March 28: From Heart of Stone to Heart of Flesh

Acts 7:51 “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you.

These were the closing words of Stephen’s sermon that got him killed. The words cut through the hearts of those listening to him, and they could no longer handle it, so they stoned him and killed him. Stephen became the first martyr for Christ, and as some observers suggest his death caused even the Lord Jesus Christ to stand in heaven to welcome him. The message was effective, and the words spoken were true. It was attested by heaven but rejected by man. So, it only made sense that God changed Stephen’s address from earth to heaven.

But let’s focus on today’s scripture a little more closely. For in it are words of warning that have been recorded for our sakes, that we might learn from past mistakes and not repeat them. If you read Acts 7:1-50, you will notice that Stephen did nothing but remind them of the calling of their ancestors starting from Abraham down to Solomon. They were once a nobody, but the God of the universe chose them and made them a somebody. He made them His children and took care of them, delivering them out of trouble and providing for them. Israel became God’s own special people through one man’s obedience to God’s call in his life. But the people kept forgetting who they were and more importantly the One that made them who they were. One generation would serve the Lord faithfully, another generation would forget God and rebel against Him. Throughout the Old Testament history of Israel, we see a cycle of rebellion, punishment, repentance and restoration. And most of the time, when somebody (typically a prophet) pointed out this issue of repetitive sin in the people, they rejected his words and even killed him.

One must wonder why these people were hand-picked by God when He knew that they would keep rejecting Him? I mean think about the time when the same group of people who crossed the Red Sea and witnessed the greatest miracles in their lives, later forgot their God and made an idol of calf to worship! (Exodus 32). Or how about the teachers of the Law of Moses and the Prophets completely missing out the 300+ Messianic prophecies that were fulfilled in one Man, Jesus Christ, and managed to kill Him too?!

The only “logical” explanation for this is the power of freewill choice. It’s not that they just accidentally forgot God and what He had done for them, rather, it was a conscious choice to reject God and His plans for them. Their choice to pursue their own fleshly desires brought them in direct contradiction over what God desired for them. And so they rejected God and chose their own ways. This makes perfect sense, since that is exactly what Adam and Eve did in the garden of Eden. God told them to not eat of the tree of good and evil, but they chose to reject that command and eat it instead. And when we keep repeating the same mistake despite knowing its wrong, it makes our heart hard and numb to God’s commands. No wonder Stephen, who was full of the God’s Spirit, had to shout out loud the people’s sins and make them realize their mistake.

As we read this story, it’s easy to judge the people of the Bible and think to ourselves how hard-hearted those people were, but in reality we are all guilty of this same mistake one way or the other. How many times have we done something knowing it was not the right thing to do. Or how often have we ignored to do something which we knew we had to do. So let us look at our own lives and do a heart check. If you think you’ve lost your sensitivity to God’s voice, it’s time to repent. Ask God to forgive you, and turn back to Him. It’s never too late to turn to Jesus and seek Him again with all your heart. But remember this, God will not make you do it. You have to choose to do turn to Him. It’s a conscious decision, not a random one.

Coming back to the children of Israel, do you know that despite all their shortcomings, God still loves them with the same love that He had when He first called Abraham? He is patient with them, and will keep giving them chances to repent and be restored. Because that’s who He is. Merciful and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. And just like God loves Israel like the apple of His eye, He loves all who have put their trust in His Son, Jesus Christ. Through Jesus, there is remission of sins and restoration to eternal life. And through the help of God’s Holy Spirit our hearts can be transformed from hearts of stone to hearts of flesh, as the prophet Ezekiel proclaimed this message from the LORD:

26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. (Ezekiel 36:26-27)