Ezekiel 37:1-14

 

The name Ezekiel means Òthe strength of God. He was carried off into captivity in Babylon. For 22 long years, Ezekiel guided the family while in exile. His vision was for the nation of Israel, according to verse 11. However, the message is relevant for today’s church.

 

 

What Ezekiel Saw:                                                                                                              vv. 1-3

The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. 3He asked me, Son of man, can these bones live?

I said, Sovereign Lord, you alone know.

 

1.         Spiritually lifeless bones.                                                                      v. 1

 

2.         Spiritually useless bones.                                                                     v. 2

 

3.         Spiritually hopeless bones.                                                                   v. 3

 

All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one (Romans 3:12).

 

 

What Ezekiel Felt:                                                                                                              vv. 4-9

Then he said to me, Prophesy to these bones and say to them, Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! 5This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life.6I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

7So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.

9Then he said to me, ÒProphesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ÔThis is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live.

 

1.         He was encouraged .                                                                              v. 4

 

2.         He was empowered .                                                                             v. 9

 

 

What Ezekiel Did:                                                                                                            vv. 10-14

So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet a vast army.

11Then he said to me: Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off. 12Therefore prophesy and say to them: >This is what the Sovereign Lord says: O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. 14I 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 the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares theLord.

 

1.         He mobilized the people of God.                                                       v. 10

 

2.         He utilized the people of God.                                                           v. 14

 

 

When you say a situation or a person is hopeless, you are slamming the door in the face of God.

 

Charles L. Allen