9Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’” 10So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army. 11Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ 12Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. 14I will put my Spirit in you, and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.’”
The Inspired Bodies
Ezekiel saw all these corpses laying on the ground with no life in them. Something more was needed than just the preaching of the Word of God. It was the breath of the Holy Spirit Ezekiel 37:9-10. Remember Genesis 2:7 – “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”
Yes, the picture for Ezekiel was Israel was to rise up again, but more than that, God brings all those who trust in Jesus the life giving Spirit. The Holy Spirit takes the Word of God and gives it the power to give life to the dead soul. It’s our responsibility to give out the Word. The Holy Spirit can use our witness to give life.
Israel believed God had given up on them. He hadn’t. Some may think God has given up on me. He hasn’t. Mary and Martha knew that death was final for Lazarus. It wasn’t. Jesus went into the grave, but it didn’t last long. By the power of the Holy Spirit, dead things become alive. Not necessarily in physical forms, but in God’s great plan.
Can dead, dry bones live? With God, nothing is impossible. Sometimes we look around us, and all we see are valleys of dry, dead bones. It looks pretty hopeless … it looks pretty devastating … it looks pretty grim.
Jesus was taken to the cross so we can live. We serve Him in a broken and dying world to proclaim the hope that is eternal for the Eternal One. “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)
"From death to life" refers to spiritual transformation through faith in Jesus, where, a person is saved from spiritual death to a new, eternal life.
The good news in the Old Testament pointed to the Son of God by the power of the Holy Spirit to enliven us with real eternal life. On the top of my Thanksgiving list is being grateful for my salvation. It can never be taken away. My bones will someday be dried in death, but these bones will be brought to life again when Jesus returns.
Application: Do you have this confidence this Thanksgiving? This Thanksgiving my prayer is that we would be like Ezekiel with a greater vision of the glory of God and who He is. For that, give thanks. Then be faithful to the tasks He gives us.
Prayer: Almighty God, thank you for giving us life, a life here on earth and an everlasting life in heaven!
Dale
