JESUS: The Prince of the Second Week of Advent (Isaiah 9:6&7)

Introduction 

In 2020, NBC rebooted the game show The Weakest Link. If not familiar with the show, think Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? meets Survivor. Like Who Wants To be A Millionaire, contestants bank money by answering trivia questions. Like Survivor, at the end of every round, contestants vote on who they would like to see removed from the game. The contestant with the most votes indeed gets removed from the show, and the last player standing wins the money. Most of the questions are basic, common, general knowledge (assuming you are somewhat familiar with pop culture). I highly doubt that anybody has any problems with any questions, but when you ask a question about the biblical languages, you might have a Biblical studies PhD candidate and former quizzer contest.

In one of the reboot episodes, one of the questions asked, “What Hebrew word means hello, goodbye, and peace?” The answer they were looking for was “shalom.” I really wanted to stand and yell, “I contest!” The word’s definition does mean peace, but the word’s definition within itself does not mean “hello” or “goodbye.” Rather, peace became both a salutation and valediction. In Old Testament times, a Hebrew running into a stranger did not know whether the stranger was friend or foe. By shouting “Shalom!” or “Peace!” the stranger made sure his peaceful intentions were made known, putting his fellow Hebrew at ease. On the flipside, shalom or “peace” became well wishes in leaving, like “Have a good day!” or “Have a nice week!” One could say, “Have a peaceful day!” or “Have a peaceful week!” To summarize, the Hebrew word shalom itself only means “peace,” but it became a greeting for arriving and departing.

The game show did get something right, though. The Hebrew word shalom does means more than just “peace.” As anyone fluent in multiple languages will tell you, rarely do words between languages have a perfect one-to-one correspondence. Translators end up picking the best, closest translation, with the insinuation that it may lack in some certain areas. Likewise, “peace” is the best, closest translation for shalom, but recognize that “peace” is an incomplete definition, lacking in some areas. Therefore, shalom needs a fuller definition.

In 2005, MennoMedia, a media agency of Mennonite Church USA and Mennonite Church Canada, created the Peace DVD, a DVD with 6-sessions of youth Bible study to encourage youth to think about how they could bring peace to the world. If you’re doing the math, yes, that was 2 years after the United States of America entered into war/conflict with Iraq, but no, all 6 sessions did not merely rant about the evils of war. As a matter of fact, the DVD did not even touch war until session 5 of 6. Sessions included peace with God, peace with the earth and people within the community. At the beginning of every session, the leaders of the video would start off with a definition of peace, which actually works well with shalom.

"Peace is when everything is the best it can be." -Peace DVD

Now my Sunday school leaders had the class memorize this definition on top of our Bible memory. I came close, but I could never say it right. Every time I tried, I would say, "Peace is when the world’s all as it should be." If you didn’t recognize it, my definition comes from the contemporary praise and worship song "Blessed be Your Name." But isn’t that the same thing? If the world’s all as it should be, as God intended it, without sin, then everything would be at the best. That's shalom, that’s “peace.” Shalom appears in the garden of Eden. The garden has shalom because the garden had everything God planned, nothing wrong or out of place. Adam and Eve walked with God. They had shalom with their maker, with each other and the earth on which they lived. When Satan came in and Eve fell to his temptation, that peace was gone. When God promised them a messiah, not only was he providing a way to get out of the sin, but a promise of restoring the peace. Genesis 3:15 implicitly says that the offspring would restore the shalom once found in the Garden, but Isaiah 9:6-7 explicitly speaks of a chosen child ruling with peace.

Isaiah 9:6

In the previous chapter, Isaiah 8, Yahweh, through Isaiah, has pronounced judgment upon the Northern Kingdom of Israel. The Assyrian Empire would conquer and subdue the Northern Kingdom, until they are no more. While such news sounds like gloom to Israel, Isaiah actually prophesies glory for Israel in Isaiah 9! The Lord would save and deliver Israel from their oppressors, bringing glory to both God and Israel. This salvation would come from the Messiah. Perhaps Isaiah can see even further than it, seeing the eschaton, in which Israel would never ever have to worry about foreign oppressors because all people and all nations fall in subjugation to Yahweh and his Messiah.

While Jewish scholars acknowledge Isaiah speaks prophetically about the future, Jewish scholars have attempted to argue this prophesy has fulfillment in the immediate or near future, prophesying the birth of one of Isaiah’s sons or Ahaz’s sons (or descendant). Christian scholars, however, have proven none of those work, meaning it has to refer to the Messiah. At best, the Jewish scholars can argue that one of Isaiah’s or Ahaz’s son might have partially fulfilled the prophecy, but the prophecy will only have complete fulfillment in the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

Isaiah 9:6 begins with “for” (כִּי, kî), the third of a chain of three. Primarily, the conjunction “for” links together Isaiah 9:6 all the way back Isaiah 9:3. Back in Isaiah 9:3, Isaiah declares that Yahweh has given the nation joy. The joy is possible because the Lord has freed the nation from oppressing. The freedom of oppression is possible because God brought an end to war. The end of war is possible because someone is coming to end it. Thus, the grand conclusion of all God’s plan for his people come down to not to a place, a thing, an event or an idea, but a person.

