eze 37v03 Can These Bones Live
Death is a terrible picture of our natural condition
before God, but it is by no means an exaggeration. The whole world lies before
us as a valley of dry bones, according to Ezekiel's vision, and if ever these
dry bones are to live, it will not be through some innate energy in the bones
themselves, or through the influence of the most zealous prophet. Education
cannot develop life out of death. Persuasion cannot excite a dead man to life. And
reason cannot instill life in a corpse. The arm of the Lord must be revealed,
or the case is beyond hope. Let men do all they can; weep, plead, preach, and
prophesy; let all the "priests" of the world come with all their
enchantments and drown the valley of dry bones in their "holy water! and
let the most illustrious "soul winner" come with his latest bag of
tricks to make the dry bones look alive, all will be vain. Unless the Lord
himself breathes life, the dry bones cannot live.
No, Ezekiel could
not make the dry bones live; but he could prophesy to them. God commanded him
to do so, and God gave him the ability to do so. Therefore Ezekiel was
responsible to prophesy unto the dry bones. Spurgeon said, "We cannot turn
the dry bones into living men, but we can prophesy upon them, and, blessed be
God, we can also prophesy to the four winds, and by our means the dead may
live." Even so, we cannot give dead sinners life. Eternal life and faith
in Christ are gifts of divine grace created in the hearts of men by the
sovereign power of God. But there are some things we can and must do for the
souls of men. We can preach the gospel of Christ unto men. We can make known
the way of life unto men. We can instruct men in gospel truth. And that which
we can do, under God, we must do. "Necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is
unto me, if I preach not the gospel." If I know that a man is perishing
under the wrath of God, and I know the way of eternal life by faith in the
blood and righteousness of Christ, and if God gives me the ability and the
opportunity to preach the gospel to that perishing sinner, it becomes my
responsibility to do it. I preach the gospel because I love Christ, I love his
gospel, and I love the souls of men. I do it willingly and cheerfully. Yet, I am
under constraint to fulfill my responsibility. If I know that a man is under
the just penalty of eternal death and I refuse to tell that man the way of
pardon and life in Christ, then I shall be under the penalty of death. God
says, "His blood will I require at thine hand'"