Can These Bones Live?

Babylonian Captivity

God’s children Israel had a bad habit of breaking the covenant, the law of God. They were frequently carried off into captivity for their disobedience. God sent many prophets to them to remind his people how he has called them to live. Many of these prophets brought the word of the Lord during these times of captivity.

Ezekiel prophesied during the babylonian captivity. The babylonians layed seige to Jerusalem many died within the walls, after the seige the baylonian armies marched in and completley destroyed the city. The temple was destroyed the great city walls were reduced to piles of rubble. Indeed God’s land of promise to the people of Israel was reduced to a valley of bones and ashes.

Those who survived the death and destruction were carried off into captivity in Babylon. There they mourned the loss of their friends, family, loved ones and the city that they once loved. They felt that all hope was lost, and they were a valley of dry bones.

Sometimes when we look at our world, our country, our community, our life situations we can feel like the people of Israel. Faith on Foot See the brokeness of our community the empty buildings that once were full. The dress factories that now stand empty that once was a source income and life to people now stands empty and falling apart. We see the brokeness of people’s lives. Lives broken by addiction, held in bondage by the grips of poverty. Sometimes the situations in our community, and in our lives can look like a valley of dry bones. Can these bones live?

Thanks be to God that we are not beyond hope. God through his servant Ezekiel brings hope to his people Israel. God today still brings hope to our situations telling us yes these bones can live.

Ezekiel

Priest to Israel

-surrounded by the dead, unclean

-Very dry indicates that all hope was gone. To think these bones could live again was unthinkable. There is no way our human understanding of life and hope could see life and hope return to theses bones.

-After placing him in a valley of dry bones God asks Ezekiel “Can these bones live?” Only God knows.

Prophesy to these bones

-Hear the Word of the Lord!

-I will cause breath to enter you and you will live. Hebrew ruah (Breath, wind, spirit) Same word used in , and 2:7 new creation.

-ATTENTION!

-Bone came together, flesh and skin covered them but there was no life in them.

-At the word of the Lord these bones began to come together and look like people but there wasn’t breath in them. These dry bones heard the word of the Lord and stirrings began things started to come together but there was no life in them.

-Prophesy to the breath

-The breath of almighty God came from the four winds and breathed into them and just like at creation when God breathed into Adams nostrils the breath of life he became a living being.

-After the wind blew breath entered these bones and they stood in the valley a mighty army.

Bones are the house of Israel

-Our bones are dried up and all hope is lost

-There graves will be open

-Hope of restoration

-We are not beyond hope

-We serve a God who consistently makes the impossible possible. The unthinkable reality

What does this mean for us? How can our dry bones live?

1 Hear the Word of the Lord!

-Jesus Christ God in the flesh came into this world

-He lived and died as one of us

-but death and the grave could not hold him he forever made the impossible possible in him we can truly have life.

-Jesus Christ died for the sins of all humanity according to the scriptures, and has risen from the dead according to the scriptures.

-Through this act he has opened our graves and he has made it possible for us to share in his victory.

-When we put our faith in Jesus Christ there’s a noise a rattling sound bone comes together flesh and skin cover our once dry bones. Stirrings begin at the moment you believe in Jesus Christ, God begins a good work in you.

2 Allow God to breath life into you by being filled with his spirit.

-That he may sanctify you entirely, and present you blameless before God our Father. It is through believing in Jesus Christ that our lives begin to come together, that our hope is restored. It is the God’s Ruah (Wind, breath, Spirit) that we truly can live as God has called us to live.

Summary

As we look at the broken pieces of our lives, our communities, our world we can sometimes feel like the people of Israel in Babylonian captivity. That all hope is lost, and there can’t possibly be restoration. Almighty God has extended grace, hope to the hopeless. Hope of restoration. We find that hope in Jesus Christ. He demonstrated his love for us that while we where yet sinners he died for us. Christ died and rose again so we can come boldly before God’s throne of grace and he can take our dead dry bones and breath new life in him. No matter your situation you are not beyond hope. No matter what things might look like in the community of Rutland they are not beyond hope.

This is what the sovereign Lord says to these bones, “Hear the word of Lord! I will cause breath to enter you and you will come to life.

God has made a way to rise from the ashes. God has made a way for our dry bones to live again. Hear the life giving transforming word of the Lord! Believe Jesus Christ is the Messiah the son of the living and allow God to again breath his Spirit into your life. The Lord God almighty, the great I AM, almighty maker of heaven and maker of earth has spoken, and he will do it.