Why we are Christians

Life is full of questions.  Some questions are incidental, some are meaningless and some are nothing less than profoundly essential.  One such essential question is tackled by John Stott in his book Why I am a Christian.  In addition to serving as the rector of All Souls Church in London; Stott is a best selling author, a preacher, an evangelist and a renowned communicator of scripture.  To that impressive list he would likely add, as paramount, the title of Christian.  As one who has publicly served Christ for many years, Stott has often been posed the question, “Why Are You a Christian?”  Through this book, he responds to that question with a wealth of wisdom and insight.

                        Why I am a Christian, by John Stott, is intended to guide the reader through a brief explanation of one man’s belief on the nature of Christ as Savior; and the natures of those in need of salvation.  Two paramount questions emerge and are answered by Stott.  First, who is Christ?  Second, who are we?  Stott’s answers to both are thorough and easy for almost any reader to grasp.

                        The author begins his testimony not with a recollection but with an acknowledgement.  His testimony begins at the beginning with Christ, the “Hound of Heaven”(15).  The first half of the book deals with Christ; His nature, His Claims, and His mission.  Stott acknowledges that it is Christ who pursues that which is lost, indeed we as believers are the object of a pursuit that is “‘patient but purposeful, affectionate but relentless’” (16). 

                        Stott leads the reader through four examples of divine pursuit displayed against the backdrop of Christian history.  He weaves the personal accounts of Saul of Tarsus, Augustine of Hippo, Malcolm Muggeridge, and C.S. Lewis into a full testimony of man’s reluctance and Christ’s persistence.  Stott acknowledges that these stories are famous but not unique; “Multitudes of ordinary people have testified down through the years to the same sense of Christ knocking at their door or pricking them with his goads or pursuing them” (29).  Yet whether well known or obscure the author makes every effort to communicate to the reader that “whether or not we are consciously seeking God, he is assuredly seeking us” (30).

                        Once an individual acknowledges the knocking and, by grace opens the door, one will be posed the inevitable question; Why?  Stott professes that one should answer first because we were pursued and second because, “… Christianity is true, or better, the claims of Jesus are true” (33).  Stott provides the readers with a wide range of scriptures testifying to who Christ is and who He claimed to be.  The reader, whether Christian or not, is faced with a decision when presented with these claims.  “The Claims of Jesus are either true or false.  If they are false, they could be deliberately false (in which case he was a liar), or they could be involuntarily false (in which case he was deluded).  Yet neither possibility appeared to be likely” (44).  Christ was a “paradox” in His statements and His behavior.

                        Stott puts the paradox on display for his readers in the form of Christ’s death on the cross.  Here is a man who claimed to be God and yet suffered and died for the sins of all mankind.  The author states, “For on the cross, when Jesus died, God himself in Christ bore the judgment we deserved in order bring us the forgiveness we do not” (55).  For Stott this is the ultimate example of who God is and why the reader should follow Him, “The Crucified one is the God for me! He set aside his immunity to pain…. He suffered for us, dying in our place in order that we might be forgiven” (63).

                        Stott’s progression leads the reader naturally from the provision and forgiveness of God to mankind’s fallen nature and need for forgiveness and provision.

                        “What does it mean to be human?” Stott points out that the Bible itself twice poses this question once in Psalm 8:4 and then in Job 7:17. (65)  The answer to this question is fundamental to understanding what it means to be a Christian.  Stott emphasizes that each individual human is a fallen creature, subject to the judgment and wrath of God.  What mankind possesses is the ability to access freedom from God through His Grace and His Son.  “Salvation frees us from many things—especially guilt, God’s judgment, self-centeredness and fear” (84).  Stott maintains that it is the aspiration for this freedom which consumes lives and energies of every person.  Furthermore, he argues that Christ is the only satisfaction for that aspiration, “There is a thirst that none but Christ can quench” (95).  So to be human is to long for that which only Christ can give, having found that gift by God’s grace, Stott has given the reader yet another reason for being a Christian.

                        Passion and a love for God permeate this book.  One can see the evidences of decades of faithful consideration of this most important of topics.  He ably gives a power and brief explanation of Salvation in light of God’s grace, Christ’s sacrifice, and man’s longing.  Stott’s writing is clear and unambiguous which makes his book an effective tool for believers to wield in defending the faith. 

                        Why I am a Christian is also, fundamentally, a success in its stated aims to provde material to “…a genuine inquirer who wants to think through the implications of becoming a Christian” (10).  Non-Christians who pick up this text will be exposed to a theologically sound treatment of scripture and a vivid testimony of God’s grace and love that is impossible to refute and difficult to ignore.

