Miracle in the Valley of Dry Bones
Today’s reading: Ezekiel 35:1-37:28
My selection: Ezekiel 37: 3-6
3 And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” 4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. 5 Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. 6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.”
My reflections: There is no more vivid picture of the spiritual deadness of Israel than the one before us here. There is no more vivid picture of the power of God to bring new life to the spiritually dead than the one before us here. Side by side we see hopeless death overcome by life-giving power.
It is necessary for Israel to understand how helpless and destitute she is. She is not merely weak or sick, she is dead. It is necessary to see that God alone can bring her life. And He will.
Paul in Ephesians 2:1-9 pointed out that the Christians to whom he wrote “were dead in the trespasses and sins in which [they] once walked.” But God made them alive together with Christ. God brings life to the dead by the preaching of His Word to dry bones and by His Spirit breathing life into those dead.
My challenge: Preachers must faithfully proclaim the gospel even when the hearers are dead. They must rely on the Spirit to breath life into those dead hearers. God delights in showing His power in bringing the dead to life so that those who see know that He is the Lord.
Do not neglect the preaching of the word of God. Do not neglect to pray for the Spirit to breath life into the dead. He delights to show His power in the most hopeless situations. Miracles still happen in the valley of dry bones.
Tomorrow’s reading: Ezekiel 38:1-40:37