EZEKIEL LESSON 39
We will begin this lesson in Ezekiel 37:1 "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,"
This is not the same as the prophecies that Ezekiel spoke. This
is an experience far above that of common man. This is God reaching to
Ezekiel, not Ezekiel reaching to God. The touch from God brings this
about. Ezekiel is miraculously transported to the valley of the dry
bones. This is a valley of death. It appears from the natural eye,
that there is no living here. This is like a cemetery, where the
people are not buried, and just their bones remain. This is a highly
elevated spiritual experience. It is not just a vision, but is a
visual example from God of what He can do.
Ezekiel 37:2 "And caused me to pass by them round about: and,
behold, [there were] very many in the open valley; and, lo, [they
were] very dry."
In the sense of the physical house of Israel, we know that many
died in the attack of Babylon. So many, in fact, they were not buried,
but left where they fell. All of humanity, before they are saved, are
just as dead as these dry bones. There is no spirit of life.
Ezekiel 37:3 "And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones
live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest."
In the natural, or physical sense, no they cannot. They cannot
bring themselves back to life. Only God can cause these dry bones to
live. Ezekiel knew that he had no power within himself to make them
live, but he, also, knew that God could make them live, if He desired
to.
Ezekiel 37:4 "Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones,
and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD."
In the physical sense, these dry bones could not hear anything.
We must look at this from the spiritual standpoint. Those who are dead
in sin, are like these dry bones. They must listen to the Word of the
LORD, and receive Him into their being, to be able to live. Physical
Israel had a remnant left. They could live, if they listened to the
Word of the LORD. God had made man from the dust of the earth in the
beginning. Man was but a clay doll, until God breathed the breath of
life in him. It was the breath of God that gave him life. Every
creation was {God said let there be, and it was}. The Word of God
created all things. The Word of God can revitalize these bones and
make them live. John 1:1 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word
was with God, and the Word was God." John 1:2 "The same was in the
beginning with God." John 1:3 "All things were made by him; and
without him was not any thing made that was made." John 1:4 "In him
was life; and the life was the light of men." The Word created. The
Word brought life.
Ezekiel 37:5 "Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I
will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live:"
The sight of these dead bones is the view of a world who knows
not God. It is God that causes us to live. Jesus Christ the Son of God
gave the power to live to all who would believe. The breath that
enters in is His Spirit, which brings life. These bones of the
physical house of Israel are dead, as far as the world is concerned.
Notice, this is not an act of these dry bones, it is the gift of life
from God. This is speaking of the gift of salvation. Man cannot earn
life, it is a gift from God.
Ezekiel 37:6 "And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up
flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye
shall live; and ye shall know that I [am] the LORD."
This speaks of the dead bones, which take on new life in Jesus
Christ. This, also, is speaking of God strengthening His people
Israel. He will give them a body that is pleasing unto Him. Only God
can give life. All who have been given this life, will know He is the
LORD.
Ezekiel 37:7 "So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I
prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones
came together, bone to his bone."
"Noise", in the verse above, comes from the word qowl which means
to call aloud, a voice, thunder, and many other meanings which
indicate this, perhaps, is the voice of God. This voice brings life to
dead bones. This voice causes the dead in Christ to rise first. In
1 Thessalonians chapter 4, read from the 13th verse to the end of the
chapter. In the sense of the physical house of Israel, God causes
them to receive strength, and to get up, and go to Israel.
Ezekiel 37:8 "And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh
came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but [there was] no
breath in them."
Bones without spirit are not alive. This is a body with flesh and
bones, before it receives the Spirit. Physical Israel is just such a
house today. They are a body, but the Spirit is not within them. In
the sense of the Christians, we read the following. John 3:6 "That
which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the
Spirit is spirit." John 3:5 "Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say
unto thee, Except a man be born of water and [of] the Spirit, he
cannot enter into the kingdom of God."
Ezekiel 37:9 "Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind,
prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD;
Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that
they may live."
The number 4 means universal. This wind is from every direction.
The wind of the Spirit of God is what this wind is. It is very similar
to the wind in the following verse. Acts 2:2 "And suddenly there came
a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the
house where they were sitting." We see, in the following Scripture, a
time when the Spirit of God will enter into the body of man and cause
him to live. Acts 2:17 "And it shall come to pass in the last days,
saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons
and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see
visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:"
Ezekiel 37:10 "So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath
came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an
exceeding great army."
Notice, these are spoken of as an army. This is that army of true
believers, filled with the Spirit of God. Physical Israel today has
almost every citizen in their army.
Ezekiel 37:11 "Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are
the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and
our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts."
