Ezekiel 37: The Valley of the Dry Bones
If you have your Bibles with you this morning, turn with me to the book of Ezekiel, chapter 37. As you’re turning, let me ask you, “What do you know about the book of Ezekiel?” Most of us might guess the following:
•It was written by Ezekiel •Ezekiel was a prophet •Ezekiel was a Jew
But beyond that, most of us don’t know a whole lot about Ezekiel. It is not one of the books we spend much time with. However, it is a book that is worth our study and attention.
Let me put the book into its historical setting. Remember back to last year as we did a whirlwind tour through the OT. God has always desired a relationship with man. He called out a people for himself, the Jews, also called the Israelites. Abraham was the father of this nation. Abraham’s line - Isaac, Jacob, Joseph -- followed and worshiped the one true God. The Jews went down to Egypt for 400 years during the days of Joseph, and became slaves there. God promised to deliver them and give them a land of their own; and God sent Moses to lead the Jews out of Egypt to the promised land.
The Jews lacked faith, and were afraid to enter the land because there were giants there. So they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years until a new generation grew up. And God gave them a land. Even to this day, there continues to be fighting and bloodshed over this land. The Israeli - Palestinian conflict continues constantly. But the land was given to the Jews by God.
They followed God, but wanted a king to be like other nations. God was grieved, but gave them Saul. He was followed by David and Solomon, and during their reign the nation of Israel was at its high point. God blessed the Jews, and Solomon had peace with all the nations around him. In the days of Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, the nation was split into two halves: Israel in the north, and Judah in the south. A civil war ensued for centuries. The people of both Israel and Judah turned from worshiping God, and started to worship idols, images that they had formed with their own hands. And God brought judgment. In 722 the Assyrians, a ruthless, fierce people from the north wiped out the nation of Israel, and put the nation of Judah under siege. Hezekiah, a godly king in Judah cried out to the Lord, and the south was spared.
But the Jews continued to turn to worshiping their idols. Around 600 BC the Babylonians came down from the East, and attacked the Jews. In three waves of attacks, the people were taken captive, kidnapped, and exiled from their land. Daniel ends up in the capital city, as an advisor to Nebuchadnezzar, King of the Babylonians. Jeremiah stays with the poorest of the poor people left in the land of Judah. And Ezekiel goes with the exiled Jews into the Prisoner of War camps in Babylon. All three prophets give God’s message of judgment and repentance and hope to the Jews.
Ezekiel is a prophet who calls the people to return to the Lord. Many of the people had thought that God had deserted them. Ezekiel reminds them that THEY had deserted GOD! But God’s purpose in allowing the Jews to go into exile was not to destroy them, but to help them, to cause them to turn from their idols and to turn back to following God only. And it worked. When the Jews returned from exile after 40 years, they never again turned back to idol worship as a people. And in their captivity, Ezekiel gives them a message of hope.
If you haven’t found Ezekiel 37 by now, just look on the screen and follow along there. Let’s stand as we read God’s word. I’ll be reading today from the New International Version.
Read 37:1-14 - Pray
Today we want to talk about HOPE! It’s something we have far too little of.
Ezekiel's encounter with the Lord was one to inspire hope. But what is Ezekiel’s message? First of all,
1. The Question - Can these bones live? Ezekiel had been given a message by God to deliver to his people. Ezekiel is given a vision - it says he is brought out by the Spirit of the Lord. This terminology is usually used when the prophets receive visions from the Lord. He is taken out to a valley. A valley of dry bones.
#God is not limited by location or environment. A little boy came home one day with his report card. He had three F’s. He said, “I know it’s bad dad; what do you think the problem is: heredity or environment.
Well, God is not limited by either. He is able to work even in the worst situations.
