GOD’S ECONOMY
SERIES THIRTEEN
GOD’S ECONOMY IN ALL THE BOOKS OF THE BIBLE
God’s Economy as Revealed in the Old Testament
Message Twenty-one
God’s Economy as Revealed in Ezekiel
Scripture Reading: Eph. 1:10; 3:9-11; 2:22; Ezek. 1:1, 16-19; 37:1-14, 26-28; 40:1-48:35
I. The entire bible from Genesis to Revelation presents a full picture of the economy of God and of God’s move on earth to carry out His economy—Eph. 1:10, 3:9, 1 Tim. 1:4:
A. In the book of Ezekiel God’s economy and God’s move in His economy are signified by a wheel—Ezek. 1:16-19.
B. The hub of this great wheel signifies Christ as the center of God’s economy, and the rim signifies Christ’s counterpart, the church, which consummates in the New Jerusalem; the spokes of the wheel spreading from the hub to the rim signify the many believers as the members of Christ—v. 15 and footnote 1.
II. The Bible as a whole, and the book of Ezekiel as a miniature of the Bible, reveal that God’s eternal intention is to dispense Himself into His chosen people, making them the same as He is in His life, His nature, and His image but not in His Godhead, that they might be mingled with Him as one entity and be built together in Him to be His eternal habitation, the New Jerusalem; this is the central point of the revelation of the Bible and also of the four visions presented in the book of Ezekiel—1:1, footnote 1, cf. Eph. 1:10, 3:9-11,2:22, Rev. 21:2-3.
III. The children of Israel were God’s elect, separated from the nations unto God, God’s vine for the accomplishing of His economy, God’s bride for His satisfaction, God’s flock under His care, and God’s precious and personal treasure—Exo. 19:6, 15:1-8, 19:10, 16:8, 23:4, chs. 34, 19:5:
A. However, in contrast with these five statuses, in their degradation they became rebels against God, thistles and thorns, a harlot, scorpions, and dross—Ezek. 2:3, 6, 6:9, 16:15, 23:30, 22:18.
B. The causes of Israel’s degradation were (1) their having idols in their hearts, (2) their being associated with the world, i.e., the heathen nations, and (3) their walking according to the manner and customs of the nations; these are also the main causes of the degradation of God’s New Testament elect, the church—14:3-5, 25:8, cf. 1 Kings 11:1-2, 11:12, 16:30-31, Rev. 2:4,12-15.
C. God’s judgment on His people, as seen in chs. 2-24, is based on His righteousness, holiness, and glory:
1. God’s glory is versus idols, God’s holiness is versus dross, and God’s righteousness is versus Israel’s injustice and oppression; anything that does not match God’s glory, holiness, and righteousness will provoke God’s judgment—Ezek. 8:2-4, 10, 9:3, 22:17-22, 29.
2. As seen in this book and in the New Testament, God first judges His people, and then He judges the nations—Ezek. 25-32, 1 Pet. 4:17, Rev. 2-3, 6-11, 15-19.
IV. Three chapters in the book of Ezekiel occupy a special position in the Bible and can each be represented by a single word: chapter one—fire; chapter thirty-seven—breath; and chapter forty-seven—water.
V. Ezekiel 37 reveals how God’s Spirit comes into us in order to enliven us that we may become a corporate Body formed into an army and also built up as God’s dwelling place—v. 1-14, 26-28:
A. In Ezekiel 37 the wind is the breath, and the breath is the Spirit—v. 9, 14, John 20:22, 3:8:
1. The Triune Gods’ breath of life produced our human spirit as our intrinsic organ to contact, receive, and contain God; the human spirit is very close to God the Spirit—Gen. 2:7, Prov. 20:27, John 4:24, Rom. 8:16.
2. Christ as the embodiment of the processed Triune God breathed Himself as the Holy Pneuma (Spirit of breath) into the disciples to be their life and everything—John 20:22.
