Dry Bones Or Life??? A Word from THE WORD!!! #485

Let’s talk about life—real life—the life which Jesus promised that HE IS—was and ever shall be.  Let’s take a look at Ezekiel’s experience and see what we can learn from it.

“The hand of the LORD was upon me,

and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD,

and set me down in the midst of the valley

which was full of bones,

2 And caused me to pass by them round about:

and, behold, there were very many

in the open valley;

and, lo, they were very dry.

3 And he said unto me,

Son of man,

can these bones live?

And I answered,

O Lord GOD, thou knowest.

4 Again he said unto me,

Prophesy upon these bones,

and say unto them,

O ye dry bones,

hear the word of the LORD.

5 Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones;

Behold,

I will cause breath to enter into you,

and ye shall live:

6 And I will lay sinews upon you,

and will bring up flesh upon you,

and cover you with skin,

and put breath in you,

and ye shall live;

and ye shall know

that I am the LORD.

7 So I prophesied as I was commanded:

and as I prophesied,

there was a noise,

and behold a shaking,

and the bones came together,

bone to his bone.

8 And when I beheld, lo,

the sinews and the flesh came up upon them,

and the skin covered them above:

but there was no breath in them.

9 Then said he unto me,

Prophesy unto the wind,

prophesy, son of man,

and say to the wind,

Thus saith the Lord GOD;

Come from the four winds,

O breath,

and breathe upon

these slain,

that they may live.

10 So I prophesied as he commanded me,

and the breath came into them,

and they lived,

and stood up upon their feet,

an exceeding great army.”  Ezekiel 37:1-10

This is one of my favorite Bible accounts, and I even like the old gospel song that describes this episode.  The thing that I want us to consider is the likeness to our situations so often in our walk through this life.  How often do we feel like “dry bones”, and much like Israel we complain about our circumstances, our trials or our expectations?  Yet what God teaches us through Ezekiel (and understand this was a picture that God painted through Ezekiel to try to make the the people of Israel see, that only HE, God, could give them new life and He wanted to!) is that God knows how dry we are, and He is ready and willing to give us new life!  It’s why Jesus came!  So, where does the life come from?

“My sheep hear my voice,

and I know them,

and they follow me:

28 And I give unto them eternal life;

and they shall never perish,

neither shall any man

pluck them out of my hand.

29 My Father, which gave them me,

is greater than all;

and no man is able to pluck them

out of my Father’s hand.

30 I and my Father are one.”  John 10:27-30

Paul makes it clear for us that spiritually we are dead without Jesus, and just fyi, “quickened” means to make alive.

“And you hath he quickened,

who were dead in trespasses and sins;

2 Wherein in time past ye walked

according to the course of this world,

according to the prince

of the power of the air,

the spirit that now worketh

in the children of disobedience:

3 Among whom also we all had our conversation

in times past

in the lusts of our flesh,

fulfilling the desires of the flesh

and of the mind;

and were by nature the children of wrath,

even as others.

4 But God, who is rich in mercy,

for his great love wherewith he loved us,

5 Even when we were dead in sins,

hath quickened us together

with Christ,

(by grace ye are saved;)”                   Ephesians 1:1-5

(I encourage you to read Ephesians 2:8-10, even better read all of Ephesians 2!)

When we receive Jesus by faith in His substitutionary, atoning sacrifice for sin, we receive new, eternal life and forgiveness, as Paul told the Colossians, Jesus is our life!

“And you,

being dead in your sins

and the uncircumcision of your flesh,

hath he quickened together with him,

having forgiven you all trespasses;

14 Blotting out the handwriting

of ordinances that was against us,

which was contrary to us,

and took it out of the way,

nailing it to his cross;”    Colossians 2:13-14

Paul also shares one of my favorite verses of confidence and hope and I pray that it will encourage you even in that valley of dry bones that may be surrounding you; and just as God told Ezekiel to prophecy to the dry bones, I believe that Paul is reminding us that Jesus is our hope, and it is HIS power that created life, and can also give us new life by the new birth given by faith in the sacrifice that Jesus made at Calvary (life for the dry bones!).

“I am crucified with Christ:

nevertheless I live;

yet not I,

but Christ liveth in me:

and the life which I now live in the flesh

I live by the faith of the Son of God,

who loved me,

and gave himself for me.”  Galatians 2:20

Are you living in Jesus’ power?  I pray that this post will remind you that the only way to life IS JESUS!!!  Have you received the new birth?  If not, you can call on Jesus today.  If you are born again, remember that you belong to the creator of all, The One who died for your sin and mine, and gives us real life , eternal life in exchange!!!  It’s Jesus’ power that enables is to have real life in HIM!  Paul makes this abundantly clear.

“For he hath made him to be sin for us,

who knew no sin;

that we might be made the righteousness of God

in him.”  2 Corinthians 5:21

Dry bones or life?  It’s your choice, but choose wisely, there is a test.

“Jesus saith unto him,

I am

the way,

the truth, and

the life:

no man cometh unto the Father,

but by me.”  John 14:6

 Amen and Amen!!!