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The idea of getting a new heart sounds like good news - it sounds beautiful and poetic. But in order to appreciate a new heart, we need to understand what a hard heart is and why it’s a problem.
If you missed yesterday’s email, you can read it here.
In today’s email…
🏛️ What a hard heart is and why it’s a problem
🌱 A passage to read and one question to sit with
🧠 A trivia question from the first half of Ezekiel 36
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MEMORIZE 🧠
And I will give you a ___ _____, and a ___ ______ I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of _____ from your flesh and give you a _____ of _____.
Ezekiel 36:26
TOGETHER WITH TYNDALE
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With study notes and devotional questions each day, you’ll see the unfurling of God’s work among his people. Even better, you’ll also see your place in God’s grand story!
CONTEXT 📕
I’m naturally a pretty cheerful person. I prefer talking about beautiful things. I read feel-good books and surround myself with people who keep it light.
But my optimism can sometimes mean I miss what’s right in front of me: A friend’s real pain. My own shortcomings. Or when something is really messed up.
If I’m not careful, I can “gloss over” these very real difficult parts of life.
Whatever your natural disposition, it’s normal to want to skip to the good part.
But before we fully understand God’s promise in our memory verse, we need to understand why it was necessary.
What is a hard heart or heart of stone? And what’s so wrong with it that it needs to be replaced?
When we look at the Israelites’ actions and God’s promise to them (v16-28), the problem makes much more sense.
Israel’s sin was not a small flaw to gloss over. Their rebellion, idolatry, and wickedness were serious offenses against God.
The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, when the house of Israel lived in their own land, they defiled it by their ways and their deeds…So I poured out my wrath upon them for the blood that they had shed in the land, for the idols with which they had defiled it.
Israel was supposed to be a mirror reflecting God’s holiness to the surrounding nations. Instead, they had become just like those who surrounded them.
Here are some of the indicators or symptoms of a hard heart that I got from this passage:
Compromised: A hard heart is influenced by others to stray from God’s way.
Idolatrous: A hard heart clings to created people or things instead of worshiping God.
Defiled and in need of cleansing: A hard heart is polluted by sin and needs God to wash it clean.
Rebellious: A hard heart resists God’s commands and insists on its own way.
Unholy: A hard heart fails to honor God’s holy name before others.
Cold: A hard heart does not naturally love God, trust Him, or desire to obey Him. It is distant from Him.
In need of renewal: Just like a surgeon can’t do heart surgery on himself, a hard heart cannot transform itself. God must give a new heart and a new spirit.
In need of the Holy Spirit: A hard heart needs God’s Spirit within, enabling true obedience.
At its core, a heart of stone is resistant to God, His ways and His commands.
But the good news of Ezekiel 36:26 is that God does what we cannot: He gives His people a new heart that desires to know, love, and obey Him.
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.
APPLY AND RESPOND 🏃♂
📖 Read: Ezekiel 36:22-29a
👂️ Reflect:
Is there a corner of my own heart that has grown hard and calloused? Where does my heart need renewal?
🙏 Pray
Father, you do not rush past the difficult parts. Search my heart and show me if any part of it has hardened. Help me by your Spirit to always remain soft and open to you. Thank you for offering me a new heart, even today. Amen.
TRIVIA 📊
Click one of the options below to choose your answer. Let’s see how you do…
Ezekiel 36 opens with God telling the prophet to preach a sermon. Who or what is the audience of that opening sermon?
ANSWER KEY ✅
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.
Ezekiel 36:26
God’s invitation is simple:
When we look — really look — at the hard places, we can bring them before God and experience greater freedom and renewal.
Best,
The Malachi Daily team 🙏
Today’s Contributors
Eljoh is a South African writer, editor, and artist with a Master’s in Practical Theology. She creates resources to help believers of all ages abide in Christ and grow in faith. Explore more free resources and creative tools at Vine Creative Studio.
Kieran is a husband and father of 4 living in NJ. In addition to Malachi Daily, he writes a personal newsletter about the intersection of faith, fatherhood and entrepreneurship.
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