Alive and United

Alive and United

Ezekiel 37:1-28

Main Idea: For His glory and by His Spirit and word, God delivers His people from death and division and brings us into life and unity.

The angel Gabriel declared to Mary, “Nothing will be impossible with God” (Luke 1:37). Whether it is defeating a giant with a stone and slingshot, making walls fall down with horns and shouts, being in the middle of a fire and coming out of it without a hair singed or the slightest scent of smoke, or in Mary’s case, being a virgin yet delivering the Son of God, nothing is impossible with God. As familiar as we are with this truth, some of us may struggle to believe it. We may believe it generally, “I know God can do great things,” but doubt it specifically, “I do not believe God can do anything with some of the situations I am in.” Doubt leads to despair, and despair leads to hopelessness.

Have you ever felt hopeless about something or maybe even someone? I used to feel this way about my father’s salvation. I prayed and prayed and prayed, but if God was moving in his life, I struggled to see it. On December 18, 1997, however, I had the privilege of leading my father to Christ. I wept as I did, finding Luke 1:37 to be more true than ever. Some of you may feel that your current situation is not going to change, that you are never going to change, or that your spouse, children, boss, neighbor, or friend is never going to change. Gandhi encouraged us to be the change. I prefer Christ’s message though: “Come to me and be changed.” Whatever your “hopeless” situation is, would you give it to Him right now? Completely and fully believe He is able to do all that His holy will desires. If you have been tempted to give up and quit praying about something, do not! Keep asking. Keep knocking. Keep travailing in prayer.

Where we pick up in Ezekiel 37, Israel certainly felt hopeless. As a matter of fact, they admitted it. They said, “Our bones are dried up, and our hope has perished; we are cut off” (v. 11). At this point they have been in exile for at least 12 years (33:21), Jerusalem has fallen, the temple has been destroyed, many have been slaughtered, and despite all Ezekiel has preached to them, they have lost hope. I am sure somewhere deep down they knew nothing was impossible with God, but whether they believed that is up for debate. Would we? Do we?

Israel’s feelings of hopelessness should not be completely foreign to us. As we encounter their struggle in Ezekiel 37, we should keep in mind we were once hopeless too. In fact, we are even commanded to remember it. In his letter to the church at Ephesus, Paul wrote 33 verses without giving a command. When he finally issues an imperative, it is for the church to “remember.” What is it Paul wants them (and us) to remember? He says,

Remember that at one time you were Gentiles in the flesh—called “the uncircumcised” by those called “the circumcised,” which is done in the flesh by human hands. At that time you were without the Messiah, excluded from the citizenship of Israel, and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. (Eph 2:11-12)

Piper helps us understand more about what Paul meant by remembering our hopelessness:

Therefore, when Paul says to us, “Remember that you were without God,” he didn’t just mean, “Remember that you once lacked some knowledge about God.” He meant, “Remember that God was once not your God, and that he would not be yet, apart from the gospel.” And if he was not our God, then he was not for us but against us; he was not our justifier but our condemner; not eternal life but eternal damnation lay before us. And it’s just this that Paul wants us to remember. Remember that apart from Christ, almighty God would be against us; apart from Christ, we would be storing up wrath for ourselves on the day of the righteous judgment of God (Romans 2:4,5; Ephesians 2:3); apart from the free and unmerited mercy of Christ, we would go away into “eternal punishment” (Matthew 25:46). Or, as Paul says in a single phrase, we would be utterly “without hope.” (Piper, “Remember”)

We should always remember that at one time we were Christless, stateless, friendless, hopeless, and godless. We should also remember that God did not leave us this way. While we once were hopeless, we are not anymore. We can actually rejoice in hope because we know, “This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us” (Rom 5:5).

Ezekiel’s generation should have been full of hope as well. They were told, “‘For I know the plans I have for you’—this is the Lord’s declaration—‘plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope’” (Jer 29:11). They had either forgotten this word or chosen not to believe it. God, however, would not just restore their hope but resurrect His people and reestablish them in their land.

