Ezekiel 11:19-20 (NASB):
19 And I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them. And I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, 20 so that they may walk in My statutes, and keep My ordinances and do them. Then they will be My people, and I shall be their God.
What statutes and ordinances does Ezekiel 11:19-20 refer to?
Note the several parallels between these references:
Let us observe several things about these promises:
[NOTE: In Solomon’s prayer of dedication, he describes the (Israelite) Covenant as God showing “lovingkindness”, or, “steadfast love”, to people. 1 Kings 8:23, 2 Chron 6:14, See also Neh 1:5, 9:32, Ps 89:28, 33, 34, 103:17, 18, 111:4, 5, 9, Isa 54:10, 55:3. This suggests that the Law of God, or the Moral Law, is an expression of God’s love and is just as eternal.]
Indeed, one of the stated symbols of the Israelite covenant was the moral law of the 10 commandments Deut 6:8, 11:18), and especially the Sabbath (Ex 31:13, 16, 17, Isa 56:4, 6, Exe 20:12, 20).
From this survey, it appears that God wanted to replace the Israelite heart of stone and replace it with a loving heart of flesh to lovingly serve God and keep His moral law. Thus, they would be a holy people, Ex 19:5, 6, 1 Peter 2:9 & 12.
Note that the same words "statutes" and "ordinance/judgements" are used extensively in Deut 4:1-14 and are a direct reference to the laws in Deuteronomy, en expansion of the Moral code of the 10 commandments.
Firstly, the meaning of statutes is a rule, a prescribed regulation, in hebrew חֹק:
As in the following:
רַ֛ק אַדְמַ֥ת הַכֹּהֲנִ֖ים לֹ֣א קָנָ֑ה כִּי֩ חֹ֨ק לַכֹּהֲנִ֜ים מֵאֵ֣ת פַּרְעֹ֗ה וְאָֽכְל֤וּ אֶת־חֻקָּם֙ אֲשֶׁ֨ר נָתַ֤ן לָהֶם֙ פַּרְעֹ֔ה עַל־כֵּ֕ן לֹ֥א מָכְר֖וּ אֶת־אַדְמָתָֽם׃
This word simply means assigned as we see in the english version:
22 However, he did not buy the land of the priests, because they received a regular allotment from Pharaoh and had food enough from the allotment Pharaoh gave them. That is why they did not sell their land. (Genesis 47:22) (ESV)
Also, this appears in the following verse (Jeremiah 5:22):
הַאוֹתִ֨י לֹא־תִירָ֜אוּ נְאֻם־יְהֹוָ֗ה אִ֤ם מִפָּנַי֙ לֹ֣א תָחִ֔ילוּ אֲשֶׁר־שַׂ֤מְתִּי חוֹל֙ גְּב֣וּל לַיָּ֔ם חׇק־עוֹלָ֖ם וְלֹ֣א יַעַבְרֶ֑נְהוּ וַיִּֽתְגָּעֲשׁוּ֙ וְלֹ֣א יוּכָ֔לוּ וְהָמ֥וּ גַלָּ֖יו וְלֹ֥א יַעַבְרֻֽנְהוּ׃
And the english version follows:
22 Do you not fear me? declares the Lord.
Do you not tremble before me?
I placed the sand las the boundary for the sea,
a perpetual barrier that it cannot pass;
though the waves toss, they cannot prevail;
though mthey roar, they cannot pass over it.
Then, statutes is just a prescrition, a limitation, concerning laws of nature as we look in Jeremiah 31:36:
אִם־יָמֻ֜שׁוּ הַחֻקִּ֥ים הָאֵ֛לֶּה מִלְּפָנַ֖י נְאֻם־יְהֹוָ֑ה גַּם֩ זֶ֨רַע יִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל יִשְׁבְּת֗וּ מִהְי֥וֹת גּ֛וֹי לְפָנַ֖י כׇּל־הַיָּמִֽים׃ {ס}
In this case, in the plural, הַחֻקִּ֥ים refer to the natural laws that the Lord estabilished, and that Israel would not be the nation of G'd if these laws would have been anulled, which we see that this didn't happen till today.
As it's written in the verse (Ezekiel 11:20):
לְמַ֙עַן֙ בְּחֻקֹּתַ֣י יֵלֵ֔כוּ וְאֶת־מִשְׁפָּטַ֥י יִשְׁמְר֖וּ וְעָשׂ֣וּ אֹתָ֑ם וְהָיוּ־לִ֣י לְעָ֔ם וַאֲנִ֕י אֶהְיֶ֥ה לָהֶ֖ם לֵאלֹהִֽים׃
Now מִשְׁפָּטַ֥י means ordinances in this case, however it's better to know how the words are in the hebrew, not to be confused. This word refers more justly to judgement as in the following (Leviticus 19:35):
35 “You shall do no wrong in judgment, in measures of length or weight or quantity.
So, the system of justice of the chosen people was one such that the judgement should be fair, and it has a personal and juridic aspect, not a natural one as I have above mentioned. It's about what courts decide, which is also based on customs of a people as a whole, a the Magna Carta Libertatum (1215) from England, for this country doesn't have a constitution as Israel also doesn't have a constitution. So ordinance would be a juditial order (or custom) and statutes would be something stated mostly as the way things behave in the nature.
Ezekiel 11:19-20 are not any statute or ordinances for men to do. It is what the Lord will do when Jesus, the Messiah fulfilled the promise that given to Abraham and his offspring.
Who were the offspring of Abraham?
In Romans chapter 9, Paul declare the offspring of Abraham is not physical, but spiritual who carry the promise.
6 It is not as though God’s word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.
7 Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.”
8 In other words, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring. (NIV)
In Galatians 3, Paul affirmed Christians are Abraham's seed (offspring).
16 The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ.
29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. (NIV)
The new covenant was first announced by the Lord in Jeremiah 31:31-34 where vv33 read
“This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. (NIV)
But how does the Lord put His law in our minds and write it on our hearts?
Ezekiel 11:19-20 has parallel verses in Ezekiel 36:26-27
26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.
27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. (NIV)
The statement "And I will put my Spirit in you" is a further elaboration to Ezekiel 11:19-20. That is, receiving the Holy Spirit is a sign of true Abraham offspring.
So the Holy Spirit will guide us to follow His decree and keep His laws.
