Dry Bones to A Vast Army of God
Ezekiel 37:1-14
Key Verse 10 “So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet – a vast army.”
Happy New 2024! In today’s passage, God gave Ezekiel a vision of his powerful restoration of the dry bones to his vast army of God. To have the better understanding about this passage, it is necessary for us to review its historical background about the times of Ezekiel. In BC 722, Israel fell at the attack of Assyria and the people were taken into captivity. In BC 622, Ezekiel was born as a next generation of a priestly family of Jerusalem. In BC 586, 136 years later the Fall of Jerusalem and kingdom of Judah came. Why such fall of his people happened? It was because of the rebellion of Judah. In BC 598, Ezekiel was taken to Babylon during the second siege.
Ezekiel was a priest, married. His name means God strengthens. Ezekiel was called to be a prophet to proclaim God’s judgement against Jerusalem, and God’s restoration of Jerusalem for His name’s sake. God called him to be his prophet when he was 30 years old, and he saw his last vision around at the age of 50. In today’s passage, Ezekiel received the vision from God after the fall of Jerusalem. At that time, God revealed this vision to Ezekiel to plant God’s hope and God’s vision in the hearts of his people. In today’s passage, “Then you will know that I am the Lord” is repeated two times. (6b, 13). It is God’s ultimate desire that his people must know that God is the Lord.” Through studying this passage in the last day of 2023, we may see God’s vision and we may acknowledge God as our Lord.
I. God granted Ezekiel a vision of restoration (1-3)
Look at verses 1-2. The hand of the Lord took Ezekiel up and transported him in the middle of a valley where countless number of bones were laid on the floor. Who are these bones? They were the people of Israel living in exiles. Living as captives and foreigners in Babylon, they felt like their bones were dried up and they were cut off.
What about us? Are we alive or dead? Raise your hand if you are alive? Well, there are many
people, walking around dead. Why do they feel like they are dead? Ephesians 2:1 says, “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins.” Are you dead in your sins? Yes, we were dead in our transgressions and sins. But Jesus died for our sins on the cross and made us alive by his blood. Are you dead in your laziness? Once Late Dr. Lee told me, saying that I never saw a most lazy man like you. I was shocked since his comment hurt my pride. It was not nice to say like that. But he got his point of praying for me to be the most diligent man in the world for the glory of God. Then, his word made me wake up from my sin of laziness and made me alive. Are you dead since you have no hope? Do you feel like your bones are dried up and you are cut off from hope? Cut off from the meaning of life? Many young people are living dead without any hope for the future. It is because that many young people have been educated with the thinking of what I can get out, they found no meaning and no hope in their lives. As a result, they feel like their bones are dried up.
Look at verse 3. At that time, the Lord asked Ezekiel, “Son of man, can these bones live?” God was asking if Ezekiel truly believes that these very dry bones can live. Why do you think God is asking this question to Ezekiel? God is asking each of us today, “Can these bones live?” How did Ezekiel reply? Look at verse 3b. “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.” Is he replying, saying “Yes” or “No”? The question is not about whether God can or cannot. God always can. However, the question is about whether you see God’s vision of making these bones live or not? Can you see the God’s vision of making America a kingdom of priests and a holy nation through us and through our next generations?
How do you rely to God’s question today? We have a good example from whom we learn how to reply to God? Who is it? It is Abraham. Abraham believed that God’s promise is true although his and Sarah’s bodies were as good as dead. He did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God but was fully persuaded that God had the power to do what he had promised. Against all hope, he trusted God, and his faith was credited to his righteousness. Just as God was pleased with Abraham’s faith, so does God want to see faith in us, too. So, God asks us, “Son of man, can these bones live?”
In Adam, all died. However, God made his plan to save men by calling one man Abraham to be a blessing. While most of young men were interested in playing computer games, seeking their jobs, making sexual indulgences, Abraham listed to God and obeyed him. Indeed, God made Abraham alive in his hope of saving many lives. God planted in the hearts of his chosen people the hope of God, saying “you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.” However, his chosen lost the hope of God for them, loving
honey and milk in the promised land. In fact, they felt like their bones were dried up and they were cut off.
II. Prophecy to these bones, Prophecy to the breath (4-14)
First, God commanded Ezekiel to prophesy over the dry bones. Look at 4- 6. “Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, “Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and make you come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.”
What God wanted Ezekiel to do with his priority was to prophesy to those bones. “Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!” Can you prophesy to the dry bones, saying “Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!” How pointless it seems like! It seems insane to speak God’s words to the dried bones. How can the dry bones hear God’s words? They don’t have ears to hear. They are already dead.
