A life that points to Christ
Ezekiel
From Ezekiel we learn to obey God's call even to a hard audience, to trust that God can breathe life into what is utterly dead, and to receive from Him a new heart. His life teaches faithful proclamation and hope in resurrection, and it points to the God who makes dead things live in Christ.
“And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest.”Ezekiel 37:3
“A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.”Ezekiel 36:26
“And he said unto me, Son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak unto thee.”Ezekiel 2:1
“I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment.”Ezekiel 34:16
Their story, honestly
Ezekiel was a priest carried into exile in Babylon, where God called him to be a watchman to a stubborn people, warning them faithfully whether or not they listened. He acted out dramatic signs, saw astonishing visions of God's glory, and delivered God's promise of a new heart: I will take away the stony heart, and give you an heart of flesh. In perhaps his most famous vision, God set him in a valley full of dry bones and asked, can these bones live. Ezekiel prophesied as commanded, and the bones came together, took on flesh, and stood up a living army, a picture of God reviving His seemingly dead people.
What their life teaches us
First, Ezekiel teaches obedience to a difficult calling; God sent him to people who would not listen, and made him responsible to speak faithfully regardless of their response. Second, the valley of dry bones teaches hope beyond hopelessness; when a situation looks completely dead, God can still bring it to life by His word and Spirit. Third, the promise of a new heart teaches that the change we need is God's gift, not our achievement; He replaces the heart of stone with a heart of flesh. Ezekiel shows a God who both demands faithful witness and works impossible resurrection.
How their life points to Christ
Ezekiel's vision of dry bones coming to life is fulfilled in Christ, who is the resurrection and the life, and who raises the spiritually dead. The new heart God promised through Ezekiel is given through Jesus, who by His Spirit takes away our heart of stone and makes us alive. Ezekiel saw the glory of God depart from a defiled temple and promised its return; in Jesus, God's glory dwells among us and will fill the new creation. The prophet who watched dead bones stand up points to the Savior who calls the dead to life.
Questions people ask
What does the valley of dry bones teach us?
That no situation is too dead for God to revive. When Ezekiel saw a valley of scattered bones, God asked, can these bones live, and then brought them to life by His word. It teaches hope beyond hopelessness, trusting that God can breathe new life where we see only death.
What is the new heart Ezekiel promised?
God promised to remove the heart of stone and give a heart of flesh, a heart able to know and love Him. It is not something we manufacture but something God gives. The New Testament shows this fulfilled in Christ, who by His Spirit makes us new from the inside.