The word "whole" is the secret to this verse. This means the 10
tribes, and also, the two tribes of Israel. In the spiritual sense,
this is speaking of the physical house of Israel and the spiritual
house of Israel. Another way of saying this, is the Christians and the
Jews. The physical house of Israel was so scattered, by the captivity
in nations around the world, they could hardly be spoken of as a unit.
We are taught that the body of Christ is made up of many parts
{believers}. In Romans chapter 11, we read of the Christians being
grafted into the tree. The Jews were the natural branch.
Ezekiel 37:12 "Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith
the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause
you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of
Israel."
This is speaking of the graves of their captivity. This was
fulfilled in the time of Babylon's fall. It is, also, coming to pass
today in Israel. Many Israelis are returning to their land out of the
"graves" of the world.
Ezekiel 37:13 "And ye shall know that I [am] the LORD, when I
have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your
graves,"
This was such an impossible thing that happened, that it can only
be credited to the LORD.
Ezekiel 37:14 "And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live,
and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the
LORD have spoken [it], and performed [it], saith the LORD."
We see from this, that it is the Spirit of God that gives the
power to live. This had several fulfillments for the Hebrews. Just
after the Babylonian captivity, the Israelites returned to their
homeland. The present day is another good example of their return to
their homeland. Jesus is the quickening Spirit. The Christian will be
filled with the Spirit of God. I Corinthians 15:45 "And so it is
written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam [was
made] a quickening spirit."
Ezekiel 37:15 "The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying,"
There is a break in the prophecy here.
Ezekiel 37:16 "Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick,
and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his
companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph,
the stick of Ephraim, and [for] all the house of Israel his
companions:"
I believe the two sticks, here, are speaking of the two that were
grafted into the tree. In the book of Romans, we read of the wild
branch that was grafted into the tree. We, also, read of the natural
branch that had been cut off and grafted back into the tree. In my
opinion, these two branches are the physical house of Israel and the
spiritual house of Israel. The stick of Judah is speaking of the two
tribes Benjamin and Judah, but it also, represents all of physical
Israel. Ephraim received the right hand blessing from his grandfather.
His blessing was a spiritual blessing. His blessing was the blessing
of Abraham, spoken of in the following verse. Galatians 3:29 "And if
ye [be] Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to
the promise." In the physical sense, Ephraim represented the 10 tribes
of Israel, but in the spiritual sense, he represents all believers in
Christ. We are Israel, as well as natural Israel. Christians are
spiritual Israel. I believe the sticks are the two branches of Israel,
physical and spiritual. Romans 9:6 "Not as though the word of God hath
taken none effect. For they [are] not all Israel, which are of
Israel:"
Ezekiel 37:17 "And join them one to another into one stick; and
they shall become one in thine hand."
They, physical Israel {Hebrews} and spiritual Israel {Christians}
are both in the hands of Jesus. They are both saved by the sacrifice
of the body of Jesus on the cross. Ephesians 2:14 "For he is our
peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of
partition [between us];" Ephesians 2:15 "Having abolished in his flesh
the enmity, [even] the law of commandments [contained] in ordinances;
for to make in himself of twain one new man, [so] making peace;"
Ephesians 2:16 "And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body
by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:"
Ezekiel 37:18 "And when the children of thy people shall speak
unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not shew us what thou [meanest] by
these?"
This is asking Ezekiel, what God means by the two sticks. There
are really two meanings here. The tribes of the north and the tribes
of the south would no longer be thought of as two tribes. They would,
now, all be Israel. The other meaning in this, is to be understood
just in the spirit. The stick in the one hand symbolizes spiritual
Israel {Christians}, and the stick in the other hand symbolizes
physical Israel {Jews}. They are both in the hands of Jesus. Jesus
will tear down the wall of partition between the Jew and the Gentile.
They are all God's family. All, Jews and Gentiles, are saved by
believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. He came to the Jew first, and then
to the Gentile.
Ezekiel 37:19 "Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I
will take the stick of Joseph, which [is] in the hand of Ephraim, and
the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, [even]
with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be
one in mine hand."
In the physical sense, this is the 10 tribes and the 2 tribes
coming together, and making up the physical house of Israel. It was
unnatural for Israel to be separated, and they will be known as one
tribe. They are all physically descended from Abraham. They are in the
lineage of Abraham. There is a house of faith that is, also,
Abraham's.
They are the Christians. Those who are Christ's are Abraham's seed in
faith. They are spiritual Israel.
Ezekiel 37:20 "And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in
thine hand before their eyes."
Notice hand is not plural. They have come together.
