Dry Bones Live
Ezekiel 37:1-5
The hand of the Lord was on me and he brought me out by his Spirit and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. He led me all around them. There were great many of them on the surface of the valley and there were very dry. Then he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live? I replied,” Lord God only you know.” He said to me “ Prophesy concerning these bones and say to them: Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Lord God says to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you and you will live. I will put breath in you so that you come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.”
The hand of the Lord was upon Ezekiel as the Spirit of the Lord lead him in an open valley of dry bones. Dry Bones Live, In a dialog, the Lord said to Ezekiel: Son of man can these bones live? To test the measure of Ezekiel’s faith, knowing the Lord had previously spoken life to the blood of a forgotten child and the child live (Ezekiel 16 1-6) Ezekiel said “Lord God only you know” he acknowledged the sovereign God in whose hand is the life of all living thing and the breath of all mankind. (Job 12:10)
The Lord God commanded Ezekiel to speak His word to the bones, and say to them: “Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Lord God says to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you and you will live. I will put breath in you so that you come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.
God breathed into the nostril of man whom He formed from dust and man became a living being. (Genesis 2:7.)
Pause and think
- Who led Ezekiel into the valley of bones? Ezekiel 37:1
- Where is the source of life? Ezekiel 37:5, psalm 104:29
- What was the content of his message Ezekiel’s message? Ezekiel 37:4
Ezekiel 37:6-10
The Lord: I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you and cover you with skin and put breath in you and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.
Ezekiel: So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied there was noise and rattling and the bones came together, bone-to-bone. Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them. : Sinews->flesh->skin->with no breath” For the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead” (James 2:26)
Dry Bones Live, the Lord: said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, Son of man and say to the breath and thus says the Lord God: “come from the four winds, and breath into these slain and they may live.
Ezekiel: So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath entered them and they came to life and stood upon their feet, an exceeding great army.
Ezekiel spoke in faith to the bones, and sinews, flesh and skin came upon the bones but the bones did not have life in them. He prophesied to the breath and commanded the breath to come from the 4 winds and breath on the slain that they may live. Ezekiel heard the sound and saw the sinews, flesh and skin on the bones, but did not know when the Spirit entered to the bone. Jesus said: The winds blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it but you cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is every one who is born of the Spirit.“ That which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Ezekiel spoke the word of God, “live” to the dry bone. The Spirit of God conceived the word “live” and gave life to the dry bone to the glory of God. This is parallel to when an angle appeared to Joseph in a dream and said :” Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit” the Spirit gives life to the Word and the Word became flesh and dwell among us. We have seen His glory , the glory of the one and only Son,who came from the Father full of grace and true. (Matthew 1:20, John 1:14)
Jesus said: It is the Spirit who gives life, the flesh profits nothing, the words I have spoken to you – they are full of the Spirit and life.
Ezekiel faith in God prompted him to obey His command, which enable Ezekiel to see the word of God manifested in the flesh: the Spirit of God gave life to dry bones in fulfillment of scripture- “The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the almighty gives life” (Job: 33:4-5)
Pause and think
- How did the content of Ezekiel prophecy changed progressively?(Ezekiel 37:4-6)
- What does “I am Lord means in this context? (Ezekiel 37:6)
- How does Ezekiel response in faith enable Him to see the demonstration of the Spirit Power to give life? (Ezekiel 37:9)
Ezekiel 37: 11-14
Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Look how they say ‘our bones are dried up and our hope has perished; we are cut off Therefore, prophesy and say to them, “This is what the Lord God says: I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them. I will put my Spirit in you, and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I am the Lord. I have spoken, and I will do it. This is the declaration of the Lord.
Dry Bones Live, God directed Ezekiel to prophesy to the house of Israel- the northern and southern kingdom. He revealed to Ezekiel the bones were symbolic of Israel spiritual state of being. The children of Israel were in despair and they felt God had cast them out and forsaken them because of their abominable acts- idols craved on the wall in the sanctuary, men worshiped toward the sun, the land filled with violence and perversion; but God, rich in mercy, did not abandon nor forsake Israel.
