SUMMARY
God promises to bring the Jews back from exile, destroying their idolatry and replacing their heart of stone with a heart of flesh.
ANALYSIS
The Jews in exile think they are far from the Lord and must settle down in Babylon. In response, this section presents a new promise: God’s own self will be their templeThe Jerusalem temple, unlike the tabernacle, was a permanent structure, although (like the tabernacle) it was a place of worship and religious activity. On one occasion Jesus felt such activity was unacceptable and, as reported in all four Gospels, drove from the temple those engaged... while they are in exile (11:16). What is more, God promises to cleanse them from idolatry, gather them again, and give them back the promised land. God will renew the covenantA covenant is a promise or agreement. In the Bible the promises made between God and God's people are known as covenants; they state or imply a relationship of commitment and obedience. and “give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them,” removing their “heart of stone” and giving them a “heart of flesh” (11:19). Thus God will bring Israel back to spiritual life in the promised land–they will not live in foreign lands forever. See also 36:16-38.
