GOD'S ANSWERS TO DEAD SITUATIONS

See Ezekiel 37:1-14

Ezekiel 37:1–14 NASB95

The hand of the Lord was upon me, and He brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; and it was full of bones. He caused me to pass among them round about, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley; and lo, they were very dry. He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, You know.” Again He said to me, “Prophesy over these bones and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.’ “Thus says the Lord God to these bones, ‘Behold, I will cause breath to enter you that you may come to life. ‘I will put sinews on you, make flesh grow back on you, cover you with skin and put breath in you that you may come alive; and you will know that I am the Lord.’ ” So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold, a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to its bone. And I looked, and behold, sinews were on them, and flesh grew and skin covered them; but there was no breath in them. Then He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they come to life.” ’ ” So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they came to life and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army. Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel; behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope has perished. We are completely cut off.’ “Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves, My people; and I will bring you into the land of Israel. “Then you will know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves and caused you to come up out of your graves, My people. “I will put My Spirit within you and you will come to life, and I will place you on your own land. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken and done it,” declares the Lord.’ ”

Introduction

BONES While often referring to the skeletal remains of humans (Gen. 50:25; Exod. 13:19; 1 Sam. 31:13), “bones” were also referred to metaphorically. “Rottenness in his bones” signified one whose wife caused shame and confusion (Prov. 12:4; 14:30, “to the bones” HCSB) or could refer to dejectedness and anticipation of approaching evil (Hab. 3:16). The “shaking of bones” denoted fear (Job 4:14) or sadness (Jer. 23:9). The “burning of the bones” indicated grief and depression (Ps. 102:3; Lam. 1:13) and the feeling of Jeremiah when he tried to refrain from proclaiming God’s message (Jer. 20:9). “Dryness of bones” meant poor health (Prov. 17:22). Various other expressions using “bones” referred to mental distress (Job 30:17; Pss. 6:2; 22:14; 31:10; 38:3; 51:8; Lam. 3:4). “Bone of my bones” may mean having the same nature or being the nearest relation (Gen. 2:23; 2 Sam. 5:1).

It is the issue of dry bones that concern us today. I’m afraid that many of you listening this morning may be suffering from this uncomfortable condition. No, I am not talking in a literal sense but in a figrative and spiritual one. Because, to have dry bones is to be without hope.

B. What Is Hopelessness?

When zealous religious leaders sought to kill the apostle Paul, he—a Roman citizen—appealed to Caesar. Soon Paul found himself a prisoner on a ship headed to Rome. A treacherous storm arose, and eventually all on board lost hope.… All on board believed they would die.… All on board saw the situation as hopeless. Paul admitted,

“When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved.”

(Acts 27:20)

• Hopelessness is characterized by absolute despair with no expectation of good.5 The Bible refers to those who have only a hope that perishes,

“Such is the destiny of all who forget God; so perishes the hope of the godless.” (Job 8:13)

• Hopelessness in the New Testament is conveyed by the Greek word apelpizo, which is also translated “despair.” (Apo means “away from” and elpizo means “to hope.” When combined, this word literally means “to be away from hope.”)6

• Hopeless thinking can result in a desire to die. Those who feel hopeless are unable to envision any viable option for their problems—death seems the only solution.

Explanation

The text before this afternoon is a beloved biblical passage that many have mistakenly believe to be about the general resurrection of all the saints of God when the Lord Jesus comes back again. This ideation does not agree with the message of the book, nor the context in which it is found.

What we must bear in mind as we approach this text is that the Book of Ezekiel is the account of a prophet who lived and preached during the 6th Century before the common era. As we open the book, we discover that the prophet enlightens us to the fact that his location is at the river Chebar, among the exiles. Bible students immediately pick up on the word exiles and conclude that the prophet is somewhere outside of land of Palestine.

The Old Testament records two major events where the people of God where exiled. First was the Northern Kingdom who were carried away captive by the Assyrians in 722 BC, the other was in 597 BC when Nebuchadnezzer and the Babylonians took captives into exile in Babylon. The prophert not only tells us that he is exiled, he also tells us why. It is the tragic story of how God chose a people to be his own and the rebelled against Him.

It has been said that history has a way of repeating itself. I submit to you today that the Lord had chosen for himself a people to be his own right here on these shores of the United States of America and we, just like Israel have refused to honor Him, but have instead rebelled against Him.

See Ezek 2:3-4

Ezekiel 2:3–4 NASB95

Then He said to me, “Son of man, I am sending you to the sons of Israel, to a rebellious people who have rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have transgressed against Me to this very day. “I am sending you to them who are stubborn and obstinate children, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’

Ezekiel 2:3–4 NASB95

Then He said to me, “Son of man, I am sending you to the sons of Israel, to a rebellious people who have rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have transgressed against Me to this very day. “I am sending you to them who are stubborn and obstinate children, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’

Application

The text is tailored to teach us that 1) Rebellion Kills, 2) Hopelessness clouds the Future, and 3) God has the answers to “dead situations”

REBELLION: Rebelliousness

Rebellion encompasses the political and the religious life of Israel. In the ot, rebellion involves defiant acts and attitudes toward royal figures and God. The concept of rebellion is less prominent in the nt, where it is most closely represented by the concept of apostasy.

REBELLION Rebellion is always against God, even though the counselee may intend to rebel against the counselor. This fact must be made known to rebels. God will not put up with rebellion; it is an attitude of shaking one’s fist in God’s face. If it is not momentary, and followed by sincere repentance, it should be met by the extreme of church discipline (q.v.).

II. CHARACTERISTICS

A. Characteristics of a Rebel • Insolent • Resistant • Unbelieving • Resentful of authority • Defensive • Independent • Complaining • Distrustful • Greedy • Defiant “Korah son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and certain Reubenites—Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth—became insolent and rose up against Moses. With them were 250 Israelite men, well-known community leaders who had been appointed members of the council. They came as a group to oppose Moses and Aaron and said to them, ‘You have gone too far!’ When Moses heard this, he fell facedown.” (Numbers 16:1–4)

See Proverbs 13:12