Resurrection
And the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel and he said, “Son
of man, can these bones live?” Ezekiel answered and said, “You alone know, Oh sovereign Lord.” Ezekiel 37:3
It was a spring day, the kind where it is warm enough to
wear sandals, but the grass feels cool under your feet. My sister was doing her
nails on the couch. My brother was playing video games on the floor in front of
the TV, and I was curled up in the chair reading. Duke our old collie was lying
on the floor beside the TV. Our quiet Saturday afternoon was about to be turned
upside down. I finished my chapter and went over to pet Duke. He didn’t move so
I called his name and petted him some more. When he still didn’t move, I pulled
up his eyelid. Underneath I saw milky white membrane. “Mom,” I called there’s something
wrong with Duke!” Mom came in from the kitchen. She also tried to pet Duke and
called his name. “Come on, Dukey, wake up.” There was still no response from
the collie. Mom straightened up and said, “Kids, I’m afraid Duke is dead.” We
immediately started crying and went out in the front yard. Mom called Dad at
the office and he told her he was in the middle of a meeting with clients and
couldn’t come. She didn’t insist very often, but this time she did. The three
of us kids were outside, crying and hugging each other. Duke had been in the
family longer than Stephen and I and was the poster dog for good natured and
docile collies. We would really miss him. Dad showed up and he went into the
house with Mom. “Poor old Duke.” He said. “Stella, you get his back legs and I’ll
get his front legs and we’ll put him out in the back yard until we can bury him.”
On the count of three they lifted him up. He promptly opened his eyes and tried
to bite Dad. He was not dead at all, but just mostly deaf and blind. His
breathing was too shallow to be detected under his thick coat, and unknown to
us at the time, collies have an extra eyelid for protection, which is milky
white. Once he had been so rudely awakened, Duke came trotting out the front
door. Once Dad came out he was happy that the dog was okay, but really put out
about having to postpone his important meeting. “Don’t you people know when a
dog is dead or not!” he shouted. As for us, we nearly smothered the poor
resurrected dog.” He lived another 2 years, until the ripe old age of 18.
Do you feel that there are things in your life that are
dead? Maybe it is dreams or visions that you had. Maybe it is people that have
passed on ahead of you and you feel lonesome or hurt. It might be your joy in the Lord or your peace. Many of us have concerns for the state of our nation. Can these things be restored to life? You are not the first to wonder. In Ezekiel 37 God took Ezekiel to a valley where there were huge piles of dry bones. He asked Ezekiel, "Son of man, can these bones live?" Ezekiel gave a great answer. He must have looked out at the bones stretched before him and thought, What kind of a question is that? Instead he said, "You alone know, oh sovereign Lord." God told him to prophecy to the bones, and miraculously they came together, forming skeletons. Tendons, muscles and skin covered them. I saw a video of what this might have been like with one skeleton and to be honest it made my hair stand on end. When God was done, a vast army stood on its feet. This is what he said to Ezekiel.
Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ 12 Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. 14 I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.
Looking back from our perspective we know that he did it, too. Not only that, but that restoration was not a one shot deal. He desires to restore our lives and our hearts. He says in Joel 2 that he will restore the years that the locusts have eaten if we return to him with all our heart. I have seen him restore health, families, marriages, peace and joy in my life and the lives of those around me. He also desires to restore our nation, which we need so desperately. 2 Chronicles 7:14 tells us
Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ 12 Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. 14 I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.
Looking back from our perspective we know that he did it, too. Not only that, but that restoration was not a one shot deal. He desires to restore our lives and our hearts. He says in Joel 2 that he will restore the years that the locusts have eaten if we return to him with all our heart. I have seen him restore health, families, marriages, peace and joy in my life and the lives of those around me. He also desires to restore our nation, which we need so desperately. 2 Chronicles 7:14 tells us
if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Finally in Revelation 20 and 21 we read a small piece of what it will be like in the restoration of all things. These verses don't explain completely, but enough to give us a taste and create a desire in us for these things to come. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
