‘And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord”‘ (Ezekiel 37:3-4 ESV). The Lord gave the prophet Ezekiel a spiritual vision of
Chapter: 37
I’VE NEVER SEEN THE RIGHTEOUS FORSAKEN
“I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread” (Psalm 37:25 ESV). Like the psalmist David, I can make the same observation. For I have never seen the righteous forsaken. Whether David meant this as a promise or a general rule, I’m
BETRAYED BY HIS BROTHERS
“Then Midianite traders passed by. And they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. They took Joseph to Egypt” (Genesis 37:28 ESV). Jacob’s sons were jealous of their brother, Joseph. He was the favored son of Jacob’s favorite wife, Rachel, who
“This is what the Sovereign Lord says: O my people, I will open your graves of exile and cause you to rise again” (Ezekiel 37:12 NLT).
THE AMAZING PROMISE OF RESURRECTION Ezekiel was called to prophesy to the Jewish exiles in Babylon and those scattered throughout the nations. This was a time when Israel had ceased to exist as a nation. In the national sense, it was dead. So, this resurrection prophecy might first be considered symbolic of a day when
“After Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it, he went up to the Lord’s Temple and spread it out before the Lord” (Isaiah 37:14 NLT).
SPREAD YOUR TROUBLES BEFORE THE LORD King Sennacherib of Assyria came with a huge army and began to conquer the towns of Judah. When he came to the walls of Jerusalem, he sent a threatening letter to King Hezekiah of Judah, warning him that his God couldn’t save him. When he had read the letter,
“The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.” (Psalm 37:23-24 NLT).
TAKE MY HAND, PRECIOUS LORD, LEAD ME ON David trusted the Lord to guide and direct him. He had no doubt that the God of the universe had interest in the details of his life. He had learned that God not only delighted in directing him, but the Lord was also always present to lift
“So when the Ishmaelites, who were Midianite traders, came by, Joseph’s brothers pulled him out of the cistern and sold him to them for twenty pieces of silver. And the traders took him to Egypt” (Genesis 37:28 NLT).
BETRAYED BY HIS BROTHERS Jacob’s sons were jealous of their brother, Joseph. He was the favored son of Jacob’s favorite wife, Rachel, who had died giving birth to Benjamin, the youngest of Jacob’s twelve sons. Joseph had made things worse with his brothers by sharing his dreams of them someday bowing down to him.
“When Midianite traders passed by, his brothers pulled Joseph out of the pit and sold him for 20 pieces of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took Joseph to Egypt.” (Genesis 37:28).
JOSEPH WAS A CHRISTOLOGICAL TYPE The life of Joseph was a foreshadowing of Christ. Like Christ, he was obedient to his father, rejected by his brethren and even betrayed for pieces of silver. Later, when God raised Joseph up from slavery and imprisonment to rule in Egypt, he even forgave his brethren and saved them
“‘Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves” (Ezekiel 37:12 NKJV).
THE AMAZING PROMISE OF RESURRECTION Ezekiel was called to prophesy to the Jewish exiles in Babylon and those scattered throughout the nations. This was a time when Israel has ceased to exist as a nation. In the national sense, it was dead. So, this resurrection prophecy might first be considered symbolic of a day when
“Then Midianite traders passed by; so the brothers pulled Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt” (Genesis 37:28 NKJV).
JOSEPH IS A CHRISTOLOGICAL TYPE Jacob’s sons were jealous of their brother, Joseph. He was the favored son of Jacob’s favorite wife, Rachel, who had died giving birth to Benjamin, the youngest. Joseph had made things worse with his brothers by giving their father a bad report of their shepherding. He also had shared his