Words of Hope

A Word Study on the Biblical Word "Hope"

Study #15 - Hope Revived

This is the second part to a study began last time on the loss of hope expressed by the nation of Israel in the days of Ezekiel.  In Ezekiel 19:5 we saw the crisis of hope unseen.  Israel could not see any hope because they were looking in the wrong direction - to their princes rather than to God's power to save and restore them.  And so we saw their hope redirected by God away from man and toward Himself.  We now will look at the crisis of hope unconfessed as found in Ezekiel 37 and the revival of Israel's hope as portrayed there in the vision of the valley of dry bones.  In Ezekiel 37 God showed to the prophet Ezekiel a vision of a valley full of skeletal bones - scattered, dried out, lying upon the ground, exposed to the elements, to predators and to scavengers.  It was a vivid picture of death - no life, no form, no flesh, and no breath.  It is not until verse eleven that God explains the meaning of this vision to Ezekiel:  "Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts."  Here was the state of the nation portrayed in no uncertain terms - dead, dried up, scattered, cut off from the homeland; in short, lost and without hope!  At least that is what they were saying.  The nation was complaining of their lost hope.  Many would have agreed with Israel's self assessment at that time in history.  Many have thought and even said as much even up to modern times.  One commentary I own made the very bold statement:  "That Israel has never yet been made one nation upon the mountains of Israel is incontestable, nor is there ground for expecting she ever will be."  Such an outlook was once very common among Bible "scholars".  They could not see any possible way for the promises of the restoration of the nation of Israel to their own land to be fulfilled in any literal fashion.  And so they sought for some spiritual or metaphorical meaning for the promises of God to Israel.  Ezekiel had a better attitude toward the Word of the LORD.  When God asked Ezekiel, "Son of man, can these bones live?", Ezekiel answered Him, "O Lord GOD, thou knowest" (Ezekiel 37:3).  We must never put limitations upon the power of our Sovereign Lord to do exactly as He has said!  Like Israel of old, we too may loose sight of our hope when we complain of our self imposed spiritual deadness or dryness rather than confessing our hope in the power of our Sovereign God.  God's power to revive the nation of Israel and to restore them to life and to their land is vividly demonstrated in the two-fold resurrection of the dry bones scattered across the valley recorded in verses 4-10.  First the physical restoration is portrayed:  "there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone ... the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above ..." (vs.7,8).  And so God Himself interprets the meaning: "Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel" (vs.12).  We believe that God has already begun this process of the physical return of Israel to her land.  Unlike the commentaries of the past, most modern Bible scholars wonder how this could have ever been doubted!  But something was lacking in the beginning of  Ezekiel's vision of Israel's restoration.  The bones were joined together, and the flesh had covered the bones, "but there was no breath in them" (vs.8).  Like the original creation of man, the re-creation of Israel will be two-fold.  First God formed the body of Adam out of the dust of the ground, but then He "breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul" (Genesis 2:7). And so it will be with Israel:  "Behold I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live" (vs.5); "I will ... put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD" (vs.6).  Notice that the renewed life of the nation results in them knowing the LORD.  This is the mark of spiritual regeneration and the new birth that comes only by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  This is clearly spoken of in the previous chapter of Ezekiel, verses 25-28.  This is the promise of the New Covenant once again just as we saw in Jeremiah's prophecy.  "Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean ... a new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you ... and I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes ... and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God."   God will revive the nation of Israel just as surely as He will restore them to their land.  This He will accomplish through the instrumentality of His Word:  "Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD" (vs.4).  Even so must the Gospel be preached to Israel, for "faith cometh by hearing" (Romans 10:17); but we must also note that "hearing cometh by the word of the Lord".  The instrument of conversion is the preaching of the gospel, but the Agent of conversion is the Spirit of God.  Only He can cause the deaf to hear and the blind to see.  Only He can open the heart of the sinner to the call of the gospel and cause the dead to live again!  Even so, one day God will resurrect the nation of Israel and will put His Spirit within them.  And in that day God will unite His people in one eternal kingdom and covenant, under one eternal Shepherd and King, to worship Him their one eternal God (vs. 22-28).