God's Transformation for His People PT-1 (Ezek. 36:24-25)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 4/13/2015 9:13 PM

My Worship Time                                          Focus:  God’s Transformation for His People PT-1

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Ezekiel 36:24-25

            Message of the verses:  I want to begin with a quote from Dr. Wiersbe as he will set the stage for this important section of verses:  “In the last days, when God brings His chosen people back to the Promised Land (v. 24), He will change them spiritually; for, after all, only a transformed people can enjoy a transformed land.  The spiritual experience described in this section illustrates what happens to every sinner who trusts Jesus Christ.”  We will begin in this SD by looking at a number of the nine experiences that Ezekiel describes in these verses.

            Let us first look at the change of being cleansed by the Lord and this is seen by a picture of “sprinkling” which we see in verse 25, 29, and also in Ezekiel 37:23:  “25 "Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols.”  “"Moreover, I will save you from all your uncleanness; and I will call for the grain and multiply it, and I will not bring a famine on you (v. 29).”  “"They will no longer defile themselves with their idols, or with their detestable things, or with any of their transgressions; but I will deliver them from all their dwelling places in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them. And they will be My people, and I will be their God (Ezek. 37:23).”

            A while ago when I was studying the earlier books of the OT which contained the Mosaic Law I found that when one of the children of Israel would leave the camp they would be defiled and in his end note on this word Dr. Wiersbe writes:  “Defiled’ means ‘ceremonially defiled’ from coming in contact with some or something unclean.  See Leviticus 11-15.”  When that Jew would be returned to camp they had to be cleansed, and after receiving this cleansing they were brought back with the blessings of the covenant community.  The OT Law tells us how this cleansing was done, and it was done by sprinkling them with water or running water over them, and this water was prepared for this process.  Lev. 14:1-9; Num. 19; 8:5-7; Heb. 10:22 speak of this.  Let us look at Hebrews 10:22 “let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”  Water cannot spiritually cleanse your hearts but this cleansing was accomplished by the blood of Jesus Christ as seen in Ephesians 1:7 “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace.”  The death of Jesus Christ on the cross, the shedding of His blood is what cleanses us from our sins, but we have to accept that forgiveness in order to receive it.

We will continue looking at these illusatrations in our nest SD’s from this section.

4/13/2015 9:45 PM