ezikiel 37

[nomoredrama28]

well, read the passage if you have time, and then... answer the questions afterwards. you don't even have to post a response, just thought id let you think about it, this passage could even relate to people who dont believe in God, or are christian or anything..

"The hand of the LORD came upon me, and he led me out in the spirit of the LORD and set me in the center of the plain, which was now filled with bones.
He made me walk among them in every direction so that I saw how many they were on the surface of the plain. How dry they were!
He asked me: Son of man, can these bones come to life? "Lord GOD," I answered, "you alone know that." Then he said to me: Prophesy over these bones, and say to them: Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: See! I will bring spirit into you, that you may come to life. I will put sinews upon you, make flesh grow over you, cover you with skin, and put spirit in you so that you may come to life and know that I am the LORD. I prophesied as I had been told, and even as I was prophesying I heard a noise; it was a rattling as the bones came together, bone joining bone. I saw the sinews and the flesh come upon them, and the skin cover them, but there was no spirit in them. Then he said to me: Prophesy to the spirit, prophesy, son of man, and say to the spirit: Thus says the Lord GOD: From the four winds come, O spirit, and breathe into these slain that they may come to life. I prophesied as he told me, and the spirit came into them; they came alive and stood upright, a vast army. Then he said to me: Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They have been saying, "Our bones are dried up, our hope is lost, and we are cut off." Therefore, prophesy and say to them: Thus says the Lord GOD: O my people, I will open your graves and have you rise from them, and bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and have you rise from them, O my people! I will put my spirit in you that you may live, and I will settle you upon your land; thus you shall know that I am the LORD. I have promised, and I will do it, says the LORD"(Ezekiel 37: 1-14).

when have you felt dry and lifeless?
what helps you to put muscle and flesh back on your tired bones?
what winds blow life through you to give you breath again, to make you new again?
what are the dry bones in your life?
how can you help to energize others who seem dry and lifeless?:alien:

[troubadour]

Wow. This kind of Biblical literature (actually most) really dumbfounds me. I recognize it is of the prophetic kind..

I see it is about the Word of the Lord giving hope in the promise of resurrection in a desert of death and confusion. But it also shows the prophets' complete submission to the will of the Lord. It shows the strange kind of relationship the Lord had with people in the Old testament: like why does he command the Prophet to do these things when it is really only Himself that can do it? And, while we're asking, why does he give hope at all, and why does he give it in the form of resurrection? Then there are further questions regarding the nature and meaning of the symbolism involved. But, for me, it doesn't really raise the questions you mention. It's primarily about myown troubles. But it is clearly meaningful and it makes me wonder what it means in terms of the story, what it tells us about the nature of God, and then, ok, yes about the nature of salvation. But doesn't it seem a tad hasty (as Treebeard might say) to assume it is speaking already and primarily to me about my salvation? Am I the nation of Israel?

[Pendragon]

Am I the nation of Israel?

Of course not.

But I always tell people, put yourself into the scripture. Unless it means something to you, personally, it may become words on paper. I think that nomoredrama28 has a definate point. Can we apply this scripture to ourselves?


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