Ezekiel 11

18 Having disciplined His exiled people and having brought them back to their land, the Lord would then cleanse the land of its images and idols.

19–20 Finally, the Lord would give His restored people an undivided heart and a new spirit (verse 19). With an “undivided heart,” they would then love and obey the Lord with all their heart (Deuteronomy 6:4–5; 30:2); they would not be “half–hearted.” God would remove their heart of stone; that is, He would “circumcise” the hardness from their hearts (see Deuteronomy 30:6 and comment). Then they would have a heart of flesh on which God’s LAW could be “written” (see Jeremiah 31:33). In other words, God was promising to make a “new covenant” with the Israelites, a covenant written on their hearts (see Jeremiah 31:31–34 and comment). This new covenant would come into effect after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (see Hebrews 8:6–13; 9:15).

Not only would God change the people’s hearts but He would also give them a new spirit¹⁹ (verse 19), which would empower them to obey His commands and lead a godly life. “Then,” says the Lord, “they will follow my decrees and . . . keep my laws” (verse 20). Then the essence of the covenant would be realized:the renewed people would be God’s people, and He would be their God (see Exodus 6:7; Leviticus 26:12).

21 But all these promises would not come true for those who refused to repent and turn to God; instead, they would be judged according to their evil deeds.

22–25 Here Ezekiel comes to the end of his vision. The last thing he sees is the glory of the Lord leaving Jerusalem (verses 2223). Then the Holy Spirit “brought” Ezekiel back to Babylonia, and Ezekiel told the exiles everything he had seen in his vision (verses 24–25).

Before we leave this chapter, it’s well to reflect on that temple in Jerusalem. Once the glory of the Lord departed, that temple became an empty, meaningless shell. And so it is with church buildings today. As we go week after week to our house of worship, this one thing should be foremost in our minds: Is the glory of the Lord present in our church or not? The glory of the Lord has been manifested in Jesus Christ (John 1:14). Any church in which the crucified, risen and glorified Christ is not given central place is nothing but an empty shell; the glory of the Lord has departed from that church.