Can these bones live?
This is the question that God asks Ezekiel after he leads him to the valley of dry bones.
Probably one of the most famous scenes in the book of Ezekiel, found in chapter 37
It may be but it is also dry and desolate. A place of death. An uncovered grave of dry bones representing individual lives of people who have long been dead.
Every ounce of life is stripped from their bones, now these bones are just memories of people made in God’s image who once laughed, fought, cried, married, worked, and played.
These lifeless sticks were once full of life but now are bleached by the sun and dried by the wind, how could they live and move again?
Maybe they could be assembled in some ghostly fashion, but could they have flesh and life and hope?
Can these bones live?
Ezekiel answers
Lord God – only you know.
What a humbling answer. Not. No way, no how. Why bother… they are so cracked and dried and worthless it would not be worth your time.
“Lord God – Only You know.”
Ezekiel refers to God as the LORD GOD throughout his book.
God is called, THE LORD GOD 200+ times in Ezekiel and it is rarely used throughout the rest of the Old Testament. The Hebrew is Adonai Yahweh
God is Adonai – ruler of all, supreme, God of all the nations, sovereign, superior – nothing is beyond him.
God is Yahweh – This is his personal name that he gives to Moses in Sianai – I am who I am. Self-existing, fully satisfied, slow to anger abounding in love.
One of the defining characteristics of the book of Ezekiel “is the proclamation of God’s holiness, glory and power. No other book of the Bible explores God’s absolute awesomeness and otherness in such lavish language.” (DOT 220)
Ezekiel experiences God as the LORD GOD.
Ezekiel has been given a difficult task. He is to prophecy (proclaim the truth) to the people living in Exile in the land of Babylon.
He began his exile at age 30 while Jerusalem is under siege. Now 10 years later still 900 miles from his beloved home, the predicted destruction of Jerusalem has taken place and Ezekiel is given this vision of the dry bones after the destruction is complete.
This vision is a revelation of one of God’s defining attributes. God is life.
God is life
Ezekiel 18:32 For I take no pleasure in anyone’s death. This is the declaration of the lord so repent and live.
Ezekiel 33:11 As I live this is the declaration of the Lord God – I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked person should turn from his way and live. Repent, repent of your evil ways! Why will you die, house of Israel.
I was at the Y this week cruising on the elliptical when I heard the news about the shooting at the Catholic school in Minnesota. Through tears I listened to the story of the death innocent, and the death of murderer who took his own life.
What a horrible, horrible tragedy. As I listened, I thought of this verse.
I take no pleasure in anyone’s death.
The LORD God is so devoted to life that “he takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked.”
While there is death and destruction in Ezekiel, the LORD God’s ultimate aim is not to kill and destroy, but to give life.
God is Life
God is Holy
He is just and evil cannot go unpunished
He is utterly opposed to evil.
God is life and takes no pleasure in the death of anyone.
Back to the story of these dry bones… I want to think about this story in three movement.
Flesh by the word of God
Life from the Spirit of God
Hope in the Son of God
Ezekiel 37
Then the Lord God said to Ezekiel.
“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 tendons on you, make flesh grow on you, and cover you with skin. I will put breath in you so that you come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.”
7 So I prophesied as I had been commanded. While I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. As I looked, tendons appeared on them, flesh grew, and skin covered them but there was no breath in them.
Flesh by the Word of God
These bones, dry and dusty were assembled and flesh appeared on them by the power of the word of God utter with the voice of the man of God.
Genesis 1:3, 26
Then God said, “Let there be light” and there was light.
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness
Hebrews 11:3 By faith we understand that the Universe was formed at God’s Command
The Lord God says to Ezekiel – Speak the Word of the Lord to these bones.
Ezekiel speaks and the bones assemble.
Ezekiel’s obedience illustrates an important theme
Humans are responsible / God is Sovereign (Working in Concert)
Responsibility — Sovereignty we have talked about it many times here on Sunday. These two realities work in concert with one another.
In Music… Which is more critical – Melody or Rhythm
Justin would say rhythm
I might say melody.
You must have both melody and rhythm working in concert to have enjoyable music.
