revive

Ezekiel 37:11
“Then He said to me, ‘Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, “Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!'””

Ezekiel was taken in the Spirit to a valley full of skeletons. I am sure the sight itself was quite shocking, but what happened next must have been truly overwhelming. The angel asked Ezekiel if these bones could live. The obvious answer is no. When a person has been under water too long and their heartbeat has stopped there remains a slight chance of resuscitation. When a person has been dead so long that all that remains is a pile of bones, they are way past ‘mostly dead’, and no hope remains of them coming back to life. I am sure my answer would have been “No Way!” Ezekiel, however, had seen God do some pretty amazing things, so he did not discount even the possibility of these bones coming back to life. Sure enough, as he stood by, the bones came together; muscle, organs, skin and finally life was added. What had been a graveyard was now a valley filled with life.

This is a graphic picture of the work God alone can do. This passage has often been used to illustrate the work of salvation. When a person comes to Christ a miracle no less amazing than adding life to dead bones takes place. While there are many similarities between conversion and this event, the real meaning behind it is God’s promise to restore the nation of Israel; it had been divided, conquered and scattered. While this event transpired, Israel remained captive in Babylon. However, in a few short decades Cyrus, King of Persian, would issue a decree allowing the Jews to return to their homeland. In a minor way, that event fulfilled this prophecy, but the promises looked way beyond ancient times into the future. God promised the nation would be restored and the Messiah would sit on the throne of Israel and reign. He promised these would be end times events.

After two thousand years without a homeland, Israel returned to occupy the Promised Land. This event was the precursor to Ezekiel’s promise. Soon, Jesus Christ will return to set up His kingdom. The fact that Israel occupies the land today should stir our hearts to live in expectancy of His return.

Pastor Jim

Psalm 16:5-6
“O Lord, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup;
You maintain my lot.
The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;
Yes, I have a good inheritance.”

The Psalmist is describing his life. The lines he refers to, speak of his experiences in life. They might include his family life, his marriage, his ministry experiences, and even his recreational pursuits. He is saying, life is good. To use the words of Jesus, he is experiencing life in abundance. I think every one of us would like to be able to sing these words. The question is, how did he get there.?

Early on in Israel’s history, God divided the nation into sections, and each tribe was given a portion or a lot to occupy. These lots were determined by two things. First, where they lived was determined by the Lord. It was the sovereign will of God that Asher received a coastal plot and Naphtali was in the North. The second determining factor, was the size of each tribe. The larger tribes were given larger lots, the smaller tribes, smaller ones. After failing to enter the Promised Land, the children of Israel spent thirty-eight years in the wilderness. During those years, some of the tribes increased in size, while others decreased, or remained essentially the same. When they finally entered the land, and were given their inheritance, the tribes that had grown received a bigger lot.

The same is true of us. Some of the things we face in life are controlled by the sovereign will of God, others by our growing in the Lord. The more we grow in Christ, the more we will find, “our lines have been drawn in pleasant places.” Instead of complaining about the things in life which are outside of our control, we should be focussing our energies upon growing in Christ. We do that by abiding in Jesus. The more we spend time getting to know His Word and applying His Word in our daily living, the more we will grow in Christ.

Let’s decide this morning that we will set our hearts on seeking the Lord, and let Him draw our lines for us.

Pastor Jim

Psalm 16

How does David feel about other believers?
“The lot” refers to the life that David had been allocated from the Lord. His life and calling was uniquely his, what do you think he means by his lines “falling in pleasant places”?
Not all the places David found himself were pleasant. What truths does this psalm reveal about how it is possible to find joy in our difficult times?
What application can you draw from your own life from the fact that at His hand are pleasures forevermore?