In this passage, the conjunction “for” has a secondary function of indicating a feature of salvation, so the chain of three “for”s marks three traits of salvation. From the third “for,” Isaiah 9:6 teaches that a part of salvation involves a coming chosen one, the Messiah. In the times of Isaiah, messianic hopes included that the Messiah would reunite the Northern Kingdom of Israel and Southern Kingdom of Judah into one nation. The Messiah would rule over all the tribes, just like his ancestors David and Solomon did. Therefore, the “us” that follows the third “for” includes all the tribes of Israel. Some scholars, like Jameison, Fausset and Brown, notice Isaiah says “us” instead of “you,” as in his fellow Jew, so the “us” must refer to the Jews and Gentiles alike. Other scholars, like J.M. Roberts, take even a step further, claiming the “us” refers to all God’s creation, in heaven and in earth. The coming Messiah is the Messiah for all of humanity, both Jew and Gentiles, and all of creation, both in the heavens and on the earth!

This human God has in mind will not descend from the heavens as fully-grown adult. No, he will be a child, or more specifically, a son. For the two previous chapters, Isaiah has implied child, not adult. Now in this chapter, Isaiah emphasizes child, and he will do so again in the eleventh chapter. So much emphasis on a child, not an adult, has a two-fold meaning. First, the coming one is not solely divine. Rather, he is fully human, including experiencing birth and childhood. The coming one is both divine and human. Second, it reveals how the coming one will rescue the nation from oppression and war. If the coming one solely came as divine, he would simply overpower the oppressors, which could come off as making God look like the oppressor and the Warhawk. God’s way involves humility, submission and love, thus breaking the cycle of violence.

The verbs “is born” (ילד, yālǎḏ) and “is given” (נתן, nāṯǎn) may seem like a synonymous parallelism, but here it functions better as a synthetic parallelism. The second verb prophesies that the birth of the child is not a fluke, but rather, the son come from the Lord’s sovereign plan.

Isaiah 9:6 gives a clue to who or what type of person this may be. Notice all the political words throughout Isaiah 9:6&7 – government, prince, throne, kingdom (even “justice” could be considered a political term if “justice” is considered the job of the government). Interesting enough, the political term “king” seems absent. Some scholars, like Harrelson and Von Rad, believe that Isaiah sees the kings of Israel and Judah so wicked that for this person to share the same time as these evil men would be an insult!

The first of these political phrases announces this born child, this given son, will have the government upon his shoulders. The Hebrew term “government” (מִשְׂרָה, misrah) is actually a rare word in the Hebrew Old Testament, only appearing here in Isaiah 9:6 and next in Isaiah 9:7 verse out of the entire Hebrew Old Testament! Isaiah 9:6 uses this rare word in very poetic imagery of being or resting “upon the shoulders” (עַל־שִׁכְמ֑וֹ, al shekem). Quite possibly, this poetic imagery comes from the king’s robe. A king’s robe, rested on the wearer’s shoulders, indicated that the wearer ruled over the nation. More likely, however, this poetic imagery paints the picture of a burden, like a yoke, placed on the shoulders. A king bears a burden to rule a people, like sustaining the nation and keeping the citizens safe and at peace, free from oppressors. How fitting that, instead of the king taking on the burden of protecting the people from foreign countries, the foreign nations have put on burden on Israel. The figurative language relays the message that this born child, this given son would be the true king of Israel. Again, whereas the wicked kings of Israel and Judah failed to reign as a godly king, this child would succeed as a good, godly king. He would throw off the oppressive burdens and give the people peace.

At the end of Isaiah 9:6, Isaiah gives this coming child four titles. Some scholars, like Wilberger, attempt to parallel to the Egyptian coronation ceremony, in which the new king receive five titles to reflect five divine attributes. This parallel falls flat on a few factors. First, Egyptian kings received five titles, but Isaiah 9:6 only has four. Second, Isaiah announces a birth, not a coronation. Third, the five divine titles of the Egyptians recognized the new king as becoming divine, as the Jews would have seen this practice as blasphemy. Other scholars, like R.A. Carson, believe that these titles intend to mock the Assyrian kings, who would give themselves exaggerated titles. While more possible than the Egyptian titles, this option still seems less likely, as Israelite kings normally didn’t practice anything similar, knowing their God preferred humility in his kings. This part of Isaiah 9:6 hints at the divine nature of the coming son. If an Israelite king would not receive such titles, then the coming child must be greater than just a king, like God.

The first two titles define who this Messiah is, like his attributes, characteristics and personality. The last two describe what the Messiah will do, like how he will rules as a king. Now all four titles deserve attention on their own, so much so that each title deserves its own sermon! For the sake of the topic at hand, the second week of advent, let’s jump to the last title, the prince of peace.

