CAN THESE BONES LIVE?

I am currently reading through all the prophetic books of the Old Testament (Isaiah through to Malachi) in my devotional time. One of the books that is always a challenge for me to understand is Ezekiel, but this morning I came to Ezekiel 37 and it spoke to me in a powerful way.

God’s Spirit took the prophet Ezekiel into a valley that was littered with bones. Death had passed here earlier and the bones were not fresh; in fact, they were dry and bleached by time and the sun.

The historical interpretation of this passage is that it refers to the return of the Jewish exiles and the rebuilding of the Jewish nation. Ezekiel was living in exile somewhere close to Babylon in what would be modern-day Iraq, approximately 575 years before Christ.

The Spirit of God asked Ezekiel a very tough question in the midst of what was an extremely difficult situation: “Can these bones live?”

Ezekiel was looking at bones that had dried out over a period of time. Verse 2 says “They were very dry.” There was absolutely no life left in these bones and for all practical purposes they would soon turn to dust.

The doubting, secularized mind would say, “This is an impossible situation. There is no life here—there is no way these bones can come to life!”

Those who are of the “extreme faith” camp would say, “Of course they can live! God has no alternative but to act if we release our faith and remind Him of His promises.” As if the Creator of the universe suffers from memory loss.

Sometimes it seems to me that demanding that God fulfill a particular Scripture on our behalf, just when we want it, is actually casting an aspersion on God. He has not forgotten one word that’s in Scripture. When we pray the Word, it is not to remind Him, it is to assist us in getting our hearts and desires in line with His will.

I find Ezekiel’s response to the tough question to be curiously satisfying: “Then he asked me, ‘Son of man, can these bones become living people again?’ ‘O Sovereign Lord,’ I replied, ‘you alone know the answer to that’” (Ezekiel 37:3, NLT).

Ezekiel is acknowledging his humanity and dependency upon the Lord. I believe he is affirming that God’s plans and purposes are often beyond our ability to comprehend. He is also submitting himself to God’s plan.

We serve a sovereign God—“Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all” (1 Chronicles 29:11, NIV).

One very simple definition of sovereign is, “God can do what He wants, when He wants, wherever He wants, to whomever He wants.”

So what does Ezekiel 37 mean to us? A valley of dry bones and the tough question, “Can these bones live?”

I believe this story is teaching us how to respond to what appears, to our eyes, to be an impossible situation.

1.    We acknowledge the Lord as sovereign. His plans and purposes are way beyond our comprehension. There are many things about God’s plan for my life that I just do not understand. I know God is at work on my behalf and I am comfortable with that but I just do not always see the big picture. I am not God and I am not sovereign, so my view will always be limited.

2.    By our acknowledging the Lord, we are inviting and releasing His active participation in the situation and our willingness to receive His answer. I believe one of the highest levels of prayer that we can reach is when we can pray as Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane when He prayed, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42). Until we get to that point of understanding and embrace it, oftentimes all we are doing is trying to manipulate the Lord through our prayers.

3.    By our acknowledgement of the Lord and His sovereignty, we are bringing into focus our limited abilities and recognizing His unlimited creative and restorative power. God gives grace to the humble and resists (takes a posture of resistance) against the proud. “For God sets Himself against the proud (the insolent, the overbearing, the disdainful, the presumptuous, the boastful)—[and He opposes, frustrates, and defeats them], but gives grace (favor, blessing) to the humble^”   (1 Peter 5:5, Amplified Bible).

Can these bones live? Will this impossible situation be solved to my satisfaction? I don’t know but I submit to God’s overarching sovereignty and to His power and ability to do the miraculous in the midst of the impossible. I welcome God to do it—in His time and in His way.

THE FAITHFULNESS OF GOD

Have you ever had a friend surprise you by unexpectedly changing his mind on something he said he was absolutely committed to? I’m not talking about a casual friend, I’m talking about someone you had known for years and considered a close friend. When such a thing occurs, the surprise comes when the person suddenly declares, “No, I’m not going to do that. Instead, I’m going in a totally different direction.”

If this has happened to you, perhaps it was a long-time business partner who “out of the blue” decided to end your business agreement. Perhaps it was a spouse who broke your marriage covenant and surprised and shocked you. The other person “broke faith” with you and now your view of a “faithful friend” has an element of doubt attached to it.

In the natural, our tendency is to view the statement “God is faithful” with the same caution that we have when we speak of that friend who suddenly changed his mind on something we thought was settled.

 

Attached to the bottom of my PC monitor is a little card with Psalm 89:8-9 written on it: “O Lord God of hosts, who is mighty as you are, O Lord, with your faithfulness all around you? You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, you still them” (ESV).

For months I have quoted these verses aloud and spent time meditating (thinking) about what they mean.

Let me share a few insights that have enriched me:

Verse 8 — “Lord God of hosts, who is mighty (strong) as you are, O Lord?”

This is a reference to Exodus 15:11: “Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?” 

This is from the song that Moses and Israel sang in worship when God brought them through the Red Sea and then destroyed the Egyptian army that was pursuing them. The Psalmist is declaring that no one is as mighty as God. That might was demonstrated in the deliverance of Israel from bondage in Egypt and then in the utter destruction of the Egyptian army.

Verse 8 of Psalm 89 continues: “With your faithfulness all around you.”

Here are several things to consider as we attempt to get a grip on “the faithfulness of God.”

1.    God is not faithful part of the time, He is faithful all the time! In the Hebrew language, faith and faithfulness are related words and convey meanings such as “to strengthen,” or “to support.” In 2 Kings 18:16 this is the Hebrew word that is used about the pillars that provide support for the doors of the temple.

God is an eternally firm (faithful) support for His people. “Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations” (Deuteronomy 7:9). Did you see that? It says He is faithful to “a thousand generations.”

God is faithful all the time!

2.    Faithfulness is a part of the character of God, an integral portion of who He is.

“With your faithfulness all around you.” The verbal picture here is that God is completely surrounded by faithfulness, similar to how we would wear a garment. If faithfulness were a piece of clothing, it would completely cover Him.

Isaiah 11:5 “Righteousness shall be the belt of His waist, and faithfulness the belt of His loins.” In Oriental dress, the belt around the waist gave stability to the whole ensemble; to “gird the loins” was to prepare for work. Therefore, when it says that faithfulness is the belt of His loins, it means that faithfulness is how He does everything!

Psalms 89:9: “You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, You still them.” What does this have to do with the faithfulness of God? Let me illustrate it this way. In Mark 6:45-52, Jesus instructed His disciples to get into a boat and go before Him to the other side of the lake. The disciples did as Jesus asked and about halfway across they were overtaken by a storm. Fearing for their lives, they began to panic. In the midst of the storm, the disciples were shocked when they saw Jesus walking on the water toward them. The disciples reacted in fear, thinking, “This must be a ghost.” But then Peter realized that it was Jesus coming to rescue them—and He did!

This is a perfect picture of the faithfulness of God. Jesus sent His disciples on a mission and He was not going to forget them in the middle of the lake in the midst of a storm. A faithful God does not do that. He didn’t do it then and He won’t do it now!

God is faithful all of the time. In faithfulness God will not allow the storms of life to totally overwhelm you. He would not be God if He did!

AMBASSADORS FOR CHRIST

“Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making His appeal through us” (2 Corinthians 5:20).

“I am an ambassador in chains” (Ephesians 6:20).

In September 2012, Islamic militants attacked the American diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, and among the fourteen murdered was the American Ambassador, Christopher Stevens. Stevens was a career diplomat who had served in the U.S. Foreign Service since 1991. The outrage over the Ambassador’s death continues to this day, with many questions remaining unanswered.

In the verses above, the apostle Paul clearly states that every believer is an ambassador for Christ, just as he was. The contemporary meaning of the word ambassador is not necessarily the meaning of the word that Paul used, and we need to be clear about what he was attempting to say to us through his use of this word.

In our world, ambassadors are sometimes career diplomats, as Christopher Stevens was, and sometimes they are political appointees, such as Caroline Kennedy. After each presidential election, a number of ambassadorships are handed out by the President to some who assisted in getting him elected. There are always those who would love to spend three or four years living in the Bahamas or New Zealand with all expenses paid by the U.S. taxpayer. Some jokester has said that an ambassador is a politician who did not get elected to office but was given an office with the condition that he or she leave the country.

Paul’s use of the word ambassador is taken from the world of his day, a world dominated by Rome and the might of the Imperial Roman army. At that time the word ambassador had nothing to do with politics; rather it carried the meaning of messenger, one sent on a special mission.

Under Roman rule there were two kinds of provinces throughout the Roman Empire. Senatorial provinces were those where the population had submitted to Rome and the people were peacefully obeying the law. Imperial provinces were still rebellious and could be violent and create problems for Rome. Rome would send ambassadors to the imperial provinces but not to the senatorial provinces.

Paul is saying to us that we are ambassadors because the world system is at war with God. “For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law: indeed, it cannot” (Romans 8:7). God sends His ambassadors into the rebellious world with His message of peace.

So, what are the characteristics of an ambassador for Christ and how does this relate to us?

1.    Every ambassador must be a citizen of the nation he or she represents.

All God’s ambassadors were once citizens of Satan’s kingdom. Christ, who alone can set sinners free, has given them a new citizenship in the kingdom of God. “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13-14).

The word delivered means to rescue from danger and the word transferred means to move from one land/kingdom to another. When we accepted Christ as savior, we were rescued and moved into the protection of God’s kingdom.

2.    All ambassadors are commissioned. 

Every Christian is an “ambassador for Christ” whether he knows it or even agrees with it. God has given to all of us “the ministry of reconciliation” and it is our message to share with the world that they can be reconciled to God (see 2 Corinthians 5:18-19). This means that our primary job in this world is to share the gospel with others and to point them to faith in Jesus Christ.

3.    An ambassador represents his ruler at all times. 

Not every believer is called to full-time Christian service, but every believer is called to full-time Christian living.  It’s unfortunate that so many Christians act more like the world around them than like ambassadors on a mission for their God.

