?
....
Guest
Sometimes, lessons in scripture come when you least expect them...
A while back, I was doing my daily Bible reading, and I came to the first several verses of Ezekiel chapter 37:
"The hand of the LORD was upon me, and He brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of the valley; and it was full of bones. He caused me to pass among them round about, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley; and lo, they were very dry. He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord GOD, You know.” Again He said to me, “Prophesy over these bones and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.’ Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones, ‘Behold, I will cause breath to enter you that you may come to life. ‘I will put sinews on you, make flesh grow back on you, cover you with skin and put breath in you that you may come alive; and you will know that I am the LORD.’” I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold, a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to its bone. And I looked, and behold, sinews were on them, and flesh grew and skin covered them; but there was no breath in them. Then He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they come to life.”So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they came to life and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army. He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel; behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope has perished. We are completely cut off.’ “Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “Behold, I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves, My people; and I will bring you into the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves and caused you to come up out of your graves, My people. I will put My Spirit within you and you will come to life, and I will place you on your own land. Then you will know that I, the LORD, have spoken and done it,” declares the LORD.’” (Ezekiel 37:1-14, NASB)
I know that the Lord was speaking of Israel being spiritually dead, dry as bones in this part of the chapter. But as I read this part of the chapter, a thought came to my mind that I found overwhelming:
The skeleton of a human being (or most creatures) is the anchoring framework upon which all flesh and sinew is mounted. Without the skeleton, muscles would not be able to work, having nothing to pull against; the brain, heart and other organs would have no protection, and the body would have no discernible shape or form. It would be a mass of flesh that would simply sit there, vulnerable to whatever came across it, and quite delicate to say the least. It would be easy pickings for a predator: soft, immobile, and unable to defend itself. In short: dinner is served.
However, a skeleton without flesh is not much good either: it too would be immobile, due to the fact that it would have no means with which to move its' bones. They have no means of propelling themselves, as their function is to act as a support for the body. Also, without flesh, the soft parts of the bone such as the marrow would dry up and die, and the bone would be without the blood, nutrients and covering to make it grow, to cover it, to heal it, and to protect it from drying out. Bone is actually made up at the cellular level of a protein matrix (think "latticework") in which calcium crystals are deposited. This means although bones are hard and strong, they are living. They too need a blood supply and nutrients, or the living part of the bone will die.
Likewise, when the Law is observed only halfheartedly and without any feeling, practiced with no love for the Lord, no conviction and no spiritual life results in the same thing as bones without flesh to sustain them; the bones die. Dead and worthless, it becomes worship without substance or true feeling towards God, going in rote circles. Those that do so go through the motions, but do not want God, they only want what God can offer. Isaiah put it best when he said in Isaiah 1:11-15:
“What are your multiplied sacrifices to Me?” Says the LORD. “I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams And the fat of fed cattle; And I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs or goats. “When you come to appear before Me, Who requires of you this trampling of My courts? “Bring your worthless offerings no longer, Incense is an abomination to Me. New moon and sabbath, the calling of assemblies— I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn assembly. I hate your new moon festivals and your appointed feasts, They have become a burden to Me; I am weary of bearing them. So when you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; Yes, even though you multiply prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood.” (Isaiah 1:11-15, NASB, emphasis mine)
What is sad is that many of the Jewish religion are cultural Jews; they go through the "motions" because it is how they grew up. A friend of mine had a friend who would invite him for dinner every Sabbath, but his friend will "mow through" the prayers for the Sabbath dinner. To him, they are just part of the dinner, the meaning just was not there. It was impersonal, and had no reverence to it.
Now, imagine you spouse or boyfriend/girlfriend telling you "I love you" in the coldest, most impersonal voice they could muster. All their hugs are frigid and stiff, and they act as if it is a bother for them. Imagine going out to dinner with them, and they act coldly to you, and very indifferent. You give them gifts, and they care more for the gifts than for you. no appreciation or love, just greed and avarice. You would seriously doubt they had any feelings for you, and simply wanted you around for what you could give them, not for you yourself.
You begin to see the comparison I am drawing here...
God was tired of worship without meaning, and that is what the people of Judah were offering him. Their prayers were just "vain repetition", their songs without genuine feeling or love for him, and their sacrifices were no sacrifice at all. In fact, in those days, it wasn't uncommon for the sacrifice to be substandard! People were just putting on a show for the Lord, but in truth loved him no more than their neighbor, whom they simply tolerated (if that). They did all this to "get God off their back"; to them it was a quota they were fulfilling.
