Exposition of Ezekiel 30-48, Commentary on Ezechiel · Chapter 36 · Verses 21-24 · Textual commentary 14 – Textual commentary 17
From all your filthineſſe, and from all your idols will I cleanſe you.
They had State defilements, and Temple defilements, Family and Perſonal filthineſſes, Zeph: 3.3, 4. Micah 3.9, 10, 11. Ezekiel 22. Jer: 6.13. Chap: 7.9. Whatever their filthineſſes were, God would cleanſe them; and becauſe idolatry is a ſin which exceedingly defiles and provokes the Lord to jealouſie, Exod: 20.5. To fury, verſ. 18. of this Chap: and they might apprehend there was no mercy for them; therefore the Lord mentions the filthineſſe of idols, and tells them He will cleanſe them from that filthineſſe. Its not material water waſhes from the filth of idolatry, but ſpiritual water.
Firſt, Obſerve
When it pleaſes God to gather his people out of Babylon, and to bring them to Sion, then he will multiply mercies upon them, and do for them great things.
I will gather you from among the heathen, out of all Countrey…, and bring you into your own Land; and then will I ſprinkle you with clean water, then will I give you a new heart, then will I put my Spirit into you, then will I call for the Corn, and multiply the fruit of the tree and increaſe of the field. After great afflictions, God beſtowes great kindneſſes; after ſharp ſufferings, he gives ſolid comforts; Iſa: 54.7. For a ſmall moment have I forſaken thee, but with great mercies will I gather thee. Berachamim gedolim. When God gathers his out of Babylon, a ſtate of confuſion; that is mercy; and when he brings them into Sion, to behold the order, beauty, and glory thereof, that is great mercy; and God will not leave them there, but go on with them and heap great mercies ſtill upon them, ſee Iſa: 49.18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23. Jer. 32.37, 38, 39, 40, 41.
Secondly, Obſerve
Juſtification is a gracious act of God upon a ſinner.
I will ſprinkle clean water upon you. Its Gods prerogative to forgive, and blot out ſins, Mark 2.7. Iſa: 43.25. and this he doth freely, its an act of grace and mercy, Rom: 3.24. Being juſtified freely by his grace. Now in this act nothing is done in a ſinner, there is no grace infuſed, no change made in the heart by it, there be no foreign therein, its upon a ſinner; juſtifying grace is ſubjectively in God, objectively on man; for its a judicial act of God which puts nothing into the creature, Rom: 3.22. Its upon all them that do believe.
Thirdly, Obſerve
The bloud of Chriſt applyed by the Spirit of God is efficatious to free ſinners from the guilt of their ſins, and of all their ſins, of what bind ſoever they be.
I will ſprinkle clean water upon you, and ye ſhall be clean. Their ſins were great, very great, they were guilty of bloud, oppreſſing the widow and fatherleſs, of idolatry, of deſpiſing and profaning holy things, Ezek: 22.8.26. They were under the guilt of all crying and notorious ſins, Ezek: 16.47. worſe then Sodom or Samaria; then the Nations, Ezek: 5.7. yet the Lord would cleanſe them by the bloud of Chriſt; there was virtue in that to cleanſe them from their old ſpots, from their deep guilt, yea, from all their guilt, they ſhould be clean from all their filthineſſes. As water waſheth all the filth out of a cloath, ſo doth the bloud of Chriſt all ſin out of the ſoul, 1 Joh: 1.7. The bloud of Jeſus Chriſt cleanſeth us from all ſin, the guilt of our thoughts, words, acts, neglects; there is no ſin defiles the conſcience ſo, but the bloud of Chriſt will purge it away, Heb: 9.14. Chap: 1.3. Chriſts bloud is of great virtue, it purges away all ſin, and procures peace, Coloſſ: 1.20. So that being juſtified by his bloud, we ſhall be ſaved from wrath, as it is Rom: 5.9.
Fourthly, Obſerve
All ſin defiles and makes guilty before God, yet ſome ſins defile more then others, and make more deeply guilty.
God would cleanſe them from all their filthineſſe, from every ſin that had poluted them, and made them guilty; and from their idols which had made them more deeply guilty: Idolatry hath more guilt adhering to it, then many other ſins, that's a ſin breaks Covenant with God, depoſes God, and ſets up an Idoll in his ſtead.
Verſe 26.
