SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 4/15/2015
6:15 PM
My Worship Time Focus:
God’s Transformation of His people PT-3
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Ezekiel
36:31-38
Message of the
verses: We have been looking at how
God will transform the nation of Israel in the last days but also applying it
to how the Lord Jesus Christ has transformed believer’s lives in the church
age. They are similar because they have
to be. At the end of this SD I want to
quote a rather long note from my John MacArthur Study Bible on much of this
section. This is a very rich section of
Scripture to which I am so thankful for the truths that we can find in it.
Our sixth transformation that we look at in this SD is “The
people will abhor their sins.” I am in
kind of a debate as to whether or not we as believers have two natures. I have discussed this with my Pastor after
hearing a question and answer session from John MacArthur’s church in which he
answered a ladies question which was whether or not we have a sin nature by
saying that we do not. I was taken back
a bit with that answer but his reason for answering it that way was of a verse
that says in 2Co 5:17 “Therefore if
anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold,
new things have come.” For if a man is in Christ he becomes a new person
altogether—the past is finished and gone, everything has become fresh and new.” This is from the Philips paraphrase
Bible. I have read a paper that my Pastor found on
the subject and the man that wrote it does not give a definitive answer to this
question either. The reason that I bring
this up is because there is a part of us that still enjoys our sin and whether
or not we call it our old nature of something else it is there and there is
also a part of us that was given to us when we became saved that hates sin and
always will. One of the reasons I look
forward to heaven is that this part of me, whatever it is called will be gone
forever. Ezekiel points out that in the
future day the people of Israel will look back and abhor their sin. When we
read Daniel nine and also Nehemiah nine we see that in both of these prayers
that these men offer up to God they are confessing their sins and the sins of
Israel which is why they ended up in Babylon.
Ezekiel writes in 36:31-32 the following “31 “Then you will remember
your evil ways and your deeds that were not good, and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight for
your iniquities and your abominations. 32 “I am not doing this for your sake," declares the
Lord GOD, "let it be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for
your ways, O house of Israel!"”
Dr. Wiersbe writes “One of the evidences of the Spirit’s
presence within is a growing sensitivity to sin and a strong desire to turn
away for it.” I truly agree with this
statement that as a person grows up in the Lord their sins will be hated more
and more.
Now we will look at the seventh bless that comes from the
Lord through His transformation of His people and that is “fellowship with the
Lord” and this comes from verse 37 of chapter 36: “37 Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will yet for
this be enquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them; I will increase
them with men like a flock (KJV).” In
Ezekiel’s day people could not inquire of the Lord or actually pray and be
heard and this is because they had to go to a priest to accomplish this, but in
our day and also in the times that Ezekiel is writing about that will not be
the case as we today are priests as seen in both Revelation and also in Peter’s
writings.
The eight blessing is “The multiplication of the population.”
Not really sure how this fits in with
our life in Christ with the exception of bringing people to come to know Him as
Savior and Lord, but when the time comes that Ezekiel is speaking of which I
believe he is speaking of the Millennial Kingdom there will be a great need in
having the population of the children of Israel to increase because as we are
learning in our study of the book of Revelation many will have been killed
during the Tribulation period, but we also have learned that the 144,000 Jewish
evangelists will still be alive at the end of the Tribulation Period. As we study the Scriptures we see at
different times that the population of Israel went from about 70 when they went
into Egypt and then 400 years later when they came out there were probably
around two million people. Next because
of their sin at Kadesh Barnbrna where Israel refused to go into the Promised
Land everyone over the age of twenty died in the wilderness. At the end of forty years there was actually
little difference in their population, but when Israel was taken captive in
Babylon their population went down a lot.
Next they went back into the Promised Land and it grew up again until 70
AD when Rome destroyed Jerusalem it went back down again. At this time in the nation of Israel there as
more Jews living there than in other parts of the world combined and so we see
God calling His people back to the nation of Israel. As written already it will go down again
during the Tribulation period and then as Ezekiel writes here God will increase
their flock.