The bones having no flesh then also means that the Law is "stripped bare"; it is followed, but those observing it don't understand why they follow it. All they have is just "the bones"; i.e. no MEANING to them, no feeling towards the One who wrote the, nor love for him. They don't understand the intent behind them, why they are in place; all they understand is that God spoke them, and they follow them blindly. Some think that all they have to do is follow them and that's all that's required, that they can be miserable to people and evil, as long as they follow these rules (The Pharisees were exactly like this). Christ summed them up in his two commandments:
But when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered themselves together. One of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And He said to him, “ ‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:34-40, NASB)
In those two verses, it reveals the meaning behind them: To show our love for the Lord, and our love for our fellow human being. We don't follow them to BE accepted, but because we ARE accepted. The flesh and the breath returning means that they once again have the spirit in them, and that they understand the meaning of the law. That God has restored to them the heart and spirit that is required to worship him in truth and in spirit, and that as such, their worship is no longer a routine but GENUINE.
The lesson we can take away from this for ourselves is that many times we can find ourselves in a rut, with our worship becoming "routine" and without heart. It can become a game of "going through the motions", where we simply do it because that is what we think God wants from us..
Nothing could be farther from the truth.
God, by his own words, would sooner we not worship him than halfhearted and robotic worship in in a meaningless service. To worship with your mouth and not with your heart and soul is lying unto the Lord, and God clearly states in scripture that we are not to bear false witness to him or anyone else. When we do so, we have become "dry bones" and are lifeless and scattered in a desert of faithlessness and withdrawal from the Lord. Only prayer and returning to his word can cure this, as we need in this instance to ask for him to refresh our dry spirits and renew our shriveled hearts.
When we love God and desire to serve him with all our heart, we then find ourselves following the very spirit of the Law, as it was intended. While we are not under the Law of the Old Testament, we end up fulfilling its' intention as summed up by the very one who wrote those laws: to show God that we love him, and to demonstrate our love to our neighbor.
In the end, it is up to us whether we want to be a collection of "dry bones", or a living, breathing person who loves the Lord. The Lord cannot make us love Him; that's up to us. But we don't have to settle for the dry bones in the parched desert. If we ask Him in submission and humility, he will cause our deserts to bloom, flesh and sinew to come upon our dry bones, and new life to flow within us.
We don't have to be dry.
I bid all of you peace.
YBIC,
-Sojo414
A while back, I was doing my daily Bible reading, and I came to the first several verses of Ezekiel chapter 37:
"The hand of the LORD was upon me, and He brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of the valley; and it was full of bones. He caused me to pass among them round about, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley; and lo, they were very dry. He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord GOD, You know.” Again He said to me, “Prophesy over these bones and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.’ Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones, ‘Behold, I will cause breath to enter you that you may come to life. ‘I will put sinews on you, make flesh grow back on you, cover you with skin and put breath in you that you may come alive; and you will know that I am the LORD.’” I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold, a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to its bone. And I looked, and behold, sinews were on them, and flesh grew and skin covered them; but there was no breath in them. Then He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they come to life.”So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they came to life and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army. He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel; behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope has perished. We are completely cut off.’ “Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “Behold, I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves, My people; and I will bring you into the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves and caused you to come up out of your graves, My people. I will put My Spirit within you and you will come to life, and I will place you on your own land. Then you will know that I, the LORD, have spoken and done it,” declares the LORD.’” (Ezekiel 37:1-14, NASB)
I know that the Lord was speaking of Israel being spiritually dead, dry as bones in this part of the chapter. But as I read this part of the chapter, a thought came to my mind that I found overwhelming:
The skeleton of a human being (or most creatures) is the anchoring framework upon which all flesh and sinew is mounted. Without the skeleton, muscles would not be able to work, having nothing to pull against; the brain, heart and other organs would have no protection, and the body would have no discernible shape or form. It would be a mass of flesh that would simply sit there, vulnerable to whatever came across it, and quite delicate to say the least. It would be easy pickings for a predator: soft, immobile, and unable to defend itself. In short: dinner is served.
However, a skeleton without flesh is not much good either: it too would be immobile, due to the fact that it would have no means with which to move its' bones. They have no means of propelling themselves, as their function is to act as a support for the body. Also, without flesh, the soft parts of the bone such as the marrow would dry up and die, and the bone would be without the blood, nutrients and covering to make it grow, to cover it, to heal it, and to protect it from drying out. Bone is actually made up at the cellular level of a protein matrix (think "latticework") in which calcium crystals are deposited. This means although bones are hard and strong, they are living. They too need a blood supply and nutrients, or the living part of the bone will die.
