When we become hopeless before God because of our disobedience, the Lord will make a way for the restoration of our relationship with Him by demonstrating the depths of His love. There is never a time when recapturing our hope is not possible for those who are distant from God and His purpose for their lives. Until our last breath, reigniting our hope is always possible if we understand the heart of God.
As I read Ezekiel 37, the message is very visual – assembling dead and dry bones into a great standing army. “So, I spoke the message as he commanded me, and breath came into their bodies. They all came to life and stood up on their feet—a great army” (vs. 37:10). But there is so much more to the story.
“Son of man, these bones represent the people of Israel. They are saying, ‘We have become old, dry bones—all hope is gone. Our nation is finished.’” It was in that miserable condition of a broken relationship because of their disobedience that they lost hope of ever returning home to the promised land again.
”Therefore prophesy to them and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: O my people, I will open your graves of exile and cause you to rise again. Then I will bring you back to the land of Israel. When this happens, O my people, you will know I am the Lord. I will put my Spirit in you, and you will live again and return home to your own land” (vs. 11-14). Only an expression of God’s mercy upon our sins has the power to bring us back to a place of promise that we had previously abandoned in rebellion.
As the Lord extends His unfathomable mercy, another purpose for that extension is revealed, “I will end the captivity of my people; I will have mercy on all Israel, for I jealously guard my holy reputation!” (vs. 39:25). God guards His reputation of faithfulness to the promise He made by extending His mercy to those who have fallen away because His reputation is at stake.
When the fullness of His mercy is finally released, something wonderful happens “Then my people will know that I am the Lord their God, because I sent them away to exile and brought them home again. I will leave none of my people behind. And I will never again turn my face from them, for I will pour out my Spirit upon the people of Israel. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!” (vs. 28-29).
This is the message of the completed work of Jesus in the New Covenant. When sin leads us astray and all hope dies, He will raise us from the deadness of our hopelessness to reveal the depths of His mercy. In the face of that mercy, hopelessness cannot stand. That is why the Lord can confidently say, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).
Praise God for his mercy! Thank you for this message that went straight to my heart.