3. All Scripture is God-breathed; the Scripture is the breathing out of God—2 Tim. 3:16.
4. In order to be pneumatic people who live the pneumatic Christ, we need to exercise our spirit to be filled with the Spirit and constituted with the Word—1 Tim. 4:7, Eph. 5:18, John 1:14, 20:22, Rev. 19:13-14.
5. We need to enjoy Christ as our Pneuma, breathing Him in moment by moment and day by day—Eph. 6:18.
B. The Lord comes in to rescue and recover His people through the prophesying of His word—Ezek. 37:4-5, 10:
1. As Ezekiel prophesied to the bones, they came together with noise and shaking, and the sinews, flesh, and skin covered them—v. 7-8, Psa. 95:1-2.
2. When Ezekiel prophesied again to the wind, “the breath came into them; and they lived and stood up upon their feet, an exceedingly great army”—Ezek. 37:9-10.
3. When Ezekiel prophesied, God blew the wind, the people received the breath, and the breath became the Spirit—v. 9-10.
4. This picture shows us that the Lord comes to revive His dead and scattered people and make them one through prophesying:
a. Prophesying is to speak for the Lod, to speak forth the Lord, to speak the Lord into others for the organic building up of the church—1 Cor. 14:4b, 8-9,12, 26, 31-32.
b. In order to speak for the Lord, we must live a prophesying life—1 Cor. 14:31:
(1) We must be revived every morning—Prov. 4:18, Lam. 3:22-24, Psa. 119:147-148, Prov. 20:13, 26:14, 6:6-11.
(2) We must live an overcoming life every day—1 Cor. 2:9-10, Rom. 8:4, Phil. 3:8-10, 12-14, 2 Tim. 3:16, 4:2.
C. Through the breathing of the Spirit, God’s people become the army and the house to fulfill God’s twofold purpose to deal with His enemy and express Him in His image—Ezek. 37:10, 26-28, 2 Thes. 2:8, Gen. 1:26:
1. The revelation in chs. 37 shows that the unique way to have the Body, the church, and the house of God in the genuine oneness is the way of life—v. 9-10.
2. When the breath entered into the dead ones, it became life to them, and they lived and stood up in oneness to become an exceedingly great army—v. 9-10.
3. The dry bones and the two dead branches in vv. 16-17 became one not by gifts or by teaching but by life.
4. The dead bones and the dead branches were enlivened and became one as the issue of the dispensing of life and the growth in life—cf. John 17:2, 11, 17, 21-23, Eph. 4:11-16.
VI. The Book of Ezekiel begins with a vision of the appearance of the glory of the Lord and ends with a vision of the holy building of God; this indicates that God’s goal is the building and that the glory of the Lord, the judgment of God, and the recovery of the Lord are all for the holy building of God—40:1-48-35:
A. In Ezekiel 40—48, a section on God’s building, three main things are covered: the holy temple, the holy city, and the holy land:
1. The recovery of the land signifies the recovery of the experience and enjoyment of the riches of Christ; once the land has been recovered, the temple can be built on the land—47:13, footnote 1.
2. The temple is God’s house for His rest, and the city is God’s kingdom for His authority—48:35b:
a. The temple signifies the fellowship of God, and the city signifies the government of God—v. 35, footnote 1.
b. In the temple God has fellowship with His people, and in the city God reigns among His people—cf. Rev. 21:2-3.
B. The vision of God’s building in Ezekiel describes the place where God dwells—His holy temple; if we want to meet God, we need to know His particular place, His exact location—Ezek. 41:1, 48:35b.
C. In Ezekiel, the altar is the center of the whole compound of the building of God; when we come to the altar at the center of God’s building, we experience the cross in a particular way—40:47, 43:13-27.
D. Ezekiel saw the glory of the Lord coming back to the house of the Lord; the glory could return only after the building of the temple was completed—44:4.
E. “This is the place of My throne and the place of the soles of My feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel forever”—43:7a.
