In spite of the severity of man’s disease of rebellion and willfulness, God will heal. How will he heal? Isaiah 57:15 says that “God dwells with the crushed and humble.” Yet the people of God are not humble. They are brazenly pursuing their own proud way. So, what will a healing be?
It can only be one thing. God will heal them by humbling them. He will cure the patient by crushing his pride. If only the crushed and humble enjoy God’s fellowship, and if Israel’s sickness is a proud and willful rebellion, and if God promises to heal them, then His healing must be humbling, and His cure must be a crushed spirit.
Isaiah and Jeremiah both see a time coming when a sick, disobedient, hard-hearted people will be supernaturally changed. Isaiah speaks of healing. Jeremiah speaks of writing the law on their hearts. And Ezekiel puts it like this: “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
So, the healing of God’s people is a major heart transplant — the old hardened, proud, willful heart of stone is taken out, and a new soft and tender heart, which is easily humbled, is put in.
This is a heart that the lofty One whose name is Holy will dwell in forever.
May our heart transplants go as God has designed.
In Christ,
Bill