“And He said unto me, ‘Son of man, can these bones live?’ And I answered, O Lord God, Thou knowest.” Ezekiel 37:3
Dear Ones:
Perhaps the greatest characteristic of a disciple of Christ, is that he or she desires and is willing to be taught. The true disciple, believer, is teachable. We have seen where Mary, the sister of Martha, sat at Jesus’ feet to hear His words. We see Timothy being instructed by the Apostle Paul: “…study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Tim. 2:15) When we look in the Old Testament, we see Habakkuk stating: “I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what He will say to me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved.” (Hab. 2:1). And lastly, we come to Ezekiel, who is brought by the Spirit of the Lord out to a valley full of bones, very dry and very many. The Lord asks him the question: “Son of man, can these bones live?” Ezekiel’s response…”O Lord God, Thou knowest.” In all four of these instances, we see the individual believer, whether a friend of Jesus, the successor of Paul, or a prophet of the Old testament, deferring to the word of God, God’s wisdom, the knowledge of His good, and perfect will. They are all joined together by the common thread of being willing, and desirous, to be taught of God. Is this true of us?
In the Gospel of John, the Lord Jesus, before His crucifixion, spoke of the Spirit of God that the Father would send in His name. He said this: “The Comforter…shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” (Jn. 14:26) Why would He be so specific in this matter, and why would He bring it to the attention of His disciples? He is simply telling them the truth concerning the relationship which was to exist between them and the Spirit of God. All during the ministry of Jesus, He taught His disciples. Now that He would soon leave them, He is promising that His Spirit, in just as real a manner, would continue to instruct them. The question will be: Will the disciples take the Lord Jesus at His word, taking the Spirit of God to BE their teacher? What does it mean for the Spirit to be our teacher?
In 2 Samuel 5, we find twice that David inquires of the Lord concerning going to battle against his enemies. One time the Lord told him, “Go up: for I will deliver the Philistines into thine hand.” (v.19) Soon after that, when he inquired again, the Lord told him, “Thou shalt not go up, but make a circuit behind them, and come upon them over against the mulberry trees.” (v.23) Because David did so, deferring to the wisdom of God, God would work and give him the victory. In Isaiah’s great declaration of the coming Christ, he would write: “…His name shall be called Wonderful, COUNSELOR…Mighty God…” (9:6) Christ, by His Spirit, is as real today as He was when He spoke of these matters to the disciples. Again, the question is, are we teachable, and have we truly taken the Spirit of God to BE our counselor, teacher, guide?
Dear Father, give us grace to trust Thee fully, leaning not to our own understanding, but coming to Thee to receive from Thee instruction and knowledge. Give us grace to be decisive in asking Thee for wisdom, committing our way to You, and believing in Thy faithfulness, to guide us clearly, and this in a plain manner. We thank Thee that the presence of the Spirit of God as our Teacher is as real as the presence of the Lord Jesus when He walked this earth. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad