In the midst of all our efforts to recover from the beach trips, gourmet grilling, fireworks and other 4th of July celebrations, I’d like to take a brief moment to consider one simple thing as we move ahead. With another Presidential election getting closer every day, it’s painfully obvious that virtually everything will be assessed in terms of its potential political implications. We may not know the extent or intensity of the turmoil awaiting us, but we can rest assured that the months ahead will be historically unprecedented and globally significant. Even though I do have strong opinions about some of the policies being imposed on us by our government, the point I want to make today is not made in reference to any candidate’s campaign. Any political implications would be secondary.

Not for Israel Alone ~
This seems to be a good time for every follower of Jesus to invest a few brief minutes in taking a fresh look at a familiar scene that God revealed to the prophet, Ezekiel. The Living God had a very clear and important message to deliver to His people, and to ensure that His prophet didn’t miss it, He decided to jump ahead a few thousand years and ‘take Ezekiel to the movies’. God showed Ezekiel a mental video of what the situation looked like from His perspective and illustrated a clear message about what had to be done to correct it. The picture and the message were primarily for Israel, of course, but the principle is applicable to all of us. So, let’s begin by reviewing Ezekiel’s report, and then we’ll endeavor to highlight the message I believe God would have us hear and absorb: 

The hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry. And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” So I answered, “O Lord God, You know.” (Ezekiel 37:1–3) NKJV

It’s a simple picture, isn’t it? In his mind, Ezekiel was transported to a large valley that was full of bones. Then God switched Ezekiel’s view to the camera on the divine drone for a scan of the entire valley. There were bones everywhere, and the massacre they represented had not been recent. Those bones had been baking in the sun for a long time, and the life they represented had long since expired. In the aftermath of that awful scene, God asked His prophet a simple question, Son of man, can these bones live? The answer was basically that only God Himself can answer that question. As a human being and with only human resources, the answer is an unequivocal, “No way.”

No Life in Past Glory ~
So, the basic reality was that all those bones were dead. The femurs were no more dead than the tibias; the vertebrae were no more dead than the flanges; and there was no more life in the skulls than in any of the rest of them. That sounds silly, of course, but the point was that there was no hint of anything lingering in any of them that could be considered as living. The point God wanted to make was that the bones represented something that once was alive and thriving, but an enemy had overcome them, and death had robbed them of everything. Regardless of the strength and vitality they may have once enjoyed, their former glory had no power to impart life into their dried remains. There were only two living beings witnessing that panorama of death, and only One Who could offer any hope of restoration and resurrection. 

Because of their rebellious idolatry and their insatiable lust for the sensual pleasures associated with it, God had allowed His people to be invaded and overcome by their enemies. The scene Ezekiel saw was a picture of how they saw themselves as a nation. The lifeless idols they surrendered themselves to serve had infected them with a contagious plague that proved to be lethal to their nation, and the prophet surveying the ruin had no solution to offer. But the Living God was in that valley with Ezekiel, and He had something to say about it: 

Again He said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! Thus says the Lord God to these bones: “Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.” ’ ” (Ezekiel 37:4–6) NKJV

A Powerful Message ~
So Ezekiel was commanded to prophesy again, and the instruction he was directed to give was simple. His people were to hear; i.e., to listen and respond with obedience. But what they were to hear was not just Ezekiels’s words. They were to listen and obey the word of the Lord.  The message God was sending was one of restoration, of resurrection, of victory. In response, Ezekiel faithfully did what he was told, and the story continued on.

So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone. Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath [no spirit–no life] in them. (Ezekiel 37:4–6) NKJV

As Ezekiel prophesied to the bones, some incredible things began to happen. Those bones started moving around, and organization began to take place. Once they were organized, they made the appropriate connections with one another. Then as Ezekiel continued, their external appearance began taking shape, and they started taking on the appearance of their former selves. That was an amazing feat, but in spite of it all, they were still just better looking corpses. There was one more thing that needed to be done, but everything depended on it. 

Also 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.” ’ ” So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army. (Ezekiel 37:9–10) NKJV

Only a Man ~
Once again, Ezekiel did what he was told, and the result was astounding. He watched as a scene of utter devastation was transformed to one that exuded life, power, and ultimate victory. Ezekiel didn’t cause the death represented by those bones; nor was he responsible for the life that was restored in them. He was merely a man faithfully doing the one thing God told him to do, just as he was told to do it. 

We are as helpless to transform our nation as Ezekiel was to bring life to those bones, but the same God who made a mighty army out of a valley full of dry, sun-bleached skeletons back then is ready to bring new life and power into our nation today. Talking to dead, dry bones may sound like a ridiculous waste of time, but looking back on my own life, I know that I used to be as dead as any of those bones. Then a guy I hardly knew began to do the one thing God had told him to do – and the Living God ultimately brought His life and His power into my own dead, dry bones.

“TWEETABLES” ~ Click to tweet and share from the pull quotes below.  Each one links directly back to this article through Twitter . . .

• • “The dead bones represented something that once was alive and thriving. An enemy had overcome them; death had robbed them of everything. Their former glory of strength and vitality had no power to impart life into their dried remains.” @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet) 
  • “Ezekiel saw a picture of how God’s people saw themselves as a nation. The lifeless idols they served had infected them w/a contagious plague that proved to be lethal to their nation. The prophet surveying the ruin had no solution to offer.” @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet)
  • “Ezekiel didn’t cause the death represented by those bones; nor was he responsible for the life that was restored in them. He was merely a man faithfully doing the one thing God told him to do, just as he was told to do it.” @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet)

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