Wednesday, April 24, 2024

Can these dry Bones Live

Can these dry Bones Live EZEKIEL 37:1-5

EZEKIEL 37: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, 

The hand of the LORDA powerful presence of the spirit is upon the prophet to give divine Revelation. The hand of the lord can also denote God's divine favour, blessing, power and presence. 

In ACTS 11:21 the saints who had been scattered abroad did not become dry or turn away from the Lord. Instead they were living for God and God used them to bring souls into the Kingdom. 

The Hand of the Lord was with them. The Power of God was working on them and through them. 

ACTS 11:21 The hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord. New Heart English Bible

EZEKIEL 37:And caused me to pass by them around: and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and lo, they were very dry. 

Dry bones  can speak opeople in the Nt. Who prior to conversion were dead in sin without the living water Jesus. Ephesians 2:1.

Ephesians 2:1 And you did he make alive, when ye were dead through your trespasses and sins, American Standard Version

I JOHN 5:12 reveals if we do not have the son we are dead without spiritual life.

1 John 5:12 He that hath the Son hath the life; he that hath not the Son of God hath not the life. American Standard Version

However if we live a sinful life after being converted and do not repent we become dry bones.

Sin can cause us to feel dry because we are living for ourselves instead of living for God. ROMANS 6:16.

ROMANS 6:16. Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living. New Living Translation

EZEKIEL 37:And he said to me, Son of man, can these bones live? and I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest. 

And the prodigal son who returned came back to life because he was once dead in his sins.

LUKE 15:24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry. Webster's Bible Translation

if we humble ourselves and confess and repent of our sins we can come alive for God and begin to walk in the newness of life. And experience the manifestation of God's power in our life.

Need to pray and fast for lost souls and those who have backslidden. That the Lord can save them. And that those who left the faith can return to the Lord.

EZEKIEL 37:Again he said to me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say to them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. 

We can be dry in a spiritual sense we can feel distant from God and feel we are not growing spiritually. 

But dryness for the Christian may not always be because of sin. One might feel they are not growing in a church. Or they are spiritually struggling. And leave for A church where they can get fed with the word and spiritually inspired to  grow.

One could be dry due to the effect of some sickness. Or they may not have had encouragement from saints in there trials, difficulties and challenges. It might be they have been oppressed by legalism.

When we are dry in Church we need to hear the Word of the Lord to uplift us, direct us and enlighten us. As well as studying and knowing the Word of God for ourselves. 

We need to be in right relationship with God that we can be transformed to become more  Christlike. 

Isaiah 48:17: Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: I am the LORD your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you by the way that you should go. 
New Heart English Bible

EZEKIEL 37:5 Thus saith the Lord GOD to these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live:  Webster Bible Translation 

If we have  sinned  and left our first love God can revive us and makes alive by walking in the newness of life.

ROMANS 8:6 So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. NLT

Monday, April 22, 2024

The Valley of Dry Bones

The Valley of Dry Bones; Ezekiel 37:1-14

Dry Bones MeaningDry bones indicated that Israel as a nation has been dead a long time.
From a human standpoint when something has been dead a long time all hope is lost of something coming alive again. As we see in Ezekiel 37:11.

Ezekiel 37:11 Then he said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: look, they say, 'Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are completely cut off.'
New Heart English Bible.

Israel was in exile not in her own land serving God. There will be a national resurrection at the end of the Great tribulation for the House of Israel.  

Ezekiel 37:14I will put my Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land: and you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken it and performed it,' says the LORD."

Zechariah 12:10“Then I will pour out a spirit of grace and prayer on the family of David and on the people of Jerusalem. They will look on me whom they have pierced and mourn for him as for an only son. They will grieve bitterly for him as for a firstborn son who has died. NLT

Zechariah 12:10 partially fulfilled in John 19:36-37. "They will look on me whom they have pierced" awaits ultimate fulfilment at the end of the Great tribulation.

It seems the present nation of Israel since 1948 with Jews returning to Israel is a partial fulfilment. They are back in the Land but have not repented as a whole nation to accept Jesus. The bible shows Jews are in Israel during the tribulation period. Zechariah 14:1-5. Zechariah 12:10. Jeremiah 30:7 and Daniel 12:1.

It seems some Jews will be brought back to Israel when the Lord returns. Isaiah 11:12

Ezekiel 37:1-14 is about the future of the nation of Israel being restored back to God.

As we see in Romans 11:26-27

Romans 11:26 and so all Israel will be saved. Even as it is written, "There will come out of Zion the Deliverer; he will turn away ungodliness from Jacob.

27This is my covenant to them, when I will take away their sins."

Note how David was dead when Ezekiel spoke this future prophesy.

Ezekiel 37:24 My servant David shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my ordinances, and observe my statutes, and do them. 

Ezekiel 37:25 They shall dwell in the land that I have given to Jacob my servant, in which your fathers lived; and they shall dwell in it, they, and their children, and their children's children, forever: and David my servant shall be their prince for ever.

Jesus is king and prince of peace.

Some feel David will be resurrected during the millennium to reign. But I agree with those who say David sometimes refers to Jesus as the Messiah. Jesus is not David and John the Baptist his not Elijah but John the Baptist can be called Elijah.And Jesus sometimes prophetically called David. Jesus his the Son of David.

"and my servant David shall be their prince for ever; or their king, as the Targum; and which cannot be understood of any temporal prince, but of the King Messiah, whose throne is for ever and ever; whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom; and who shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever and ever, Psalm 45:6 and to whom it is applied by several Jewish writers" Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Just to note the Spirit of Grace in Zechariah 12:10 is also applied to believers in the warning about Apostasy in Hebrews 10:29. This the Holy Spirit called the Spirit of Grace because it is given to us by God as unmerited favour.

Grace can mean favour, power, and divine influence. The Spirit of Grace has divine influence to lead us into true holiness, truth and sound doctrine. The spirit of Grace is the Spirit of Jesus. Which gives us favour to have fellowship with the son and father. 1 John 1:3.