Threads from Henry's Web

Tag: Ezekiel 37

  • Psalm 23:3 – Back to Life

    Psalm 23:3 – Back to Life

    He revives me.
    He leads me in the right paths,
    for his name’s sake.

    I would like to frame this verse between two others.

    So the LORD God formed the human of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the human became a living being.

    Genesis 2:7, my translation

    And …

    You hide your face and they are confounded.
    You take back their breath and they perish,
    and the return to their dust.
    You send out your breath [spirit] and they are created,
    and you renew the face of the ground.

    Psalm 104:28,29, my translation

    There are some words that are very much parallel here, and some that are slightly different. Let’s start with what the human became: A living being. In Hebrew, loosely transliterated, nephesh chayyah. This word nephesh is what is to be renewed or revived in Psalm 23:3.

    The word for “breath,” or wind or spirit is neshama in Genesis 2:7, but ruach in Psalm 104. This word harks back to Genesis 1:2, where the ruach of God is blowing over the waters as the starting point of creation.

    In Ezekiel 37, that ruach is called upon many times, and invited to come in and revive the dry bones (see especially 37:9). This is, of course, a great revival.

    Further, in Psalm 104, the word for “they are created” is bara’, the key word for God’s creation throughout Genesis 1.

    Now I’m not claiming that the Psalmist is quoting or alluding to any of these other passages. But these words would bring certain thoughts to someone who is well acquainted with Hebrew scripture.

    In “he revives (or restores) my soul,” or just “he revives me” God’s creative and sustaining power is invoked. The shepherd is the creator of the universe. The creator of the universe is involved in the details of life, and cares about you.

    Then you are led in established paths. The word suggests tracks or even ruts produced on a wagon trail, a path that is well traveled. He does this for his own sake.

    Now I could say, “not for yours,” but in a very real way, when it’s for God’s sake it is for yours, because as your creator God, a good craftsman, cares about the entire creation, including you. God’s direct involvement is all through Scripture.

    Where is God guiding you today?

  • Ezekiel and the Bones

    Ezekiel and the Bones

    The lectionary readings called my attention to Ezekiel 37:1-14. I love the story, not to mention the song.

    So how about the song?

    Note: Here’s a comment from T. Henderson on this video on YouTube: ” That’s my Dad the second from the left. They couldn’t express more emotion because in that day they were under strict direction on what a black group could and could not do. Love the song though!” I like to get the historical context. You can read more of the discussion on YouTube.

    There’s a specific point I want to call attention to. Notice how God provides Ezekiel with very specific instructions as to what to prophecy, first in verses 4-6, and then following up specifically to the wind/breath in verse 9.

    Now God certainly could have said these things directly to the bones or to the wind. Could have, but didn’t.

    What God actually did is act through Ezekiel. The event takes place not when God gives the instructions, but when Ezekiel carries them out and makes a proclamation.

    There are so many things one can get from this passage, but for today, let me say just this. God likes to work through people, through human and other natural agencies. (Remember Balaam? Why didn’t God just send an angel and allow Balaam to see? God used a donkey.)

    We depend on everything from God, but sometimes what God is doing is providing you with the opportunity to be the agent of what you hope for.

    Featured image by Wolfgang Eckert from Pixabay

  • Ezekiel 36: Telling the Story

    Ezekiel 36: Telling the Story

    This was one of my texts from yesterday, though we worked from Titus 3:3-11, where I think vs. 3-8 parallels chapter 36 quite nicely.

    But my interest today is not in a specific verse, but rather in the way in which Israel’s story is told. Christians often have ambivalent, if not downright negative, feelings about the Old Testament or Hebrew scriptures. You’ll hear people say, “I’m more of a New Testament person.” In a certain sense, we should all be New Testament (Covenant) people. We are God’s people under terms of the new covenant. That’s why we call that portion of Scripture the “New Testament.”

    Nonetheless, Israel’s story is critical. One reason it is so useful is the way in which Israel told their story. Other nations record their triumphs and their successes, crediting the appropriate historical characters. Sure, one will have comments on how the gods favored this person or that, but the overall story is one of human triumph.

    Israel, on the other hand, records key failures. We focus on things like slavery in Egypt, and the human leader who brings out Israel is a reluctant leader, taking actions as God initiates. One of the key high points, the establishment of the Davidic monarchy, is told with amazing details about the failings of the human players. Then we have the exile, from which Israel emerges due to the intervention of a foreign monarch. Ezekiel 36 underlines this by not claiming that Israel had, themselves, reformed, but rather that YHWH would cleanse them, give them a new heart, restore them, and be their God. He wouldn’t even do this for their sake, but for the sake of their reputations, ending (Ezekiel 37:28) with the nations knowing that he is God because he makes Israel holy.

    Christianity joins this tradition as it is born out of the depths of despair and not the heights of triumph. We need to remember this as we strive for position and power. We serve one who did not. We honor (I hope!) a tradition that does not give its greatest honor to the powerful. We are sinners in the hands of a God who is making us holy. That is the story of salvation.