2 June 2020 – Can these bones live?

Ezekiel 37:3 Can these bones live? In other words is my situation or your situation hopeless? For example, the question some people might be asking in the USA today is this: Can the racial divide be bridged? You will have your own examples to insert here. The questions are not only legitimate but also genuine and provide an opportunity for engagement. The encouraging answer from God to Ezekiel was that in even the most difficult situations God’s presence with us is the ground of our hope. Notice here:

(1)The question raised by God (Ezekiel 37:1-3) The hand of the Lord was on me, and He brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me to and fro among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. 3 He asked me, ‘Son of man, can these bones live?’ I said, ‘Sovereign Lord, you alone know.’

In this vision this probing question from God was not a theological test for the prophet. Ezekiel was trained as a priest from within a priestly family. He has been ministering as a prophet to the exiled community for some years so he knows the theoretical answer that nothing is impossible with God.

Furthermore since the earlier revelation of the fall of Jerusalem the prophet had explained to the people that it was their sinfulness in turning away from the Lord that had led to their present predicament (Ezekiel 36:16-21).

Yet at the same time the Lord was angry at other nations taking real pleasure in Israel’s vulnerability and exile (Ezekiel 36:1-4, 14-15, for example). The key criterion was the honour of God’s name and His holiness (Ezekiel 36:21-23). How seriously would they honour the Lord? How seriously do we consider God’s honour and His perspective on the choices we make? Ultimately though it is not a general question; it is a personal one from God to each one of us.

It is a picture of hopelessness as bad as it could possibly be. In other words God bluntly tells His servant: do you know just how bad your situation is? Do you realise that humanly-speaking you do not have any vestiges of hope left of returning to the homeland. They were literally the living dead –existing with nothing, absolutely nothing to look forward to. It was in such a pointed situation that the question was posed:

He asked me, ‘Son of man, can these bones live?’ I said, ‘Sovereign Lord, You alone know (Ezekiel 37:3).

How often does God allow His people to come to a complete end of themselves where they have nowhere else to turn but Him so that we truly depend wholly on Him?

In case we begin to start thinking that God was being unfair putting such pressure on an extremely vulnerable man, it is important to remember that in the previous chapter (Ezekiel 36:24-38) God had revealed to Ezekiel that the nation would be restored to the land; that it would one day prosper again; that God would never abandon His people because His honour was at stake. Ezekiel 36:33-36 states:

‘“This is what the Sovereign Lord says: on the day I cleanse you from all your sins, I will resettle your towns, and the ruins will be rebuilt. 34 The desolate land will be cultivated instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass through it. 35 They will say, ‘This land that was laid waste has become like the garden of Eden; the cities that were lying in ruins, desolate and destroyed, are now fortified and inhabited.’ 36 Then the nations around you that remain will know that I the Lord have rebuilt what was destroyed and have replanted what was desolate. I the Lord have spoken, and I will do it.”

Why would God restore Israel to the land? Because His name was tied up with the keeping of His promises for His people; this biblical pattern is a thread that runs through the Scriptures.

Has God made promises to us through the new covenant inaugurated in Jesus? Yes of course He has! Can we rely on Him to keep them? Yes! because the evidence before us of His loyalty to the Jewish people even when they have gone far from Him reminds and reassures us of our promise-keeping God. This is why we can be so joyful in reading verses like Hebrews 13:5b-6:

‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’ 6 So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?

This is why when we come to seek forgiveness for our sins we can rejoice in the wonder of I John 1:9: If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Each of us at times will be in situations where we have prayed and prayed and claimed the promises of God and seen nothing to show for our efforts.

Why do we keep going? Because God never fails to honour His promises because the honour of His name is at stake; the answer to this question is a definite YES! Because God’ Spirit is at work in our midst. We need to ask Him to lead and direct us as we seek to live for Him today, Amen.

