Ezekiel 37:8 says, “And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them.” After the noise, the shaking, and the coming together of the bones, something very particular happened. Sinews, flesh, and skin came upon the bones, covering the bones and causing their appearance to be much improved. Formerly they were only dry bones; now they were a lifeless body with the parts gathered up, joined, and connected. The body was lifeless because it had no breath.
The description in verse 8 is applicable to our experience. The dry bones must first come together, and then the breath will come into them. If we do not gather together, we will not have the breath of God. We should not wait until we have the breath of God and then come together. Rather, we should first come together, with “a noise” and “a shaking,” and then the breath of God will be breathed upon us.
Verses 9 and 10 continue, “Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord God; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.” When Ezekiel prophesied again, God sent the breath to enter into the dead bodies, and then they stood up upon their feet and became an “exceeding great army” to fight the battle for God.
In verses 16 and 17 the Lord said to Ezekiel, “Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions: and join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand.” First, Ezekiel dealt with the dry bones and then with the dry sticks. A stick is something wooden, but it is lifeless and dry. These two dead sticks symbolize the two kingdoms of Israel, the southern kingdom (Judah) and the northern kingdom (Israel, or Ephraim). These two kingdoms could never be one, and in the eyes of the Lord they were thoroughly dead and dried up.
The Lord has a way to make these dead sticks one, and His way is the way of life. His way is to make the sticks alive and then to put them together so that they may grow together. This is very similar to grafting, in which two branches are joined and eventually grow together. This actually is what is mentioned here. The two sticks are like two branches. Formerly they had no life, but then they were made alive. Having been enlivened, they are now able to grow together and become one.
Whereas the bones are for forming the army, the sticks are for the building of the house of God. The sticks had been divided, but now they are one and are the dwelling place of God. Therefore, here we have both the army fighting the battle for God and the house of God as His dwelling place.
Christians today talk much about the Body, the church, and the house of God, but most do not see the practical way to have the Body, the church, and the house of God. Ezekiel 37 clearly reveals that the only way, the unique way, is the way of life. Two dry sticks can grow together not by gifts or teachings but by life.
The Lord did not tell Ezekiel to exercise certain gifts or to teach. The Lord charged Ezekiel to prophesy, to utter, or speak forth, some words for God. As Ezekiel declared something to the dead ones for God, He blew upon them and they received breath. When the breath came into them, it became life to them. Then by the way of life the two dry sticks could grow together.
We can become one not by gifts or teachings but by life. Oh, we all need the blowing of the wind! Then we need to receive the breath, and the breath will become in us the life-giving Spirit. Then we will be able to grow in life.
Life is wonderful. It takes care of so many problems. Our physical body can overcome many problems simply because it is living. This is an illustration of the fact that what we need in the church life is life, not gifts or teachings. By life the dead branches can be enlivened and grow into each other. Then these branches will have the oneness that issues out of the growth in life. If we pay attention to gifts or teachings, we will be divided. We all need something better, something higher, and this better and higher thing is life.
First comes the blowing of the wind, which is followed by the breath and by the life-giving Spirit. This causes the dry bones to become alive and to become one. Finally, the bones become an army fighting the battle for the Lord. Likewise, the dry sticks become alive and grow together. By the growth in life they are one and no longer have any divisions. Throughout the years, here in the church in Los Angeles we have paid our attention not to gifts or to teachings but to life. If we had paid attention to gifts and teachings, we would have been divided again and again. But because we care for the Lord’s way of life, we are one.
We praise the Lord for the oneness in His recovery. Although we come from many different backgrounds, we are one. We are one not by gifts or teachings but by life. Among us we have many former ministers, pastors, missionaries, and Bible teachers, but all of these are now one in life. Because we have life and are in life, we are one. Now we are an army fighting the battle and we are a dwelling place for the Lord.
When the saints migrate for the spreading of the church life, they are an army fighting the battle. We cannot have proper migrations if we do not have oneness. It is very good that in the migrations saints come from different parts of the country to be one in a particular city. They come together to be one not in teachings or gifts but in life. Because we are one in life, we are both the army and the dwelling place of the Lord. The army is formed with dry bones which have been made alive, and the dwelling place with dry sticks which have been enlivened and joined together. Now no one is dry. Every part of the army and of the dwelling place is full of life and is living in oneness. This is the Lord’s recovery.
Following chapter thirty-seven there are two further chapters which speak of further judgment. These chapters indicate that if we go on with the Lord in oneness as an army and as a dwelling place for the Lord on earth, He will take care of all our enemies.
We should not think that since we are an army we will have no enemies. Neither should we think that since we are one as the Lord’s dwelling place, we will have no battles. There is still an enemy, but the Lord will deal with him. In chapter thirty-five there is Edom, the enemy within, and in chapters thirty-eight and thirty-nine there is the enemy outside. We have to judge Edom, the old man, the enemy within us, but the Lord will take care of the enemies which are outside. We may have the assurance that as long as we are one, the Lord will fight the battle for us. He will deal with our enemy, who is also His enemy. Praise the Lord that we can be in the church life in peace and safety. As we deal with the inward enemy, the Lord will deal with the outward enemy, and a strong church life will be built up to be “an exceeding great army” and the Lord’s sanctuary on earth. Only when God has judged all the enemies can His people dwell peacefully without fear. When His people are in such a peaceful condition, the building up of the Lord’s dwelling place will be completed, and the Lord will have a place of rest among His people.