Ezekiel 37:15

Ezekiel 37:15 says, The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying,  Once more, Ezekiel heard God speaking to him, just as we as followers of Christ today should continually hear from God.  

Verse sixteen adds, Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim and for all the house of Israel his companions:  God instructed Ezekiel to take two sticks.  One stick was to have for Judah and the children of Israel, a part of God’s divided kingdom.  On the other stick, he was to write for Joseph, who was the stick of Ephraim, and rest of God’s people.  God’s chosen people were all supposed to be a united kingdom, but had divided into two groups that didn’t get along.  The same thing was happening after Jesus Christ had come and died for our sins, as acknowledged by the fact some believers felt they were better than others because of who they had heard the gospel from.  This still goes on today when some followers of Christ believe that they are superior to others simply because of the denomination that they are a part of.  This has never been God’s plan.  We are all to be united as a part of the body of Christ.  

Verse seventeen continues, And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand.  God told Ezekiel that he was to join the two sticks into one stick so that they would be one in his hand.  The sticks may not have been joined together when Ezekiel wasn't holding them, but as long as they were in his hand, they would be.   We may not be united as Christians by our own ability, but if we are in God’s hand, we always will be.  

Verse eighteen states, And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not shew us what thou meanest by these?  God said that the children of the people of Israel would ask him what this meant.  As followers of Christ, we should proclaim God’s message of salvation and should be ready to answer those who ask us what this means, and the way that we live our life should also point to a united family of God.  

Verse nineteen adds, Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand.  God said that when the people asked what the joining of the two sticks in Ezekiel’s hand meant, he was to tell them that it represented God joining His divided house into one nation once more in His hand.  As Christians, as long as we are in the hand of God, or under His leadership and authority, we will always be a united people spiritually.  

Verse twenty continues, And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes.  God said that Ezekiel was to have the sticks visible before the people.  Just like the sticks in Ezekiel’s hand were to be visible, God's word is never going to be hidden.  If we fail to understand what His word means, we need to place ourselves spiritually in His hand once more and He will give us the meaning.

 

Ezekiel 37:11

Ezekiel 37:11 says, Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts.  God then told Ezekiel that the dry bones represented the house of Israel, which had become spiritually dry.  They said their bones were dry, their hope was lost, and they were cut off for their parts, which I believe means that they were separated as a nation and had become just slave labor.  As followers of Christ, we can never afford to become spiritually dry, cut off from one another and without hope in God.  

Verse twelve adds, Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.  God said for Ezekiel to tell the people of Israel that He was going to open their graves and cause them to once more come into the promised land.  I don't believe that this meant that all the dead would be returned to Israel, but that those who were now in captivity would be returned to Israel.  We will not be resurrected physically in this lifetime, but we are to be resurrected spiritually when we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, and God has already defeated death and the grave by sending His only begotten Son to die in our place.  For this reason, as Christians we should never be without hope and spiritually dry.  

Verse thirteen continues, And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves,  God said that when He restored the people of Israel to life that they would know that He is God.  God was going to do what they couldn’t do themselves, just as He will provide salvation, a new life spiritually, to all those who by faith accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord.  

Verse fourteen concludes, And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the Lord have spoken it, and performed it, saith the Lord.   God said that He was going to put His spirit in them, restore them to their land, and after this happened, they would know that He is God.  When we put our faith in Jesus Christ, God swns the Holy Spirit to live in us, and we become a part of His everlasting kingdom.  I don’t believe that God was going to force His Spirit into the people of Israel, but that those who had repented of their sins and now put their faith in Him would be filled with His Spirit.  God never forces anyone to repent and forces the Holy Spirit into them, but for those who repent of their sins and do put their faith in God will be immediately filled with the Holy Spirit.  One day, everyone will know the truth of God, but we must accept it while we yet live in order for it to benefit us.

Ezekiel 37:7

Ezekiel 37:7 says, So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone.  Ezekiel said he prophesied to the dry bones as he had been told to do by God.  It may not have made sense to him, but he obeyed.  What God calls on Christians to do today may not always make sense, but we must obey His call. Ezekiel said that when he prophesied that there was a noise and a shaking and the dry bones began to be joined together as a human body should be.  I have to wonder what Ezekiel might have thought and if he considered just running away at this time, but if he did, he stayed anyway.  If God starts to shake the dry bones of His believers today and bring them alive spiritually once more, I wonder if we would think about running away because we didn’t understand what was happening.  As followers of Christ, we should always be prepared for God to do miraculous things and never run away if He does and we don’t fully understand what He is doing.    

Verse eight adds, And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them.  Ezekiel said that after the bones were joined together correctly that the flesh and skin war restored to them.  They looked like people once again, but there was no breath in them. There are many people today who look just like Christians, but they do not have God’s Holy Spirit in them, so they are spiritually dead.  

Verse nine continues, Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord God; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.  God then instructed Ezekiel to prophesy to the four winds and tell them to come so that the Breath would come and breathe on them.  I don't believe that just the wind could have resurrected these dead people, but only the Spirit of God could.  Though no one can resurrect those who are spiritually dead except God, we are still called on to proclaim His word to them.  Then, we should give Him the glory.  

Verse ten concludes, So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.  Ezekiel said he prophesied as God commanded him to do and that the former dry bones were restored to life like any other human being and they made up a great army. When we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, we are no longer like dry bones spiritually but are given new life as a part of God’s everlasting kingdom.  Those dry bones that were restored to life that day would once again die one day, but when we are resurrected spiritually, we will live forever as a part of God’s kingdom.