Can These Dry Bones Live?

Sunday, Richard was making a presentation in Hibbing and asked me to preach at Roseville. I titled the lesson “Can These Dry Bones Live?”

You will recognize the reference as being from Ezekiel. It is 37:3-10. Ezekiel prophesied to the Israelis from Babylon at the same time Daniel was there. There is some non-Biblical evidence that Shadrack, Meshack and Abednego conferred with Ezekiel before the actions that landed them in the furnace. Jeremiah was prophesying from Israel at the same time.

God picked Ezekiel up in a vision and dropped him down in a field full of bones, asking him to walk around. Ezekiel’s observation was that “they were very dry.” God asked Ezekiel “Can these bones live?”

Ezekiel, of course, knew that God had the power to make them live, but had no idea what God was up to. He answered, “You know, Lord.” Then God told him to prophesy to the bones. Ezekiel must have felt pretty silly prophesying to a valley of dry bones, but God is God, so he did. The bones started rattling and then began to come together like the old song goes, “The foot bone connected to the ankle bone,” and so on. After one more prophesy they stood on their feet and became “an exceedingly great army.

But God doesn’t leave Ezekiel hanging there. In the next few verses He explains what the dry bones mean to the Israelite nation. He said that the bones represent the Israelis being held captive in Babylon and wishing they were home in Israel. And the bones coming to life is how God is showing them that this “dry bone” period in their history Is temporary. He is going to take them home.

What I did for a practical application was to begin to talk about five areas that may appear to be “dry bones” to us today: the world, the United States, the universal church, The Roseville church, and then us as individuals. I illustrated each level with aspects of its existence that seemed hopeless. The Israelites had lost hope and Ezekiel was prophesying to restore their hope.

When God got ready to establish Israel, He told Abraham to pack up everything he had and go to “a place I will show you.” When He heard the cry of his people enslaved to the Egyptians, He “Came down to rescue them,” and did so by directing Moses to “Go tell Pharaoh to let my people go.” When He wanted to restore the hope of His people, he sent Ezekiel to prophesy. And when He wanted to spread good news to all the nations, he told His people to “Go into all the world and tell the good news to every creature.”

That is how He works. He works through his people. That is us. We are His people and He told us to spread the good news. That is the answer to today’s dry bones – tell everybody that Jesus has worked out our salvation and this world is not our home. “If My people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked way, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14

Nothing but a Child

 I have been noticing more lately that there are little kids everywhere. And I think about what I see as a gloom that hangs over our country. People seem pessimistic about our future. People in the church talk about the evil that surrounds us. People not in church talk about the evil that is represented by “the other side” of our political discussions. Those who are not politically focused still seem oppressed by all the political noise.

But there they are: in Walmart, in the fast food places, in the nicer restaurants, going to and from ball games and hockey games. The little kids are smiling and singing, and they still skip their steps. Is it because of what they don’t know? Or is it that they know something we don’t?

It always reminds me of a song I love. Once I held a newborn while I played that song for the new parents. It is “Nothing but a Child” by Steve Earle. In the song he points out that the wise men of old set out on a long arduous journey to find a miracle to save the world and when they arrived, they found nothing but a child. 

The last verse goes like this:

“Now all around the world, in every little town
Everyday is heard a precious little sound
And every mother kind and every father proud
Looks down in awe to find another chance allowed”

“Another chance allowed.” That’s what every skipping, dancing, singing little one represents. They represent that God still has hope for us. When you get discouraged about our future, I suggest you go to You Tube Music or some other music venue and play Steve Earle’s song.