Introduction

Good morning, dear family of God. It's a blessing to be here with you today, to share in the Word of God and to uncover the richness of His promises. We gather here today not as mere acquaintances, but as brothers and sisters brought together by the love of Christ, bound by His grace, and called to His purpose.

We are here to talk about a passage from the book of Ezekiel, a passage that speaks to our hearts and minds, that whispers to our souls, and that reminds us of the power of our God. The prophet Ezekiel, in his 37th chapter, verses 1 to 10, takes us into a valley of dry bones. But this is not a tale of despair. No, dear friends, this is a story of hope, of restoration, and of the almighty power of our God to breathe life into what seems lifeless. Let me read it to you: 'The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. He asked me, 'Son of man, can these bones live?' I said, 'Sovereign Lord, you alone know.' Then he said to me, 'Prophesy to these bones and say to them, dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.' So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, 'Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live.' So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.'

Believing in the Benevolence of God

The great preacher Charles Spurgeon once said, 'A Bible that’s falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn’t.' This passage from Ezekiel is a testament to that truth. It's a testament to the power of God's Word to breathe life into our weary souls, to renew our hope, and to remind us of His ever-present love and care for us.

The first aspect of God's benevolence that we see in this passage is His power to restore. The bones in the valley were not just dry, they were very dry. They were beyond any human ability to restore. But God doesn't operate within human limitations. His power is limitless, and His ability to restore is limitless as well. He doesn't just put the bones back together, He brings them back to life. He doesn't just restore them to their former state, He transforms them into a vast army.

We also see in this passage God’s willingness to involve us in His work. God could have simply spoken a word and brought the bones back to life. But instead, He involves Ezekiel in the process. He commands him to prophesy to the bones, to speak God's word to them. And when Ezekiel obeys, he gets to witness firsthand the power of God's word to bring life out of death. God wants us to participate in His benevolent acts, to be His hands and feet in the world.

Another aspect is His desire for us to know Him. After the bones come back to life, God says, 'Then you will know that I am the Lord.' This is the ultimate goal of God's benevolence. He doesn't just want to do good things for us, He wants us to know Him, to have a personal relationship with Him.

The final aspect of God's benevolence that we see in this passage is His commitment to His promises. The vision of the dry bones coming back to life was a prophetic picture of the restoration of Israel. God had promised to bring His people back from exile, to restore them to their land, and to bless them. He is faithful, and His benevolence is not just a fleeting emotion, but a steadfast commitment to His people.

Bearing the Burdens with God

The imagery of this chapter of Scripture is stark, the situation seemingly hopeless ... View this full PRO sermon free with PRO