The “prince of peace” (שַׂר־שָׁלֽוֹם, sar-shâlōm), a phrase combining peace with a political word, should come as no surprise. Any good king would want peace for his people. Kings would try to appeal to their people by promoting peace in their campaigns. At the surface level, peace means the opposite of war. Such thinking draws to the ancestors of the kingly line, David and Solomon. While a man of war, David secured solid borders for Israel, giving the Israelite people within those borders peace from oppressors or raiders. Solomon, a man of peace, achieved peace with the surrounding nation by entering into alliances and peace treaties with the rulers of the surrounding nations. The people of Isaiah’s time long for those times to return because, in their days, they constantly experienced oppressors and raiders. For this reason, the prophecy in Isaiah 9 cannot refer to a son of Isaiah or Ahaz, for  God had promised David in the Davidic covenant that the people under the Davidic would experience peace from their foes (see 2 Samuel 7:10&11). The true Messiah would have to champion peace for his people! He would have to remove anyone or anything that would threaten peace to truly bring peace on the earth, to his country and the surrounding nations.

Isaiah may have left the Prince of Peace for last on purpose. It works kind of climatically. This coming child will not become an oppressing king or a Warhawk king, like so many kings before him. He will turn into a peaceful ruler, bringing peace by means of peace, not of oppression or war. No one will defy him because his transparency and vulnerability will reveal him of innocent of any wrongdoing. In essence, the Prince of Peace has to be the personification of peace. Not only will he bring peace by ending oppression and war, he will bring peace by bring reconciliation between God and man through love. To simply limit the Prince of Peace as the Prince of the opposite of war, however, would do the prince a disservice. Peace means more than that. Peace means calmness and success. This prince’s reign will not only bring a calm to the land, the calm will allow the people to shift from surviving in a hostile world to thriving in a calm world. Again, the Prince of Peace has to become the champion of peace, a leader of spiritual peace and calmness.

Isaiah 9:7

It only makes sense that a Prince of Peace will establish a government of peace. Isaiah 9:7 reveals a few elements of this government of peace. Not only will the prince of peace create a government of peace, but he will establish it so that it increases into all of eternity. The kingdom will have limitless growth increase in quantity and in quality. It shall touch all the land on the earth, and it will last for all time into eternity. Earthly kingdoms come and go, but this kingdom, the kingdom of heaven on earth, will last forever. Again, this means that Isaiah cannot think of new or recent person, like Ahaz’s son or grandson, for this kingdom extends into the distant future. The prince of peace will the final king, not just final in the sense of last, but also final in the sense that he is the best. No other king will need to come because no greater king would come than the Prince of Peace. The Prince of Peace will become the ideal Davidic king Yahweh envisioned for Israel. While the Lord may have rejected the current kings, he had not rejected David or his descendants. As a matter of fact, God fulfilling his promise by having the Messiah come from David’s line proves that God still faithfully loves David and his descendants. Dynasties of the earthly kingdoms come and go, but the Davidic king will reign forever.

Unlike David, though, the Prince of Peace will not establish his government through brute strength, conquering, intimidation or bloodshed. Instead, the Prince of Peace will establish his throne through justice and through righteousness. “Justice” (מִשְׁפָּט, mishpât) and “righteousness” (צְדָקָה, tsedâkâh) will become anchors to this kingdom. Everything that the Prince of Peace orders for his kingdom and his people rest in justice and in righteousness. The Prince of Peace himself will live under those standards of justice and righteousness, too. Just as the kingdom itself will last for eternity, as just the Davidic king will last for eternity, so will its justice and righteousness last for eternity.

The final colon of Isaiah 9:7 explains how Yahweh will fulfill what Isaiah just prophesied. The Hebrew term קִנְאָה (qēnā̊́) gets translated into both “jealous” and “zeal.” If you think about it, both terms have the same denotation, but they have different connotations. Both terms connotate wanting a person’s affection and attention. Jealousy denotes a selfish desire, wanting to make others’ affection and attention centered around the self. Zeal denotes actively pursuing others for the benefit of the other person’s sake. The Lord loved his people passionately. This strong love for his people would drive God to make sure his people lived safe and peaceful lives. If only a Messiah could give his people the good life he wanted them to have, then God would see it through that the Messiah would establish a government of peace. God’s glory links to the fate of his people. When God’s people live in a peaceful kingdom, his glory will shine the brightest. No matter an Israelite in the Northern Kingdom of Israel or a Jew in the Southern Kingdom of Judah, all hoped for the Prince of Peace to establish his government of peace, and Yahweh’s zeal assured their faith. What blessed assurance that the fulfillment of the promise comes down to the Lord’s work, not Israel’s work. If dependent on Israel’s intercession, not God’s, the kingdom would never come. All Israel had to do was put their faith and hope in Yahweh.