He sees the valley is filled with bones. Death has occurred. Widespread death. The Jews had seen thousands upon thousands of their people killed in the battles with the Assyrians and the Babylonians. Why? Because of their failure to turn to God and follow His ways. They stubbornly held on to their sin. Ezekiel goes back and forth among the bones, seeing that the death is widespread and extensive. The bones are dry, crumbling, the bodies have been dead for quite some time. The situation is hopeless. There is no rational, logical, possible reason for hope of life ever returning!
But still God asks the foolish question: Can these bones live? Anyone knows the answer: NO! But Ezekiel knows the power of God and so he gives the right answer: O Sovereign Lord, you alone know!”
Ezekiel knows that the question is not about science, but about faith. God is teaching Ezekiel a message of faith. And so he delivers the question.
2. The Direction - “prophesy to these bones. . .” Ezekiel is given a task to do: to deliver God’s message to the bones: a message of life and hope. He prophecies that they will gain a •structure a •life, and a •faith.
3. The Action - “I prophesied as I was commanded.” Ezekiel obeys, and as he gives the word of the Lord, a structure is given, the bones come together. But they need life. The spirit comes. The same word is used in the OT for spirit, breath, and wind. And when the spirit enters the bodies, the bones become an army.
4. The Explanation - “These bones are the whole house of Israel.” The bones represented the whole nation, who had become hopeless, lifeless, and dead. They had lost their organization, their hope, and their faith.
But the message was one of hope for the future: The bones - the nation of Israel - the Jews - would return to Israel (which happened after the 40 years of captivity - Ezra and Nehemiah record the story) they would return to their faith (they never turned to worshiping idols again) and they returned to hope (they could live in exile with hope that something better was coming.)
5. The Application:
To the Jews, this was a vision which gave them hope for the future. The children of Israel were literally "dead" in spirit and scattered as the bones in the valley. They had given up all hope. But God has another plan in mind for them. God never sent them into captivity to destroy them, but to reclaim them. He desires to return them to the promised land and give them a great future.
But, as Romans 15:4 tells us, “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” So, if this prophecy is here to teach us and give us hope, then there must be an application for us as well. Let me offer two applications: one for us as a congregation and one for us as individuals.
To Bethel: I wonder if God would come to some of us today, and say, "Can Bethel survive?", what would our answer be? Some would say, sure. This church has been here for 20 years. Yet, at first glance, it is overlooked by those who pass by. Most people who drive by our church every day on their way to work probably couldn't tell the first thing about our church. They read our sign out front and see we have things going on. But they wouldn’t know anything about us. How are we reaching others? We have lost our impact to the community. And reaching our community is the whole purpose we are here.
It’s sort of like a firehouse. I need a few firemen. (four volunteers. Job is to put out fires. Not many fires, so on quiet days #1 washes the truck; #2 cleans the bell, #3 folds the hoses; #4 sweeps the station. What is your job? PUT OUT FIRES!) Far too often we forget our purpose of being here as a church. And when we forget our purpose, the church begins to die.
I'm sure if I could ask each one of you what you wanted in a church, we all would have different answers. But ultimately we long for a church that makes a difference: in our life, in our friends’ lives, in the community--a church that makes an impact. Well, just like Ezekiel, if God is going to do something great in our church, he is going to ask us to do something about it.
#A lady for months had been upset that her pastor at the end of his sermons didn't give big, drawn-out altar calls. She always complained to her co-workers about it. One day, after talking to her pastor about it, he said, "That's a good idea. I'll give an altar call if you'll bring someone who needs to know the Lord." Well, she went back to work, asked her friends to come with her, but they all refused. No one wanted to go to her church after hearing the way she complained about it. There are many who are critical about every little thing in church, but their critical spirit just turns people off to wanting to follow God. And I’m not talking only about Bethel. Satan uses this negative, critical spirit to infiltrate every church. It’s one of his key attacks.