There is no competition. Melody and rhythm are the best of friends.
In the song of salvation, God’s sovereignty and human responsibility are companions joining together to bring life to dry dead bones.
Humans are responsibility
Ezekiel is appointed as a watchman.
Role of a watchman – Stand on the wall and watch for danger approaching the city. When the watchman sees danger, he sounds the alarm.
Those outside the city are responsible to take refuge within the walls of the city.
The watchman is responsible to sound the alarm. The hearers are responsible to respond to the alarm.
Ezekiel sound the alarm. Don’t play to the crowd. Don’t manipulate, but faithfully sound the alarm as the LORD GOD has commanded you.
Ezekiel had a difficult task and he was living in very distressing circumstances.
Distressing circumstances are no excuse for disobedience.
What were his distressing circumstances?
Career ruined, living in a foreign land
Even his own people did not listen to him.
This is what the LORD GOD said about Ezekiel.
Eze 33:32 to them you are like a singer of passionate songs who has a beautiful voice and plays skillfully on an instrument. They hear your words, but they don’t obey them.
Ezekiel, people will hear, but not obey, but you must obey, you are called to be a watchman, not a showman.
Ezekiel performed some elaborate acts – laying on his side, shaving off all his hair, acting out the siege of Jerusalem.
He performed these acts out of obedience to God, but the lack of response illustrates an important reality
A fantastic act, an passionate plea, powerful object lesson cannot make people respond to the truth of God.
Ezekiel is responsible as a watchman to proclaim the truth, but not as a showman to elicit a response from the crowd.
Every Sunday we gather here to sing, confess, hear, proclaim.
WE cannot set the mood just right, lights, sound, perfect songs, passionate message so that you will respond to God.
Nothing wrong with passion. Nothing wrong with good music, but the power is found in the word of God proclaimed under the care of the person appointed by God.
Ezekiel you are a watchman, not a showman, because…
Each person is personally accountable before God.
Ezekiel sound the warning and the hearers must respond.
Ezekiel’s hearers made excuses for their lack of response.
“Our feelings of guilt weigh us down. We can’t deal with our sin”
“It is our parent’s fault – they sinned and we are suffering”
“It is pointless, God is going to judge anyway so why repent”
God says, “I will judge each of you according to your own ways.” Repent and Live
God is Sovereign
Can these bones live – “Lord God, ONLY YOU know.”
Right answer.
Ezekiel’s strong faith did NOT cause the bones to stand. It was the strength of the faithful one, the LORD God.
I will cause breathe to enter
I will put tendons on you
I will put breath in you
You will know that I AM the Lord.
God’s sovereign power assembled these dry bones. They have flesh, BUT now can they live?
Life from the Spirit of God
V9 He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man. Say to it: This is what the Lord God says: Breath, come from the four winds and breathe into these slain so that they may live.
True to form… Ezekiel does as he is commanded.
V10 So I prophesied as he commanded me; the breath entered them and they came to life and stood on their feet a vast army.
Reminder of Genesis 2:7 Then the LORD God formed the man out of the dust from the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils and the man became a living being.
Bones stood and flesh appeared, but now they are alive through the breathe from God’s spirit.
Acts 17:25, 28 God gives breath and life to all things. In him we live and move and have our being.
“Guillermo Gonzalez is an astrobiologist. He has researched the factors necessary to support complex life. Estimates vary, but a current list of these factors would number at least 20 and include an oxygen-rich atmosphere, liquid water and large continental landmasses, a home star of the right temperature and mass, an orbital path that is neither too far nor too close to the home star.”[1]
All these factors and more must be met for there to be life.
Chance these factors all come together.
1 in a quadrillion 1,000,000,000,000,000
Like picking the right needle out of a haystack of needles on the first try.
All of the conditions for life could come together through random chance or the LORD God, breathed life into the world through his Spirit.
The line between life and death is so thin and we are utterly dependent creatures. Dependent on a creator to make and sustain life.
Israel’s sin against the God of Life is depicted graphically throughout Ezekiel, but it is summarized in 22:12 “You have forgotten me.”
