I’ll start with a question: Without God, how do you see yourself?
Ezekiel 37:1-14 is one of the strangest and most hopeful passages in the Bible. Don’t believe me? Can you think of another passage that says the word “sinews”? It is a beautiful moment where the Spirit of God gives the prophet Ezekiel a vision of this valley where all he can see is death. There are heaps of human bones scattered around. They’ve been there for so long that they were dry. The Spirit asks Ezekiel, “Son of man, can these bones live?” These aren’t just dead bodies, they have completely decomposed with no imaginable chance to be alive again. Ezekiel answered, “O Lord GOD, you know.” Ezekiel acknowledged that only God would bring the dead to life.
I can imagine Paul thinking about Ezekiel’s vision when he wrote to the Ephesians, “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience…” Ephesians 2:1-2.
Without Jesus Christ, do you see yourself as those bones?
That’s what is being said here. This vision from the Holy Spirit is hopeful because the dry bones don’t stay just dry bones. “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. ‘Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. 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.’” I told you — sinews. Both Ezekiel prophecies and the Spirit raised up these bones. The bones rattled around on the ground and joined together. Sinews, flesh, and skin came upon them, but one thing listed was so important, it was said twice. The breath! I mentioned this passage was beautiful, didn’t I? The breath here is the Hebrew word for spirit. The Holy Spirit wasn’t just saying that God would make dead bodies come alive, He was saying that His Spirit would dwell in His people and give them life. So I’ll add to the question above:
Without the Holy Spirit living within you, do you think you would be like those dry bones?
Yeah, you would. So would I. And so would Pastor Josh and even your grandma. Why? Because we are “dead in our trespasses and sins” without the Holy Spirit!
The Father’s supreme plan has always been to give Himself glory through the work of the Son on behalf of mankind so those who would believe would be regenerated by the Spirit.
As the Church, in this season’s resurrection celebration preparation, let’s remember where we could have been without the gospel — like dry bones. And let’s remember where we are now as God’s people. “And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people” Ezekiel 37:13. “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace, you have been saved—” Ephesians 2:4-5.
Answer this: With the Holy Spirit, how is your life different than someone else who is without the Holy Spirit?
Pastor Ben Crocker
Photo by Brad Helmink on Unsplash