I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I have found that by writing this daily blog of what I see when I read these scriptures, I get more out of them. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. In order to make that possible I read the passages and write my thoughts a day in advance. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.
Ezekiel was given a prophecy containing the metaphor of a valley of dry bones. He was shown a valley full of nothing but bones scattered over the valley, not even complete skeletons any longer. God asks Ezekiel a rhetorical question, “Can these bones be made to live again?” The obvious answer is, “No.” But Ezekiel is a little wiser than most people and knows that the correct answer is, “Only You know the answer to that God.” God then tells Ezekiel to prophecy to the dry bones that God will attach tendons and muscles to them, cover them with skin, and breathe life into them. Ezekiel did as commanded and the bones came together to form skeletons, muscle and flesh formed over the bones, and skin formed over the flesh. But the, now, bodies did not come to life. God told Ezekiel to prophecy once more. He told him to prophecy to the winds to come and breathe life into these bodies. Ezekiel did as he was told and the bodies began to breathe and stood up, now forming a great and mighty army.
In this passage, the metaphor applied to the nation of Israel. Ezekiel was saying that it appeared to be dead and beyond resurrection. Yet God was going to bring it back to life as a mighty army. However, this passage is for all of us who think that some group or organization that can serve God’s purpose has died beyond reviving. Any body that lives to serve God will live, no matter how dried out and dead it may appear to human eyes. It is worth noting that this revival did not happen in a single step. Ezekiel prophesied the revival and the bodies reformed, but it was not until he prophesied to them a second time, calling on the Holy Spirit to inhabit the bodies that they came to life. In the same way, we need to recognize that the job is not done after one proclamation. I believe that God is calling on His servants to call this nation, and the world, to revival. This is not something that will happen in just a few short years, but will require a lifelong commitment from numerous people. If it is God’s will, I pray that He give me the gifts to lead such a revival. If it is not His will that I lead such a revival (which I fervently hope is the case, since I feel that I am completely inadequate to such a task) I pray that He shows me how I may aid the leader whom He is raising up.
How well this passage from James fits into the message I understood from the portion of Ezekiel I read today. We must be eager to listen to the word of God which He is speaking to us. This means listening to all of those around us, because how do we know through whom God will choose to speak if we do not listen to what they are saying. However, we need to take our time before we speak what we have heard and we must be cautious about becoming angry. Human anger does not serve God and does not lead us to behave righteously (Divine anger is another matter, but we must be cautious to ensure that any anger we express is truly from God). It is not enough to listen to the word which God speaks to us (no matter through whom He speaks it). Once we have heard, we are to act. God is calling us to be a people of action.
All too many people misunderstand James as saying that our actions save us. That is not his message. His message is the solid food that follows on after we have grown enough to eat it. When we were spiritual infants, we first need to drink the spiritual milk which tells us that we can not earn our salvation. Our salvation comes through our faith that righteousness is a free gift from God. However, James tells us that if we truly believe, this belief will influence our actions. If we truly believe that sinful behaviors lead to our unhappiness and that righteous behaviors will lead our happiness, we will stop sinful behaviors and begin righteous behaviors. You can tell what I truly have faith in by examining my actions. If I say one thing and do another, you can be sure that I do not truly believe what I said.
I will praise God because His faithfulness and love towards us endures forever. Do I believe this enough to act on it?
Do I truly believe this? Am I willing to stand forth with boldness, assured that the wicked will flee? I pray to God that He give me the boldness to do as He wills and declare His word to all whom I meet.