| | Ezekiel's adventure in the valley of bones is continuing in Ezekiel 37:11. In this chapter, Ezekiel has been led to the valley of dry bones, walked among them, questioned concerning them, prophesied to the bones, and has witnessed the dry bones come to life and the chapter is not even halfway through yet! Thus far, Ezekiel's actions have led to many lessons regarding following God in the valleys and placing trust in Him alone. The next part of Ezekiel 37 is no different and recalls a popular saying: Don't give up!
Ezekiel 37:11 says:
Then He said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, ‘Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!’ (NKJV)
In this passage, the entire hose of Israel is saying that their "bones are dry" and that their "hope is lost." Does this sound familiar? To many reading this, it probably does. Often, the valley becomes nearly unbearable. The attacks and problems seem to be coming from every angle. Tiredness and weariness begin to set in and the statement may finally come: I have lost my hope. At this point, it would appear that the lowest point of the valley has been reached. The lowest pit of grime and dirt has been entered and hope seems to be far away. However, the lowest point of the valley is the time when the Lord can rise up, teach His message, and demonstrate His power.
Israel, in this case, has reached a low point in the valley. And in this low point, God is looking to work. Ezekiel 37:12-14 reads:
Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves. I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken it and performed it," says the LORD.’" (NKJV)
Ezekiel is commanded to prophesy and the prophecy is quite encouraging. The Lord wants to "open up your graves and cause you to come up from your graves." He wants all to "know" that He is "the Lord." He wants to put the "Spirit," so to speak, in all Christians when in the valley.
The Lord wishes to take the Christian from a point of "no hope" to a point where all Christians are alive and "up" out of the graves. The valley may feel like it is crushing down and killing the heart and the soul, yet the Lord wishes to pull us up out of that and make us live. Not only does He want life, but He wants us to leave the valley with a fresh teaching and a new revelation on what He is trying to teach. The valley may feel like the belly of a whale when Jonah says, "I have been cast out of Your sight; Yet I will look again toward Your holy temple.’ The waters surrounded me, even to my soul; the deep closed around me; weeds were wrapped around my head. I went down to the moorings of the mountains; the earth with its bars closed behind me forever..." (NKJV) The feeling may be that we are cast out of the sight of the Lord and surrounded by the depths of the water, yet the Lord is right by our side! He is looking to bring our lives up from the pit and wishes to bring new life and teach new lesson as a result of the valley! He is the Lord and He is the God who saves!
Even when the valley is closing in all around and hope feels like it is lost, let us place our trust in the Lord and wait upon His timing. Isaiah tells us that those who wait upon the Lord shall be saved; they shall run on wings like eagles; run and not be faint. When led to the deepest part of the valley, let us not "bail" on God. Instead, let us be like Ezekiel and stay right in it. When we trust God and "stick with His plan" He will then be able to give a "new life" and teach a "new lesson" that will result in the further conforming to the Lord Jesus Christ. |
| | Posted 12/4/2006 11:46 PM - 1 view - 1 comments
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