Creating a new Hope
Study Scripture: Ezekiel 37: 1 – 14
Lesson 8

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Key Verse

And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD.

Ezekiel 37:14.

INTRODUCTION

In our last lesson we looked at Jeremiah’s prophecy, that God would at sometime in the future make a covenant with the house of Israel. This covenant would involve God writing his laws on their hearts and this would make them an obedient  people, to their faithful God.  

The promise of this great covenant was made to the nation of Judah when the cream of the nation, the elite, was in captivity, with no hope of returning to their native land.  Indeed, the prophet Jeremiah had warned even those still left in Judah, that their days of exile was fast approaching.  Judgment was imminent and a time of weeping was at hand. 

In this lesson we will look at the prophecy of Ezekiel, which described the state of the nation of Israel in exile and what God would do to restore them, even though the situation looked hopeless. 

Note carefully that both the prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel condemned the behaviour of Israel and Judah.  They railed against their abominations, their gross iniquities, their continued impenitence and their hypocritical worship. 

They laboured to make the people understand that their punishment would fit the crime.  Their crime was most terrible and punishment fittingly, would also be terrible. 

Still, God intended to redeem his people; to give them a new obedient heart and establish a new agreement or covenant with them. With this new heart on which his laws would be written and with a new spirit within them, they would be able to walk as God desired of his people. 

As we noted before, the famous Daniel, who was of the royal family of Israel, was carried away to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar.  The prophet Ezekiel, who was older than Daniel, was also taken to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar in another group, after his first invasion of Judah, when King Jehoiachin was taken captive. Ezekiel was an apprentice priest, on his way to becoming a priest and seemed to have been about twenty-five years old at the time of exile. His apprenticeship would have been completed at age thirty but this process was interrupted by the capture and exile. 

This young man was given the strangest and most wonderful visions of the glory and majesty of God ever recorded in the scriptures.  He used strange and even bizarre symbols to describe the great glory, wonderful and mysterious scenes in heaven. 

His prophecy included acting out in peculiar ways, the messages that God had given him for his people. 

In one instance, the Lord told him to lie on his left side for three hundred and ninety days, to depict the length of time that Judah would be in trouble and then to lie on his right side for forty days to depict the years of punishment.  Each of the three hundred and ninety days and the forty days stood for a year. 

He was also commanded to eat nothing but bread and water to show the famine, deprivation, and misery that would come with the destruction of Jerusalem.

To show what would happen to the people following the siege of Jerusalem, he took a sword, cut off his beard and hair, divided it into three parts, burned a third of it, cut the next third to pieces, and scattered the third portion, so that the winds would carry them away.  By this, the prophet taught that in the siege of Jerusalem, a third part of the inhabitants of the city would be killed in battle, the second third would die in the siege, and the remaining third would be taken away into exile and scattered to the four winds of heaven. 

Ezekiel not only saw strange looking heavenly beings but he saw “the likeness of the glory of God” surrounded by a rainbow with dazzling, marvellous colours. 

When God gave his Word to Ezekiel, he was warned that when he looked at the word of God, he would not find it attractive but in fact it would be full of lament, woe, and mourning.  Once he started looking at it however, it would become sweet to the taste. 

Still, once he knew the terrible truth about the nature of his people, what they were doing and how this would prompt God to afflict them, everything would not seem so pleasant. Ezekiel was shown the terrible purity of God, and the awful abominations into which Israel and Judah had sunk. 

He was appointed as a watchman over the house of Israel but was warned that the rebellious house would not listen to him. He was told that he had to denounce both the abominations among those in exile, and the abominations and corruption among the people of Judah, that had still not yet gone into captivity. 

To show him what was really going on, Ezekiel was taken by the Spirit in vision to the Temple in Jerusalem, and shown hidden and private acts of idolatry.  He was shown a foul pagan sexual symbol called the “image of jealousy”, which was placed near the altar and worshiped by the people.  In the Temple he saw seventy elders of Israel holding incense and worshiping abominable beasts, every kind of loathsome creeping thing, and all kinds of idols. 

Then he was shown the women of the Temple court weeping for the Babylonian God of vegetation and fertility named Tammuz. 

Then he was shown twenty five men in the inner court of the Temple, with their backs turned toward the Temple worshiping the Sun.  