The True Sinners Prayer…

Psalm 51

          

When reading these weighty psalms written by David, full of truth and wisdom concerning God and his power, it is so easy to forget that this pillar of our faith was all too human. 

        Psalm 51 serves as a wake up call.  A wake up call to David and the extent of his sin and need for God’s mercy.  A wake up call to us, that even the most profound and inspiring and gifted individuals are flawed and sinful like the rest of us.  What a gift we are given to see how a truly good man “after God’s own heart” approaches God in the waste and wake of sin.  I have been there many times.  And often for lack of any better or more original phrase call out to Almighty God, the God of my salvation, “have mercy on me.”  My mind like David often can not get past the thought of my sin, “it is ever before me” as it was David.  This psalm is a primer on sin and its consequences and on God and His power. 

Sin is ever-present, as are its effects (v3), and no matter who or whom we sin against all sin is against He who is without sin. (v4)  But this holy God is merciful (v1), and creates in us a pure heart and cleanses us (vv7-10) and restores us and delivers us (vv12,14).  He does these not because we work at it or because we strive to be good, but if our heart is truly broken and contrite.  I wonder if David thought back to Saul and how he was told that to obey is far better than sacrifice, it is the heart’s condition that concerns God.  If I had my way I would make this the “Sinners Prayer” for it was only when I came to realize that I had sin before me, a merciful God above me, and a broken heart within me that I came to the knowledge of a personal God who cleanses, delivers and restores my soul.  With this experience I too wanted to “sing aloud of His righteousness…” “and my mouth show forth His praise.”  That is the result of a true repentant, Sinners Prayer.

 

What is Man?

 

 

Psalm 8

 

This oft quoted passage is so instructive, but like most Psalms it moves beyond instruction to the point of awesome effect.  Most versions have phrases such as “the Glory of the Lord in Creation” (NKJV), or “How Majestic is your Name” (ESV) as a chapter heading.  I feel that these phrases seem to miss the mark somewhat.  If ever there was a Psalm that brings a comprehensive theology to bear, and has as its scope the whole of all creation, that is both introspective on the part of the author and challenging on the part of the reader then this Psalm is it.

 Two powerful theological truths thunder in my ears as I read this passage, and each is overwhelmingly relevant and humbling to me.  One, God is the cause of it all, He has His hand at the pen of all that is written in nature and on our hearts.  He has ordained strength (v2), ordained the moon and stars (v3), He has made man lower than the angels (v5), He has made man to have dominion and put all under his feet (v6).  God is in supreme control as ruler and maker of all and yet His glory is above all these created things. (v1)  What took Elihu 165 verses to say in the book of Job are posited here by David in nine, spoken in wisdom born out in brevity.  This declaration of God is inspiring and would be frightening in its breadth were it not for verse 4.  Which leads me to the second theological truth that is impressed on me.  In all that immensity and vast creation God is mindful of man and visits him.  David so rightly puts it in the form of a question, “What is man that you are mindful of him and the son of man that you visit him?”  A question is not a bold, sure statement.  It is a subtle query that elicits humility rather than pride.  David does not say, I am worthy of being mindful, or thank you for being mindful, he says “What is man..?”  As I have read this question over the past couple months, I can not help but be influenced daily by it.  When I look at the moon or the stars, or when I see creation splayed out before me, I can not help but to ask “What is man?”  What am I? not only that He is mindful of me but that HE VISITS ME.  David understood the power and privilege of the presence of God.  Long before the Savior was known to man in physical form, David saw, felt and tasted that God is good and that He comes to us in a way we can not understand apart from what we know as grace.  That we creatures created in His image have some place accorded to us by His grace, out of mercy and love inspires me to come before him in grateful confusion and say “What is man?”, “What am I?”

 

The Supremacy of Love, Part II

God is nothing in part. He is complete and whole in Himself, He needs nothing and requires nothing to be who He is. This aspect of His being is called Self-Sufficiency, God is not God “because…” God just “is.” In the beginning there was God, (Gen 1:1) and before the beginning was God (1Pet. 1:20) We have a difficult time comprehending that, for where were we when he laid the foundation of the earth. (Job 38:4) In contrast we are only “because” of God, in Him all things were created and all things are in Him. (Jn 1:2-3)

All that we see in this life, on this side of heaven is clouded and obscured by sin. We lack the ability to truly see, and are reliant on God for that ability, that will be revealed. To this fact and to the hope of a different future Paul speaks in I Cor. 13:9-12. In his discourse on love, Paul lays out what love is and what love is not vss.1-8, and then he begins to discuss the effect love (Christ) has and will have on our lives. Of the great truths listed here is that the “perfect” will come. Christ will come again and bring His fullness to bear and all that we struggle with now will then pass away.

