“I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.”
~ Ezekiel 11:19
Hi James and Ellen,
Do you think sometimes that you are the brightest and brainiest kids in your school? Have your exploits and accomplishments made you narcissistically egotistical? How easy to you think that is for a guy, gal or kid to become delusional thinking that he or she has a perfect persona? After Nebuchadnezzar and his Babylonian people group’s army overran the city of Jerusalem in 597 B.C., Nebuchadnezzar’s army carried off to the country of Babylonia as exiles many of the guys, gals and kids who were living in the city of Jerusalem. After Nebuchadnezzar positioned Zedekiah to be the king over the guys and gals who lived in the land area of Judah and before Nebuchadnezzar and his Babylonian people group’s army returned to the city of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. to utterly ransack and ravage this key Israelite people group city that was located in the land area of Judah, a couple of arrogant fools – Jaazaniah and Pelatiah, decided they would take on being the enforcers over the guys, gals and kids who the Babylonian people group’s army had left in the city of Jerusalem to survive as best as they could. In between 597 B.C. and 586 B.C., a gang of 25 thugs – which were led by Jaazaniah and Pelatiah, terrorized the guys, gals and kids who the Babylonian people group’s army left in the city of Jerusalem to fend for themselves.
What do you think should happen to a guy, gal or kid who thinks – because of his or her ego, that he or she is indispensable? The pretentiousness of Jaazaniah and Pelatiah pushed God’s hot button. God – as God the Spirit, divinely, instantly translated or transported one of God’s prophet spokesmen – who was Ezekiel, from where he was at the time to the east gate entrance of God’s temple that was located in the city of Jerusalem. Ezekiel scribed in his Ezekiel Book – in Ezekiel 11, what God – as God the Father, tasked him to do in the city of Jerusalem – which was to confront the ring of 25 ruffians who were there and then – after being divinely, instantly translated or transported to the country of Babylonia by God – as God the Spirit, to encourage and hearten the guys, gals and kids who had been living in the city of Jerusalem but who God now had living as exiles in the country of Babylonia. Ezekiel was told specifically by God – as God the Father, that Jaazaniah and Pelatiah were plotting evil in the city of Jerusalem and that they were giving wicked advice to the guys, gals and kids who were still living in the city of Jerusalem. The motley gang of 25 hoodlums – which included Jaazaniah and Pelatiah, smugly thought that they were the ‘meat’ or ‘choice portions’ of the city of Jerusalem – which they called the ‘cooking pot’, after Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylonian people group’s army carted off a good number of guys, gals and kids who were living in the city of Jerusalem to the country of Babylonia as exiles. Ezekiel’s specific instructions from God – as God the Spirit, was to confront both Jaazaniah and Pelatiah on their roles of filling the streets of the city of Jerusalem with the corpses of guys, gals and kids who they played a part in murdering. As Ezekiel was saying what God – as God the Spirit, told him to say to the 25 troublemakers, Pelatiah fell over dead. It really shook up Ezekiel when this happened, it. Ezekiel cried loudly as he fell facedown before God – asking God if He was going to completely wipe out the remnant of Israel – who were God’s specially chosen guys and gals, who were still living in the city of Jerusalem. God’s answer to Ezekiel was that His remnant of specially chosen guys and gals was really the guys, gals and kids who the Babylonian people group’s army had taken to the country of Babylonia as exiles and that they were now living in a sanctuary as humbled slaves in the country where they had been scattered. God told Ezekiel in verse 19, “I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.” What God – as God the Father, was telling Ezekiel here through God – as God the Spirit, is that being an exile or enslaved prisoner was really not a bad thing as being in this unenviable situation was where He would be able to change a cold, hardened heart to a warm, sensitive heart that would become open to spiritual and moral transformation which would result in a single-minded commitment to serve Him and a desire to live a life for His sake. God – as God the Spirit, then divinely, instantly translated or transported Ezekiel to the country of Babylonia to meet with the guys and gals who had been exiled there – so that Ezekiel could encourage them with words that God – as God the Spirit, gave him – which were that they would soon be able to return to the city of Jerusalem and to land area of Judah with hearts that would be attuned to His will, decrees and laws.
Fidel Vasquez joined the South America Mission field missionary team in Bolivia a couple of years after your grandmaa and grandpaa arrived in Bolivia as South America Mission missionaries. Fidel grew up in Peru. Not long after Fidel arrived in Bolivia to join the South America Mission field missionary team, Fidel began dating a gal who was not a Christ-follower. After the South America Mission field missionary team’s Field Director left Bolivia for a scheduled furlough, it was rumored that Fidel was going into bars to drink. One night after a curfew that had been imposed because of a coup and while Fidel was on a borrowed motorcycle, Fidel apparently hit a curb while he was going around one of Santa Cruz’s circles – leaving him with a very serious life-threatening injury. Your grandpaa is convinced that because of what Fidel was unwisely doing – which was not bringing glory to God’s name, that God seriously chastised Fidel because of his ill-advised, ungodly pursuit of self-pleasure and personal aggrandizement.
Ezekiel 11 (927)