August 12, 2011
YES, HE CAN!
Ezekiel 37
Barry Davis
Central Truth
Because of the incredible things we've seen Him do, we know that God can breathe real life into the most difficult circumstances we experience in this life.
Key Verse | Ezekiel 37:5
"Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones, 'Behold, I will cause breath to enter you that you may come to life.'" (Ezekiel 37:5)
Ezekiel 37
The Valley of Dry Bones
1 The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of the valley; 1 37:1 Or plain; also verse 2 it was full of bones. 2 And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. 3 And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” 4 Then 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 2 37:5 Or spirit; also verses 6, 9, 10 to enter you, and you shall live. 6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the LORD.”
7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, 3 37:7 Or an earthquake (compare 3:12, 13) and the bones came together, bone to its bone. 8 And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But there was no breath in them. 9 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 may live.” 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.
11 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 is lost; we are indeed cut off.’ 12 Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. 13 And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. 14 And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the LORD.”
I Will Be Their God; They Shall Be My People
15 The word of the LORD came to me: 16 “Son of man, take a stick 4 37:16 Or one piece of wood; also verses 17, 19, 20 and write on it, ‘For Judah, and the people of Israel associated with him’; then take another stick and write on it, ‘For Joseph (the stick of Ephraim) and all the house of Israel associated with him.’ 17 And join them one to another into one stick, that they may become one in your hand. 18 And when your people say to you, ‘Will you not tell us what you mean by these?’ 19 say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am about to take the stick of Joseph (that is in the hand of Ephraim) and the tribes of Israel associated with him. And I will join with it the stick of Judah, 5 37:19 Hebrew And I will place them on it, the stick of Judah and make them one stick, that they may be one in my hand. 20 When the sticks on which you write are in your hand before their eyes, 21 then say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will take the people of Israel from the nations among which they have gone, and will gather them from all around, and bring them to their own land. 22 And I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. And one king shall be king over them all, and they shall be no longer two nations, and no longer divided into two kingdoms. 23 They shall not defile themselves anymore with their idols and their detestable things, or with any of their transgressions. But I will save them from all the backslidings 6 37:23 Many Hebrew manuscripts; other Hebrew manuscripts dwellings in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them; and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.
24 My servant David shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd. They shall walk in my rules and be careful to obey my statutes. 25 They shall dwell in the land that I gave to my servant Jacob, where your fathers lived. They and their children and their children's children shall dwell there forever, and David my servant shall be their prince forever. 26 I will make a covenant of peace with them. It shall be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will set them in their land 7 37:26 Hebrew lacks in their land and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in their midst forevermore. 27 My dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 28 Then the nations will know that I am the LORD who sanctifies Israel, when my sanctuary is in their midst forevermore.”
Footnotes
[1] 37:1 Or plain; also verse 2[2] 37:5 Or spirit; also verses 6, 9, 10
[3] 37:7 Or an earthquake (compare 3:12, 13)
[4] 37:16 Or one piece of wood; also verses 17, 19, 20
[5] 37:19 Hebrew And I will place them on it, the stick of Judah
[6] 37:23 Many Hebrew manuscripts; other Hebrew manuscripts dwellings
[7] 37:26 Hebrew lacks in their land
Dive Deeper | Ezekiel 37
As we arrived at the hospital, we were informed that my 42-year-old brother-in-law and lifelong friend had died of a heart attack. Just months later, a phone call in the middle of the night told us that a tragic auto accident had claimed the life of my 18-year-old nephew. A few months later, the life of another nephew was tragically lost through a drug overdose. The incredible pain of losing a son soon led to a broken relationship and divorce by my sister. Then, we would learn that my parents would be diagnosed with colon and lung cancer, and Antoinette's mother would contract colon cancer and begin a journey to death from Alzheimer's. Life began to feel like one big valley with mountains of death, addiction, illness, and despair all around us.
In this passage from Ezekiel, God takes the prophet in a vision to the valley of the dry bones to allow him to see the death and destruction of the people of Israel all around him. In verse 3, God asks Ezekiel, "Son of man, can these bones live?" Ezekiel gives a great answer when he says, "O Lord GOD, You know," acknowledging that with God anything is possible. Ezekiel's faith allowed him to have hope in the worst of times. By this time, he had seen so many strange and wonderful things that he could not dismiss the possibility of those old, dried up bones coming to life again. In previous visions he had seen the four living creatures coming out of a brilliant light (Ezekiel 1:4-5) and a man who, from the waist down, was like fire and, from the waist up, was like glowing metal (Ezekiel 8:2). Having seen all of this--and more--allowed Ezekiel to have the faith that God could restore the nation of Israel and bring life to the very dry bones.
Like Ezekiel, because of the incredible things we had seen Him do in our lives--our daughters born, marriages restored, illnesses healed, addictions wiped away--we had faith in God's ability to breathe life into our most difficult circumstances.
Yes, He can!
Discussion Questions
1. Have you experienced a season of dry bones?
2. What amazing things have you seen that allow you to persevere and have hope in the midst of the dry bones all around you?
3. How can you encourage others around you who are in need of a reminder of the great things God has done?
WEEKLY FAMILY ACTIVITY
EZEKIEL 33-37 (AUGUST 8-12)
Read Ezekiel 34:11-16.
What does God say He will be like? How does God say He will care for His flock?
Read John 10:11.
Who is the Good Shepherd? What will the shepherd do for His sheep?
Read Psalm 23.
If you have accepted Jesus as your Savior, you are one of His sheep. What promises does this Psalm give to you?
ACTIVITY: Memorize Psalm 23.
Some ideas for learning it together:
1. Put the different verses on index cards and quiz each other.
2. Write out all the words on different pieces of paper and race to put the words in the right order.
3. Go around the circle, each person saying the next word in the verse until you reach the end.
4. Make up hand motions to go with the words to help you remember them.