How did Ezekiel respond to God when he was commended? Verse 7a says, “So I prophesied as I was commended.” As I mentioned in the beginning, the name of Ezekiel has the meaning of “God strengthens.” Here, we learn that the strength of Ezekiel comes not from his knowledge, but from his obedience to God’s command. Then, what happened? Look at verse 7b – 8. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.” We experience the word of God powerfully working in and among us while teaching the word of God or delivering the word of God to the people as God has commended us.
Second, God commanded Ezekiel to prophesy to the breath (9-10). Now let’s read verses 9 -10. “Then 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 four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’” So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet – a vast army.” Here the breath means the Holy Spirit. God said to Ezekiel to prophesy to the breath because the people did not have the breath of God yet. Without God’s breath, we are just bodies. They do not have the life from God and they live like the dead men.
So, God commanded Ezekiel to prophesy to the breath. “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, breath, from four winds and
breathe into these slain, that they may live.” This is our prayer to the Spirit of God. We can preach the word of God and share God’s hope and vision for us fervently. However, it’s ultimately not us but the Holy Spirit who breathes his breath into the people. Therefore, we need to pray for Holy Spirit to dwell among the people, especially among us. God promised in Ezekiel 36:26,27 to put his new spirit in us, saying “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.” God’s new spirit is the spirit in God’s image. God’s new spirit is the creative spirit, the stewardship, the spirit of giving always, the spirit of preaching the gospel to the end of the world.
Third, God commanded Ezekiel to share his vision with the people of Israel (11-14) Look at verses 11-14. Now the Lord explains the meaning of the vision to Ezekiel. God heard what the house of Israel was saying. They felt like cut off and hopeless. They thought God abandoned them. They were also confused about God. Since the nation fell to Babylon, they were tempted to think that God was inferior to the gods of Babylon. But God reveals his restoration plan to them through his
servant Ezekiel. Therefore, God commanded Ezekiel to share his vision with his people of Israel. What is God’s vision which we need to share with Rutgers students?
Verses 12b -14 say, “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. Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. I 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.” What did Ezekiel do? Ezekiel did share God’s vision with his people. When Ezekiel accepted God’s vision as his own vision, he shared God’s vision with his people. He went to the people and prophesied God’s vision to them. He was the one who delivered God’s vision to the despairing people and encouraged them and prepared them for the great work of God. I pray that Daniel Gates is the one who delivers God’s vision to Rutgers students. (Daniel Yoo, Noah Yoo, Rebecca Shin, Isaac Lee, Faith & Grace & Sarah Kim, Sera Lee…. )
When my twin brother became paralyzed permanently due to the accident at his age of 24 years old, there was no hope for him to live. Therefore, he read the bible to make some money to prepare to commit suicide. However, while his reading Genesis, he accepted that God created the heaven and the earth. Then God put his spirit in him and gave him the hope to live. Since then, he has hope to live. Now he has the new spirit to preach the hope of many disabled people. Nowadays, he is fighting for setting up $2billion dollars for educating the disabled people and for building up the infrastructure for the disabled in Korea.
God called Msn. Grace and me to be a missionary in 1990, 33 years ago for preaching the gospel to Rutgers University and NJ universities. In 2000, 23 years ago, God blessed us to adopt 6 children into our family with the hope of God to raise up them up as next generation missionaries so that the gospel of Jesus may be preached to Rutgers students and to the whole world. Even though we do not have them all here, working together with us, God may restore each of them with God’s vision so that they all may live for preaching the gospel. Thank God for God’s calling for us. May God put new spirit in the next generation for God’s salvation work throughout the year of 2023.
God has called each of NJ mission families with the hope of God to make America a kingdom of priests and a holy nation : 1) David & Sarah Gates as ancestor of faith with Daniel Gates, 2) Joseph Sr. & Rebecca Lee, 3) Peter & Sarah Kim, 4) Sarah Chung, 5) Margaret Choi, 6) Abraham & Sarah Lee with Sarah Jr and Isaac Lee (2), 7) Matthew J & Angela Kim with Margret, Sharon, and Nehemiah Kim (3), 8) Matthew S. & Peace Kim with Angi, Matthew and Mark Kim (3), 9) Emmanuel & Angela Ogbonna, 10) Peter & Anna Lim with Mary, Joy, Susi, Eliana, Rebecca (5) , 11) Joseph Jr & Mary Lee with Romy, Joseph, Lukas, and Timothy (4) 12) John & Faith Park 13) Joel & Maria Park with Arielle (1).