I was listening to Rob Bell’s podcast “Living Dirt”.
His books and discussions never leave me without many thoughts and a desire for action. So good!
The passage was on Ezekiel 37:1-14
The hand of the LORD was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. 3 He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”
I said, “Sovereign LORD, you alone know.” 4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! 5 This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath[a] enter you, and you will come to life. 6 I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.’”
7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.
9 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’” 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.
11 Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of
What Rob in short is this:
After an interesting story of an eagle and a tribe of mice, he begins to relate the story to the message. Jesus not only came to save the world and teach us of the next life. So many people see the New Testament saying that we must not have anything to do with this world but merely wait for our sinful bodies and weighted souls to be uplifted to the next life. Rob says there is much more in the New Testament than people give notice to. At the end of John Jesus returns and does something interesting. He does something fascinating. Something very very strange. He says, “Peace be with you, as the father has sent me I am sending you.” After that he breathed on them. Rob says to imagine their reaction. After three days dead you’re going to get up and breath on us? Really? He breathed on them and then said, receive the holy breath. Notice, they were not dead. They were already breathing. He did not come to give them breath. He returned to show them how unbelievably sacred and holy each and every breath is. How unbelievably powerful each breath is. He did not impart something new; he awakened them to something they had all along. The breathe of life. The opportunity to act and love and cherish creation and others who have the breathe of life. This is so uplifting and also challenging. What am I doing with my cherished and granted breathe of life. What are you?