Paul likens this coming change in ability to the disparity in understanding between childhood and adulthood. “When I was a child, I spoke like…thought like…and reasoned like a child, when I became a man I gave up childish things.” (vs11) Spend time with children, take them to say… the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican. Have them look up at the ceiling some 20 meters above the floor and ask for an analysis. Now after you have explained what the word ’analysis’ means, doubtless you’ll get some ’cool’s, a ‘neat‘ perhaps, maybe no response at all. Children lack, of no fault of their own, the ability to abstractly conceptualize and lack experience to understand what they are seeing. We, as adults, can know that this ceiling is a masterwork of fresco, depicting the glory of God displayed throughout Genesis, done for a tyrannical pope over the course of 4 years by probably one of the most brilliant artists ever to live. We have given up childish ways, and have gained an ability to look past the painted plaster and see the meaning.

Such a fate awaits all those who are in Christ, who receive and live out His love. For the hope that we have in love is that ’when the perfect comes’ though now we act as children, then we will act as men. (vs11) Now we see in a mirror dimly, then we will see face to face. (vs12) And now we know in part, but then we will know in full. (vs.11b)

There will be a day when the faded, cracked images of God, seen in pictures and on ceilings will be replaced with the unveiled beauty of the ‘Son,’ and we will bow in awe of Him who “commands the mornings…and causes the dawn to know its place.” (Job 38:12) It is this great love that Paul speaks of that we have such a hope for the future. Yet even this hope will bow to the supremacy of Christ’s Agape Love, as we will see in Part 3 of our post on The Supremacy of Love?

The Bible as Literature?

The Bible is a multi-faceted text.  In between its covers lives a wealth of knowledge and wisdom, truth and inspiration the equal of which cannot be found in the whole of human-kind’s literary attempts.  The Bible’s greatest strength is its authorship by Almighty God which produces a work perfect in form and meaning, inerrant and forever applicable to the reader irregardless of age or level of scholarship.  The smallest of literate children can find truth in its pages, and the most astute scholars can lose lifetimes of hours in its pages and still fail to plum its depths.  God in His infinite grace and mercy has given the world this Word that by it humanity may be born-again. (I Peter 1:23)  The manor in which God has communicated his word is the subject of Leland Ryken’s How to Read the Bible as Literature.  As the title implies, this heavenly text has been codified to us through earthly means, by the use of writers.  These writers have written using the tools and styles of literature.  Ryken argues that the Bible is not, “a theological out line with proof texts attached.”  It is, however, a text about which its human writers were “preoccupied with artistry, verbal craftsmanship and aesthetic beauty.” (Ryken9)  The Bible is in form and, in part function, the use of literature to communicate God’s truth to man “appealing to his understanding through the imagination.”(20)  Ryken spends 208 pages defining this literature and defending its study as “it demands a literary approach in addition to the historical and theological approaches.  Our tasks in this review are to examine some of the literary forms Ryken highlights, how they are utilized and how their utility affects interpretation; moreover, we will critique the good and bad of his approach.

            Ryken lists and describes a number of literary genres that appear in the Bible, among these are: narrative or story, poetry, proverb, and visionary writing. (26)  That these forms appear in scripture is not in dispute, rather Ryken’s focus is on how the understanding of these forms aids in the interpretation of the texts.  The first of these to be illuminated is narrative.

            Stories or “narrative forms” pervade the Bible, yet “not every sequence of events in the Bible is a story in the literary sense of the term.”(33)  Stories use specific components to accomplish a range of ends.  Narratives must have as ingredients: settings, characters, and a plot or action, all of which work on the reader to communicate a meaning intended by the author.  Ryken outlines three rules for reading and understanding biblical stories: One, “look upon biblical stories as an invitation to share an experience as vividly and concretely as possible, with the characters in the story.”(32) Two, “pay close attention to every detail of setting… and if setting has an important role analyze how it contributes to the story.”(37)  Finally, “use every relevant detail in a story to get to know the characters as fully as possible.” (40)  The existence of settings in stories aid the reader in understanding how and why characters react the way that they do.  Moses did not lead the Israelites out of Egypt in a vacuum; they endured plagues, crossed a sea, followed pillars of fire and smoke and received God’s law at the foot of His mountain.  In Ryken’s view, these details are a gift to the reader in that examining these settings both geographical and cultural we gain a greater understanding of the characters, their actions and how both advance the plot.

