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EZEKIEL 37:3-10
And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”
So I answered, “O Lord GOD, You know.”
Again He said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: “Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the LORD.”’”
So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone. Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them.
Also He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.”’” So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.
So I answered, “O Lord GOD, You know.”
Again He said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: “Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the LORD.”’”
So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone. Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them.
Also He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.”’” So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.
Ezekiel’s visions always seem, at least to me, to have a cinematic quality to them. They are visually striking to the imagination and communicate the truth beyond the words in an extraordinary way. What struck me forcibly were the words “Prophesy to these bones…”, that is ‘to speak or sing by inspiration’, by ‘Divine breath’. In this way the dry bones are brought from death to life. Utterly restored.
‘Prophesy’ appears 75 times in the New King James Version [NKJV], and 78 times in the King James Version [KJV] of scripture. These numbers are related — their basis is 70 — signifying ‘perfect spiritual order carried out with all spiritual power‘ [source: E W Bullinger]; 75 meaning ‘all His kindred’ [from Acts 7:14 Then Joseph sent and called his father Jacob and all his relatives to him, seventy-five people. 78 indicates ‘perfect spiritual order’ allied with new beginning; new life — all of which raises the significance of prophesy to an even greater height, and reveals that even in the God-breathed fabric of Scripture, the nature and purpose of Resurrection Life is being deeply woven.
And He said to me, “Son of Man, can these bones live?”
The Lord God spoke in the Holy Spirit to Ezekiel, naming him Son of Man, which of course is a name which Jesus called Himself. We read this in Matthew 16:13…
When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?”
This leads us to understand that when we are truly hearing from the Holy Spirit, it is indeed just as in the words of the song…
‘Prophesy’ appears 75 times in the New King James Version [NKJV], and 78 times in the King James Version [KJV] of scripture. These numbers are related — their basis is 70 — signifying ‘perfect spiritual order carried out with all spiritual power‘ [source: E W Bullinger]; 75 meaning ‘all His kindred’ [from Acts 7:14 Then Joseph sent and called his father Jacob and all his relatives to him, seventy-five people. 78 indicates ‘perfect spiritual order’ allied with new beginning; new life — all of which raises the significance of prophesy to an even greater height, and reveals that even in the God-breathed fabric of Scripture, the nature and purpose of Resurrection Life is being deeply woven.
And He said to me, “Son of Man, can these bones live?”
The Lord God spoke in the Holy Spirit to Ezekiel, naming him Son of Man, which of course is a name which Jesus called Himself. We read this in Matthew 16:13…
When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?”
This leads us to understand that when we are truly hearing from the Holy Spirit, it is indeed just as in the words of the song…
If that same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead
Dwells in you, dwells in you.
He shall quicken your mortal body
If that same Spirit dwells in you.
Dwells in you, dwells in you.
He shall quicken your mortal body
If that same Spirit dwells in you.
All things in The Bible point to Jesus Christ, and show us that the prophesying words in the Old Testament are fulfilled in the person of Jesus in the New Testament and in His life written in the hearts of those who believe and receive His Holy Spirit to realise the Third Testament, which is His Kingdom on Earth and in Heaven forevermore.
Ezekiel’s message is as relevant to us today as it was when The Lord our God breathed that prophetic vision into being — Holy Spirit to hearing spirit — so that we may be utterly restored. Hallelujah!
Ezekiel’s message is as relevant to us today as it was when The Lord our God breathed that prophetic vision into being — Holy Spirit to hearing spirit — so that we may be utterly restored. Hallelujah!
MEDITATE ON THESE THINGS
Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
She said to Him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”
JOHN 11:23-27
Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
She said to Him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”
JOHN 11:23-27
DRY BONES COME ALIVE — Paul Wilbur
PRAYER REQUIRES… SIMPLICITY
LET THE WORDS come home to us personally in their New Testament setting. "When you pray, do not use vain repetitions." Our Lord prayed the same prayer, using the same words, three times in the Garden of Gethsemane, and He gave the disciples a form of prayer which He knew would be repeated throughout the Christian centuries; so it cannot be mere repetition or the form of words that he is referring to. The latter half of the verse comes home better for personal purposes — for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking — that is, do not rely on your earnestness as the ground for being heard.
[from ‘Christian Discipline Volume 2’ by Oswald Chambers]
[from ‘Christian Discipline Volume 2’ by Oswald Chambers]
LISTEN TO THIS MEDITATION HERE…
COMING NEXT… #521 PRESERVED BLAMELESS
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Breathe Your breath of life on me!
Take away the darkness that you see!
Enter into the secret chambers of my soul.
Lord, I want to be made whole!
Take away the darkness that you see!
Enter into the secret chambers of my soul.
Lord, I want to be made whole!
Words of a praise song. Author unknown.
After a previous post (‘Come To The Waters’), Val in our Fellowship said “Thank you, as I started to read your message the words came ‘Breathe your Breath of Life in me, take away the darkness that you see...’” It is beautiful when the Holy Spirit sparks these connections, because it blesses the body of Christ. And it immediately inspired me to look further at the link and connection that Val shared.