Clearly worshiping the sun god, and reverencing the venerable ‘day of the sun’, which today we called Sunday, is not new.  This is a pagan practice, and no excuses will change this fact. 

Ezekiel was shown graphically that the Temple and the city of God would be destroyed. He saw the Shekinah glory of God moving from the Holy Place to the threshold of the Temple, then afterwards moving and resting upon the Mount of Olives to the east, and finally departing. 

In chapter 24, God declared a final woe to the bloody city, that was filled with scum, filthiness, and falsehood. He made it clear to Ezekiel that he would not spare but would judge.

God told Ezekiel that Nebuchadnezzar was beginning the final siege of Jerusalem and that God was about to illustrate graphically the sudden death of Jerusalem, by taking away the desire of his eyes with a single stroke.  Ezekiel was not to mourn, weep, or let his tears run down. 

So God immediately fulfilled his Word.  Ezekiel described his tearful experience.

“ So I spake unto the people in the morning: and at even my wife died; and I dated in the morning as I was commanded”. 

So God declared that when the delight of the people would be destroyed, the people would not be allowed to mourn its destruction, but would be taken away into exile to weep and groan. 

When they inquired what all this meant, God's Word came:

“ Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will profane my sanctuary, the excellency of your strength, the desire of your eyes, and that which your soul pitieth; and your sons and your daughters whom ye have left shall fall by the sword.

And ye shall do as I have done: ye shall not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of men.

And your tires shall be upon your heads, and your shoes upon your feet: ye shall not mourn or weep; but ye shall pine away for your iniquities, and mourn one toward another.” 

After the destruction of Jerusalem however, Ezekiel was told to condemn the shepherds of Israel for exploiting the sheep and fattening themselves.  

In chapter 36, Ezekiel was instructed by God to bring many gracious promises to the people and to comfort them. The prophet declared that one day, God would however bring his own shepherd, that would look after the people properly.  

For his own Holy name’s sake, he would sanctify his great name that had been profaned by Israel. He would restore the house of Israel, so that the heathens would know that he was the Lord.  He would gather them from among the heathens. 

In this chapter God began to tell Israel what he intended to do and this is the context for our lesson today. Ezekiel declared the words of God thus:

“ For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.

Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.

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.

And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.

I will also save you from all your uncleannesses: and I will call for the corn, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you.

And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, that ye shall receive no more reproach of famine among the heathen.

Then shall ye remember your own evil ways, and your doings that were not good, and shall lothe your cells in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations.

Not for your sakes do I this, saith the Lord God, be it known unto you: be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, 0 house of Israel….

Then the heathen that are left round about you shall know that I the Lord build the ruined places, and plant that that was desolate: I the Lord have spoken it, and I will do it.”  

How was God going to accomplish this.  The situation seemed so hopeless. 

In our lesson today in chapter 37, the prophet was shown in a vision just how badly off Israel was but how they would be resurrected to a new life, in fulfillment of the promise of God. 

We can therefore retitle our lesson,

“The necessity of the spirit of God within us for a new life and a resurrection from the dead.”

THE TEXT

Verse 1.   Before going directly into the meaning of this verse, to get a full appreciation for it, one should be reminded of the interaction of Ezekiel and God in chapter 3: 2.  This interaction is similar to what occurred there, only a slightly different message was given.  In chapter 3:2, God spoke to Ezekiel about the fate of Jerusalem.  Now once again in chapter 37:1, God returns to the fate of Jerusalem and Israel, but now in terms of restoration, instead of condemnation for disobedience and unbelief.  

This restoration was to be something totally contradictory to the norm seen in history and in nature and could hardly be thought of as possible. 

Deliverance and restoration from physical and spiritual death is such a stupendous thing, that we can hardly think it is possible. 

No wonder then that it took the infinitely precious sacrifice of Messiah Jesus to accomplish it and bring its benefits to fruition. Clearly, rejecting the offer and provision of salvation will bring what this gross sin deserves; namely, eternal punishment. 

Here the Lord visited Ezekiel and had taken him in the spirit to a valley.  When the Lord acted on Ezekiel, it was to indicate to the reader, that the vision that was given to him was solely an act of God.  Ezekiel was not the one responsible for this dream.  Under the influence of God, Ezekiel had this dream.  With that in mind, it implies that this is the work of God.  We also see that the infinitely powerful or omnipotent Spirit of God is now acting to direct his servant to accomplish a mission.  