            Stories as they are found in the Bible generally make assertions about “three great issues of life;” reality, morality, and/or values. (58)  Instead of making propositional statements about these issues, stories make these lessons an inference, the result of interpretation by the reader, often allowing the lessons to become memorable and impressive.(59)  The plot and characters don’t speak to the plot or characters but something greater, in need of interpretation.  Ryken gives the example of Gideon from Judges 6-7, rather than the face-value account given of his actions his story is not a story about his acted feelings of inadequacy but rather what “God did with a reluctant hero suffering from insecurity.”(60)  Stories allow the reader to identify with the actions, feelings, settings of the characters and thus make the main point of the story far more communicable.  Details matter in a story and are best served by the readers avid attention and respect, for each part ads to the importance of the whole.

            The second major genre of literature Ryken addresses is “the most prevalent type of writing in the Bible,” that of poetry. (87)  Four books in scripture are “entirety poetic in form, Psalms, Song of Solomon, Proverbs and Lamentations.”(87)  The presence of poetry proliferates every other book in the Bible, in some form, either as quotation, lament, worship, lyric or praise.  And these forms find construction in figures of speech like simile, metaphor, allusion, hyperbole, symbolism, and personification. (100)  Scriptural poetry as a language of images serves the same purpose of poetry in general.(88)  Poetic language is freed from the bonds of literal description and allow the writer and the reader to transcend face value meanings and find meaning in the abstract.  According to Ryken, poetry is inherently fictional, stating things that are not literally true but using images to draw comparison often through parallelism, necessitating imagination on the part of the reader for understanding. (89)  Ryken ably maintains that poetry is heightened speech (107); it calls the reader to greater levels of effort in interpreting ideas and finding truths that are both simple and extremely nuanced.  Its prevalence throughout scripture attests to the importance of understanding its rules and uses.

            The next genre Ryken briefly addresses is the proverb or aphorism.  Ryken describes the Bible as the “most aphoristic book in the world.”(121)  Proverbial statements are just that, brief memorable axioms stated in scripture.  Proverbs are often both simple and profound (122) general and specific, occasionally take the form of poetry and offer prescriptive direction for life activities. (123)  While located throughout scripture, two books can be describes as proverbial anthologies Ecclesiastes and Proverbs, both fit Ryken’s criteria for literature that they are a form of verbal art and that its content “comes from close observation of life.”(128).

            The Gospels provide an excellent venue to describe the remaining literary forms which Ryken singles out.  The Gospels are truly a hybrid literary genre. (132)  Ryken notes that they are themselves narratives, but they are also composed of parables (short stories, similes or analogies told by Jesus) (139), visionary literature (prophetic genre), and poetry.  The Gospels provide a sampling of many literary genres all of which work to tell the overarching narrative of Jesus, His life, His ministry, His death and resurrection.  The epistles are a natural extension of the Gospel narrative, inasmuch as they use continue the broader themes in a form that is both literary and expositional. 

            Ryken’s handling of these varied forms and his argument for the importance of understanding them is worth discussing.  As stated from the outset, one can not deny that the Bible is a work of literature, existing in many forms which accomplish as many different purposes.  There should be a space afforded in this discussion, though it was not in the book, to address some concerns and provide some cautions for the reader embarking to understand the Bible as literature.  Readers of Ryken’s work should pay close attention to Chapter 12 The Literary Unity of the Bible.  In fact one could make a successful argument to place this chapter in the front of the book rather than the end.

            The Bible is not just any literary work, it is nothing less than God breathed wisdom which attests to His glory and communicates His story and love for his creation.  One risks cheapening this by describing the Bible and its literary elements as anything less than divine revelation in which every “jot and tittle” has a purpose.  Ryken dances close to this at times and would have crossed the line had it not been for Chapter 12. 

            In describing narrative, Ryken speaks to authorial selectivity and arrangement of details.  That these “lie behind every story in the Bible.” He describes the fact that story tellers “control what we see and don’t see.”(63)  While this is true, it must be remembered that the director of “authorial selectivity” and “what one sees and or doesn’t see is God Almighty.  Failure to see this could result in a tendency to believe that the writers of scripture could have had a greater hand in what landed on the page than they did, and that selectivity that does exist in scripture could be as a result of their design and not God’s providential plan for his word.

