DRY BONES
I.
Introduction
Ezekiel 37: 1- 14
1.
Ezekiel - the name signifies: The strength of God, or one strengthened of God.
2.
He
was faithful and bold in reproving the Jews in Babylonian captivity
3.
The
angry Jews (the tradition states) dragged him upon the stones till his brains
were dashed out.
4.
An
Arabic historian says that he was put to death and was buried in the sepulchre
of Shem the son of Noah.
II. The
Scene
1. The
scene is laid in Babylon, when it was a house of bondage to the Israel of God
2. There
the prophecies of this book were preached, there they were written, when the
prophet himself, and the people to whom he prophesied, were captives there.
3. Ezekiel
and Daniel are the only writing prophets of the Old Testament who lived and
prophesied anywhere but in the land of Israel
4. We
add Jonah to the list, who was sent to Nineveh to prophesy.
5. Ezekiel
prophesied in the beginning of the captivity, Daniel in the latter end of it.
6. It
was an indication of God's good-will to them, and his gracious designs
concerning them in their affliction, that he raised up prophets among them
7. In
the beginning of their troubles, they were secure and unhumbled, Ezekiel
prophesized
8. Daniel
prophesized to comfort them when, in the latter end of their troubles, they
were dejected and discouraged.
9. If
the Lord had been pleased to kill them, he would not have used such apt and
proper means to cure them.
10. We
have, in the former part of this book, the threatening of the destruction of
Judah and Jerusalem for their sins
11. We
have in the latter part of the book,t he promises of their restoration and
deliverance for the glory of God
12. God
had assured them, in the foregoing chapter, that he would gather the house of
Israel, even all of it, and would bring them out of their captivity, and return
them to their own land
Ezekiel
36:24
- For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all
countries, and will bring you into your own land.
13. But
there were certain things that rendered this very unlikely.
III. The
Valley
1. The Jews in exile were aptly compared to a
valley full of the dry bones of dead men, which should be brought together and
raised to life.
Ezekiel
37: 1-2
1 The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried
me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley
which was full of bones,
2 And caused me to pass by them round about:
and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very
dry.
2.
Those
bones were:
i.
Not
piled up on a heap - but scattered upon the face of the ground
ii.
As
if some bloody battle had been fought here
iii.
And
the slain left unburied till all the flesh was devoured or putrefied
iv.
Nothing
left but the bones
v.
Those
disjointed from one another
vi.
And
dispersed.
vii.
They
were very dry, having been long exposed to the sun and wind.
3.
That they were:
i.
Dispersed among their enemies
ii.
Destitute of all helps and advantages
which might favour or further their return
iii.
Dispirited likewise in their own minds
iv.
Unlikely ever to come together, to be so
much as a skeleton
v.
Less likely to be formed into a body
vi.
And least of all to be a living body.
Ezekiel
37: 12
- Therefore prophesy and say unto
them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves,
and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of
Israel.
4.
The
hope - they lay unburied in the open valley, which encouraged the hopes of
their resurrection
IV. A
Shadow of the Gospel Age
1.
This
is the union of the two nations of Israel and Judah
2.
Here
is a type of the uniting of Jews and Gentiles, Jews and Samaritans, in Christ
and his church.
3.
And
so the prophet slides into a prediction of the kingdom of Christ, which should
be set up in the world with God's tabernacle in it, and of the glories and
graces of that kingdom, (Ezekiel 37:23-28)
V. What
Might Have Happened?
1.
They
might have been warriors slain in a battle.
2.
They
were so divided among themselves, too much of the old enmity between Judah and
Ephraim remaining even in their captivity.
3.
They
killed each other.
Ezekiel
37: 9
- Then said he unto me, Prophesy
unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord
GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain <harag>, that they may live. {wind: or, breath}
harag - (haw-rag) - a primitive root; to smite
with deadly intent:--destroy, out of hand, kill, murder(-er), put to (death), make
(slaughter), slay(-er)
VI. Back
to Life
Ezekiel
37: 3- And
he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD,
thou knowest.
1.
Is
it a thing likely?
2.
Cast
thou devise how it should be done?
3.
Can
your philosophy reach to put life into dry bones, or thy politics to restore a
captive nation?"
4.
"No,"
says the prophet, "I know not how it should be done, but thou
knowest."
VII. Plan
of Action
1.
Prophesy to the bones about a new life
i.
He
had to say to them that God would infallibly raise them to life - You shall
live
ii.
God
will make you live
iii. He will clothe you
with skin and flesh
Ezekiel 37: 4 - 8
4 Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these
bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.
5 Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones;
Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live:
6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring
up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall
live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.
7 So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I
prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came
together, bone to his bone.
iv.
There
was a voice – the slain church is coming together
v.
There
will be noise of joy – songs and praises.
vi.
Bones
came together bone to his bone
vii.
Though
there is in man a multitude of bones, yet of all the bones of those numerous
slain not one was missing, not one missed its way, not one missed its place, each
knew and found its fellow.
viii.
Thus
it was in the return of the Jews; those that were scattered in several parts of
the province of Babylon came to their respective families
ix.
Thus
it will be the gathering of His people.
Ezekiel
37: 8 - And
when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin
covered them above: but there was no breath in them.
1.
Sinews
and flesh came upon these bones, and the skin covered them
2.
This
was fulfilled when the captives got silver, and gold, and whatever they needed
for their remove (Ezra1:4)
Ezra
1: 4
- And whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his
place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts,
beside the freewill offering for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.
2.
Prophesy to the wind
i.
There
was no breath in them
ii.
They
lacked the spirit and courage for such a difficult and hazardous enterprise
Ezekiel 37: 9- 10
9
Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the
wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come
from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may
live. {wind: or, breath}
10
So I prophesied as he commanded me, and
the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an
exceeding great army.
iii.
He
is not the God of the dead, but of the living
iv.
Therefore
breathe upon them that they may live
v.
In
answer to this request, the breath immediately came into them
vi.
The
spirit of life is from God; he at first in the creation breathed into man the
breath of life, and so he will again at His church.
3.
A mighty army came into being.
Ezekiel 37: 10 - So I
prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived,
and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.
i.
The
dispirited despairing captives were wonderfully animated with resolution to
break through all the discouragements that lay in the way
ii.
And
then they stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army
iii.
Not
only living men, but effective men, fit for service in the wars and formidable
to all that gave them any opposition.
VIII. Conclusion
Ezekiel 37: 13 - 14
13
And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I
have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves,
14
And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in
your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed
it, saith the LORD.
Professor Jacob
Abraham
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