Sunday, March 20, 2016

You will come to life in the presence of the Spirit - Lectio Reflection



 "I will put My Spirit within you, and you will come to life (Eze 37:14 NAS)

"….breathe on these slain, that they come to life.... He breathed on them, and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit'..that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ...and that believing you may have life...." (Eze 37:9, Jn 20:22,31)

Breathe תַּפּוּחַ (tappûaµ) to breathe, blow.

"The concept of blowing forcefully is the most natural sense of this root, commonly used of force ventilation for a fire, hence indicative of a seething or boiling hot caldron in Job 41:20 [H 12] and Jer 1:13.

Perhaps the most significant use (of fifteen, occurrences) is the giving of life-creation of man (Gen 2:7) and the revitalization of dry bones - Eze 37:9" (Theological Workbook of O.T. - Harris italics mine).

"Prophesy to the breath... to come"  (literally to "come in") 

Breath רוּחַ (ruah)  (breath, wind, spirit 
Refers in this context to the Holy Spirit (cf:14), which is to literally "come in"  from the four winds. Note it is only the Holy Spirit that has the divine attribute to create life, or raise the dead (v:12).

Thus the Holy Spirit is to be "breathed" into the bones (or remains) of Israel in order to restore God's presence into their hearts and their presence into His kingdom. 

"Behold, I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves, My people; and I will bring you into the land of Israel....and the tombs were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the holy city..." (Eze 37:12...Mat 27:52-53)

It would appear, that in the vision of Ezekiel 37, the future of Israel is connected to Jesus' death and resurrection.  It also would appear that the presence of the Holy Spirit is connected to the restoration of Israel, and  through the "mystery of God" to the church (Rom 16:25, Col 1:27). Not only is the written word of God made alive and active through the "breath of God" (2 Tim 3:16, Heb 4:12), the presence of God's "Ruah Spirit- breath" is carried to the nations in the hearts of broken vessels (2 Cor 4) who are designed to display His presence through their suffering, imperfection, and subsequent transformation  (2 Cor 3:18ff) as they take His gospel to the world (Mat 28:19).