of the sower illustrates the many ways people refuse to listen to the word of God given to them. Even those who hear it gladly are rejecting it when trials or temptations come. Even the religious leaders reject the word of God entirely so that they can glorify themselves.

John 3:19--20 (ESV) --- 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.

People see the light of Jesus, and they stubbornly reject it so they can live for themselves and enjoy sin. How is God going to change this?

We know the answer. Jesus died for mankind to see the value of light over darkness. Jesus was willing to suffer a brutal and tragic death to offer forgiveness of sins to those who humbly admit their failures. He provided the sacrifice we could not provide for ourselves. Now, we can come to God with a broken spirit and know that he forgives us of our sins. God has poured his love on us by sending his Son to die for us.

What happened when God did this? This good news totally changed men and women. The gospel cut their hard heart, and the gospel gave them a new heart to faithfully serve God. Jesus fulfilled the promise to give men new hearts.

Example

The prime example of this is Saul of Tarsus. Saul was throwing innocent people in prison to make himself look good and protect his way of life. Those innocent people were God's people. He was, on some level, responsible for their loss of property and death. The good news of Jesus' death transformed Saul so much that he changed his name to Paul. Listen to how this evil man was talking about Jesus in Philippians 3.

Philippians 3:8--15 (ESV) --- 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith--- 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you.

He was willing to give up everything, not because he had to earn God's affection, but because he loved God so much. He wanted to know more about God. He wanted to know Jesus intimately and live as he lived. God completely transformed his heart and spirit!

What About Us?

Has the truth of Jesus transformed our lives? Was the acceptance of Jesus' sacrifice a turning point in your life? I'm afraid many still have a heart of stone. They went through the motions hoping to receive the blessings of heaven, but they never intended to do God's will. God didn't save us because he loves for us to be stubborn and rebellious. He saved us because we were broken and committed ourselves to obey his word.

When we did that, God gave us a new heart and a new spirit to grow spiritually mature in Christ.

2 Corinthians 3:3 (ESV) --- 3 And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV) --- 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

Our hearts have the truth of who God is written on them. God is patient, compassionate, loving, and abounding in steadfast love for us. He was willing to save us when we were enemies, but he will by no means clear the guilty. We know this, and it transforms every facet of our lives. We don't want to sin anymore.

Israel's Heart

For instance, what's wrong with Israel in the Old Testament? They never seem to get it right. After all that God does for them, they don't seem to get it. God shows them how powerful he is on multiple occasions. He destroys all of their enemies, provides for them, helps them develop a good society with good laws, and lets them draw near to him for worship. Why is Israel so evil? Have you ever wondered that?

To give an example to back this up. We see God save Israel by his mighty power through the ten plagues and the Red Sea. Do you know what the people said while God was saving them?

Exodus 14:8 (ESV) --- 8 And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the people of Israel while the people of Israel were going out defiantly.

They were going out defiantly. What does that mean? Were they defying Egypt and being proud? Were they defying God and not wanting to leave their home in Egypt? I'm not sure which it is, but notice what happens when Pharoah catches up to them.

Exodus 14:10--14 (ESV) --- 10 When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord. 11 They said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” 13 And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. 14 The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”

Later in this same book, we will see that they agree to the Ten Commandments, but then they turn around and build a golden calf in direct violation of a command. What is that about? How does someone get so bad that they can't keep a simple command like that? Imagine a movie where someone is saved from a hostage situation and given a fortress to protect them from ever being enslaved again. Then, imagine the person doesn't believe they are safe in the fortress, so he wants to go back to the bad guys? Their unbelief makes no sense. All they have to do is obey, and God will take care of everything for them!

Why is Israel this way? The answer is that their time in Egypt has brought about a hardening of their hearts. They are "stubborn and rebellious." The funny thing is that God knew they would be. This rebelliousness wasn't a shock to God. He decided to save stubborn and rebellious people. Look at what God said before bringing them into the promised land.

Deuteronomy 31:16--21 (ESV) --- 16 And the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, you are about to lie down with your fathers. Then this people will rise and whore after the foreign gods among them in the land that they are entering, and they will forsake me and break my covenant that I have made with them. 17 Then my anger will be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them and hide my face from them, and they will be devoured. And many evils and troubles will come upon them, so that they will say in that day, ‘Have not these evils come upon us because our God is not among us?’ 18 And I will surely hide my face in that day because of all the evil that they have done, because they have turned to other gods. 19 “Now therefore write this song and teach it to the people of Israel. Put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the people of Israel. 20 For when I have brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey, which I swore to give to their fathers, and they have eaten and are full and grown fat, they will turn to other gods and serve them, and despise me and break my covenant. 21 And when many evils and troubles have come upon them, this song shall confront them as a witness (for it will live unforgotten in the mouths of their offspring). For I know what they are inclined to do even today, before I have brought them into the land that I swore to give.”

They are inclined to do evil even before God brought them into the promised land. God knew it, but he still brought them in and blessed them. Why would God do that, knowing that he would have to judge them later? The reason is found back in Deuteronomy 7.

Deuteronomy 7:6--11 (ESV) --- 6 “For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. 7 It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, 8 but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 9 Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations, 10 and repays to their face those who hate him, by destroying them. He will not be slack with one who hates him. He will repay him to his face. 11 You shall therefore be careful to do the commandment and the statutes and the rules that I command you today.

God wants a holy people who love him and are careful to keep his commandments. He is willing to do everything to make that happen. In a sense, we could look at all of the work of God throughout the Old Testament as God trying to woo Israel to love him. Think about it. He redeems them from Egypt, gives them food and drink, calls them his treasured possession, and teaches them how they should live. He shows them how good life can be with him, but they still don't care enough to keep his commands. They have access to all the power and strength of God, but they don't believe him, and they refuse to trust him. When they are at the border of the promised land, they refuse to go in because they think God will let them die.

That's Not Us?

Overall, the story of Israel is a story of hard-heartedness. But it's easy for us to look at them in disgust, thinking that they are primitive and ignorant. We would never do anything like that. If we had God talk to us and do many mighty works like that, we would be utterly obedient to him and trust him.

But it is us. We become proud when we are saved by God. We hear the commands of God and turn to idols. It's not so far fetched for us to forget that God fights for us when we are faced with an enemy. We fail to believe in God and we fail to trust him. These are signs that our heart is not made of flesh like it should be. We have stubborn, rebellious, and unbelieving hearts that need God's help!

Conclusion

Is there anyone here who is not broken? We cannot fix ourselves, but God promises to give us a new heart and God's spirit. When we accept Jesus and submit to his reign over our lives, he helps us change. Jesus brings a total transformation from the inside out because our minds and hearts can see, feel, and understand God's love. This understanding is the ultimate gift that Jesus gives to us. It has the power to transform our lives.

If you are here and have experienced that transforming power, the Hebrew writer wants us to hold onto it and encourage one another to avoid another hardening. When we read and study scripture without letting it affect our hearts, we grow hardened toward them. When we let the world deceive us and pull us away from God, there is a hardening toward the righteousness and holiness of God. God called us to be tender-hearted people who conform to the image of Christ. That should be our passion and greatest desire. Don't let that go.

If you are here and realize that your heart is still hard as stone, see the light. Hear the words of Jesus and rejoice over the grace that is offered to you. Respond with submission and obedience to the Lord, and he will begin a tremendous work in your life.