Concluding the exegesis of Isaiah 9:6&7, the fact becomes evident that it was necessary for the Messiah to be a Prince of Peace. It was not optional, it was not voluntarily, it was not something the Messiah could do if he had extra time or when he got around to it. The Messiah must be a Prince of Peace. It was mandatory; it was required. Anyone who claims to be the Messiah but is not a Prince of Peace is a liar. He is a false messiah, an antichrist. As a Prince of Peace, the Messiah must reflect the embodiment of peace. He must become the best a peace, a champion of peace. He must demonstrate peace and lead by an example. He must also rule by peace, establishing a kingdom of peace. By doing so, the Messiah will return his people to the shalom that God intended the world to have, as seen in the Garden of Eden.

The New Testament

The New Testament apostles understood the importance of the Messiah as the Prince of Peace. Therefore, the New Testament authors made sure to portray Jesus as the Prince of Peace that he was. That is why Luke records the angels announcing at the birth of Jesus in Luke 2:14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” The angels recognized that the coming of the Christ was the coming of the Prince of Peace, and they wanted the shepherds to realize this, too. One of my favorite Christmas carols, if not my absolute favorite Christmas carol, is “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” because Charles Wesley has packed it so full of theology. The hymn "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" rewords the words of Luke 2:14 when it says "Peace on earth, and mercy mild, God and sinners reconcile." Wesley has captured both what Luke 2:14 says and means. When God promised them a messiah, not only was he providing a way to get out of the sin, but a promise of restoring the shalom.

That is why John records Jesus declaring in John 16:33, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” Jesus himself acknowledge the missing shalom on the earth, and he knew it would not get any better for disciples who decided to follow him. In exchange for the chaos and disruption the world would give them, Jesus offered them shalom, through him and through his kingdom. As crazy and as hectic as this world may get, shalom always existed within Jesus and within the kingdom of God.

That is why Peter proclaims to Cornelius and his family in Acts 10:36, “As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all).”  Notice how Peter adds peace to the good news or gospel. Cornelius would have known what gospel meant, so why bother to add peace to it? Peter wanted Cornelius, and Luke wanted the readers of Acts, to know the importance of peace to the gospel and that Jesus, as the Christ, was that Prince of Peace. That’s good news indeed!

That is why Paul says in Romans 5:1, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Again, Paul tells the saints in Ephesus it in Ephesians 2:14, “For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility.” This last one probably stands out the most of all these New Testament verses, for in this Ephesians 4 passage, Paul speaks of how Jesus removed the division between Jews and Gentiles. Connecting Isaiah 9:6 to Ephesians 2:14 solidifies that the “us” in Isaiah 9:6 cannot merely refer to the Jews. It must refer to at least all humanity and at most all of creation.

Conclusion

Since Jesus is the Prince of Peace, people have a few ways they should respond. First, recall that Israel’s judgment, told in the previous chapter and some of the current chapter, came about because Israel refused to submit to Yahweh. Because Israel refused to submit to the Lord, the found themselves submitting to foreign powers. When Jesus comes again, he will ultimately bring peace by uniting the people, tribes and nations into his kingdom, the kingdom of God, under him. Those who refuse to surrender to Jesus are antagonists of the peace, and Jesus will not tolerate that in his kingdom. They will not experience the glory that Israel will experience in the future. They will experience the gloom Israel experienced in the past. Submit to King Jesus to experience his glory, or else you will experience gloom.

Second, a nation of peace and justice will never come about through a king, an emperor, a president or a prime minister. It will not come from any politician or any political party. A nation of peace, justice and righteousness will only come from Yahweh and his Anointed One, the Messiah,  Jesus Christ. That nation of peace, justice and righteousness must come about through God’s plans, not man’s plans. Only the foolish trust in politics, but the wise and mature Christian will trust in the Lord, not a man.

Third, remember that the Beatitudes in Matthew 6:9 reads, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” You know who else is a peacemaker and a Son of God (notice the capital S and capital G)? Jesus, the Prince of Peace! God has called all disciples of Jesus to reflect Jesus. In fact, the term Christian means “little Christian.” To call oneself a Christian, one must become a little prince of peace. To become a little prince of peace, Christians must become peacemakers. As the Peace DVD challenged Mennonite youth fellowships back in 2005, Christians should think about how they could bring peace to the world and then do it! David put it best when he penned in Psalm 34:14 “Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.” Peter found David’s words as such good advice that he wrote it again in 1 Peter 3:11.

Speaking of Peter, notice how Peter opens his second epistle in 2 Peter 1:2, “May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord,” and he closes his second epistle in 2 Peter 3:14, “Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.” Just like Peter, may peace be the first thought as you begin your days, and the last thought as you end your days. May you feel the peace of the Prince of Peace in your life, and may it encourage you to pass that peace to others.

Bibliography

Barry, John D., Douglas Mangum, Derek R. Brown, Michael S. Heiser, Miles Custis, Elliot Ritzema, Matthew M. Whitehead, Michael R. Grigoni, and David Bomar. Faithlife Study Bible. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016.

Biblical Studies Press. The NET Bible First Edition Notes. Biblical Studies Press, 2006.

Brooks, Keith. Summarized Bible: Complete Summary of the Old Testament. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2009.