Alive: God Delivers His People from Death

Ezekiel 37:1-14

As God’s prophet, Ezekiel has been privileged to see breathtaking visions. In chapter 37 he is shown what most people probably think of when the book of Ezekiel is mentioned. It would actually be interesting to see what else our people know about the prophet besides this vision. My guess is not much.

God is going to take Ezekiel and set him down in the ultimate Death Valley. What he sees is in stark contrast to Ezekiel 36:33-36. Instead of seeing fruitful trees and vegetation bursting from the ground, he sees bones. The valley was full of them, and they were very dry (37:1-2). The Lord led Ezekiel all around them (v. 2). The prophet’s inspection lets him know this valley is full of death and that decomposition finished its work long ago. Why does God do this? He wants Ezekiel to see that Israel is not near death but totally dead.

Both Moses and Jeremiah tried to warn God’s people. Moses told them if they did not keep the covenant,

the Lord will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. You will march out against them from one direction but flee from them in seven directions. You will be an object of horror to all the kingdoms of the earth. Your corpses will be food for all the birds of the sky and the wild animals of the land, with no one to scare them away. (Deut 28:25-26)

Through Jeremiah, God repeated the same message for those who refused to keep the covenant. God told them they would be handed over to their enemies and their corpses would “become food for the birds of the sky and for the wild animals of the land” (Jer 34:20). God never lies.

After God parades Ezekiel through the bones, He asks him, “Son of man, can these bones live” (37:3)? If Ezekiel were on a television game show, this might be the time that he wants to phone a friend. Resuscitation was not unheard of in the Old Testament. Ezekiel most certainly would have known of the experiences Elijah (1 Kgs 17) and Elisha (2 Kgs 4) had when they prayed and saw a child brought back to life. But in both of these examples, the gap between the time of death and the resuscitation was narrow. In the valley where Ezekiel is currently standing, not only had death occurred but also decomposition. All of the flesh has been disintegrated leaving just the bones, which have been exposed for so long they have been dried and bleached by the sun. An interesting question indeed, “Can these bones live?”

The question is never whether God has the power to do something but rather if He wills to do it. When God is referred to as omnipotent, it means He has all the power He needs to accomplish whatever He desires in accordance with His holiness. By what He has seen and heard from God over the past 12 years, Ezekiel knows God can raise these bones. What Ezekiel does not know is whether that is what God desires, so he responds to God’s question, “Lord God, only You know” (v. 3). Great answer. Under the influence of the same Spirit as Ezekiel, Paul would write hundreds of years later that God alone “gives life to the dead and calls things into existence that do not exist” (Rom 4:17).

So, what’s the plan in the valley? Is there a solution for the situation? Is God going to bring life? Yes and He’s going to use Ezekiel in the process, but you probably knew that by now. The Lord told Ezekiel, “Prophesy concerning these bones and say to them: Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord” (v. 4). Ezekiel should not be totally caught off guard. Prior to this vision he has been asked to preach to mountains, to forests, and to people who listen like brick walls.

If Ezekiel had any questions or hesitations, they are not recorded. To my shame, I know I would have had some questions. Instead of instant obedience, I too often wrestle with the Lord’s plan. Instead of saying, “Yes Sir! Right away, Sir,” I tend to ask, “You want me to do what?” I’m sure I would have had a sarcastic response such as, “So, the solution for a valley full of very dry bones to live again is a sermon? Does it need three alliterated points and a poem?”

Based on what we know of Ezekiel’s obedience up to this point, what do you think he is going to do? You guessed it. In verses 7 and 10 we find that Ezekiel prophesied both times as he was commanded. Because he trusted and obeyed, Ezekiel saw God do some amazing things (vv. 7-8). What about us? What are we seeing God do because we believe Him and obey Him? What are we missing out on because we do not?