And ‘inspired’ I realise is the right word. Our Lord is inspiration, because He breathes His life into us. ‘Inspiration’ means ‘the drawing in of breath, inhalation’, which allows us to see that when He breathes His Life, we must ‘inhale’ deeply, to receive what His Holy Spirit is speaking. Breath, breathing — the very thing which keeps us alive is intimately interconnected on different planes of existence. It works on the natural and the spiritual.
This shows us — as we shall return to in more depth later — that the relationship between body, soul and spirit is not three separate experiences, but rather a singular journey into the realisation of the deepest relationship with Jesus, one that affects every fibre, every aspect, every atom of who we are.
Breathe your breath of life in me, my Heavenly Father; this day and every day… and help me to inhale Your life completely.
And ‘inspired’ I realise is the right word. Our Lord is inspiration, because He breathes His life into us. ‘Inspiration’ means ‘the drawing in of breath, inhalation’, which allows us to see that when He breathes His Life, we must ‘inhale’ deeply, to receive what His Holy Spirit is speaking. Breath, breathing — the very thing which keeps us alive is intimately interconnected on different planes of existence. It works on the natural and the spiritual.
This shows us — as we shall return to in more depth later — that the relationship between body, soul and spirit is not three separate experiences, but rather a singular journey into the realisation of the deepest relationship with Jesus, one that affects every fibre, every aspect, every atom of who we are.
Breathe your breath of life in me, my Heavenly Father; this day and every day… and help me to inhale Your life completely.
MEDITATE ON THESE THINGS
And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.
GENESIS 2:7
GENESIS 2:7
BREATHE ON ME BREATH OF GOD — St Laurence’s Church, Chorley
(this is not the song referred to in the meditation.)
(this is not the song referred to in the meditation.)
‘PRAYER REQUIRES SILENCE’
IF WE ONLY take as answers those that are visible to our senses, we are in a very elementary condition of grace.
[from ‘If Ye Shall Ask’ by Oswald Chambers]
[from ‘If Ye Shall Ask’ by Oswald Chambers]
LISTEN TO THIS MEDITATION HERE
COMING NEXT… #520 CAN THESE BONES LIVE?
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ISAIAH 55:6-7
Seek the LORD while He may be found,
Call upon Him while He is near.
Let the wicked forsake his way,
And the unrighteous man his thoughts;
Let him return to the LORD,
And He will have mercy on him;
And to our God,
For He will abundantly pardon.
Call upon Him while He is near.
Let the wicked forsake his way,
And the unrighteous man his thoughts;
Let him return to the LORD,
And He will have mercy on him;
And to our God,
For He will abundantly pardon.
On the first occasion that I was asked to preach, these verses from Isaiah were selected for me as my subject — for He will abundantly pardon. So new was I to such a task, I could not think what to say, and I suspect that the end result had more of me than The Holy Spirit about it.
Do I know any differently now? Isaiah’s words at one level are easily understood and gloriously reassuring, so why do I look beyond what is there before me? After all, this pardon is something that I know that I have received from Him, and in abundance also. As I write, I find myself thinking — ‘Is it because I feel so unworthy of such amazing mercy and forgiveness?’ My guess is that the sense of not deserving His amazing grace is the root of it.
Looking at the original meaning of those words abundantly pardon, and we find that a literal translation is ‘to increase’ and ‘to forgive’, or in better English, ‘increasingly forgive’, or ‘increased forgiveness’. There is also the sense that the forgiveness knows no bounds — that it is beyond the limits of our minds to comprehend.
That is our difficulty. His limitless understanding of us (His judgement) and His unconditional love (His goodness, grace and mercy) is so overwhelmingly outside our natural experience, it is hard to believe.
And yet it is so. Thus we turn to other gods — our own particular golden calf — because it sits before us at our level. Whatever that idol or little god or gods we have chosen (or been drawn to choose), we can struggle to lift our eyes higher and see The Lord.
But by His grace, by His power, by His Spirit, we can seek Him while He may be found, we can call upon Him while He is near — His presence surrounds us, He is ever near, and all we need do is make a conscious decision to reach out and His Spirit floods in as easily as breathing. He does abundantly pardon.
Do I know any differently now? Isaiah’s words at one level are easily understood and gloriously reassuring, so why do I look beyond what is there before me? After all, this pardon is something that I know that I have received from Him, and in abundance also. As I write, I find myself thinking — ‘Is it because I feel so unworthy of such amazing mercy and forgiveness?’ My guess is that the sense of not deserving His amazing grace is the root of it.
Looking at the original meaning of those words abundantly pardon, and we find that a literal translation is ‘to increase’ and ‘to forgive’, or in better English, ‘increasingly forgive’, or ‘increased forgiveness’. There is also the sense that the forgiveness knows no bounds — that it is beyond the limits of our minds to comprehend.
That is our difficulty. His limitless understanding of us (His judgement) and His unconditional love (His goodness, grace and mercy) is so overwhelmingly outside our natural experience, it is hard to believe.