Cabal, Ted, Chad Owen Brand, E. Ray Clendenen, Paul Copan, J.P. Moreland, and Doug Powell. The Apologetics Study Bible: Real Questions, Straight Answers, Stronger Faith. Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2007.

Carter, James E., and Peter McLeod. “Isaiah.” The Teacher’s Bible Commentary. Edited by H. Franklin Paschall and Herschel H. Hobbs. Nashville: Broadman and Holman Publishers, 1972.

Chisholm, Robert B. “The Major Prophets.” Holman Concise Bible Commentary. Edited by David S. Dockery. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1998.

Hughes, Robert B., and J. Carl Laney. Tyndale Concise Bible Commentary. The Tyndale reference library. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2001.

Martin, John A. “Isaiah.” The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures. Edited by J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985.

Jamieson, Robert, A. R. Fausset, and David Brown. Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible. Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997.

Keil, Carl Friedrich, and Franz Delitzsch. Commentary on the Old Testament. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1996.

Kidner, F. Derek. “Isaiah.” Pages 629–70 in New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition. Edited by D. A. Carson, R. T. France, J. A. Motyer, and G. J. Wenham. 4th ed. Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 1994.

Longman, Tremper, III. “Isaiah.” Pages 1039–1136 in CSB Study Bible: Notes. Edited by Edwin A. Blum and Trevin Wax. Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017.

Oswalt, John N. The Book of Isaiah, Chapters 1–39. The New International Commentary on the Old Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1986.

Richards, Lawrence O. The Bible Reader’s Companion. Electronic ed. Wheaton: Victor Books, 1991.

Smith, Gary V. Isaiah 1–39. Edited by E. Ray Clendenen. The New American Commentary. Nashville: B & H Publishing Group, 2007.

Smith, James E. The Major Prophets. Old Testament Survey Series. Joplin, MO: College Press, 1992.

Spence-Jones, H. D. M., ed. Isaiah. Vol. 1. The Pulpit Commentary. London; New York: Funk & Wagnalls Company, 1910.

Watts, John D. W. Isaiah 1–33. Vol. 24. Revised Edition. Word Biblical Commentary. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, Inc, 2005.

Wiersbe, Warren W. Be Comforted. “Be” Commentary Series. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996.

Willmington, H. L. Willmington’s Bible Handbook. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1997.

Believing in the Middle of the Valley: An Advent Message (Ezekiel 37:1-14)

On Christmas 1991, at the age of 3 ½, my parents got me a Super Nintendo. This Super Nintendo came bundled with the Super Mario World game. Also included in this Super Nintendo bundle came a coupon for a free Super Mario All-Stars, the first 4 Super Mario games on the previous system, affectionally now referred to the NES. My first 2 games (or should I say first 5 games) were Super Mario Bros game.

If you’re unfamiliar with Super Mario Bros. games, the plot is fairly simple. Bowser, the King of Koopas, has kidnapped Peach, the princess of the Mushroom Kingdom. The player’s job as Mario (or Luigi if you’re the second-born sibling) is to traverse the Mushroom Kingdom, avoiding Bowser’s henchman, to rescue Princess Peach. As the King of Koopas, Bowser will naturally send his koopa troopas out to get you, but he also has a special koopa troopa called Dry Bones. Dry Bones may look like just a skeleton version of normal koopa troopa, but its look gives it special powers. When Mario jumps on a regular koopa troopa, it retreats into its shell, and Mario can kick or throw it as he pleases. When Mario jumps on Dry Bones, Dry Bones turns into a pile of bones, with which Mario can do nothing. Mario has exit quickly, though, for he does not, Dry Bones will reassemble and come after him. Very few power ups can affect Dry Bones. Not even Mario’s super mushroom or fire flower can defeat Dry Bones. Mario needs rare items, like the invincibility star to defeat Dry Bones. This slightly more difficult version of the koopa troopa became quite popular, possibly due to being slightly more difficult. Dry Bones became so popular that more recent Mario games have introduced Dry Bowser, a Dry Bones version of Bowser. Now gamers wonder if “dry” has become for Nintendo a child-friendly way to say “dead.” If that’s the case, when I die, please refer to me as Dry Graham.  I would like my tombstone to read “Here lies Dry Graham.”

Now most likely, Dry Bones is simply to be the zombie version of the koopa troopa, an undead version of the Koopa, which, if you think about it, it is hard to kill something already dead. But see, this is where I see the myth that has become true, the gospel message written on every human’s heart. For this idea of dry bones coming back to life comes from does not come from the mind of a man, but rather, it comes from the mind of God, and God presented it to the prophet Ezekiel, as recorded in Ezekiel 37:1-14.