             Important to note as well is that God is not bound by any literary device or rule.  For example, one such rule could be found in the discussion of poetic genre, and the use of “apostrophes” (direct address to someone absent and incapable of hearing in person).(98)  Ryken mentions several Psalms one of which is Ps. 103, “bless the Lord O my Soul and all that is within me…”  One could form the opinion that poetic verses such as this while not explicitly directed to God, do proclaim His glory and he is ever-present and always listening, we can do nothing in secret or apart from his knowledge. (Ps.44:21)  So while literary rules can be universal, it is important to remember that the divine nature of God does not have to bound by the same rules.

            Ryken’s treatment of the Bible is helpful for those who wish to gain insight into this greatest of books.  Ryken consistently maintains the importance that every literary detail has in interpreting scripture and that is both worthy and efficacious for the reader to remember.  The Book does possess a unity that is nothing less than supernatural; comprised of so many characters the God represents the central character, and his unfolding purposes throughout history and for history.  Ryken rightly asserts that this is a religious book, no matter how artistic or entertaining.(180)  More could have been said that above being simply religious this compilation of literary genres is nothing short of perfect, as it came from the very  Author of perfection.  And while it occupies the similar rules and verbiage as other literary and religious works, it stands apart in that when those pass away this one will remain and endure forever.(Isa 40:6-8)  It is worthy of Study now and always, and to what end Ryken calls the reader to that, he should be commended.        

(Copyright2009)

The Presence of God

Psalm 114

Tremble at the Presence of the Lord

 1When Israel went out from Egypt,
   the house of Jacob from a people of strange language,
2Judah became his sanctuary,
   Israel his dominion.

 3 The sea looked and fled;
    Jordan turned back.
4 The mountains skipped like rams,
   the hills like lambs.

 5What ails you, O sea, that you flee?
   O Jordan, that you turn back?
6O mountains, that you skip like rams?
   O hills, like lambs?

 7 Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord,
   at the presence of the God of Jacob,
8who turns the rock into a pool of water,
    the flint into a spring of water.

This passage is truly inspirational.  A catalogue of God’s greatness and the wonder of His creation at the work of His hands.  These are rivers, and rocks, mountains and hills the same as we see before us today.  We tread earth which has little meaning, but at the presence of God even the basest of soil become holy ground.  Massive monolyths of stone and granite skip like rams at His presence, the waters know their maker and mankind sees testament of His glory. “For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.” (Rom14:20)  What great effect His presence has on our lives, and how it should be sought.

Do You Hear What I Hear?

 

This season is incredibly rich, both in beauty and in joy.  Go out one evening and enjoy the silence; cold winter nights are as peaceful as they come.  We recall the joy of the first quiet Christmas when, aside from the angels singing, the cold hills around Bethlehem were silent.  As the final king of all Israel, the Christ Savior of mankind entered the world, not with pomp and dancing but with labor, crying, and stillness.  While His life and call to mission should be our focus this and every season, we should always bear in mind that the King will return. 

Though we know not when He will return, we should live our lives in anticipation with our ears inclined to hear the trumpet peel, for the second coming will be anything but quiet.  The kingdom of the world will become the kingdom of our Lord and Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever.  Then the only sounds to be heard will be praises to our King.

CROSSroads

The CROSSing…

We are created in his image. (Gen1:27) He endows us with reflections of His Character and Nature.(Rom8:29)  Consistent with that truth we are always true to our nature as He is true to His, Immutable, and consistent.(Mal3:6)  We are true to a nature that is damning and to our detriment. (Rom3:23, 6:23)  He is true to a nature for good and for His glory. (Rom1:20, John1:1, Tit1:2, Ps9:7/100:5, I Pt1:25) 

Two parallel tracks, never to meet, one sovereign the other subordinate each heading in opposite direction. (Is55:8)  The fullness of His character is displayed in that the Sovereign creates a point at which two parallel lines meet, impossible but for grace.(Mk10:27)  At that point courses reverse and the nature of one begins to change, the mirror image becomes more complete.(I Cor. 13:12)  We begin to reflect not only consistency in nature but character as well.  Our destination forever changed and our arrival at the point of His purpose and design.(Icor15:19-23) This is what happens when two lines cross.