As ambassadors we are always representing our King. Being an ambassador is not a nine-to-five job, it’s not five days on and two days off each week. Being an ambassador of Christ is 24/7/365 — and no exceptions!

4.    An ambassador always stays in touch with headquarters. 

Our official “statement” is God’s Word — the Bible. We are never to manufacture our own statement in order to make it more acceptable to the world around us. As we stay in touch with the Word, we stay in touch with the plans and purposes of God for this world and the people of the world. The Word is a living communication (see Hebrews 4:12) that speaks directly to everything we are facing. If we get out of touch with the Word, we get out of touch with His plans.

Through prayer we are in regular communication with our Leader. Through prayer we sharpen our message to the people God has placed us among. Through the Word and prayer we receive fresh messages from God to share with those we are sent to.

In a world fascinated by reality TV, we are not called to be like the “Trashdardians” who dominate so much of the contemporary lifestyle. We are called to be ambassadors — sent ones — with a message of real life, not Hollywood-driven fantasy.

“We are Christ’s ambassadors!”

FAN INTO FLAME

I love a wood-burning fireplace. I love the crackling of the fire and the slightly smoky fragrance emanating from the hearth. I even love tending the blaze and keeping it going. 

When I was a kid we always had the fireplace burning in winter. In those days the city I was brought up in (Vancouver, Canada) would let home owners burn leaves in the street in the late fall and winter. Our lawn was always covered with leaves and my brother and I loved to rake them into a big pile in front of our house—and then the fun began! We tried to get slightly damp leaves to burn in order to keep the fire going. Sometimes this was no easy task but it was fun and we would work at it. We learned to “fan the flame” so that it didn’t die out.

In both of Paul’s letters to Timothy, he speaks very directly to Timothy about his “gifting” from God. In 1 Timothy 4:14, Paul says, “Do not neglect the gift you have” and in 2 Timothy 1:6, he says, “I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God.”

Paul had laid hands on and prayed over Timothy to confirm to him that he was gifted by God and that the gift was to be used to glorify the Lord. Paul did not give the gift to Timothy; only God can do that. Paul’s part was to confirm to Timothy that God had given him a gift and that God wanted to use him.

Apparently, Paul was concerned that Timothy was allowing his gift to become dormant through disuse and he was assisting Timothy to get over his fear and timidity (see 1 Timothy 1:7).

Let me pose two questions to you:

1.    What did Paul mean by “fan into flame the gift of God”? If it was of God, why should he have to “fan” it?

Paul was not suggesting that Timothy’s faith was dying out but that he should fan into flame (or make full use of) the gift that God had given him.

When a fire gets low, one of the ways to get it blazing again is by the use of wind. We blow on glowing embers and the fresh wind, filled with oxygen, causes them to burst into flame. Perhaps it’s in this vein that Paul uses the unusual expression of “fan into flame.” 

One of the metaphors used throughout the Bible for the Holy Spirit is the word wind. Is it possible that Paul was suggesting that the wind of the Holy Spirit will bring dying embers to life? If so, how do we bring the wind of the Spirit more fully into our life and our gifting? Let me suggest several ways.

                       

A.   The Word

Don’t ever let the devil tell you that the Word is dry, boring and out of date. That’s a lie    and he knows it—and so should we.

“For the word of God is living and active” (Hebrews 4:12).

“All Scripture is God-breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16), which means that the Holy Spirit is in every verse of Scripture.

The wind of the Spirit is blowing through the Word.

            B. Worship

                       

It is in worship, perhaps more than in any other act, that we continually show our dependency upon Him. By His Spirit, God responds to the humility that true worship requires and He draws near to the humble.            

“But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel” (Psalm 22:3).

The wind of the Spirit blows when worship is taking place.

C. Prayer

“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests” (Ephesians 6:18).

Like worship, prayer that touches God is honest, confident, humble and submissive. When we pray honestly, God responds. When we let the Holy Spirit lead us and pray through us, the wind of the Spirit begins to blow.

2.    What is your gift—or have you even thought about it?

Every believer is “gifted” by God. I call these the hardwired gifts that were woven into each of us before we were conceived in our mother’s womb. Romans 12:6-8 teaches us that God has given us different gifts: prophecy, serving others, teaching, encouraging, giving, leading, showing kindness to others. Paul says that we can operate in these gifts with excellence; they are very much a part of who we are.

If you don’t know what your God-given gift is, and many in the church today do not—and they should—there are some simple tests you can take that will help you begin to understand. Here is a website where you can take a free Spiritual Gifts Analysis that will help you understand how God has gifted you.

https://gifts.churchgrowth.org/cgi-cg/gifts.cgi

But above all, please remember that all of us, no exclusions, have been gifted by God and have a place of voluntary service in the body of Christ. It takes effort to “fan” the flame, but it’s worth it because the result is a blazing fire.

Paul’s word to Timothy to “fan into flame the gift of God” is also a clear word from the Lord to all of us!