Today’s readings: Ezekiel 10-12, Psalm 81.
Ezekiel 11:14-21
And the word of the LORD came to me: 15 “Son of man, your brothers, even your brothers, your kinsmen, the whole house of Israel, all of them, are those of whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, ‘Go far from the Lord; to us this land is given for a possession.’ 16 Therefore say, ‘Thus says the LORD God: Though I removed them far off among the nations, and though I scattered them among the countries, yet I have been a sanctuary to them for a while in the countries where they have gone.’ 17 Therefore say, ‘Thus says the LORD God: I will gather you from the peoples and assemble you out of the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.’ 18 And when they come there, they will remove from it all its detestable things and all its abominations. 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. 21 But as for those whose heart goes after their detestable things and their abominations, I will bring their deeds upon their own heads, declares the LORD God.”
Once in a while a ray of light shines through the darkness. In this case it is a bright beam of God’s mercy and grace. His mercy is the kindness of his heart toward those who are suffering—and there is great need for such mercy. His people are suffering greatly, even though God has used Babylon to bring judgment and exile upon Judah. His grace is his undeserved kindness toward those who have sinned greatly and abandoned his ways.
Yet there is another ray of light shining through the darkness: justice and judgment. We want things to be right. We want others to do right by us. And when the scales are tipped badly to one side, we want them set right.
The scales were badly tipped in Ezekiel’s day. God’s holiness was disregarded. Pagan deities stood near the Temple. People worshiped other gods and rejected God’s prophets. Ezekiel was given the difficult task of witnessing to people who would largely ignore him, just as they had Jeremiah.
God would bring judgment. This passage ends with the sobering words, “But as for those whose heart goes after their detestable things and their abominations, I will bring their deeds upon their own heads, declares the LORD God.”
But before that judgment comes this remarkable promise:
“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.”
God doesn’t merely promise to set things right. He promises to make his people new. He will restore them, give them a new spirit, and change their hearts so that they will walk in his ways.
There is always this tension between grace and truth, mercy and justice. We speak of it as Law and Gospel. God’s Law guides us, restrains evil, and shows us our sin and our need for God’s grace. The Gospel shows us our Savior—the source of forgiveness, righteousness, redemption, hope, and salvation.
Our Lord Jesus lived the perfectly righteous life we have not lived. Then at the cross, justice and mercy met. He bore the judgment our sin deserves so that God’s grace and mercy might be ours. And God raised him from the dead in victory.
Those who are in Christ stand righteous before God, and he doesn’t leave us with hearts of stone. He gives us new hearts and his Spirit, working in us so that we trust him, walk in his ways, and reflect his mercy and justice to others.
Follow the Word is a daily Bible reading and devotional ministry of St. John Lutheran Church, Cypress, Texas.
David Bahn - Reflections 
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