November 4, 2007
Prayer
EG Hymn 330 – A message came from Heaven Prayer Did any of you eat turkey in the last few weeks? What was left after? There were bones; are the bones good for anything? Today, I’d like to look at the bone story; it’s found in Ezekiel 37. This is actually a vision that the prophet Ezekiel saw; it was like a dream. V. 1, the Lord took him to a valley full of bones. He told Ezekiel to walk around and look at the bones, v. 2. He did so, and found they were dry; they had been there a long time. These were human bones, the bones of people who had lived. Then God asked him a question: “Can these bones live?” Ezekiel realized that he was dealing with a God who can do anything, so he had a good answer: “Thou knowest.” What God was showing Ezekiel is that He looks on the inside, while man looks on the outside. The Israelites thought they were alive, but God knew they were dead, spiritually. They had to be born again. So in v. 4, God asked Ezekiel to prophesy to the bones. Although this probably didn’t make sense, Ezekiel obeyed God and began to talk to the bones. But he didn’t tell them that they needed to love their neighbours, or obey the Ten Commandments, or work out their salvation. He gave them the word of the Lord. When you’re dead, you can’t do these things; only a spiritually living person can do that. They needed God’s word, “Whosoever,” and that is what Ezekiel gave them. And as he did so, he heard the bones begin to rattle. They all came together, with each bone lining up with the others. Then muscle and skin began to grow, until complete human beings lay there, but they were still dead. The God told Ezekiel to call the wind to breathe on them and give them life. Ezekiel did so, and before him was a living, breathing army. These people were dead, but they had been given new life. God was showing Ezekiel what he wanted to do with Israel; He wanted to give them a new life through Him. That is what He can do for us as well; then we can live for the Lord and serve him.
I Peter 2:18 – 25
This morning we read how the Lord took the form of a servant upon Himself; we have in verse 21 how He is an example to us. It is important to look at this because it is not the way of the world to be subject to masters. Many employees today want to join a union so they can control their masters; we might say the masters deserve this in some cases, but we are reminded to obey them whether they are good and gentle or froward. We covered some of this last week when talking about the submission/authority roles. God promises blessing when we are subject to our authority. But it could be that a believer is under the authority of someone who causes them grief or suffering. But if he accepts this and endures it as the Lord endured contradiction of sinners, he is commended of God. The Lord yielded to those who put Him on the cross; He accepted the dreadful things they did to Him: “As a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth” (Isaiah 53:7). When He did speak, He said, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:24).
Of course, if you take a rebuke for doing wrong, it is speak well of. It is when you suffer reproach for the sake of righteousness. If such circumstances, the flesh within us wants to get even, but our new man has a relationship with the One who judges righteously. To take persecution patiently is acceptable to God.
As we said, the Lord is our example; He suffered for right more than any of us ever will and He left a perfect example of what to do. In vv. 22–25, we have an outline of how He went through life.
In v. 22, we find that in his nature, He was sinless. V. 23, in His character, He was blameless; He did not retaliate. In v. 24, He was vicarious in His death; He died for us. Finally, in resurrection, He was victorious. In all these stages, we can see the Lord in His character and heart.
The Lord “committed himself to him that judgeth righteously.” Sometimes we may say, “It’s not fair”; and maybe it isn’t. But there will be a reckoning day. If anything was not fair, it was when the sinless One paid for the sins of the whole world. It is by His stripes we are healed. Now He is our Shepherd; as we get later in Peter, He is the Chief Shepherd, which pictures Him in resurrection. We as straying sheep need a shepherd. He is also the Bishop, or overseer, of our souls. How precious to have Him always watching us!
LF Hymn 174 – O patient, spotless One, Prayer