Our ninth and last blessing is “The Lord will be
glorified,” and this is saving the best till last. 38 “Like the flock for sacrifices, like the
flock at Jerusalem during her appointed feasts, so will the waste cities be
filled with flocks of men. Then they will know that I am the LORD (Ezekiel
36:38).” We have seen this statement “Then
they will know that I am the Lord” in many different places in the book of
Ezekiel and this shows that God will receive glory for what He is doing with
Israel because He is the One doing it.
We know that Israel did not glorify God in their land, but as we are
learning from this passage and from our study of Revelation they will bring
glory to the Lord during the Tribulation Period and also in the Millennial
Kingdom.
Dr. Wiersbe concludes his commentary on this section with
the following paragraph: “Every
born-again believer sees a parallel here with his or her own experience of
faith in Christ. The Lord has washed us
(1 Cor. 6:9-11), given us new hearts and His Holy Spirit within, and because of
this, we should have a holy hatred for sin.
We have the privilege of communion with God and prayer for our needs,
plus a desire within to do His will. God
wants to make our lives abundantly fruitful so we will glorify His name. The Lord has made us a part of His New
Covenant (Heb. 8; 10) so that our union with Him through Christ is eternal and
unchanging. Hallelujah, what a Savior.”
He then writes the following endnote: “The
parallel between the present spiritual experience of the believer and the
future spiritual experience of the Jewish nation shouldn’t lead us to conclude
that these Old Testament promises to the Jews should really be applied to the
church. Whether in an Old Testament Jew,
a New Testament Christian, or a future Jewish citizen in the Messianic Kingdom,
regeneration is regeneration. It’s the
world of the Spirit in response to saving faith, and it’s a miracle of God.” To that I can say AMEN!
Now the following is a quote from the John MacArthur
Study Bible: “This section (36:25-31) is
among the most glorious in all Scripture on the subject of Israel’s restoration
to the Lord and national salvation. This
salvation is described in v. 25 as a cleansing that will wash any sin. Such washing was symbolized in the Mosaic
rites of purification (cf. Nu. 19:17-19; Ps. 119:9; Isa 4:4; Zec. 13:1). For the concept of sprinkling in cleansing
see Ps 51:1, 10 Heb. 9:13; 10:22. This
is the washing Paul wrote of in Eph. 5:26 and Titius 3:5. Jesus had this very promise in mind in John
3:5.
“What was figuratively described in v. 25 is explained as
literal in vv. 26, 27. The gift of the ‘new
heart’ signifies the new birth, which is regeneration by the Holy Spirit (cf.
11:18-29). The ‘heart’ stands for the
whole nature. The ‘spirit’ indicates the
governing power of the mind which directs thought and conduct. A ‘heart of stone’ is stubborn and
self-willed. A ‘heart of flesh’ is
pliable and responsive. The evil
inclination is removed and a new nature replaces it. This is New Covenant character as in Jer.
31:31-34.
“The Lord will also give His ‘Spirit’ to the faithful
Jews (cf. 39:29; Isa. 44:3; 59:21; Jowl 2:28, 29; Acts 2:16ff.). When Israel becomes the true people of God
(v. 28), the judgment promises of Hosea 1:9 is nullified. All nature will experience the blessings of
Israel’s salvation (vv. 29:30). When the
Jews have experienced such grace, they will be even more repentant—a sign of
true conversion (v. 31).
“Ezekiel profoundly proclaims the doctrines of conversion
and spiritual life. He includes
forgiveness (v. 25), regeneration (v. 26), the indwelling Holy Spirit (v. 27),
and the responsive obedience to God’s law (v. 27). These are all clearly presented as he prophesizes
Israel’s conversion. As a nation, they
will truly know their God (v. 38), hate their sin (vv. 31, 32), and glorify
their Savior (v. 32).” I realize that
these are similar to what we have been studying, but I believe well worth the
read.
4/15/2015 7:23 PM
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