Can these bones live?

Ezekiel 37:1-14

5/24/10

Where is hope?

India Plane Crash

What do these images say about hope?

Ezekiel’s Reaction

YHWH: “Mortal (adam), can these bones live?”

Ezekiel: “O Lord, You know.”

We can only speculate for the rest of Ezekiel’s reaction, but his comment is astounding.

Into the mind of the Israelites

First, it is their sin that got them in this situation in the first place (2:8; 3:16-20; 4:1:24:27)

They have been brought out of their land to a foreign place; they are in exile (Babylon)

They have watched many of their friends pass away; and the destruction of their beloved city (4:1-3)

This destruction really makes the theology of Israelites be pushed to the brink—I’m sure they were questioning God

Israel believed that Jerusalem would be the resting place of YHWH forever, that YHWH would protect it, and is the center and source of abundance (Psalms 132:13-14; 48:1-2; 46:5-7; 132:10-12)

What is Ezekiel doing?

Prophesying as an agent of GodHe has a very active role in this proclamation—he is the one that is commanded to tell the bones to live

Giving the people NEW VISIONSometimes we need to see things in a new way, from a different perspective

What happens when people are diagnosed with terminal cancer, their perspective changes

What happens when you find out your parent, friend is not meeting you at the airport—New Vision

Giving the people hope

God of HOPE, not of despair

God NEVER leaves his people in despairGod gives them a promise (v. 12-13)Despair is a part of life, but God does not leave us there (Psalms 88:3-7; 39:7; 42:5; Romans 15:4)

Sometimes we lose hope in the midst of our own sin—we think that God has give up on us, because we have given up on ourselves. God has not given up on you or his people. (1 Thessalonians 4:13; 5:8; 2 Thessalonians 2:16)

What you see around you is not the endGod is promising a sort of “new creation” (Genesis 2:7)Example: TV show LOST

God who ACTS

v. 14, “ then you shall know that I, the Lord (YHWH), have spoken and WILL ACT.”

God is active in our lives despite whether we see it or not

His spirit is within us (2 Corinthians 4:7-18); and this is a sign of what God is doing in us and in the world

When we look around and all we see are “dry bones” we should remember that God ALWAYS ACTS, even if it is not in the way we expect

Can these bones live?

Sometimes we have to be like Ezekiel and tell our “dry bones” to live—we are a prophetic people who need to live as people with HOPE with a God who ACTS

God’s spirit resides within us and it is His spirit that empowers the church and is moving in the world

Is our vision one of despair and death, or one of LIFE and RESTORATION