Come O Breath That

Ezekiel 37:3-6 (KJV)
3 And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest.
4 Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.
5 Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live:
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. ^{^[1]}

This is NOT the typical picture that one would paint to describe the children of Israel in Babylon. To properly understand the passage, we need to note a little background and discover some past of these people. Jeremiah, the prophet in the city of Jerusalem was preaching an “unpopular message”; that being submission to the King of Babylon as the only way Israel was to survive as a nation.

Zedekiah, the King rebelled and Nebuchadnezzar returned to put down the rebellion and brought an end to Judah. This took place in 587 B.C. – It was certainly a tragic hour when the walls around the city came down, houses were burned and the Temple destroyed and many people carried away into captivity.

Ezekiel and about 10,000 other Jews were living in what we would call “concentration camps” in Babylon. Ezekiel, for six years sought to explain to the people that they were NOT going back home any time soon and tried to find a way to tell them about their “hometown, Jerusalem” being destroyed. God’s people presented a pitiful picture – they were as “dry bones” on a battlefield. They said of themselves:

Ezekiel 37:11 (KJV)
11 “…behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts.” ^{^[2]}

Can Israel live again? Will she ever be able to go home? With some weirdness and realism, the drama unfolds and we learn that “even dry bones, without sinew and flesh and blood” – CAN LIVE by the Will of God.

Can we have REVIVAL today? I think that question has been answered very clearly. Even though there are those who might say: “The day of revival is over” / “You can’t have revival in this day and time” / “Revivals are a thing of the past, get up off your knees and let’s go get something to eat”.

Beloved – REVIVAL IS POSSIBLE and WE CAN HAVE REVIVAL – so listen and learn.

i. They confessed it in verse 11 – “…behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts.”

ii. With these words they are painting us very CLEAR picture of their condition before the LORD.

i. Lazy Bones – this is the crowd that works harder to GET OUT OF WORK than they would if they just joined in and helped out.

ii. Jaw Bones – here are the ones who are always talking about something – giving lip service to the Lord and pouring gossip into the ears of those who will listen. Always having something to say about “whatever” and never really contributing to the growth or spirituality of the church.

iii. Wish Bones – they are the ones who sit around and “wish” someone else would build the church, someone else would do the teaching, someone else would do the preaching, someone else would GIVE the money. They wish that things were different. They wish the church had a better location. Wish the church had better pews, better carpet, better lighting, better everything.

iv. Skull Bones – these are the hard hearted ones who NEVER want any change. They don’t like change, and they are NOT going to change. They will be okay with some small changes, but those bigger changes – well that might mean that they may have to change something and they DON’T WANT TO. New ways, new methods, new ideas, new direction, new classes – NO, NOT for them – give them the old humdrum and leave me alone.

v. Knuckle Bones – these people take delight in rap, rap, rap all the time on whatever moves. They criticize the work, they criticize those who do the work, they criticize how the work is being done and then they criticize the results after the job is over. I think, IF YOU DID NOT HELP – THEN KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT!

vi. Back Bones – this crowd is the nerve center of the church – every church NEEDS a “back bone crowd”: they get the job done for the LORD. They are faithful, steadfast and reliable. Whatever the church has going on – they are there, backing the Youth / backing the Golden Agers / backing the Pastor / backing Missions / backing every ministry. Pushing, giving, helping with WHATEVER they can to make sure that the Work of God gets DONE.

** Can we have REVIVAL today – again – that question has been answered – YES!!! AND ARE HAVING A TOUCH OF GOD COME THROUGH – Hallelujah – Glory to God – AMEN

** With EVERY plan God came up with in the beginning – HE will provide a WAY to accomplish it.

Ezekiel 37:4 (KJV)
4 Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. ^{^[3]}

** Ezekiel was a GOD CALLED man and Spirit-Led prophet. But he must have shuddered at the appalling sight of that “valley of dry bones”.

Ezekiel 37:7 (KJV)
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. ^{^[4]}

*** Here’s the madness / here’s the insanity - speaking to “dry bones” – who does this? LOTS of preachers every Lord’s Day.

** They had NO ears – YET, Ezekiel did as he was told and cried to these bones – “Hear”, “hear the word of the Lord”. Ezekiel obeyed God and when God is obeyed – God responds and when God responds – things HAPPEN, they change and become different.

** Ezekiel did not mistake – commotion for creation / unction for action or a rattle for revival. The whole matter was “there was NO breath in them” (vs. 8).

Ezekiel 37:9-10 (KJV)
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.
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. ^{^[5]}

** As Ezekiel prophesied as he was commanded, the breath CAME INTO them – “and they lived, stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.”

** It is ONLY when we prophesy as the LORD commands that dry bones will live. It is then and only then that LIFE comes in and DEFEAT, DESPAIR and DESPONDENCY goes out the door. Souls are saved, lives are changed, Christians are edified and the church MOVES FORWARD.

Ezekiel 37:14 (KJV)
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. ^{^[6]}

“…I shall place you in your own land…” = God is saying, I am going to carry you back home and there in your own country you will once again to able to “worship” and serve ME.

“…then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it…” = HEY, you did not give yourself life / you did not deliver yourself / you were NOT able to change the condition you were in – I DID THAT, ME, the GOD OF ISRAEL, THE LORD.

GOD HAS NOT CHANGED – HE is still as much alive as HE has always been and still just as able to GIVE LIFE and change sinners into saints through faith.

Hebrews 13:8 (KJV)
8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. ^{^[7]}

Church may we continue to ASK / SEEK and KNOCK on the door of Heaven for REVIVAL and all the while we are doing this – let us be obedient in our following God and getting HIS direction for what it is HE wants for us.

“Oh, God, SEND THE RAIN and dear God, SEND THE BREATH OF GOD, breathe on us O LORD, breathe on us once again – SEND THY HOLY SPIRIT to empower this church and this thy people, PLEASE O LORD.

Oh, LORD, I cry for the winds of the North and South and East and West to COME and breathe on us once again.”

[1] The Holy Bible : King James Version. 1995 (electronic ed. of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version.). Bellingham WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

[2] The Holy Bible : King James Version. 1995 (electronic ed. of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version.). Bellingham WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

[3] The Holy Bible : King James Version. 1995 (electronic ed. of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version.). Bellingham WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

[4] The Holy Bible : King James Version. 1995 (electronic ed. of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version.). Bellingham WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

[5] The Holy Bible : King James Version. 1995 (electronic ed. of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version.). Bellingham WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

[6] The Holy Bible : King James Version. 1995 (electronic ed. of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version.). Bellingham WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

[7] The Holy Bible : King James Version. 1995 (electronic ed. of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version.). Bellingham WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.