Dry Bones Can Live

Text: Ezekiel 37:1-14

Thesis: To stress the new life and opportunities that God can provide.

Introduction:

(1)   Have you ever found yourself in a hopeless situation?

(2)   Israel found itself in Babylonian captivity and felt that all hope was lost.

Discussion:

I.                   The Story:

A.    Ezekiel is taken in a vision to a valley full of dry bones.

1.      The valley is “filled with many bleached bones, scattered on the ground, the skeletons of corpses long ago decomposed and devoured by carrion-eating birds and animals” (Wiersbe 230).

2.      “The lack of burial was a common ancient Near Eastern curse for breaking treaty obligations (29:5; Deut 28:26-26; Jer 34:17-20)” (Fredenburg 324).

3.      “As if to ensure the full impact of the vision on the prophet, Yahweh leads him back and forth all around the bones” (Block 2:373).

4.      “The ‘very dry’ bones point is to stress the impossibility (humanly speaking) for them to come alive” (McGuiggan 312).

B.     God then asked him if these bones can live.

1.      “Recognizing the sovereign power of God, however, the prophet is unwilling to give a negative answer.  Rather, he turns the question back to God” (Duguid 427).

2.      God answered by commanding him to prophesy to the bones.

a.       “The word for ‘hear,’ whether commanded by God or asked of him, always contains the notions of ‘listen and respond appropriately.’”

b.      As he prophesied, the bones came together and became flesh.

c.       However, the bodies still lacked the breath of God.

(1)   Therefore, God commands he prophet to prophesy again.

(a)    “The ‘four winds’ represent the four corners of the earth (cf. Ezek. 7:2)” (Taylor 238).

(b)   “So here separate acts take place because two miracles were necessary, to reconstitute the bones into bodies and to reanimate the bodies” (Allen 2:185).

(2)      As he prophesied, the breath of God entered into the bodies and gave them life again.

C.     Beginning with verse 11, God explained the vision to Ezekiel.

1.      The bones represent the nation of Israel in Babylonian captivity.

a.       “The collapse of Jerusalem had seemed to drive the nails into the coffin that was their exile; there was no more hope of a return and new life in their homeland” (Craigie 260-61).

b.      “The triple stanzas of despair emphasize the degree to which they had fallen: they absolutely had no more hope” (Fredenburg 327).

c.       “They knew themselves to de dead while they lived, for they were cut off from the life-giving presence of the living God and therefore without hope” (Duguid 431).

2.      The new life given to the dry bones represent Israel’s return to their homeland.

a.       “Ezekiel uses the language of resurrection to illustrate the promise of Israel’s return to a new life in her own land from the deathlike existence of the Babylonian exile” (Taylor 236).

b.      Their enjoyment of this new life will be a demonstration of God’s awesome power.

II.                The Application:

A.    God can do that which is seemingly impossible.

1.      “With God all things are possible” (Matt. 19:26)

2.      Look at evidences from the past (e.g., Red Sea, Midianite army, Goliath, Lazarus, Easter Sunday)

B.     God can give new life to us today.

1.      At the point of salvation, one dies and is resurrected as a “new creature” (Rom. 6:3-5; 2 Cor. 5:17; John 3:3-5).

2.      Throughout various periods in a Christian’s life, God provides restoration.

a.       “He restores my soul” (Psa. 23:3a.)

b.      “Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and uphold me by Your generous Spirit” (Psa. 51:12)

3.      Even dead churches can be made new (cf. Rev. 3:2 – Church at Sardis could repent)

C.     One day, God will literally raise all the dead bodies and will give all Christians a new life in Heaven.

Conclusion:

(1)   God wants to give you a new and better life today.

(2)   Will you come to Him and receive this new life?