God had put Ezekiel in a valley, where there was a very large amount of bones scattered all over.  Full of bones implies a great battle had been fought.  Clearly many had been killed. The prophet could not at this stage ascertain who fought, and who were the victor and loser.  But what we can ascertain is that this is a place of death. 

For God to put Ezekiel in the midst of the valley littered with bones, must have been an unpleasant situation. This is a place of death.  Ezekiel, though there in vision only, personally experienced the pain of this obvious tragedy.   

Notice, that in this valley, as Ezekiel stood in the midst of it, the bones were laid out in plain sight.  This would be considered a most unusual circumstance.  Usually, even in war, warriors are buried.  So to have bones of this magnitude lay out in the open implies that this was done on purpose.  

Upon the destruction of this people, we also note that, contrary to the normal treatment of the dead, they were left out in the open where scavengers, and the elements of nature could act on their flesh.  Also, it would take some time for the flesh to come off the bones of such a great number.  

This last statement declares that Ezekiel saw bones.  So a considerable amount of time must have elapsed, to allow all that he saw to come together. In the Hebrew culture, leaving someone unburied is somewhat unpardonable.  So, this implies that some great tragedy and devastation had occurred. 

The last point regards strategic warfare.  The bones were in a valley.  The people, who were killed, might have been herded into that position, where they were trapped and open to this slaughter. They obviously had been in a hopeless and indefensible position at death.

Verse 2.   God had openly invited Ezekiel to inspect the valley.  The reason for this was to get a good idea of the carnage that happened there.  God wanted Ezekiel to understand that he wasn’t under some kind of spell, or that it wasn’t an illusion.   By giving him the opportunity to look over the site, he, Ezekiel could understand the point God was trying to make.  

The reference to the words “very many” gives us a scope as to how many individuals were actually present, or their bones.  It was not just a few people, enough to sprinkle around the valley, but very many people.  

A large number! Also, let us revisit verse one.  The people were not buried.  They were all left out in the open.  The flesh was taken from their bones by animals and/or by the weather.  They had been there for quite some time.  Since the valley was open, it was easy to see all that was in it, then also, there were no real trees or barriers present to protect the people from their enemies or from predators or the weather. 

The people, before they were slain, had had no protection. Though we might deceive ourselves in thinking otherwise, sin leaves us without protection.  All of this amounts to the fact that this was a hopeless situation for the people who had lost this battle.  There was no chance for life.  No chance for escape.

Verse 3.   God had set the stage to ask Ezekiel the question that soon followed.  He was giving Ezekiel the opportunity to survey the valley and the state in which time had left it. He then began the dialogue with Ezekiel to see what he had learned about the situation and how he thought this might relate to Jerusalem and Israel. 

God asks Ezekiel, “...can these bones live?”   

The dead bones were obviously in a deplorable condition, scattered all over the ground, disjointed from one another, with no sign any flesh. 

This question sets the stage for us to learn a few more details about God, His relationship with Ezekiel and what he had in store for Jerusalem. 

How can bones live?  Ezekiel doesn’t answer this question in a straightforward manner.  Anyone might be tempted to simply answer they can’t.  Ezekiel restrained himself from the typical answer and responded by saying,  “O Lord God, thou knowest”. 

From the human perspective, there could be no way that those bones could be made to live again. This is so, even with today’s technology and the ideas about cloning individuals.  But even if we grant that someone can be cloned, it doesn’t mean that the same individual, with the same personality traits, would appear again. Basically the answer was no.  

Ezekiel obviously is not your typical man.  He answered and said that only the Lord God could answer that question.  An insightful response!  Ezekiel knew that the only person who possessed the knowledge to answer such a question was God. He knew God was the only one that can give life or can resurrect the dead.  

This indicates something about his character.  It shows that he understood the knowledge and power of God.  He understood his own humanity in terms of the fact that, he was a created being, given life from the only individual that controls it. Ezekiel knew that God is the only one who has life in himself, who has no beginning and no end, and who can give life.