Before diving into Ezekiel 37:1-14, I would first like to address the oddity of an advent message coming from Ezekiel, or any Old Testament for that matter. Shouldn’t an advent message come from the New Testament? Let’s remember the purpose of Advent, which is to prepare our hearts for the birth of Jesus Christ. Now this is easy for us Christians living in the church age. We have a set date for the birth of Jesus (Let’s not get into the conversation of when Jesus was actually born and if that should impact the day we celebrate his Christ’s birth. That’s for another time.), so we can’t count backwards the days and weeks we need to prepare for it. To some extent, 4 weeks or 24 days is all that is needed. For the Old Testament Jews, however, the first coming of Christ was very much like the second coming of Christ to Christians in the New Covenant. They did not know the day and hour, so they had to perpetually prepare themselves. For them, Advent was 2 millennia in the making! Therefore, when we read this Old Testament passage, or when we any Old Testament passage for that matter, look at the Old Testament Hebrews as in the advent of the first coming of the Christ, and see how they prepare themselves for the coming Messiah.

Speaking of which, the second thing I would like to address, especially since we’re looking at an Old Testament prophecy book, is how to view Old Testament prophecy. For this, I have an illustration, which is commonly called “The Mountain Peaks of Prophecy.” Imagine two mountains, with a valley between them. The mountain on the left represents the first coming of Christ, as recorded in the Gospels. The mountain on the right represents the second coming of Christ, reported by John in the book of Revelation. The valley represents the church age. You are here. You are a Christian in the church age. Now if you were really standing a valley between two literally mountains, you would see two different, distinct mountains. In the same way, as a Christian in the church age, when you read biblical prophecies, you can easily categorize them into first coming of Christ and second coming because the first coming of Christ ones Jesus has already fulfilled in the past and the second coming of Christ one Jesus has yet to fulfill in the future. There exists another valley, however, to the left of both mountains. This valley represents the Old Testament. In this valley resides the Old Testament prophets, like Ezekiel. As Christian in the church, Christians see two distinct, different mountains, but what do Old Testament prophets see?

Perhaps they would see 2 mountains right besides each other, which means they foresee 2 different events, but they happen in direct sequential order, or 1 event will happen right after the other. Maybe they would see just 1 mountain with 2 peaks, or they foresee 2 different events happening at the exact the same. If you also think about it, if the front mountain is bigger than the back mountain, the front mountain could totally obscure the back mount. This might lead the prophet to see only 1 mountain, so all he prophesies, in his mind, is 1 event. Either way, he does not see a valley; he does not see a church age.

Don’t just pick on the Old Testament prophets. The New Testament apostles might have struggled with this. Consider Peter’s gospel message at the Pentecost in Acts 2. In Acts 2:17-21, Peter quotes in Joel 2:28-32. The first half makes sense in explaining what just happened. The Holy Spirit descended on the apostles, and the apostles could do great and wonderful things, like speak in tongues, prophecy, see visions and dream dreams. That all makes sense to what just happened. Then the second half then talks about the sun going dark, the moon turning into blood, and signs of blood, vapor and smoke, signifying the Lord’s return. None of that has anything to do with what just occurred! Remember, Joel does not stand in the valley between the mountains. He stands in front of both mountains, and he sees 2 side-by-side mountains or 1 mountain.  Because of that, some people would even suggest Peter may have also thought the outpouring of the Holy Spirit signifies Jesus will return soon. Peter does have that perspective of the church age valley between the mountains, however, so I propose he recognizes this is the beginning of something that will come to fulfillment in the end. Now, finally diving into the book of Ezekiel, consider how Ezekiel might envision something that has a beginning and an end, which may have some space between them.


The Valley of Dry Bones (Ezekiel 37:1–14 ESV) 

37 The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. ² And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. ³ And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” ⁴ Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. ⁵ Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. ⁶ And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.”

⁷ So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. ⁸ And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had 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 the breath, Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” ¹⁰ So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.

¹¹ Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.’ ¹² Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. ¹³ And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. ¹⁴ And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the Lord.”

37:1. Called as an Old Testament prophet, God has gifted Ezekiel the Holy Spirit to fulfill his job. The Holy Spirit leads Ezekiel to the middle of a valley. The text never reveals the actual location of the valley, but Ezekiel 3:22 reveals Ezekiel has seen visions there before, so he probably expected another vision. In this vision, Ezekiel first notices the valley full of bones. Again, the text remains silent on the identity of these bones. Some have proposed these bones belong to those who died when Nebuchadnezzar attacked Judah, while other suggest it simply represents those who died during the years in exile.

37:2. Ezekiel continues to traverse the valley, inspecting the bones. Ezekiel had to carefully traverse the valley, making sure not to touch any of the bones. Not only did Ezekiel serve the Lord as a prophet, but he also served God as a priest. By touching a bone, he would become unclean, making him unfit for his priestly duties. Upon further observation, he notices the bones were very dry. Since Ezekiel currently resides in a dry, arid place, this is probably a desert valley. The exposed bones under the hot desert sun has baked the bones to a bleach white. By noting very dry bones, Ezekiel communicates to his audience these people, now reduced to skeletons, have been dead for a long time. Life has left their body a long time ago, with no chance of it returning. No one can argue these bodies are in a coma or unconscious, for they lack any organs. They must be dead.

