39 lines
1.8 KiB
Markdown
39 lines
1.8 KiB
Markdown
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title = "Ezekiel 37:15–28"
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date = "2023-06-22"
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### [Read the passage.](https://biblia.com/bible/esv/Ezekiel37.15-28)
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Now that the vision of the dry bones has been completed, Ezekiel brings
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another message of peace and restoration to the exiles. To make a visual
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aid for the Lord's message, he takes two sticks and writes on them the
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names "Judah" and "Ephraim". These were the names of the two main tribes
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of the southern and northern kingdoms of Israel, respectively. Though
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these were the main tribes, the sticks each represent all of the tribes of
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their kingdom.
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Ezekiel then joins the sticks together into one stick in his hand. The
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people see this and they ask what he means by doing that. Now, they aren't
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stupid; it's obvious what that signifies, so I'm sure they have an idea.
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What they want him to do is to explain the details. He has their attention,
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and now they want him to speak clearly.
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He tells them that the Lord has plans to bring together all of His chosen
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people from the nations back to the land that He had promised their
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forefathers. No longer will they be two nations and kingdoms, but one
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people as they were before. When He does, He will set up His servant David
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to be their king forever. Their children will multiply and inhabit the
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land forever. But not only that, God Himself will set up His sanctuary on
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earth and permanently dwell with His people forever.
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Two sticks being brought together in a hand certainly mean something
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significant when the prophet of the Lord does it, but I doubt they expected
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all this. They had had the Messianic prophecies of Isaiah and Micah for
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about a hundred years by this point, but I don't think there was much
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understanding about what His appearance would mean for them yet.
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* * *
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Your lovingkindness is bountiful and comforts Your people through all ages.
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