And yet it is so. Thus we turn to other gods — our own particular golden calf — because it sits before us at our level. Whatever that idol or little god or gods we have chosen (or been drawn to choose), we can struggle to lift our eyes higher and see The Lord.
But by His grace, by His power, by His Spirit, we can seek Him while He may be found, we can call upon Him while He is near — His presence surrounds us, He is ever near, and all we need do is make a conscious decision to reach out and His Spirit floods in as easily as breathing. He does abundantly pardon.
MEDITATE ON THESE THINGS
They appointed a leader
To return to their bondage.
But You are God,
Ready to pardon,
Gracious and merciful,
Slow to anger,
Abundant in kindness,
And did not forsake them.
“Even when they made a moulded calf for themselves,
And said, ‘This is your god
That brought you up out of Egypt,’
And worked great provocations,
Yet in Your manifold mercies
You did not forsake them in the wilderness.
The pillar of the cloud did not depart from them by day,
To lead them on the road;
Nor the pillar of fire by night,
To show them light,
And the way they should go.
NEHEMIAH 9:17b-19
To return to their bondage.
But You are God,
Ready to pardon,
Gracious and merciful,
Slow to anger,
Abundant in kindness,
And did not forsake them.
“Even when they made a moulded calf for themselves,
And said, ‘This is your god
That brought you up out of Egypt,’
And worked great provocations,
Yet in Your manifold mercies
You did not forsake them in the wilderness.
The pillar of the cloud did not depart from them by day,
To lead them on the road;
Nor the pillar of fire by night,
To show them light,
And the way they should go.
NEHEMIAH 9:17b-19
“SEEK THE LORD WHILE HE MAY BE FOUND”
Song: BREATHE — Michael W Smith
Song: BREATHE — Michael W Smith
‘PRAYER REQUIRES SILENCE’
WATCH GOD'S WAYS in your life, you will find He is developing you as He does the trees and the flowers, a deep silent working of the God of creation.
[from ‘Disciples Indeed’ by Oswald Chambers]
[from ‘Disciples Indeed’ by Oswald Chambers]
LISTEN TO THIS MEDITATION HERE
COMING NEXT… #519 BREATHE YOUR BREATH OF LIFE IN ME
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ISAIAH 55:1-2
“Ho! Everyone who thirsts,
Come to the waters;
And you who have no money,
Come, buy and eat.
Yes, come, buy wine and milk
Without money and without price.
Why do you spend money for what is not bread,
And your wages for what does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,
And let your soul delight itself in abundance.
Come to the waters;
And you who have no money,
Come, buy and eat.
Yes, come, buy wine and milk
Without money and without price.
Why do you spend money for what is not bread,
And your wages for what does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,
And let your soul delight itself in abundance.
It used to be a common thing — certainly if you read certain novels of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries — to ‘take the waters’, meaning to visit a spa which had healing thermal waters. Bath in England became renowned as a spa when the Roman baths were constructed and was named Aquae Sulis (the waters of Sulis), although it is thought that the hot springs were considered a shrine by the Britons long before that.
In Jerusalem the Pool of Bethesda was a place thought to heal the sick and the lame.
In Jerusalem the Pool of Bethesda was a place thought to heal the sick and the lame.
JOHN 5:2-4
Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches.
In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water.
For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had.
Isaiah — in the verses quoted — equates the waters with food and drink. In other words, these waters are for the healing of ‘the inner man’; the healing not merely physical but also spiritual, and it is not just our modern knowledge that the two are interconnected. Our forebears’ understanding was every bit as deep as ours is today, even if the detail now seems to us as quaint, strange or fantastical.
The verses chosen end with let your soul delight itself with abundance, so that your cup overflows.
The verses chosen end with let your soul delight itself with abundance, so that your cup overflows.
PSALM 23:5-6
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You have anointed and refreshed my head with oil;
My cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life,
And I shall dwell forever [throughout all my days] in the house and in the presence of the LORD.
Again the analogy suggests water gushing out, overspilling, a dam bursting with more than it could contain. That is what The Lord means with ‘come to the waters’. Come and drink, come and bathe, come and be cleansed, healed, restored. And forgiven. All good things from Him rely on each of us having the thirst to come to the waters. Come to Jesus Christ.
MEDITATE ON THESE THINGS
Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them.
They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat;
for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
REVELATION 7:15-17
They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat;
for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
REVELATION 7:15-17
COME TO THE WATERS — Matthew Zigenis
PRAYER REQUIRES SILENCE
ARE WE MOURNING before God because we have not had an audible response? Mary Magdalene was weeping at the sepulchre — what was she asking for? The dead body of Jesus. Of whom did she ask it? Of Jesus Himself, and she did not know Him! Did Jesus give her what she asked for? He gave her something infinitely grander than she had ever conceived — a risen, living impossible-to-die Lord.
[from ‘If Ye Shall Ask’ by Oswald Chambers]
[from ‘If Ye Shall Ask’ by Oswald Chambers]