Likewise, when the Law is observed only halfheartedly and without any feeling, practiced with no love for the Lord, no conviction and no spiritual life results in the same thing as bones without flesh to sustain them; the bones die. Dead and worthless, it becomes worship without substance or true feeling towards God, going in rote circles. Those that do so go through the motions, but do not want God, they only want what God can offer. Isaiah put it best when he said in Isaiah 1:11-15:
“What are your multiplied sacrifices to Me?” Says the LORD. “I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams And the fat of fed cattle; And I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs or goats. “When you come to appear before Me, Who requires of you this trampling of My courts? “Bring your worthless offerings no longer, Incense is an abomination to Me. New moon and sabbath, the calling of assemblies— I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn assembly. I hate your new moon festivals and your appointed feasts, They have become a burden to Me; I am weary of bearing them. So when you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; Yes, even though you multiply prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood.” (Isaiah 1:11-15, NASB, emphasis mine)
What is sad is that many of the Jewish religion are cultural Jews; they go through the "motions" because it is how they grew up. A friend of mine had a friend who would invite him for dinner every Sabbath, but his friend will "mow through" the prayers for the Sabbath dinner. To him, they are just part of the dinner, the meaning just was not there. It was impersonal, and had no reverence to it.
Now, imagine you spouse or boyfriend/girlfriend telling you "I love you" in the coldest, most impersonal voice they could muster. All their hugs are frigid and stiff, and they act as if it is a bother for them. Imagine going out to dinner with them, and they act coldly to you, and very indifferent. You give them gifts, and they care more for the gifts than for you. no appreciation or love, just greed and avarice. You would seriously doubt they had any feelings for you, and simply wanted you around for what you could give them, not for you yourself.
You begin to see the comparison I am drawing here...
God was tired of worship without meaning, and that is what the people of Judah were offering him. Their prayers were just "vain repetition", their songs without genuine feeling or love for him, and their sacrifices were no sacrifice at all. In fact, in those days, it wasn't uncommon for the sacrifice to be substandard! People were just putting on a show for the Lord, but in truth loved him no more than their neighbor, whom they simply tolerated (if that). They did all this to "get God off their back"; to them it was a quota they were fulfilling.
The bones having no flesh then also means that the Law is "stripped bare"; it is followed, but those observing it don't understand why they follow it. All they have is just "the bones"; i.e. no MEANING to them, no feeling towards the One who wrote the, nor love for him. They don't understand the intent behind them, why they are in place; all they understand is that God spoke them, and they follow them blindly. Some think that all they have to do is follow them and that's all that's required, that they can be miserable to people and evil, as long as they follow these rules (The Pharisees were exactly like this). Christ summed them up in his two commandments:
But when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered themselves together. One of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And He said to him, “ ‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:34-40, NASB)
In those two verses, it reveals the meaning behind them: To show our love for the Lord, and our love for our fellow human being. We don't follow them to BE accepted, but because we ARE accepted. The flesh and the breath returning means that they once again have the spirit in them, and that they understand the meaning of the law. That God has restored to them the heart and spirit that is required to worship him in truth and in spirit, and that as such, their worship is no longer a routine but GENUINE.
The lesson we can take away from this for ourselves is that many times we can find ourselves in a rut, with our worship becoming "routine" and without heart. It can become a game of "going through the motions", where we simply do it because that is what we think God wants from us..
Nothing could be farther from the truth.
God, by his own words, would sooner we not worship him than halfhearted and robotic worship in in a meaningless service. To worship with your mouth and not with your heart and soul is lying unto the Lord, and God clearly states in scripture that we are not to bear false witness to him or anyone else. When we do so, we have become "dry bones" and are lifeless and scattered in a desert of faithlessness and withdrawal from the Lord. Only prayer and returning to his word can cure this, as we need in this instance to ask for him to refresh our dry spirits and renew our shriveled hearts.
When we love God and desire to serve him with all our heart, we then find ourselves following the very spirit of the Law, as it was intended. While we are not under the Law of the Old Testament, we end up fulfilling its' intention as summed up by the very one who wrote those laws: to show God that we love him, and to demonstrate our love to our neighbor.
In the end, it is up to us whether we want to be a collection of "dry bones", or a living, breathing person who loves the Lord. The Lord cannot make us love Him; that's up to us. But we don't have to settle for the dry bones in the parched desert. If we ask Him in submission and humility, he will cause our deserts to bloom, flesh and sinew to come upon our dry bones, and new life to flow within us.
We don't have to be dry.
I bid all of you peace.
YBIC,
-Sojo414
Last edited by a moderator:
