INTERNATIONAL SERIES

Pacific Press Publishing Association

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 25, No. 29.

INTERNATIONAL SERIES

THE SUNDAY SCHOOL

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LESSON VI.—SUNDAY, AUGUST 6, 1899.

THE NEW HEART.

NOTE.—This portion of the prophecy of Ezekiel was written during the exile in Babylon. In that portion of the chapter preceding the lesson the people are reminded of their apostasy, on account of which they had been humiliated, and then follow promises of deliverance—not for their sakes, but for God's holy name's sake, which they had profaned among the heathen.

Lesson Scripture, Eze. 36:25-36, R.V.

25 "And I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean; from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. 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. 27 And I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye shall keep My judgments, and do them. 28 And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and 29 ye shall be My people, and I will be your God. And I will save you from all your uncleanness; and I will call for the 30 corn, and will multiply it, and lay no famine upon you. And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, that ye shall receive no more the reproach of famine among 31 the nations. Then shall ye remember your evil ways, and your 32 doings that were not good; and ye shall loathe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations. 33 Not for your sake do I this, saith the Lord God, be it known unto you; be ashamed and confounded for your ways, O house of Israel. Thus saith the Lord God; In the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will cause the cities to 34 be inhabited, and the waste places shall be builded. And the 35 land that was desolate shall be tilled, whereas it was a desolation in the sight of all that passed by. And they shall say, This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are fenced and 36 inhabited. Then the nations that are left round about you shall know that I the Lord have builded the ruined places, and planted that which was desolate; I the Lord have spoken it, and I will do it."

Golden Text: "A new heart also will I give you." Verse 26.

SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS.

(1) During what time was this portion of the prophecy of Ezekiel written? See introductory note. (2) What promise was made to Israel? V. 25. Note 1. (3) With what would the Lord endow them? V. 26. Note 2. (4) Whose Spirit would He put within them? And what effect would this have upon them? V. 27. Note 3. (5) Then what special blessing would be added? V. 28. Note 4. (6) From what did God promise to save them? What promise did He make concerning the corn? V. 29. Note 4. (7) What other products would be multiplied to them? Why? V. 30. Note 5. (8) In face of all these blessings, how would they regard themselves? V. 31. (9) What further self-humiliation does the Lord urge upon them? V. 32. Note 6. (10) After cleansing them, what would He cause them to do? V. 33. (11) And what should be done to the long-desolate land? V. 34. (12) Then what would other people say? V. 35. (13) From this great change what would the heathen know? How sure was this promise? V. 36. Rom. 4:20, 21. Note 7.

NOTES.

1. "Sprinkle clean water."—The sprinkling of clean water as a symbol of cleansing was familiar to the Jews, as it was a prominent feature of their ceremonial system. See Lev. 14:1-9, 33-53. "From all your filthiness."—Sin is soul-filthiness, defiling, repulsive. "And from your idols."—After the exile the Israelites never again fell into the heathen forms of idolatry. The seventy years of chastisement by means of servitude to a heathen nation effectually eradicated the tendency to idol worship and its attendant orgies. All these are new covenant blessings through faith.

2. "A new heart."—A new spirit or motive; referring also to the new birth; a mind susceptible to being taught of God.

3. "My Spirit within you."—After receiving a new heart, there is opportunity for the Holy Spirit to do its office work, and guide the life of the one so endowed. "Cause you to walk," etc.—The reception of the Holy Spirit is essential to a life of obedience to God's law. No one can of himself keep the commandments of God. "Without Me ye can do nothing," says Christ. John 15:5. "The carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh can not please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you." Rom. 8:7-9.

4. "Ye shall dwell in the land."—It must be remembered that this promise, as all the promises of a temporal nature in this lesson, has reference to the return to Palestine after the seventy years of servitude in Babylon. But its plenary fulfilment will be realized in the new earth, when all the Israel of God is saved. See Revelation 21, 22.

5. "Reproach of famine."—Famine in Israel was a reproach, as it showed to the heathen that the people had offended their God and were under His chastisement. There could be no famine as long as they were faithful to Him; for His promise is that "the meek shall eat and be satisfied" (Ps. 22:26); "Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed" (Ps. 37:3).

6. "Not for your sake."—They were not to presume upon their blessings as tho they deserved them in any way. God's grace is always unmerited favor. The more we receive from Him, the more we should be ashamed and be humble in mind because of our unworthiness.

7. The heathen should know God.—Here was the secret of God's purpose in all His dealings with Israel, that the heathen might learn of Him. So it ever has been, and ever will be while probation lasts. God's purpose is that His name shall be magnified before the world. Of Christ the prophet says, "He will magnify the law, and make it honorable." Isa. 42:21. Jesus says to His disciples, "Ye shall be witnesses unto Me . . . unto the uttermost part of the earth" (Acts 1:8); and the grand purpose is set forth in His prayer, "That they all may be one; as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be one in Us; that the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me" (John 17:21).