If God is going to stir the dry bones of Bethel, he will start by using us. Remember Ezekiel prophesied and the bones came back together. But remember also that that wasn't enough. The power of the Spirit was needed. In Bethel we can dream up all the best programs. We can have something great planned for every night of the week. But programming isn't enough. We need to pray the power of the Spirit will come and fill us with great power, just as he did the bones, and just as he did the early church.
I have read church growth books before that say the answer is to create a need. If a need does not exist, create one. Some churches have great programs, and they are always asking for money. But the answer is not is programs. Some people have said to the elders we just need to do more programs and our church will grow. But programs and buildings and fund drives do not build the church. The church grows strong as we look to the Spirit of God and follow His leading.
In Acts 4:31 we find the example of the early church. After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. That is how we grow as a church. We proclaim the message of God. God will help this church to grow as His people get serious about sharing the message of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ with others. This is the most important thing we could do.
Remember that God is free to work in every situation. Some people tend to think that having a different type of church is the key. Some go to Lansing so they can be part of some mega-church with thousands of people. I’ve been in megachurches before: Ronda and I met in a church of 4,000. Yes there are 40 times the people there, but there are also 40 times the problems as well. I believe right here in Owosso, God has uniquely placed this church to minister and serve in a powerful way. But it is not through our own clever wisdom or creative planning that we will grow. We need to listen to hear what God has to say to us as a people.
I truly believe this church has never been stronger than it is right now. I believe the best days of this church are yet ahead of us. But we need to have HOPE in the fact that God WILL work through us and use us as we faithfully follow Him.
Maybe you're happy with Bethel just as it is. You like it being a small family church where you can know everyone who comes. You like the reliability of knowing exactly what will happen. Well, I'm not happy with staying the same. I don't want to ever be stagnant or complacent. No one wants to drink from water that has been still for weeks, months, or years. It will make you sick! In every marriage, if you don't grow closer, you level off in your love for one another. It's sort of like the wife who complained that her husband never told her he loved her. He replied, "Honey, I told you on our wedding day that I loved you. If that ever changes, I'll let you know." I don't think they'll experience the best in their marriage.
Are we as a church living in HOPE? The message of the dry bones is a message for us as a people that God is still at work. His power is greater than any obstacle we might face. He can work in even the worst situations. Remember the last two months as we have been going through the book of 1 Corinthains together. This was a church with problem after problem: yet it was a strong church because it faced up to its problems and dealt with them. Sure, Bethel has its share of problems, but we are working on addressing them and overcoming them through the power of God.
What is the message of the dry bones to us as a congregation? God is not finished with us yet!
But how about his message to us as individuals?
To us as individuals: Today churches are full of people, but many are empty of God. Too many of God’s people have a self–sufficient spirit, an apathetic heart, and a dead disobedient lifestyle.
Someone has once said there are several types of bones in the church:
•The Tailbone Christian – Who just sits, and lets everybody else do the ministry in the church. If God had wanted you to sit around and do nothing, He would have taken you on to Glory the minute He saved you.
1 Cor. 15:58 - Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
“Can these bones live?” Yes, as soon as they get off their tailbones!
•The Fingerbone Christian – Those who are always pointing their finger at everybody else, not taking responsibility for their own actions. They blame everybody else for the circumstances they find themselves in. “Can these bones live?” Yes, as soon as they see that they are reaping what they have sown.
•The Jawbone Christian – Who runs off at the mouth … who puts his mouth into motion before his brain is in gear … who spreads gossip … who intentionally causes trouble by stirring up strife. “Can these bones live?” Yes, when they snatch their tongue from the Devil, and give it to the Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 4:29 – Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
•The Hipbone Christian – Who sits on his wallet every Sunday when the offering plate is passed. “Can these bones live?” Yes, when the heart is converted, the wallet will be converted too.