Ezekiel’s response indicates the level of faith he had in God.  He knew that only God had the ability to answer such a question. He understood that only God had life and could impart life to something else.  He understood that God was the source of the existence of all things.  With that understanding he returned the question to the only one capable of answering and fulfilling the response.  Ezekiel realized he could only trust the Lord. 

Given the level of faith and trust in Ezekiel’s mind, he understood that despite all that he had seen, he couldn’t really trust appearances.  He realized that he was human.  He was dealing with someone who was spirit.  

Having the proper level of perception and seeing different situations for what they really are, is an important ability to have.  Christians, followers of God, realize that this life is not all that there is.  We realize that we fight a war against principalities and spiritual wickedness in high places.  Those forces try all kinds of things to separate us from God. The world therefore is full of illusions, and these are designed to turn our eyes and our minds away from the invisible realities that we know exist. 

Were it not for God, we would be deceived easily.  And so, therein lies the truth of the matter.  Even though Ezekiel was there in the valley surrounded by all these bones, and though he was given the opportunity to survey the scene in a detailed manner; he realized that God possessed the knowledge to deal with the world and the illusions it offers. 

Only He can see the truth.  In order to emphasize this fact, one only has to consider the case of Job.  He knew not what and why those things were happening to him.  But all he could do was to rely on the truth that God knew.  Secure in that fact, he was still able to praise God in all that tribulation.  

Ezekiel does the same thing.  He returns to God to lead the way, as we should with all questions that arise in all situations.  Before we act on a situation, we should go to God for guidance.  There might be elements to the situation we just cannot see.  The situation as it presents itself may not really be that obvious, but God knows the real situation.  If we seek his guidance in all aspects  of our lives, we would be a lot better off, and all of God’s will, would be done.

Verse 4.   Upon talking to Ezekiel once again, God gave instructions to Ezekiel to prophesy unto the bones.  In and of itself, this is a strange request, as bones can no longer hear the words of someone who is alive.  

When someone is told to prophesy, it means they are to speak the Word of God.  Remember in John 1 it mentions that the Word was God.  

That is the power we as Christian have when speaking the word of God.  The word of God is a quickening word. It gives life, both redemption and salvation to all that hear it.  The word of God is also powerful, so that it convicts, judges and can bring death. In Hebrews 4:12, the word of God is said to be sharper than a two-edged sword. Jesus himself is referred to as the Word of God.  Hence, the word of God can accomplish whatever God intends for it to accomplish for his people. 

When Ezekiel spoke, he directed this power towards the very dry, dead, bones.  We must carefully consider one matter before getting to the effect of the power of God.  Ezekiel was commanded to prophesy to the bones.  

Even though the command might have sounded strange, he did as God commanded.  We too upon hearing instructions from the Lord God, must obey.  If we do so, then there are sure to be blessings that follow.  There is no telling how many blessings we lose out on, by not obeying the voice of the Lord, and not only us, but also the friends and family around us. 

The word of God is a revitalizing force, a rejuvenating force, through His word we can have life.  If men are spiritually dead, then through His word they can be given life. And so, we attain salvation by the grace of God, and by no other means lest as stated, any man should boast. 

Now back to Ezekiel.  When God gives someone instructions to prophesy, He also bestows the power to deliver the message ( Romans 10:15 ). Just as He blessed His disciples as they went out, endowing them with power to carry out His message ( Matt. 10:1 ).  God himself ensures the result, so we should be willing and active participants with him in his work. 

The word of the Lord has the power to talk to the dead.  If the word of the Lord reaches the dead, there is no one that it can’t reach.  God’s intention is to reach His dead children, the children of Israel.  If we are aware of this idea, then can we leave anyone alone?  Should we leave anyone alone?  No.  We cannot. The message of Christ, the word of God goes out to all the dead.  It touches all who physically live and breathe.  As one writer stated:

“ Note, Minister is must faithfully and diligently use the means of grace, even with those that there seems little probability of gaining upon.  To prophesy upon dry bones seems as great a penance as to water a dry stick; and yet, whether they will hear or forbear, we must discharge our trust, must prophesy as we are commanded, in the name of him who raises the dead and is the fountain of life.”

