Can Dry Bones Live?

Can Dry Bones Live?

Ezekiel 37

Tonight we are going to be in Ezekiel 37.

The title of my message is “Can Dry Bones Live?”

PRAYER

On Sunday mornings in youth church, we have been in a series studying through the book of Ezekiel. And a couple of weeks ago, I shared some background about Ezekiel. So let’s get on the same page right now, where we are in the story of Ezekiel.

• God called Ezekiel to be a prophet while he was in exile.
• Ezekiel had been a part of the second phase of the exile.
• He, along with thousands of Jews, was distributed throughout ancient Babylon.
• Ezekiel is warning God’s people that their continued rebellion against God was going to lead to the final phase of the exile: The destruction of Jerusalem, the temple, and the land of Judah being laid waste.
• The people in exile would not listen to Ezekiel’s warning and the Lord’s condemnation of the people both in the land and in exile.
• They could not imagine the place of God’s holy presence, the temple, ever being destroyed. In their mind, God would never do that.
• But in Ezekiel 33, the word is brought to Ezekiel and the people in exile that what Ezekiel has been prophesying would happen has come to pass. The temple and the land are laid waste.

So now the nation of Israel is at its all-time low.

• They are a nation in captivity. Their very identity as a people is hanging by a thread.
• The disillusionment and apathy have led them to a spiritual low.
• The destruction of the temple and Jerusalem really meant that God had abandoned them and his promises to Israel.

This is where the tone of the book changes.

• After chapter 33, there is a shift in the tone of this book.
• Ezekiel was a prophecy of judgment and condemnation, but now, in the latter half of the book, there is a shift to looking forward to future restoration.
• God has not forgotten his people, and he promises to restore the nation of Israel.
• And this promise points forward to Jesus and then even to the latter days when Christ will rule from Jerusalem in the millennial
• In our passage tonight, God gives Ezekiel a vision for the people that speaks of his power to heal, restore, and bring what seems dead back to life.

Ezekiel 37:1-3—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. 2 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. 3 He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, You know.”

• Ezekiel sees a valley full of bones.
• This is like a mass grave.
• We know from later in the passage that the bones represent Israel.
• The Lord shows Ezekiel these bones as a visual of the spiritual condition of God’s people.
• This would have been very appalling visually for Ezekiel.
• As a Jew, to die and for your body to be left and exposed to the elements was a fate worse than death. It was disgraceful and shameful.
• For us, the image of a valley full of bones feels really unrealistic, but to Ezekiel, the defeat of his people and their not captivity from a foreign empire would be fresh in his mind.
• Death, destruction, and despair were prevalent in the minds of the Jewish people.
• This is a condition of Israel in their sin. Spiritually dead and without hope of life.
• The bones in this valley are dry. They have been burned in the scorching sun. These bones were long dead.

God asks Ezekiel a really interesting question.

He asks, “Can these bones live?”

• STORY– Are these bones going to come to life?
• What God was asking was, “Can Israel be made alive again? Is hope lost?”
• Ezekiel gives a profound answer to God that I believe shows his trust in the Lord.
• “O, Lord God, You Know!”
• Ezekiel declares, “Adonai Yehova, You Know!”
• This isn’t Ezekiel throwing up his hands and saying, “I don’t know, maybe you know.”
• I think that Ezekiel took a moment to look at the bones. To look at how dry and broken they were. The answer that is so very obvious to anyone is “NO, absolutely not. Dead things do not come back to life. And REALLY dead things definitely do not come back to life.”
• But Ezekiel has the faith to recognize that God is sovereign. That God is the Lord of all creation.
• The same God who formed Adam in the dust of the earth and breathed the breath of life into him… who formed Eve from his rib… is the same God speaking to Him in the valley of bones.
• So Ezekiel declares, “God, you know.”

Application:

• Do you believe that God knows? His knowledge and understanding go far beyond your comprehension.
• If your problems appear bigger than God, the biggest problem is your wrong view of God.
• There is nothing too big for him to handle.
• There are no circumstances in which he is looking for the wisdom or understanding of how to deal with.
• Isn’t it a fantastic thought that when we are trying to solve a problem in our lives… or when we are struggling to see how we are going to make it through a season of struggle… that God never once needed instruction or help on how to handle it.
• So we should have the attitude of Ezekiel by first and foremost recognizing “God is God and I am not.”

