Ezekiel 37 Commentary
By going back and forth between the beginning and the ‘end’, Ezekiel addresses foundational elements of the Christian faith in an amazingly deeper way. And by repeating himself severally using different visuals, Ezekiel underlines key themes with a rare brilliance. Chapter 37 is a sequel to Chapter 36. The mountains of Israel will be restored. A new heart and a new spirit, and by removing a heart of stone and replacing it with a heart of flesh, Ezekiel 36 is regeneration made simple. The ‘Born Again’ phrase of the New Testament becomes easier to understand.
The perfection of the Creator God is such that there is never a need for another Boardroom decision in heaven! So Ezekiel references the Garden of Eden severally in his prophecies to explain the LORD’s grand plan. Nothing has changed. The plan is still on. Humanity must find its way back. No. Actually, it is the LORD who shows up and restores lost humanity.
The dry bones represent death and hopelessness. It is a point of zero hope – a position of zero decisions. You can neither repent nor apologize. You cannot make anything right at this point. Yet, as explained in chapter 36, the LORD makes the dry bones live again.
Without the word ‘Eden’, Ezekiel takes us back there with his enactment of the creation story of Genesis. “I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life”. Verse 5b.
You cannot save yourself! No one can. It takes the grace of God. He comes and calls you out of the grave to everlasting life – an abundant life.
Ezekiel has a rich set of imagery for his message. The last section uses a well-known image to explain the future restoration. One Nation Under One King – that is the subtitle for this section in the NIV Bible. Humanity won’t be scattered anymore. There will be a king over them. David.
The division of Israel into two nations, Israel and Judah is ‘phase 1’ scattering. The LORD has always scattered humanity because of wickedness. It is a repeat of the scattering at the Tower of Babel. Actually, it is the same scattering that humanity experienced when they sinned and were scattered from the Garden of Peace and tranquility – Eden. The Assyrian scattering and later the Babylonian scattering are all scatterings, sin-based scatterings. The LORD promises to reverse humanity’s fortunes and bring it back under the lordship of the Creator God.
Yes, the David here and the Son of David there, the Servant and Immanuel of Isaiah, all are images of the LORD’s grand plan of restoration. “They will live in the land I gave to my servant Jacob, the land where your ancestors lived.” Yes, it is always about a piece of land. Humanity has always needed a place to settle. It is all about Eden! Eden and the perfection of God’s rule there; the LORD calls us to it.
But first things first; let the dry bone live again! It is a demonstration of the regeneration that the LORD Jesus Christ calls being ‘born again’. Remember, it is the work of the LORD!
More resources visit http://www.lovingscripture.com
LOVING SCRIPTURE 