Bringing the dry bones in the valley back to life will be a two-part process involving both God’s word and His Spirit. Why is the word necessary? Not only because it is alive (Heb 4:12) but also because it brings life (1 Pet 1:23). Two of the greatest steps we can take to be used mightily in evangelism are praying and memorizing God’s Word. If we hide the Word in our hearts, then the Spirit can bring its gospel message to our lips and use it to bring others to life. Paul says, “So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the message about Christ” (Rom 10:17). The church at Ephesus was informed, “When you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed in Him, you were also sealed with the promised Holy Spirit” (Eph 1:13). Without the word and someone faithful like Ezekiel to proclaim it, dry bones will never live.

The second part of the resuscitation in the valley is the work of Spirit. We are born because God forms us, but we are reborn because God fills us. Ezekiel is told, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man. Say to it: This is what the Lord God says: Breath, come from the four winds and breathe into these slain so that they may live” (v. 9). Just like Adam in Genesis 2, they may look alive when they are formed, but they are made alive when His Spirit fills them. Ezekiel says, “The breath entered them, and they came to life and stood on their feet, a vast army” (v. 10). Ezekiel knew exactly what the Spirit’s empowering felt like (2:2).

Ezekiel could preach with confidence because God promised to act as Ezekiel prophesied. God would cause breath to enter the bones and make them live (37:5). God would put tendons on the bones, make flesh grow, and cover them with skin (v. 6). Ezekiel’s role was to prophesy, and God’s role was to produce the results. It’s the same for us. Our responsibility is proclamation, and God’s work is regeneration. We may not see physically what Ezekiel was shown, but God is still bringing life from death through the preaching of His Word.

So, what was the purpose of the vision and the field trip to valley of death? Ezekiel is told, “These bones are the whole house of Israel. Look how they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope has perished; we are cut off” (v. 11). The bones, which seem to have zero possibility of ever knowing life again, reveal how Israel feels about their discipline and exile. They believe God is finished with them. They have received the curses of the covenant and have been cut off. If God were to ask Israel instead of Ezekiel whether the bones in the vision could live again, they would answer with a resounding no! All hope was gone.

God, however, had a plan to give His people life and land. He told Ezekiel,

Say to them: This is what the Lord God says: I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them, My people, and lead you into the land of Israel. You will know that I am Yahweh, My people, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. I 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 am Yahweh. I have spoken, and I will do it. (37:12-14)

Let all despair flee. God had determined to deliver His people, and nothing would stand in His way.

Even though the house of Israel felt forsaken, they were not. They were still His people, and this speaks to His faithfulness more than theirs. Despite all they had done to rebel against Him, God would still deliver His people from the nations in which they were exiled and lead them back to their land. He is not acting because they were good but because He is, which should give all of us hope.

Without Christ we are as bad and as dead as Israel ever was. Paul reminds the Colossians, “Once you were alienated and hostile in your minds because of your evil actions” (Col 1:21). To the church at Ephesus, he painted an even bleaker picture. He says,

You were dead in your trespasses and sins in which you previously walked according to the ways of this world, according to the ruler who exercises authority over the lower heavens, the spirit now working in the disobedient. We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts, and we were by nature children under wrath as the others were also. (Eph 2:1-3)

We were no beauty queens ourselves, but like Israel God gives us life through Christ (Eph 2:4). God can bring us through the valley of death because He first brought Christ through it (1 Cor 15:20-23).

Just as the bones were resuscitated with a purpose of being an army, so we’ve been filled with the Spirit for a reason. We have work to do. “For we are His creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them” (Eph 2:10). We are regenerated for the reason of making disciples for His renown.

United: God Delivers His People from Division

Ezekiel 37:15-28

As further evidence that God does not want things to be as they were before the exile, He will not only bring His people from the nations but He will also bring them together. He will save them not only from death but also from division. God’s people will be both alive and united. In order to convey this message, Ezekiel is given one more sign act to perform.

The prophet is told to take a single stick and write on it: belonging to Judah and the Israelites associated with him (v. 16). He is then told to take another stick and write on it: Belonging to Joseph—the stick of Ephraim—and all the house of Israel associated with him (v. 16). He is then told to join the sticks together so they become one stick in his hand (v. 17). Why is God asking Ezekiel to do this? Because He will have “one nation obedient to one king and worshipping one God” (Wiersbe, Be Reverent, 198). They will be united, cleansed, and walking together in God’s ways and in submission to God’s shepherd (vv. 20-24).

