THEOSISJerome of Stridon
Therefore, declare, 'Thus says the Lord God, I shall gather you from the nations and bring you together from the lands where you have been dispersed, and I will grant you the land of Israel. They will arrive there and remove all that is offensive and all detestable things from it. I will bestow upon them a singular heart and a new spirit within their innermost being. I will replace their heart of stone with a heart of flesh, so that they may walk in My commandments, observe My statutes, and practice them, and they will be My people, and I will be their God. However, regarding those whose hearts are set on stumbling blocks and their abominations, I will bring their actions upon their own heads, says the Lord God.'
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The divine message is directed to those who were exiled in Babylon, to Ezekiel the prophet's brethren and their relatives, who said to those residing in Jerusalem, 'You have strayed far from the Lord; the land has been given to us as a possession.' He further proclaims: I will gather you from among the nations and restore to you the land of Israel. Upon your return, I will eradicate all the idols that have provoked My anger, and I will grant you a heart that fears and serves Me, so that you may not be enslaved to various idols or possess a heart unlike the one you had before. I will impart a new spirit akin to what is written, 'Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me’ (Psalm 51:10).
I will remove from you a heart of stone, which signifies a hardened heart, as Stephen the first martyr for Christ stated, 'You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears’ (Acts 7:51). Similarly, it was noted that Pharaoh's heart was hardened, preventing the Israelites' departure (Exodus 7). Instead, I will provide, as He says, a heart of flesh, gentle and receptive, one that comprehends the commandments of God, destined to be inscribed upon the tablets of the heart. A tender heart is provided, while a hard heart is taken away, enabling them to follow My commandments, uphold My decrees, and be recognized as God’s people, with the Lord—once their adversary—becoming their God.
Yet, for those who do not expunge their past transgressions through repentance and continue in their abominations, He declares, I will reward them according to their actions, their paths turned upon themselves. Many believe that this promise was fulfilled during the era of Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, and Joshua, the high priest, son of Jehozadak, as well as in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah, involving the tribe of Judah and those who returned alongside them. The inhabitants of Jerusalem included those who had been taken captive under Zedekiah, king of Judah, or those who fled with Jeremiah into Egypt, remaining scattered and not returning to the city.
Nonetheless, the ultimate transformation of the captives and the remnant of Israel should be seen as completed in Christ, when the remnant found salvation, on a single day witnessing the belief of three thousand and later five thousand more (Acts 2). Additionally, others are referenced, such as James, who spoke to the apostle Paul, saying, 'You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all are zealous for the law' (Acts 21:20). However, even the proud inhabitants of Jerusalem, whose hearts remain entrenched in their stumbling blocks and abominations, incur the divine displeasure; conversely, those from outside the city, after having obtained a heart of stone and then receiving a heart of gentleness, turn through repentance to the Church. They walk in the Lord's commandments, uphold His decrees, and become His people, with the Lord, whom they had previously displeased, now being their God.