“for while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person-though perhaps for a good person one would die- but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.(Rom5:6-8)”

The Fig, The Shepherd, and other thoughts…

 

 Reading the Old Testament can be difficult, at least for me.  There is often a great deal of background info that is required to understand what I am reading.  Occasionally things catch my eye and as a result are in need of further study.  A while back I was reading the book of Habakkuk one of the “Minor” Prophets which appear toward the end of the OT between Nahum and Zephaniah, or roughly 40 pages before Matthew.  Written around 600 years before the birth of Christ, Habakkuk ponders several questions as he gazes at Israels uncertain future and God gives His response.  The book to me is a book of hope and optimism, indeed Habakkuk recognises and rejoices in God of his salvation (3:17) despite difficult times.

The Third Chapter is what caught my eye, starting in verse 17 which was written “to the choirmaster” as a psalm to close out his Prophecy : “Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herds in the stalls, 18. YET I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.”  Quite bleak until verse 18 wouldn’t you agree?. 

What struck me about the passage is that all the examples given are covered by our Lord in the New Testament.  Summer will be near when the fig tree blooms (Matt24:32), and from this they will know that He is at the Gates(Mark:28-31).  Those who are gentiles have been grafted into a cultivated Olive tree(Rom11:24)  Christ was “thrown out” of the vineyard his father prepared and rejected by the workers(Matt 21:39) but He of course is the True Vine (John15:1), the fields once barren of food are now White for harvest(John4:35) sown onto fertile ground and ready for the reaper.  The best parallel is in the Shepherd, for while in Habakkuk the flock was cut off, and the stalls were empty of its herds, now the flock has found its Shepherd who will lay His life down for His Flock(John10:1-31).

All of these may not be direct parallels, but what is amazing is that this litany was written 600 years prior to there ever being a hope of fulfillment, and yet Habakkuk had hope and rejoiced in God.  All the OT prophets, we are told in I Peter 1:10-12, did what they did and wrote what they wrote considering the Christ; they ‘Searched and inquired carefully’(v10) ’inquiring about what person or time His spirit was indicating to them(v11), ‘it was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but us’(vs12). 

We can be inspired in that while Habakkuk did not see the Christ, or experience the saving grace of God by His sacrifice, he believed.  In fact he blessed God in difficult times when all seemed hopeless knowing that in God his salvation lay.  He truly had faith the substance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen.(Heb11:1)

So That They Will Know…

                                        That I am the LORD.

A little word study and perspective.  While reading the book of Ezekiel, a phrase kept occurring often enough to catch my interest.  Many times we may question the importance of reading Gods word, especially the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke) in light of the fact that they tell basically the same story, slight variations here and there but often almost verbatim.  The comment has been made why focus on all that repetition, here is why.  God in His sovereignty knows our thought and minds (Ezek 11:5) and knows that we often need to hear the truth over and over again for it to sink in.  Thank Him for such a fact, in that in His Mercy he renews our spirit day by day (2Cor 4:16) by the washing and regeneration of his word (Tit3:5)

So in this light, the phrase which pounded in my ears chapter after chapter was “So that they might know that I am the Lord.”  This declaration is His Justification of actions taken in prophecy and in real time in Ezekiel’s life.  It occurs 26 times in this book alone, “so that they will know,” “so that you will know,” “so that Egypt will know,” “so that Israel will know,” “Then they will know,” “thus you will know,” “All nations will know that I am the Lord.”  Every action God declares, points to His soveriegn control and Power in every situation, and is taken to bring Him glory and declare is control and Glory to all who witness.  When one reads what He does in this book, what He did, what He promises to do it is not always clean and pretty.  He is allowing Jerusalem to be brought low, Israel to be torn in two, Egypt to be distroyed, people are dying and Kingdoms are falling all so that WE will know that He is the Lord.

Chapter 37 is our hope, and the ultimate display of God’s mercy and grace, Ezekiel’s vision of a field of bones, God tells Ezekiel to speak to the dry dead bones, Ezekiel obeys and the bones are regenerated, muscle and tendons join and are covered with skin, but the new bodies lack life.  The Command came for the breath of God to come and breathe “on these slain, so that they might live.” (Ezek 37:9)  Upon this command “they lived!” 

We are so reliant on God for life, both physical and spiritual, we can never forget that, “HE has caused us to be born again to a resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” (IPeter1:3)  He is our life-source, and His actions while seldom understood by His creation may now and forevermore be justified so that we might know that “He is the Lord.”

Ezekiel Chpater 37:1-14 (Click on Photo above to link to text)