37:3. The Lord asks Ezekiel an odd question, if the bones can live. The question may have saddened Ezekiel, as earlier in the book (Ezekiel 24:15-27 to be exact), Ezekiel’s wife had died, and this question may have reminded Ezekiel of the frailty of life. Ezekiel might have felt more confused, however, at what sounds like a trick question. He just observed very dry bones with no organs. No chance life could these bones come to life. It is impossible for a person to live as just a skeleton. Ezekiel, however, must have gotten a feeling, he was being set up for something. His simple answer “you know” not only has Ezekiel stating, “you know skeletons cannot become living human beings” but at the same time, he confesses, “But if they could, it would only be through you, my master Yahweh.”

37:4. The Lord follows his odd question with a strange request. Ezekiel must prophecy to these dry bones, so they may hear the word of the Lord. Prophecy is meant for people, so they may hear the word of their Lord. Prophesying to the bones foreshadows that which will come.

37:5-6. Ezekiel 37:5-6 records the prophesy Yahweh wanted Ezekiel to preach. Ezekiel should tell these bones that the Lord will give them breath, and flesh and tendons, thus restoring their life, as a testimony of Yahweh. Although not in order, this language should sound familiar. It sounds similar to the creation of man, as found in Genesis 2:7. In the creation account, God forms man’s bones and flesh (cf. Gen 2:23) out of the dust of the ground, and then he becomes a living being. In the same way, God will take these dry bones of one living humans, re-create them with the same flesh, tendons and breath they once had, and they will become living beings.

37:7-8. As an obedient prophet, Ezekiel does as Yahweh told him. Since Ezekiel speaks the words of the Lord, those words come into existence, and those words become true. At a sound and a rattling (or earthquake), the bones assemble themselves, they grow tendons and skin begins to envelop them. Again, seen here is the first half of the creation of man, as seen in Genesis 2:7. The man’s body forms, but they still have yet to receive breath.

37:9. Ezekiel must have become literally dumbstruck. I imagine his jaw dropping open in silence to what he has just witnessed. No one can really blame him. He came as close as possible to witnessing the creation of man, when the Lord first created a man. God has to command Ezekiel to continue, as seen in the double use of the imperative “prophesy.” Keep going! Don’t stop now! Almost there!

37:10. Ezekiel follow the Lord’s command, and before he knows it, he find standing before him a living army. Calling them a living army may hint that the dry bones once belonged to soldier who died in battle, perhaps warriors defending Jerusalem from Babylon. Personally, I think Ezekiel called them a living army to communicate the quality of the resurrection. These resurrected dry bones do not need life support. They are not weak and frail. They are healthy and strong, to the point that they could engage in warfare, a physically demanding labor.

37:11. Yahweh helps both Ezekiel and Ezekiel’s future audience by explaining the symbolism behind the vision. The bones represent “the whole house of Israel.” The “whole part” means that the Lord refers to Israel in Ezekiel 37:11-14 as all of Jacob’s descendants, then United Kingdom of Israel, not the Northern Kingdom of Israel alone. The very dry nature of the bones represents their loss of hope. Both Israel and Judah were exiled from the Promised Land because of their sin. They still felt the burden of the judgment for their sin. They had lost hope that their nation would once again be restored, and now they even began to lose hope that their people and culture could even survive exile. Just like the dry bones in Ezekiel’s vision, they felt like they were wasting away into annihilation. Just like dry bones coming to life, it seemed impossible for a dead nation to come to full restoration, full unity and to thrive once again. Only a miracle could do that.

37:12-13. Yahweh now commands Ezekiel to preach a message similar to the one he preached to the dry bones to those in exile with him. Through Ezekiel, the Lord promises Israel that he will restore them. Even to those who have already died, he will open their graves and bring them back to life, so they too may experience the restoration. The resurrection of the dead would also prove that God provided the restoration, not a person or a people.

37:14. Finally, the Lord promises that he will put his Spirit in them. This use of Spirit creates a word play. In Ezekiel 37:6,9,10, the Hebrew text uses the Hebrew noun רוּחַ (ruach), which most English Bibles translate as “breath.” Then in Ezekiel 37:14, where English Bibles have “spirit,” the Hebrew Bible again uses רוּחַ (ruach). In general, רוּחַ (ruach) can mean “wind,” “breath” or “spirit.” Remember that the Hebrew language does not have abstract ideas. To convey an abstract idea, one must use a concrete idea to express that idea. In this case, comparing a spirit to a wind or a breath. Now recall that mentioned earlier Ezekiel 37:5-6 (and its fulfillment in Ezekiel 3:7-10) paralleled the creation of man in Genesis 2:7. That parallel breaks down, however, because Genesis 2:7 uses נִשְׁמַ֣ת (nishmat) for “breathe,” not רוּחַ (ruach). The wordplay here reveals that Yahweh will not only breathe life into the dead, but he will also breath the Holy Spirit into them, prophesying the indwelling of the Holy Spirit upon his people.