A new heart alſo will I give you, and a new ſpirit will I put within you, and I will take away the ſtony heart out of your fleſh, and I will give you an heart of fleſh.
THis is another great promiſe, even a promiſe of Regeneration; and in it there is conſiderable,
1. The party promiſing, I, I, I, I.
2. The things promiſed,
1. A new heart.
2. A new ſpirit.
3. Removall of the ſtony heart.
4. An heart of fleſh.
3. The parties to whom the Lord will do theſe things, You, You, You.
4. The manner of Gods doing theſe things, which is by giving, putting, and taking away.
A new heart alſo will I give you.
By heart in Scripture, is ſignified the judgement and underſtanding, Eph: 4.18. The will and affections, Prov: 23.26. and the conſcience, 1 John 3.20. all which are here comprehended in the word heart. New notes ſometimes that which is for ſubſtance new, totally new, as new ropes, Judges 16.11, 12. A new wife, Deut: 24.5. New gods, Deut: 32.17. And ſometimes that which is only for quality new, as the new Moon, Iſa: 66.23. From one new Moon to another; The Moon is not new for ſubſtance, but renewed with light, new in regard of quality; ſo New tongues, Mark 16.17. They had not their old Tongues plucked or cut out of their mouths, and other new ones put in; but theſe Tongues they had before, had new Languages put into them, new gifts and graces. Here then by A new heart is not intended one new for ſubſtance or nature of it, but the ſame heart altered for the qualities of it, renewed and indued with other qualities then it had before; ſuch qualities are wrought in the heart, that a man thereupon is ſaid to be regenerate or born again, John 3.3, 5, 6, 7. and to be a new creature, Gal▪ 6.15.
This new heart lyeth not in thoſe common gifts which many have, yet without alteration in their hearts. Judas had a covetous, an earthly, an old heart, notwithſtanding thoſe great gifts he had, He could caſt out Devils, and heal all manner of ſickneſſes, Matth: 10.1, 4. And thoſe Matth: 7.22, 23. Who had the gift of propheſie, of caſting out Devils, and working wonders, had no new hearts, for Chriſt ſends them going for workers of iniquity; but it lyeth in grace infuſed, which is a principle of light and life, ſupernatural and permanent. Man ſince the fall of Adam is in a ſtate of darkneſſe and death, Epheſ. 5.8. Chap: 2.5. and when grace is infuſed, that brings light and life unto the heart; John 8.…2. its call'd The light of life; and when a blind heart ſees, a dead heart lives, there is a great and glorious alteration, ſo that it is become a new heart, it hath a new principle which is ſupernatural and permanent, call'd The Divine Nature, 2 Pet. 1.4. Divine to ſhew the ſupernaturalneſſe of it, and Nature to ſhew the permanency of it.
And a new ſpirit will I put within you.
Theſe very words we had Ezek: 11.19. where they were largely opened: New ſpirit there, was interpreted to be thoſe excellent qualities and graces God put into the ſoul, and ſhewed upon what account they were call'd Spirit and New. Here I conceive a new ſpirit is added Exegetically being the ſame with a new heart.
This new heart, or new ſpirit cauſeth the partie in whom it is to look at God as a Father, and ſo to honour him, Mal. 1.6. To love him, 1 John 5.1. To fear him, 1 Pet. 1.17. To yield obedience to him, Rom: 6.17. 1 Pet: 1.14, 15. Patiently to bear his chaſtiſements, Heb: 12.6, 7, 8, 9. To eſchew ſin and work righteouſneſſe, 1 John 5.18. Chap: 3.9, 10. To acknowledge how he hath offended him, Luke 15.18. To pray fervently unto him, Rom: 8.15. To be like unto him in mercifullneſſe and doing of good, Luke 6.36. To delight in his wayes, and to have communion with him, and his Son Chriſt, 1 John 1.3. To worſhip him in ſpirit and truth, John 4.23. To be thankfull alwayes unto him for all things, Epheſ. 5.20. To live nobly and ſpiritually, minding the things of Heaven, Rom: 8.5. 1 Pet: 1.14. John 3.6. 2 Cor: 5.16. And to love thoſe that are regenerate, 1 John 5.1. and theſe doing ſo, God their Father hath a ſpecial care of them, and love unto them, Matth. 6.26.32. Luke 11.13. Chap: 12.32.