You have forgotten the one who holds the world in his hands. The one who gave you life and breathe and who sustains you.
This sin is personal and arrogant.
Non-believer – You cannot exist without God. He has the world in his hands. If he did not, you would not exist.
You are alive physically because of God, but you are dead spiritually because of Sin.
Turn to him for the first time – heed Ezekiel’s words – repent and live.
Believer – You do not have the power to obey the word of God on your own.
Turn to him daily. Help me. Forgive me. Guide me. Strengthen me.
We are dependent on the LORD GOD for every moment of our existence in every place and in every circumstance.
Dependence does not mean utterly powerless.
We have agency, even if our agency is simply turning to him for help.
Last Section: Hope from the Son of God
V11 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.”
These bones have flesh, they have life, but they have still no hope.
Why no hope?
Israel’s identity was tied to their land and to the temple. Both are now in utter ruin. They have no home. They have no place to go back to, no place to worship.
These resurrected bones have no hope, because they have no home. They can’t go BACNK to the way things were before the exile.
Their hope was tied to their national pride.
BUT the national pride of Israel was never meant to be their hope.
Their hope was established in the promise to Abraham.
I will bless you and make you a great nation and through you all the nations of the world will be blessed.
Going back was not the vision, but going forward to a NEW home, a NEW temple, with a NEW shepherd and not just for Israel but for all the nations of the world.
You are right we are never going to go BACK to the way things were because there is one coming who will conquer sin and death, through his own death on the cross and bodily resurrection, he will wipe every tear from our eyes, he will defeat evil, he will usher in a new and everlasting kingdom. There is no hope in going BACK we look forward to the promised one to come.
Jesus came, lived a perfect life, died for the sins of the world, rose again. This is what he said.
John 11:25 Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me, even if he dies, will live.
Believe in me.
Bruce believed in Jesus. He is alive now with Jesus.
Bruce’s belief in Jesus was not enough just for the end of life.
Jesus sustained him and Rachel and the kids all through their suffering.
Jesus is walking with us now through our exile in this life.
The rest of Ezekiel is about the final and full eradication of evil and the establishment of a new People the new Temple – A new future.
One day everything will be made NEW. Not just better. Not repaired, but NEW.
No hint of sin. No broken body. No doubt of God’s nearness or goodness.
Let’s end where we started
Can these bones live?
I imagine Ezekiel walking out of his refugee home, with knowledge of the distance future but still struggling through the days in the present.
No one is listening to you. No one is responding.
His wife, the delight of his life is gone, home is gone but still faced daily with the same choice.
The Lord God is sovereign, I am responsible. Today will I trust him? Today will I take up my responsibility as a watchman?
IF you are not a follower of Jesus, maybe you look in the mirror and think… can these bones live?
The answer is YES, YES… Yes.
Jesus is the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in Him, even if he dies, will live.
God takes no pleasure in the death of anyone. Repent and live.
Can these bones live?
If you have believed in Jesus, you are spiritually alive and will be with him forever.
Maybe you don’t FEEL spiritually alive, but you are.
Don’t go chasing some spiritual high, some hidden gem, or magical insight. All that you need to enjoy life in this exile is found in obedience to God’s word, by the power of his spirit and through the fellowship of HIS local church.
Ask the LORD GOD for help. Ask those in your church small group for help.
If you don’t FEEL alive – Are you living faithfully as a Watchman?
There is joy and purpose in looking to the needs of others and not just yourself.
I imagine you tomorrow, stepping into your place of work or walking the streets of your neighborhood…
Can these bones live?
I just want to put in my time… be nice to my neighbor… finish work and get out of here.
Or in your living room… or gathered at the kitchen table with your family…
Can these bones live?
Lord God – only you know.. only you know – Empower me be faithful.
Can they live?
There is no one who is dry and broken by sin who cannot be resurrected by the work of the Holy Spirit.
No one no one is too far gone.
Isaiah 59:1 Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear to dull to hear.
Empower me to be a faithful watchman. Cause the bones to come to life.
[1] https://www.str.org/w/how-a-finely-tuned-earth-makes-the-case-for-a-creator