Not only will they be healed from their disobedience and their division, but also they will dwell with the Lord forever (vv. 25-28). Yahweh will make a covenant of peace with His people, and it will be an everlasting covenant (v. 26). He will never break His word. He will never forsake them. He will establish and multiply His people and will set His sanctuary among them forever (v. 26). When He dwells with His people, the aim of all the discipline will be achieved. Both Israel and the nations will know He is Yahweh who sanctifies His people (v. 28). God will do all that is necessary for His people to dwell securely in His presence forever.

Though this prophecy awaits its ultimate fulfillment (Rev 20–21), God is uniting and dwelling with His people now (1 Cor 6:19). Paul tells us:

But now in Christ Jesus, you who were far away have been brought near by the blood of the Messiah. For He is our peace, who made both groups one and tore down the dividing wall of hostility. In His flesh, He made of no effect the law consisting of commands and expressed in regulations, so that He might create in Himself one new man from the two, resulting in peace. He did this so that He might reconcile both to God in one body through the cross and put the hostility to death by it. When the Messiah came, He proclaimed the good news of peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone. The whole building, being put together by Him, grows into a holy sanctuary in the Lord. You also are being built together for God’s dwelling in the Spirit. (Eph 2:13-22)

Through the cross of Christ, we are reconciled both to God and to fellow believers. He is working to unite His people from every nation, tribe, people, and language (Rev 7:9). Who else but God can bring together people from such diversity and see them flourish in unity as they serve one King? All of this reveals His wisdom (Eph 3:10). Piper notes,

The point is that God aims to create one new people in Christ who are reconciled to each other across racial lines. Not strangers. Not aliens. No enmity. Not far off. Fellow citizens of one Christian “city of God.” One temple for a habitation of God. And he did this at the cost of his Son’s life. We love to dwell on our reconciliation with God through the death of his Son. And well we should. It is precious beyond measure—to have peace with God (Romans 5:9-10).

But let us also dwell on this: that God ordained the death of his Son to reconcile alien people groups to each other in one body in Christ. This too was the design of the death of Christ. Think on this: Christ died to take enmity and anger and disgust and jealousy and self-pity and fear and envy and hatred and malice and indifference away from your heart toward all other persons who are in Christ by faith—whatever the race. (Piper, “Race and Cross”)

I am so thankful all of our disagreements as a faith family are only temporary. One day God will move in our lives in such a powerful way that not only will we no longer sin against one another but we will also never sin against Him. The only way for God to set His sanctuary with His people is to sanctify His people, and this is exactly what He said He would do (37:28). While we wait for the full measure of God’s deliverance from death and division let us be “diligently keeping the unity of the Spirit with the peace that binds us” (Eph 4:3).

Reflect and Discuss

1. Why do we sometimes doubt that all things are possible with God? Though we know the truth, why do we act as if some situations are impossible for God to change?
2. Have you ever felt forsaken or cut off from God? What caused this? How was it resolved?
3. What role does God’s Word play in bringing spiritual life? Why should our evangelistic presentations be saturated with Scripture?
4. In what ways have you experienced the Spirit’s empowering?
5. What hope can be found in Ezekiel 37 for a person who feels their sin has more power to damn than Christ’s blood has to save?
6. In what ways does Ezekiel’s obedience continue to challenge you? How can we move toward immediate obedience to the Lord in our lives?
7. Is your faith family united around the gospel or something else? What does it look like when a congregation strives together for the gospel?
8. In what ways are you working toward unity in your faith family, and in what ways are you causing disunity? Is there anyone you need to forgive or seek his or her forgiveness?
9. When you consider dwelling with the Lord forever, what thoughts come to your mind?
10. What do you think it will be like when sin is no longer a possibility for us? How grateful will you be?