Ezekiel 37:21 "And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD;
Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen,
whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring
them into their own land:"
This speaks of those who had been in captivity. Babylon is just
one of the heathen countries spoken of. This could be speaking, not
only of the physical return to their promised land, but could be
speaking of those from every nation, who will go to their promised
land in heaven.
Ezekiel 37:22 "And I will make them one nation in the land upon
the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and
they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into
two kingdoms any more at all:"
The King, spoken of here, is speaking of Jesus. He was known as
King of the Jews, when He was on the earth as our Saviour. He will be
all believers' King, when He comes back as King of kings and Lord of
lords. The nation reunited for them was the present day Israel.
Ezekiel 37:23 "Neither shall they defile themselves any more with
their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their
transgressions: but I will save them out of all their dwellingplaces,
wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be my
people, and I will be their God."
Man cannot save himself; he needs a Saviour. Romans 3:23 "For all
have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" Romans 5:12
"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by
sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:"
Romans 5:17 "For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much
more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of
righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)"
Ezekiel 37:24 "And David my servant [shall be] king over them;
and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my
judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them."
David, in the Scripture above, is speaking of Jesus Christ
descended from David in the flesh. Jesus is the Shepherd. Ephesians
2:15 "Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, [even] the law of
commandments [contained] in ordinances; for to make in himself of
twain one new man, [so] making peace;" Hebrews 8:6 "But now hath he
obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the
mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better
promises." Ephesians 2:5 "Even when we were dead in sins, hath
quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)"
Ephesians 2:8 "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not
of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God:"
Ezekiel 37:25 "And they shall dwell in the land that I have given
unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall
dwell therein, [even] they, and their children, and their children's
children for ever: and my servant David [shall be] their prince for
ever."
This "forever" is speaking of the reign of Jesus. Hebrews 1:8
"But unto the Son [he saith], Thy throne, O God, [is] for ever and
ever: a sceptre of righteousness [is] the sceptre of thy kingdom."
Ezekiel 37:26 "Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with
them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place
them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of
them for evermore."
This "everlasting covenant" is the covenant of grace. Hebrews
13:20 "Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord
Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the
everlasting covenant," This is that blood covenant sealed with the
blood of Jesus Christ. All who believe are saved by the blood of
Jesus.
Ezekiel 37:27 "My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will
be their God, and they shall be my people."
Here is the same statement a little more fully stated. Revelation
21:3 "And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the
tabernacle of God [is] with men, and he will dwell with them, and they
shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, [and be]
their God."
Ezekiel 37:28 "And the heathen shall know that I the LORD do
sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for
evermore."
Israel is speaking of all believers, both Jew and Gentile. A
believer in Christ is no longer classified as a heathen. The correct
definition of heathen is foreign. Ephesians 2:19 "Now therefore ye are
no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints,
and of the household of God;" Revelation 7:9 "After this I beheld,
and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations,
and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and
before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;"
We can easily see from all this, that Israel {God's people} are made
up of many nations.
Ezekiel 39 Questions
1. Quote Ezekiel chapter 37 verse 1.
2. It appears from the natural eye, that there is no __________
______
________.
3. What kind of experience is this?
4. Describe the bones Ezekiel saw.
5. What do these dry bones symbolize?
6. Can these dry bones live?
7. What did Ezekiel realize about these dry bones living?
8. What unusual thing was Ezekiel to tell these dry bones to do?
9. Those who are dead in sin are like these _______ _______.
10. What was man, before God breathed the breath of life in him?
11. Who created all things?
12. What will cause the dry bones to live?
13. Who gave us the power to live?
14. What is verse 6 speaking of?
15. What is the "noise" in verse 7?
16. Bones without spirit are ______ ________.
17. Quote John chapter 3 verse 6.
18. What does the number 4 mean?
19. Quote Acts chapter 2 verse 2.
20. Quote Acts chapter 2 verse 17.
21. Verse 11 says these bones are whom?
22. What is the key word in verse 11?
23. The graves, of verse 12, are where?
24. And shall put my __________ in you, and ye shall live.
25. Quote 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verse 45.
26. What were each of the sticks to have written on them?
27. Join them together in one _________.
28. Who are the two Israels?
29. Who is the King of verse 22?
30. Quote Romans chapter 3 verse 23.
31. Quote Romans chapter 5 verse 17.
32. Who is David in verse 24?
33. Who is the Shepherd?
34. Quote Ephesians chapter 2 verse 8.
35. Quote Hebrews chapter 1 verse 8.
36. What is the "everlasting covenant"?
37. All believers are saved by the _________ of _______.
38. The tabernacle of God is with _______.
39. Quote Ephesians chapter 2 verse 19.
40. Quote Revelation chapter 7 verse 9.
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