God then instructs Ezekiel in verse 4:

Ezekiel 37:4-6— Again He said to me, “Prophesy over these bones and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.’ 5 Thus says the Lord God to these bones, ‘Behold, I will cause breath to enter you that you may come to life. 6 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.”

• Would you listen to the Lord and do this?
• Imagine standing amongst dead bones and declaring to them, “Hear.”
• They don’t have ears. They can’t hear.

Application of this point: Are you willing to preach God’s word and share God’s truth even when it feels like it falls on deaf ears?

• As a youth pastor, I will tell you that there have been many times in my life when I have felt like I am sharing God’s word in vain.
• STORY 1: I remember back in Detroit one time, I was preaching and I had a group of students sitting in the front row who were talking. I am preaching with all my heart, and at one point, I just couldn’t take it anymore and asked them to stop talking. I remember one of the boys looking at me and saying, “How about you stop?” Of course, that wasn’t going to deter me. I now take it as a challenge to preach in such a way that they would have to listen.
• STORY 2: I remember sharing my faith over and over again with a girl I went to high school with. I would go out of my way to ask her how I can pray for her and share with her about God’s love. She threatened me with violence on more than one occasion. But I kept praying, and the Lord kept putting her on my heart. Over time, I saw God begin to move in this girl’s life, and she eventually shared at her baptism how
• STORY 3: Met with a parent who felt like her son was lost entirely. He was getting into all sorts of trouble, and no matter how many consequences she gave him, it never seemed to turn him around. I asked her what his spiritual condition was, and her answer could be explained by a valley of dry bones. Hopeless. I asked her if she prayed with him, read scripture with him, or asked him to go to church. She said that he would hate it and probably roll his eyes the whole time. I asked if, kindly, if she tried. And she said she didn’t know if she could anymore. My advice: Share the gospel anyway. To pray anyway. To read scripture anyway. To drag them to church anyway. To consistently love and offer grace anyway. Do not give up.
• Would you preach the gospel even when eyes are going to roll?
• Would you be faithful to share God’s truth even when it means your reputation is on the line?
• Would you share the gospel with someone even when every part of you may believe they would never listen?
• You might see dry bones. But God wants you to preach anyways.
• You might see dry bones, but God sees an army.
• There are many powerful people, famous people, but even just influential people in our community who imagine the impact of their lives if they surrender their lives to Christ!
• STORY OF PENN JILLET: A video went viral a couple of years back of a famous Las Vegas magician, Penn Jillett. In the video, Penn shared how a man approached him after a show. He complimented him on the performance and then proceeded to share the gospel with him. He gave Penn a bible and told him that Jesus loved him. This video went viral because Penn is an atheist, but he was deeply moved by the fact that the man chose to share his faith in a loving and genuinely kind way. Penn said, “If you believe that Jesus is the only way to heaven, and that if I don’t believe in Jesus, I will go to hell. Why would you stay quiet about that? I mean, how much do you have to hate someone to not share that? You not sharing it sends the message that you hate me so much that you wouldn’t even bother to warn me.”
• So Ezekiel preaches to skulls that have no ears and bones that have been long dead.
• And what he prophesied over the bones comes to pass. God does the work, and God does the impossible.

Ezekiel 37:7-8— 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. 8 And I looked, and behold, sinews were on them, and flesh grew and skin covered them; but there was no breath in them. 