Verse 5.   As God spoke to the bones, He announced a promise to His chosen people, while speaking about the bones, which represent the children of Jerusalem and Israel.  Behold indicates this to the reader.  When God says He will do something, it will be done.  His word cannot return unto Him void, i.e. without accomplishing what it is He wishes done ( Isa. 55:11 ).  In this verse God says He will personally be involved, as He will breathe breath into the bones, which will bring life.  God’s breath is the active force.  Without His breath, there would be no life. 

Verse 6.   In order to ensure that life takes place, we see that all the conditions necessary for the people to be restored are talking place.  God’s intention is to replace the missing tissue. He replaces the muscles.  He put all the bones into the right place.  Once all the vital organs, bones and parts necessary for survival and normal functioning are in place, then the Lord will breathe upon the people to give them life once again.  Restoration, rejuvenation, redemption and salvation, are all part of this process.  

God has made us fearfully and wonderfully, and he can mould again, no matter how damaged we are. 

In the last verse, awareness has returned to the people.  They now realize that it is God who has done this.  They have the power in themselves now to make that confession, along with the power to realize that it was God who has done this for them. This is now a demonstration of the power of God.  Ezekiel is bearing witness to all of this, most likely thinking back to his response to the question asked by God in verse 3.

Verse 7.   As every servant of God should be, Ezekiel was obedient and did as the Lord God had commanded him.  There are great blessings in being obedient to the word of God.  It did not matter how strange the command was.  Ezekiel knew that he was dealing with God Almighty.  If He gave instructions to do something, then it should be done.  Many men in the Bible knew this, so it is taught in Scripture that it is better to obey than to sacrifice ( 1 Sam 15:22 and also Ecclesiastes 12:13) 

Upon Ezekiel starting to prophesy, then he could hear the action of God’s words acting on the bones.  When God’s words are spoken, we know they must come true.  They also will occur in God’s time.  Sometimes that is immediately.  Sometimes it takes some time to see the effect of His power.  But all children of God know that it will come to pass.   

This is now a display of the omnipotence of God.  The restoration of the body took place in an ordered manner.  The bones came together under divine direction, and though there were numerous, belonging to numerous people scattered all over the place in disorder, not one bone missed its way and its place but found its proper connection. 

It is pointed out that so it will be when Israel is called to return to their land.  They will find their way no matter where they are. 

Clearly also in the resurrection of the dead bodies of believers at the coming of Christ, all the scattered atoms will be miraculously collected, put in their proper place and order and transformed into a new body.  This we know by the word of God. 

Ezekiel bears witness to these events as they transpired.  The bones were only held together in an unsightly manner.  The next step was to get them covered with the sinews (or tendons), skin, and flesh.  This is what will give the body its form, and restores the shape of a “man”.  What Ezekiel had noticed was that there was still no breath in the bodies after all of this had taken place.  The restoration was not complete.  At this time the bodies had the semblances of life, yet they were not alive, they were still dead before God. 

Note that people may seem to have a functioning body, when in reality they do not have life.  This is even more so in the spiritual sense. 

Verse 9.   Once again, Ezekiel was given a commandment from God to prophesy, but now to the wind,  demonstrating that any and all inanimate objects obey the Lord God.  Everything hears and obeys the voice of the Lord.  

When Ezekiel was to speak into the wind and give instructions to it, he was to do so under the power of the Lord, as indicated by the verse.  In using the word “wind”, what he was really calling for was for the spirit of life or life-breath to come forth and give life to those slain.  No longer are they just a pile of restored bones, but they were regarded now as individuals and the word slain is chosen to describe them.   By calling forth the wind to enter them, Ezekiel is asking the Holy Spirit to take part is this resurrection and to restore life completely to the slain.  Without the work of the Holy Spirit, life will not be achieved.  

When Ezekiel asks the winds to come from the four winds, this is tied in to the restoration of all the children of Jerusalem, and of Israel.  No matter where they were scattered, they would now, as the breath to restore life to the bodies is called for from the four corners, then so too shall all the children of Israel come from all corners of the globe to be reunited as one nation under God.

Verse 10.   Once again, as in the previous verses, instructions were given to Ezekiel and he was made aware of their consequences.  But he also knew that these were the instructions of God.  Nevertheless, he followed the word of God and spoke those words the Lord had placed in his mouth.  Upon doing that, all that was foretold started to happen.  The breath of life came into all the slain and they received life.  They had been resurrected and restored.  

