Ezekiel 37:1

 Ezekiel 37:1 says, The hand of the Lord was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones,  Ezekiel said that God’s hand was on him and he was carried out into a valley of bones and set down by the Spirit of God.  I don’t know if this literally happened, but that would seem to be the case, but I also know that this would not seem to be the best place for a prophet to be.  We may at times be led by the Holy Spirit to places that do not seem to be the best place for us to witness to lost people, but we should always go where the Holy Spirit leads us.  

Verse two adds, And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry.  Ezekiel said that there was a valley full of bones and that they were very dry bones.  They had been there for a while, in other words.  We may be sent out into a place that is full of people who are very dry spiritually, and if we are, it is our responsibility to offer them spiritual life through accepting Jesus Christ, the Living Water, as their Savior.  No matter how long they have been spiritually like dry bones without life, God can still bring them renewed spiritual life.  

Verse three continues, And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord God, thou knowest.  God asked Ezekiel if these bones could live again.  I don't know what he may have thought looking at them, but he gave the only possible answer that a prophet of God should give, and that was that God alone knew the answer.  Preachers and all Christians who are confronted with something that seems impossible should just put it in God’s hand and be content with whatever His solution to the situation might be.  We are to see things with eyes of faith and not just with what may seem possible physically.   

Verse four states, Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.  Ezekiel said that God told him to prophesy to these dry bones and to tell them to hear the word of God.  I do have to wonder what Ezekiel might have been thinking at this point.  It would likely have seemed to be a useless activity, but he had already said that God was the One Who would decide if the dry bones could live again, and now he just had to be obedient to God’s word.  At times, witnessing to certain people may seem to be useless since they are like dry bones spiritually, but it is our responsibility to witness to them, especially if the Holy Spirit is leading us to do so.  

Verse five continues, Thus saith the Lord God unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live:  Ezekiel was to tell these dry bones that God was going to cause them to breathe and live again.  This is our message to those who are spiritually like dry bones today.  No matter how dead they may be spiritually, God can breathe new life into them spiritually if they will accept His gift of salvation.  

Verse six continues, And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the Lord.   God said that He was going to cause them to live once more totally restored to life.  If a lost person accepts Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord today, they will be completely restored to life spiritually. 

Ezekiel 36:35

Ezekiel 36:35 says, And they shall say, This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are become fenced, and are inhabited.  God said that the land of Israel was like the garden of Eden, or very fruitful once more.  It had been left desolate for a period of time because of the disobedience of the people of Israel, but it was still God’s promised land for them, so He had restored it to being a plentiful land once more.  We were once spiritually desolate as sinners, but God had already prepared a place of plenty for us to live in forever if we will only confess our sins and accept His gift of salvation.   

Verse thirty-six adds, Then the heathen that are left round about you shall know that I the Lord build the ruined places, and plant that that was desolate: I the Lord have spoken it, and I will do it.  God said that when He, and not the people of Isreal, restored the land that the heathen around them would know that He had done it and that He is God.  As followers of Christ, we should always give God credit for the good things in our lives, beginning with His gift of salvation.  We should then live our lives so that the lost people of the world will know that God is God.  If we are no different than them, this will never happen.   

Verse thirty-seven continues, Thus saith the Lord God; I will yet for this be enquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them; I will increase them with men like a flock.  God said this was going to happen when the people of Israel once again sought Him and followed His laws.  If we are going to be restored to God spiritually, we must respond to His gift of salvation when He calls us.  We are saved by simply putting our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, but we are then to live our lives in accordance with God’s word so that lost people will know that we believe in the only God that there is.    

Verse thirty-five concludes, As the holy flock, as the flock of Jerusalem in her solemn feasts; so shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of men: and they shall know that I am the Lord.  God then stated once more that when the holy flock, those people of Israel who put their faith in Him returned to the restored cities in Israel that people would know that He is God.  Not only would the people return, but they would have abundant flocks, or their needs would be met in other words.  When we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, all our spiritual needs are abundantly met, even though we do not have a promise that we will be materially blessed.  At times, the opposite may be true, but we are still to live by faith so that lost people will see that God is God of our lives. 

 

Ezekiel 36:31

Ezekiel 36:31 says, Then shall ye remember your own evil ways, and your doings that were not good, and shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations.  God said that when He blessed them materially once more that they would remember their evil ways and loathe how they had acted.  They wouldn't be able to stand the way they had looked before God before when they were not living in accordance with their covenant relationship with Him.  We should never look back on the way we lived before we accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord with satisfaction, but we should always look back on that time with disappointment instead.   

Verse thirty-two adds, Not for your sakes do I this, saith the Lord God, be it known unto you: be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel.  God said that He wasn’t restoring the people of Israel for their sakes, or because they deserved it just because of who they were, but was doing so because of His promise to Abraham.  We will never be restored to God because we deserve it, no matter where we may have been born.  God restores us to a right relationship with Him because of His promise of salvation, and it will not be done for our glory but for His.   

Verse thirty-three continues, Thus saith the Lord God; In the day that I shall have cleansed you from all your iniquities I will also cause you to dwell in the cities, and the wastes shall be builded.  God said when He cleansed the people of all their iniquities and not when they did, that He would also cause them to once more live in cities in the promised land.  It is always God Who cleanses us spiritually by the shed blood of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, and we can never be restored by our own merit.  

Verse thirty-four concludes, And the desolate land shall be tilled, whereas it lay desolate in the sight of all that passed by.   God said that where the land of Israel had been desolate in the sight of all the people that it was now going to be filled with His people once more.  Even if the world becomes desolate, we as God’s people will be at home in heaven, and all people will see the glory of God, even those who are forever separated from Him.