3He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know. 4Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! 5This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: “I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. 6I 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.”
In 586 BC Jerusalem was totally ruined by Nebuchadnezzar and his great Babylonian army. Solomon’s Temple, which had been the pride and glory of Israel for almost 400 years was reduced to ashes; all the inhabitants of Jerusalem had been taken either to Chaldea or to Babylon in captivity, including Mattaniah, last king of Judah, who was blinded and taken in chains to Babylon.
Now the Israelites were spiritually dead. They were saying, “Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.” They had come to complete despair in their Babylonian Captivity. They thought that God would never take them back. Since they had no hope, they also had completely lost their faith in God.
That is the way that God describes every unbeliever. As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins. (Ephesians 2:1)
Broken bones can be used symbolically, and can that be true also of dry bones when folks feel dead in a similar way? Some people may be in deep debt and may see no way out. Some might think they are living in a broken marriage and it is irreparable. Some think their job is at a dead end, or indeed there is no job. Does it seem hopeless?
Recognizing God’s glory Ezekiel saw what little he had to offer.
There is suffering in the broken bones. There is a sense of despair and hopelessness in the dead and dried bones. Only in those situations can God work. There comes a time when we know there is nothing man can do.
God asks Ezekiel “Can these bones live?” Ezekiel did not say no. He did not say yes. The only correct answer he could give was, “Lord, you alone are sovereign.” He is saying you alone are powerful. I am not even qualified to make that decision if they should live or not. If you want them to live they will, but if you do not they won’t. You alone know.
Jesus said, “Unless the grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies it cannot give fruit.” “ Unless the Lord builds the house, those who labor, labor in vain.”
Sometimes we need a death of a dream so we come to Him and say, “Lord, I’ve done everything I know how. I have tried. I am at the end of the rope. Now you can do whatever you want, I give up.” That is when marvelous and wonderful things happen. It is the work of God and not of ourselves.
Application: There is so much in our lives that we have no control. God is sovereign. He does His work … witness it and glorify Him in His miraculous ways as well as in His small ways.
Prayer: Lord, I am not going to name it and claim it. I will just trust you to be God.
Dale