Some people might argue that this passage does not refer to the resurrection. They will remind you that Ezekiel merely had a vision, an “awake dream,” if you will. Therefore, the imagery in the vision is all symbolic, symbolizing restoring dead Israel back to life. To anybody thinking that way, I would draw them back to our two mountain peaks illustration. I believe Ezekiel two mountain peaks at the same time, either 2 side-by-side mountains or 1 mountain. Ezekiel 37:1-14 prophesies the full fulfillment of a promise to Israel, which will have beginning and a complete end. Ezekiel prophesies a fulfillment to the promise of restoration. Indeed, the Judah part of Israel will return to the land, but then they still find themselves under Persian rule. At the first Christmas, during the time of the birth of Jesus, the Jews found themselves in a very similar situation, in the Promised Land, but occupied by the Romans. These Jews did not feel restored. In fact, the Jews saw their Roman occupancy as a second exile in Babylon, which in turn the Jews described exile in Babylon as a second slavery, like the slavery in Egypt. For a full restoration to happen, everybody has to return to an unoccupied Promise Land, even those who died in exile. Thus, the promise of restoration has to involve resurrection.

Although verses about bodily resurrection rarely appear in the Old Testament, the idea resurrection carries throughout the whole Old Testament. For starters, ancient Jewish theology did not view a human as a dichotomy of the material and non-material, but rather, ancient Jewish philosophy believed in a person as a single unity. As a matter of fact, according to ancient Jewish theology, when the body separates from the soul/spirit, death occurs. Therefore, championing over death would require reuniting the body and the soul/spirit, as seen in Ezekiel 37:1-14. Outside this ancient Jewish theology, resurrection appears more explicitly in the Old Testament. Former prophets Elijah and Elisha both performed a miracle of resurrection, as seen in 1 Kings 17:17–24 and 2 Kings 4:18–37 respectively. Although Ezekiel never performed a miracle of resurrection, the relation between a prophet and resurrection still exists. Furthermore, Ezekiel does not stand alone as the only prophet speaking about resurrection. Both Isaiah and Hosea prophesy bodily resurrection in Isaiah 26:19 and Hosea 6:1-3 respectively, and both of them speak of it in terms of restoration. Not only do the prophets speak of resurrection, but so do the poets. 2 different psalms depict Yahweh rescuing the soul from the grave as an act of restoration. Job even takes it up a step and declares in Job 14:7-10 that restoration involves all dead things coming back to life, even plants. Restoration and resurrection have to come linked together.

Restoring Israel to the Promised Land played only as a smaller part in God’s grander plan. Israel had a bigger problem than exile. Every Israelite, every human being, faced death. If Yahweh could rescue Israel from exile and bring them back to the Promised Land, he could save them from death and bring them into life. The Lord promised both land and life, so when God’s people see themselves back in the land, they can trust God to set them free from death. Only the Lord can replace hopelessness, despair and adversity with hope, peace and love. Only God can replace exile and death with life. God’s people only need to believe.

This is the 3^rd week in Advent. At this point in time, in the traditional churches, like the UCC church in which I was raised, Advent has already covered the themes of hope and peace, and now, on this 3^rd week of advent, the theme of love. Hope, peace and love. Hope, peace and love are the complete opposite of what Israel felt in exile. In exile, Israel felt hopelessness, distress and animosity. They might have even doubted if their God loved them anymore. Through the vision the Lord gave Ezekiel, God emphasizes that he has remember his promises to Israel, and he will fulfill them by his mighty hand. God will do everything; Israel has nothing to do on their part. Israel merely has to believe. Then baby Jesus is born. This baby Jesus will grow up to an adult, and adult Jesus will preach the same message of restoration and resurrection. He himself raises 3 people from the dead (Jairus’s daughter, the man from Nain, Lazarus), and then the Trinity raises this Jesus from death, and the apostles are witnesses of the fact. Now those under Roman occupation have hope instead of hopelessness, peace instead of distress and love instead of animosity. They simply need to believe in Jesus.

In conclusion, in Ezekiel 37:1-14, we find Ezekiel in the middle of a valley. If Ezekiel represent the rest of his people, he feels hopelessness instead of hope, he feels unrest instead of peace, and he feels animosity instead of love. He may even forget the God loves him. Through his vision, God reminds him of a promise he has for Israel, a promise to restore and resurrect. Ezekiel, and the rest of Israel, simply needs to believe. Perhaps you feel like Ezekiel. You find yourself in a situation, exiled from hope, peace and love, feeling dead inside. God has promised you restoration and resurrection. Just believe.

So please, call me Dry Graham after I have died. Please do carve in my tombstone “Here Lies Dry Graham.” For it will remind the future generations of the resurrection yet to come.

Bibliography

Chisholm, Robert B. “The Major Prophets.” Holman Concise Bible Commentary. Edited by David S. Dockery. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1998.

Cooper, Lamar Eugene. Ezekiel. Vol. 17. The New American Commentary. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1994.

Dyer, Charles H. “Ezekiel.” The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures. Edited by J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985.

McGregor, L. John. “Ezekiel.” Pages 716–44 in New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition. Edited by D. A. Carson, R. T. France, J. A. Motyer, and G. J. Wenham. 4th ed. Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 1994.