Matthew 6:21 – “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
•The Wishbone Christian – Remember when you were a kid, and you got to pull on the wishbone of the Thanksgiving turkey? If you got the bigger piece, your wish was granted (supposedly). For some of us, that describes our prayer life … gimme, gimme, gimme. We come to God with our “wish list” and that pretty much describes our prayer life. “Can these bones live?” Yes, when we realize that prayer is a relationship with God that involves, not only asking, but thanksgiving, praise, fellowship, and worship.
•The Backbone Christian – Who has convictions … knows what they are … and stands on them. The Christian with BACKBONE, won’t live his life to please the world … won’t live her life to blend in with the world … won’t live their life to conform to the standards of the world. “Can these bones live?” Yes, and they do live, as a testimony of the grace of God.
•The Kneebone Christian – Who realizes that victory in the Christian life, comes only through a life of prayer. “Much prayer, much power … Little prayer, little power … No prayer, no power.” “Can these bones live?” Yes, and the Kneebone Christian is the one who is living the life of VICTORY.
We live among a people of dry bones. How do you know if your bones are getting dry?
1. When there is no desire for Bible study and prayer.
2. When spiritual conversation embarrasses you or is avoided.
3. When you rationalize sin.
4. When you can quote scripture and attend service, but it doesn’t make a difference in your life.
5. When you life revolves around money.
6. When it no longer bothers you that others are in misery and spiritually lost.
7. When worship and service to God does not excite you.
Do you see your bones drying out? Then do something about it!
God’s message through Ezekiel is a message of HOPE for us as individuals.
A family’s cat was run over by a car, and the mother quickly disposed of the remains before her four-year-old son Billy found out about it. After a few days, though, Billy finally asked about the cat. “Billy, the cat died,” his mother explained. “But it’s all right. He’s up in heaven with God.” The boy asked, “What in the world would God want with a dead cat?”
That is the same question I have for you. What in the world would God want a half-dead, dried out Christian for who is lazy, apathetic, unconcerned, willful, prideful, and stubborn. Yes, God loves us, but He desires so much more for us. We wants us as we are, but loves us too much to leave us that way. God will do what it takes to change us to glorify Him.
We tend to live in our comfort zones of complacency. You take a frog, throw it in a kettle of boiling water, and it will jump right out. Take that same frog, put him in a kettle of cool water, and you can turn up the heat until you have cooked the frog.
Satan normally doesn’t take us and throw us in situations of boiling water. He knows we will jump away. But he works slowly at turning up the heat. He builds a coldness in our hears. He gets us to be conformed to the world. He gets us more concerned with our homes and cars and checkbooks than we are with thing of the Spirit of God. He gets us living sinful, disobedient lives and we explain it away as unimportant.
We have a nation of people who are dry bones, dead, with no spiritual life.
But God desires to revive us. God desires to work through us. So many times we give up the fight before we have allowed God to bring the victory. A man approached a little league baseball game one afternoon. He asked a boy in the dugout what the score was. The boy responded, "Eighteen to nothing--we’re behind." "Boy," said the spectator, "I’ll bet you’re discouraged." "Why should I be discouraged?" replied the little boy. "We haven’t even gotten up to bat yet!"
Let’s remember that we have not had our turn at bat. We live in a fallen, sinful world where sin and unjustice reigns. But remember we are in the world but we are not OF the world. We are pilgrims on this earth. We are looking for a heavenly home. All this world has to offer is of no account.
The message of the dry bones is a message for us as individuals of HOPE that God can take us, dry and dead as we are, and do something GREAT in our lives. He has already given us the victory. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Cor. 15:57. We are no longer under the power of sin. Rom. 8:2 - through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. We can stand up to any temptation Satan sends our way. 1 Cor 10:13 - No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. We have everything we need to live a righteous life: 2 Peter 1:3 - His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness . . . he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may . . . escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
As individuals, let’s let God revive our hearts, and renew our love for Him, and let’s have hope for the future. There is no valley so low, no mountain so high, no problem so big, no burden so great, that our God cannot give us the victory. Let’s live in HOPE today. Let’s pray.