As a loving Father, He rebuked and corrected their erroneous way, and commanded them to remove all the abominable and detestable things; subsequently, He gave them one heart, put a new spirit in them, remove the heart of stone, that they may walk in His statues and keep His ordinances. God assured the house of Israel He would lead them back to the land of Israel and they shall be His people and He shall be their God. (Ezekiel 8,16,18, 36:24 -28)
"The word of God couple with the Spirit of God conviction transforms the hearts of men."
Jesus said: the Holy Spirit will convict the world of sin, of righteousness and judgment(John 16:8) Before Christ, we were like the house of Israel, dead in our trespasses, walked according to the course of this world, carnally minded, but God rich in mercy because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses made us alive together with Christ, regardless of our secret faults, presumptuous sins, or transgressions. He demonstrated His love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. In Christ, we are restore to God through His blood that remits our sin- for without the shedding of blood there will be no remission of sin – “This is the new covenant of my blood. This do, as often as you drink it in remembrance of me.” We can also fellowship with The Father in Spirit and truth because He said: “I will dwell in you and walk among you, I will put my laws on your mind and write them on your heart and I will be your God and you shall be His people, when you disassociate from uncleanness, abominable, and detestable things which taint and put a strain on our relationship: I will be merciful to your unrighteousness, your sins, and your lawless deeds, I will remember no more. (Hebrews 8:7-12, 2 Corinthians 14-18) Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord (Acts 3:19)
As ministers of the new covenant, we walk by faith and not by sight, knowing the things we see with our eyes are temporary! Let us stand fast in faith, be strong and courageous, knowing our God is: compassionate, slow to anger, rich in mercy and abundant in love. He is faith and just to finished what He has started in you and me. Remember the works of the Christ, remember His promises, remember who you are in Christ and choose to do what is good, right and acceptable in the sight of God, to the glory of God, especially when life events, contradicts the word of God. “ He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might become the righteous of God in Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
We have a living hope, through the resurrection of Christ from the dead, whose Spirit abides with us forever. The Spirit of Truth guides us in all truth; He speaks not of His own authority, but what ever He hears He speaks and tell us things to come. With guidance from the Holy Spirit, let us pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience and gentleness in all our endeavors trusting and hoping in God, whose truth endures forever. “And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” (Romans 5:5.)
Dry Bones Live, God resurrected the dry bones or the house of Israel in the days of Ezekiel and gave them new life and promise to lead them back to Israel, Christ not only give life to believers now but also promise to return a second time to bring salvation to those who are waiting on him.Jesus said: Do not marvel at this: for the hour is coming in which all who are in the grave will hear His voice and come forth- those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of condemnation. (Daniel 12:2, John 5:28-29, Revelation 19, 20)
Jesus said: Do not marvel that I say to you, you must be born again. Do you believe this?
God delights in those who hope in His mercy.He offers eternal life to whosoever believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God. “These things are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.” (John 20:31) Jesus came that we may have life and have it more abundantly, and in order to live eternal life, we have to confess with our mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in our heart God raised Him from the dead and be saved.(Romans 10:9.)
We also have to trust and obey the word of God, live by faith, live by the Spirit (Galatians 5:16,25) and hope in His mercy. The promise of eternal life is available now and forever to all who receive and believe Jesus Christ as the Son of God.(John 1:12) “ And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the one true God and Jesus Christ whom you sent. (John 17:3.)
May we pursue righteousness and be merciful in all our endeavors to imitate our heavenly Father to the glory, honor and praise of God our Father.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, they shall be filled
Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtained mercy.
Pause & Think
- How does obedience leads to the fulfillment of God’s promise?
- What are the new covenants in the New Testament?
- At what point are we made alive in Christ or reign with Christ?
- What is eternal life and when does it begin?