“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 ESV)
In the chapters leading up to this verse, the Lord, through Ezekiel, has been has been chastising the people of Judah. Judah was mired in the disgusting bog of sinfulness and unable to stand in God’s holy presence. Because of her sinfulness, as a God of justice and holiness, He was obligated to punish her so that the nations, all people, would know that He is true to His nature and that no one, not even those He cherishes, can sin with impunity; no one will escape judgment.
On the other hand, the Lord is merciful and kind and true. He will have compassion and will extend mercy and forgiveness to those He loves. He will make them into people He desires them to be, no by adherence to external laws but by making the very center of their being into one that is as loving, compassionate, merciful and holy as He is.
In the world there are many politicians, educators, self-help gurus, recovery groups, psychologists, psychiatrists and counselors who do not know or serve Jesus. Yet most of them make the claim that they can change human behavior. Though sometimes their systems and plans seem to work they all ultimately they fail because they do not admit that the core problem of human existence is sin and rebellion against God. Only the Lord can really change the human heart. Only He can take away the heart of stone, the heart that is hard and unyielding, bent on sin, selfishness, hatred and rebellion against Him. In its place He gives a heart of flesh, one that is soft, loving, flexible, one that He can mold into a heart that is on fire with love and the desire to glorify Him above all else.