• I love this portion of the story. Imagine Ezekiel prophesying to the dry bones, and as he continues to prophecy and declare these bones are to come back together… it starts with a rattle.
• It begins with the ground shaking and the bones starting to tremble.
• I wonder if Ezekiel started out prophecying in a quiet voice, but as the rattling began to get louder, so did his voice.
• The human body has 206 bones.
• How many bones are in this valley if it is described to be an exceedingly great army once all is done?
• Since this represents the restoration of Israel during its glory days, it could have been anywhere from 20,000 to 30,000 soldiers standing in formation.
• So we are not talking about a handful of bones. 30,000 soldiers would have been over 6 million bones in this valley.
• Why the rattle? Couldn’t God have restored the army in the blind of an eye? Ezekiel could have prophesied and then bang there is the army.
• This is a picture of what the word of the Lord does in our lives.
• The word of the Lord is transformative. We need his word to transform our
• Romans 10:17—Faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
• Hebrews 4:12—“For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
• Biblical illiteracy is a huge problem in the church today, but deeper than just not understanding the Bible… most Christians don’t even read the Bible.
• Statistics show that only 22% of U.S. adults read scripture outside of a religious service.
• If we want to see transformation in our lives, then we need his word. Just as Jesus says, “Man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
• I believe that when we begin to treasure the truths of God in our hearts.
• When we are not just mere hearers of the word, but doers of the word.
• There is a great sound.. a rattle. His word cuts and shapes us into the image of Christ. We become more and more like Christ.
• I think Ezekiel was probably moved by the army standing before him.
• Let’s look now at the verse.

Ezekiel 37:9-14— 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.”’” 10 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.’ 12 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. 13 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. 14 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.”

• Israel can take hope. God keeps his promises.
• But I want to back up a moment because there is something in verse 9 that we could easily miss.
• One may ask: Why did God have him prophesy again? More specifically, prophecy to the breath.
• Here is this mass army, but… lifeless. The skin, tendons, and everything are back in place. But something is missing… their spirit.
• To understand this fully, we need an understanding of the language here.
• In this passage, the Hebrew word “ruach” is used over 10 times.
• The word “ruach” is translated contextually three different ways in scripture. It is either breath, spirit, or wind.
• In Genesis 2, God breathed into Adam’s nostrils the very breath of life. This is Adam’s spirit. His life.
• So what is God telling Ezekiel to do? To pray to the “Ruach,” the breath/Spirit. God is telling Ezekiel to pray in the Spirit, that the Holy Spirit would bring to life what is dead and resurrect this army.

This is a significant theological point for us.

• After Jesus rose from the dead, he appeared to his disciples in John 20, and it says:
• John 20:22 – “He breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’”
• Jesus breathed on them, but unlike the breath that God breathed on Adam, this was a breath that brought about their regeneration.
• Later during Pentecost, there was a mighty wind that came through the upper room, and the believers were baptized in the Holy Spirit. What was the result? They began speaking in tongues and went out all over Jerusalem, sharing the gospel.
• The Holy Spirit transformed these cowardly disciples who fled when Jesus was arrested and even denied knowing him into bold evangelists and heralds for the gospel.
• This fulfilled what Ezekiel had prophesied multiple times in the latter half of his prophetic work:
• Ezekiel 36:26-27—I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.

Conclusion

1. God brings life into dead places

• Are there things in your life that feel like a lost cause?
• Do you think your marriage will never be what you dreamed it would be?
• Do you think your relationship with your kids will never be what you wish it could be?
• Do you feel spiritually dry? Are your burdens heavy?
• God can bring refreshment. God can bring transformation. God can bring life out of things that feel dead and hopeless.
• Isaiah 40:29-31—“He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”
• Hold fast and listen to his promises. Just like God restored his promise to Israel, there are promises that God wants us to know and recite to one another. He will renew your strength.
• When you have no strength left to give, His Spirit is made perfect in our weakness.
• 2 Corinthians 12:9-10—And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 10 Therefore, I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

2. God desires for us to be vessels of hope to the hopeless

• Sometimes we Christians can live as if the sky is falling.
• We have the greatest hope in the world and all of life among people who are spiritually dead, like the dry bones.
• Scripture even explains that those who are not in Christ are spiritually dead, while they may be physically dead.
• Ephesians 2:1,4-5—And you were dead in your trespasses and sins… 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ
• So, what should I respond? Like Ezekiel, we need to go and proclaim the good news of Jesus to those who are spiritually dead and suffering in their sin.
• I pray that we would have the boldness to share the great love God has given us with all who need to know the truth.
• Can we hear the rattle?
• I hope we can walk in the hope the Lord has given us and give that hope to as many people as are desperate for it.
• That our lives may be a living sacrifice of praise to our God.

PRAYER