Our song for reflection is: Holy Spirit Living breath of God

A bonus for today an additional contemporary song of encouragement that was sent to me a few days ago:
‘For king and country today’

1 June 2020 – The credibility Challenge. What does the Lord require of you?

With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? 7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? 8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

What does the Lord require of us? This is the fundamental question in Micah’s prophecy –what is good? The news in the last few days, although still dominated by the covid-19 virus pandemic, has had another focus for our attention. An event that horrifies every decent person who had viewed the footage online or even seen the stills in newspapers, I refer to the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, U.S.A. on Monday 25 May 2020.

In the United Kingdom we must humbly confess that racism has not been eradicated from our midst. The murder of Stephen Lawrence on 22 April 1993 in London, followed by the inadequate police investigation that followed, was a sobering reminder of this fact. The institutionalised racism in the Metropolitan Police Force uncovered by Sir William Macpherson’s enquiry that followed was a reminder of much more work needed to be done to ensure all citizens of whatever ethnic background were treated equally.

How does what Micah proposes translate into daily life?
He gives three principles for action:

(1)To act justly What does this mean for me in daily life today? Examples from this book in the Old Testament include fair prices for both buyer and seller when houses are sold; integrity in legal and financial transactions (both in Micah 2:2); and proper provision for the needs of the most vulnerable in society (Micah 3:1-2); Micah described a society where leaders, priests and prophets are no longer respected as authority figures, due to malpractice on their part;

In our own country there has been much debate about the extent to which certain figures in public life have observed the lock down guidance put in place some weeks ago. In the light of the sacrifices made by so many people during this time it has generated significant anger that others have chosen to act in a different way.

Micah would want to highlight first personal responsibility from each individual person. We may not have influence over the choices of other people, but we are accountable for our own.

He would also want to highlight the necessity of structural justice in the wider society. The laws and their application in a country in order to be fair should treat people equally. With respect to citizens, their race, religion, sexuality and social status and so much more should be irrelevant in the due observance of the laws of the land.

The tragic situation in Minneapolis and some other American cities in the recent past witness to underlying structural faults in the whole justice system that must urgently be addressed. God says here through Micah, no matter what other people are doing act justly, stick to your convictions. Will you and I do that –even if there may at times be a price to pay?


(2) to love mercy This word speaks of covenant loyalty, both in secular agreements and with the Lord. The language of Micah here is expressed in a legal covenant term hesed, implying that not only do we want to do the right thing –act justly- but to remember the basis on which we make such choices.

We make agreements /promises when we get married; when we purchase a house or a host of other transactions; supremely when we commit our lives to the Lord Jesus Christ; yet God says here through the prophet it is not about ticking boxes, we all do more than enough of that with paperwork.

What is being asked here? to love hesed. In other words to take delight in doing what is right before God and in our relationships with other people, not to do it grudgingly –because we ‘have to’. Why? because God is the compassionate and gracious God (Exodus 34:6); He delights to show mercy (Micah 7:18b);

Why is this important? Because if we have pleasure in doing what is right, because our heavenly Father wants us to have pleasure in it as He does, then it will not affect our attitudes when others around us are giving into temptation and delighting in inappropriate conversations or behaviour; we are not legalistically following a list of ‘Thou shall nots’, and with a solemn face; rather we are taking pleasure in doing what is good and honourable and appropriate for the best of reasons, supremely to please God, but it is also for the benefit of ourselves and other people around us. This is far more than playing with words; it is an approach to life

(3) to walk humbly with your God Here is a summary statement of the lifestyle of a man or woman of God. In Genesis 5:24 there is the obituary of a man called Enoch: Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away. Can you imagine the impact that man had on his peers? Every now and then there are Christian men and women who so radiate Christ that loads of people are just drawn to them.

It is an attitude of heart and a passionate Christ-centredness. However, Micah is not speaking about results or the fruit of a godly lifestyle in our Christian ministry or vocation, rather his focus is more on our character and disposition. We are all called to be representatives of Christ wherever He has placed us. May we take up His call to serve in whatever setting and gain delight and satisfaction in pleasing Him as we act justly and love mercy and walk humbly with [our] God, Amen.

Our song for reflection today is: ‘Beauty for brokenness’

Brian Talbot