Dry Bones or a Vast Army?

 

 

Ezekiel 37:1-10

 

I will never forget that day’s meeting. What is the probability of me meeting someone like Movses Anteassian at a Presbyterian Church in Highland Park, Dallas, Texas? Probably very low, almost impossible.

Ninety-one years passed since the Armenian Genocide, and Armenians still meet each other all over the world. Armenians are scattered over all continents. It is very interesting to find an Armenian in Melbourne, Australia then to find someone in Singapore, then to find Armenians in SF. So far from each other geographically, yet so close in relationship and history.

In these 91 years, we went through:

rebirth of the Armenians all over the world,

acceptance and recognition of our genocide,

and finally the independence of Armenia.

 

The people who wanted to eliminate our nation and to keep only one Armenian in the museum failed. The credit goes to God. By His Grace, we are what we are: “Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.” (Lament. 3:22)

 

We read in Ezekiel 37 that the prophet Ezekiel saw a vision. It was an awesome vision concerning his people. There were dry bones in a valley. They remind us of the dry bones of the Armenians in Deir Zor Valley. Until this day, one can go to Margade, dig out a little, and find bones of Armenians.

God transforms these dry bones to live ones.

 

*First God attached tendons to these dry bones (vs.6). We need tendons (nerves, as the Armenian version puts it) so we can have a network of communication. Through these tendons, the muscles and bones will be joined. I assume there were nerves alongside the tendons. Nerves take commands from the brain and distribute the information in order for the body to function well.

 

God realized that this network needs flesh and muscles.

 

* Next God added flesh and muscles. Tendons connected the muscles to bones. The nerves transferred the commands to the flesh and the muscles.

 

*God added skin. All these flesh without skin is vulnerable to infection. Skin is protection and beauty. I wonder if any of us like to be seen without skin.

 

All these were wonderful, but there was something missing, LIFE.

 

*God added life, the fire, the energy. We read:  “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 from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live.' "(9)

 

This event reminds me of the story of Genesis. God created Adam and the beauty of the story is that God blew His own breath on Adam.

Brothers and sisters, what is the use of body, beautiful and strong body without life?

God is source of life. His breath is so important; without it nothing can move. Only in Armenian, we call the Word of God “the Breath of God,” (Asdvazashounch): the book that God’s message given to the writers by HIS BREATH.

 

The question that I raise today: Why did God restore these dry bones?

 

Two essential points:

 

1 -We read in verse 6: “I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.”

God gave us life so we know that HE IS LORD.

If we are commemorating 1600 year of Christianity,

if we remembering the 91st anniversary of our genocide,

if we are proud that this year is the 160 year of the birth of the Armenian Evangelical church,

If we are remembering that CACC has 80 years of life,

all these indicate that we exist so we know God more, and we can communicate with HIM deeply.

We need His breath everyday in our life, in our daily life when we grow in His Word, when we serve Him. Our rebirth should not be an end in itself. We survived to know God and to praise Him. And God will use us so that others will know Him through us.

 

2 -We read in the 10th verse : “…. and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.”

God’s command of life was not for a single person. God’s miracle ended up with a vast army.

 We are not called to be self- ruled. No, we are called to be free individuals serving God together.

 

I wish as Armenians and as Christians we understand becoming the Army of God. We live so independently, we have difficulty in serving together.

The Army has a Commander-in-chief. . A well-trained army obeys is General/Commander. I am not sure how obedient we are to God today. I am not sure how obedient we are collectively to our “General.”

 

91 years passed from this terrible event. We morn and protest and ask God to bring justice. Meanwhile we have the duty of knowing God daily, obeying God personally and collectively as Armenians.

 

Turning back to the story my surprise meeting in Dallas, we remember how God miraculously kept the Moussa Dagh people. God kept the Armenians and gave them new life. Years later, two members of the “vast army” meet in a far away land.

 

So let me ask you: Dry bones? Or a vast Army.