At this time, we can see the restoration of a nation.  That nation has a name.  The first thing that we know for sure is that, these are children of God.  No longer do they possess just the form of a child of God.  Now, we know that their spirits are alive.  They are spiritually alive.  As life came into them, the Bible states that they arose, a clear demonstrate of life, through movement,  and then we see that Ezekiel is impressed by the vastness of the army that was before him.  

Just a few verses before, we were talking about a pile of bones.  This is what Ezekiel saw a few moments before.  Now before him stood a powerful, invigorated army.  Just as the number of the bones were great, now that they lived, the number of the army was exceedingly great. 

Verse 11.    Now God had seen the house of Israel as the pile of bones.  They was not just an ordinary army, not just a group of poor souls who were slaughtered in some battle, but the bones represented all the children of Israel and the spiritual state that they had gotten themselves into. As in Psalm 32:3, the bones were regarded as the seat of the vital force of life, and that vital force had dried up. 

Israel, was now given the opportunity to speak, and confessed that in their slaughter and exile, their hope was lost. They clearly acknowledged to themselves and to God, the state that they had let their nation fall into.  They had been scattered to all corners of the earth in such a manner, that they had thought that there was no way they could ever be reunited again.  They had lost the wealth and possessions that the community had been so proud of.  There was nothing, not really even the picture of a nation. It was all over with them, they thought. 

Israel had been reduced to the depths of despair. Their strength had been taken away, and those that they had depended on for help had forsaken them.

Verse 12.   But now we are told that the vision is :

“a symbolic representation of a real fact, which was to serve as a pledge to the nation of its restoration to life”. 

These unbelieving people had despaired that God would ever restore them, but the Lord God guaranteed that he will make them know that he is infinite in power. We note that the act of resurrecting their dead bodies is much more difficult that restoring them to their land.  The nation would therefore understand that the will of God would always prevail, and that his power is without measure. 

So once again Ezekiel is thrown into this mix.  He is told to prophesy again to the people before him.  He speaks the words of God.  Now God is directly addressing them.  Once again God begins by saying “Behold”.  God intends to make true all that He is about to speak.  

First, He refers to them, those that had been restored as His people.  That in itself is a great acknowledgement.  The people had been restored, resurrected by God, and brought into His family.  He calls them His children. Their covenant relation to God ensures His not letting death permanently reign over them.  Now He gives them more promises, just part of the same salvation that He has offered to all of man.  

He says that death will no longer have a hold on them.  He will bring them out of their graves.  They will no longer be spiritually dead in terms of their relationship to Him. 

He also promises a return to the land promised to their fathers.  For this people, God’s people, He provides them with a land, a place for their nation.

Verse 13.  God moves to ensure that the great army, which is the nation of Israel, recognize that it is the Lord God Almighty who has done this thing.  He is the one who has restored the nation for Himself, by Himself.  All is done by the power of God.  He lets them know that death is not greater than He, and that there is no power He cannot subdue.  He can break the cruel bands of death. No other god could do that. Their God was incomparable. It is with that power that He has taken a dead nation to Himself and given them life, spiritual life. His works would bring spiritual knowledge to them.

Verse 14.   Note that God put his spirit in them for a purpose. Let us remember that he also gives us his spirit for his good purpose. 

With this Ezekiel lets them know that the Lord God Almighty has done this thing.  They, the nation of Israel should acknowledge him as Lord God.  As part of what God would do for His people, He said that He would place His spirit in them, once again an indication of the life that they now possess.  

They are not just made a people who are alive, but a people who are spiritual alive and able to communicate with their God.  

Also, at this point they will know that he is God, and not just any God, but their God, and they are His children.  God himself had said, that no one has done this but Him.  It was by His knowledge, and by His power that all of this was done.

CONCLUSION

Let us remember how important the resurrection is, for when God quickens the dead this action honours him, and magnifies His name above every name.

God’s promises marked out Israel as his people.  They were now united by the hand of God, and joined with him. 

Let us remember that God has raised us from the dead, made us his people, given us his spirit, made us truly alive, so that we can show his praises among the nations. 

All people of God are therefore ambassadors for God, and must show the principles of spiritual life, inviting the heathen nations to recognize that the Almighty grace of God can also sanctify them and make them alive. 

Let us encourage them to come to God and experience true life which is life eternal.