And He said to me, "Son of man can these bones live?" So I answered, "O Lord God, You know." Ezekiel 37:3
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This scene with Ezekiel standing in the midst of a valley of dry bones is where (I think) we will be ending our series on the Harvest. So, for a moment I would like to stop and think about what it must have been like for Ezekiel to have been put here in this place. It says that the hand of the Lord brought him out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set him down in the midst of a valley; and it was full of bones.
Bones. Everywhere he looked, in every direction, bones, bones, and more bones. The sense that he was a little overwhelmed by being surrounded on every side and everywhere he looked by bones is pretty clear as he tells us '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.' If its not clear to you than stop and think about how you would feel if this was you. What if? What if you found yourself in the Spirit and He dropped you into the middle of a valley with a fallen armies dried bones. Everywhere you looked bones? Surrounded on every side by all that death. You would be feeling it and so was Ezekiel. He was a man with a passion for God and a passion for the people. Remember he was an anointed prophet that was accustomed to speaking words that were meant to proclaim the means to salvation and life; words that were intended to save people and suddenly, here he is in a place where its too late. It is just bones everywhere he looks. Bones, usually means dead a while, and dry bones (his description) means dead a long time!
I think he is feeling pretty overwhelmed by a sense of hopelessness and grief when God speaks and asks him, "Son of man can these bones live?" So I answered, "O Lord God, You know." Ezekiel 37:3 God asked him, "Can these bones live." and Ezekiel, out of that place responds in way that you and I need to take note of. He doesn't tell God its to late, they are dry bones (long time dead.) He doesn't focus on the scene at all; instead he does what we all need to do more often; he puts it in God's hands. He understands that it is all about letting God's plan take place and he responds with, "You know." because the truth is, Only God knows and only God can bring life to 'long time dead dry bones!'
God then tells him to prophesy to the bones and say, "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 did exactly what God told him to do and prophesied to the whole valley of dry bones. He spoke each word that God gave him to speak and the result was ...'and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone. The sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them.'
Then God speaks again and tells Ezekiel to "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." Again Ezekiel does exactly what God says and he speaks exactly what God tells him to speak and again the result is perfectly amazingly! The breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.
Did you catch that phrase. Ezekiel's description of what now lay before him; an exceedingly great army! It was no longer an army of dead dry bones but a valley with an exceedingly great army standing before him. Can you imagine what he must have been feeling now. Going from a place of hopelessness to this place of? The only word that comes to mind is 'wonder.' I think this is more than a sign, but a 'wonder!' God bringing an army to life by His word and by the breath of His Spirit! Did you catch that? It wasn't by anything Ezekiel did in and of himself, but instead it was by the word of God and by the breath of His Spirit that and exceedingly great army came to life out of a place of death and hopelessness. By His word and by His Spirit anything and everything is possible!
God then speaks to Ezekiel again and says, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, "Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!" Prophesy and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord God:"Behold, O My People, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the Lord, When I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves. I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I the Lord, have spoken it and performed it."
Did you see the description that He said His people used to describe themselves? 'Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off." There are the words 'cut off' again. When the Lord brought me to Ezekiel 37 and this section on the valley of dry bones I didn't know that He was still showing me more about the harvest until I saw this verse and I saw the words 'cut off' once again. The enemy cut us off from God and into sin, death, and a dry bone like existence with him. The word dry; from 3001, is a primitive root; and it means to be ashamed, confused or disappointed; (Sound like Adam and Eve's response to sin?) also (as failing) to dry up (as water) or wither (as herbage). Wither as herbage - to rot away and be wasted. The enemy brings only shame, confusion, hopelessness, and a sense of failure. In the world there will always be that feeling of being thirsty, a seeking for what is missing.
But God, by his word (Jesus) and by his spirit (Holy Spirit) changed all that. He is in the process of harvesting man back to Himself and back to life in Him! We no longer need to be thirsty and dry. We no longer need to be ashamed, disappointed, hopeless or cut off from Him. We no longer need to experience anything that would make us feel like we are fit only for the compost pile - you know - withered herbage! That is the enemies plan for us not God's. God's heart is to give us sinews and muscle and flesh and the breath of life!
God ended this encounter with these words, "I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I the Lord, have spoken it and performed it." Did you catch it again? "...have spoken it,(the Word) and performed it (the Spirit)"
Do you want to be effective in these days of the harvest? I know that I do! If so than, like Ezekiel, we need to understand its about His will, and His plan. Only God sees the whole picture and only God can see a living breathing exceedingly great army instead of a valley of wasted, dead, dried up old bones long past there usefulness. Like Ezekiel our daily cry needs to be surrendered to His knowing! We must trust Him! We must go where He leads, say what He gives us to say, and do what he says to do. Only then, as we share about the love of God, about the price that Jesus paid for our sins, and about the power of the Spirit that raised Jesus from death to life will we be effective in leading those he loves into life and the fullness of His Amazing Presence!
And He said to me, "Son of man can these bones live?" So I answered, "O Lord God, You know." Ezekiel 37:3
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