VII. The Lord instructed Ezekiel to describe God’s house to God’s people—40:4, 43:10-12:
A. It was God’s intention to check the living and conduct of the people of Israel by the house; in the book of Ezekiel, God measured His people by the temple—40:3, 9:
1. Because the house of God was to be their regulation, God charged Ezekiel to show them the form of the house—43:11-12.
2. The temple of God is a pattern, and if the people examine themselves in light of this pattern, they will know their shortcomings—v. 11, 41:16-20.
3. The living of the people must match the temple of God—1 Cor. 3:16-17.
B. We need to see from the book of Ezekiel that the requirements of the indwelling Christ are according to His house; everyone must be measured and checked according to the measurement of God’s house—Ezek. 43:10-11:
1. Our behavior and conduct should be examined not only according to moral regulations and spiritual principles but also according to the church, the house of God—1 Tim. 3:15-16.
2. The Body life is the greatest test of our spirituality; if we cannot pass the test of the Body life, our spirituality is not genuine—1 Cor. 12:23-27.
3. Spirituality is a Body matter; everything we have is in the Body, through the Body, and for the Body—Eph. 4:16.
Ministry Excerpts:
GOD’S ECONOMY BEING LIKENED TO A GREAT WHEEL
In Ezekiel 1 God’s economy is likened to a great wheel (vv. 15-21). The hub of this great wheel signifies Christ as the center of God’s economy, and the rim signifies Christ’s counterpart, the church, which consummates in the New Jerusalem. The many believers as the members of Christ are the spokes of the hub spreading to the rim, to the Body of Christ consummating in the New Jerusalem. This great wheel is not just the economy of God but also the moving of the economy of God. From Genesis 1 until the present, this wheel has been continually moving. The move of God’s economy has never stopped, and today this great wheel has reached us. When I moved from mainland China to the island of Taiwan with about three hundred fifty to five hundred others more than forty years ago, there were few Christians on that island who knew what God’s economy was. But because of the moving of the great wheel of the divine economy, within five years the number in the churches increased to fifty thousand. Eventually, the Lord, the Motivator, burdened me to come to this country. This also was part of the moving of this great wheel. In every age and in every generation, this great wheel has been moving, and today we all are a part of the move of this great wheel on earth. Sometimes the move of this wheel is quite slow, but at other times it is so fast that we can hardly keep up with it. (Life-study of Joshua, msg. 2)
THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL BEING A MINIATURE OF THE ENTIRE BIBLE
The book of Ezekiel occupies a very important position among the books of the Bible. If we know what the Bible reveals, we can see that Ezekiel is a miniature of the entire Bible. What is revealed in Ezekiel is a condensed form of the whole revelation in the Bible. In this sense Ezekiel is a miniature of the Scriptures as a whole.
God’s Eternal Purpose
The Bible shows us clearly that God’s eternal purpose is to dispense Himself into a group of human beings. His intention is to dispense Himself into us that we may have Him as our life, that we may have His nature, and that we may bear His glorious image. This means that God’s purpose, His intention, is that we and He would have the same life, nature, and image and that eventually, we and He, He and we, would be mingled together as one entity with two natures, the divine nature and the human nature, in order to be built together as God’s eternal dwelling place. This is God’s eternal purpose, which is clearly revealed in the Scriptures. The book of Ezekiel shows us the same picture in a condensed way, revealing that God’s intention is to work Himself into us as our life and to mingle Himself with us that we might be built together in Him as life to be His eternal habitation. This is what the Bible reveals, and this is what, in miniature, Ezekiel also reveals.
Life, Nature, Image, and Building
In the first three chapters of Genesis, we see that God created man and placed him before the tree of life. The tree of life signifies God Himself as life to us in the form of food. Due to the fall of man, the tree of life was encompassed and concealed by cherubim, and “a flaming sword which turned every way” kept “the way of the tree of life” (Gen. 3:24). From Genesis 3 onward we see both God’s judgment and God’s care, mercy, and salvation. On the one hand, God’s flaming sword executes His judgment, burning away whatever is contrary to Himself. On the other hand, through His grace God has redeemed a people for Himself. Through the redemption of Christ the way to the tree of life has been opened again to man. Now man, under and through Christ’s redemption, has free access to the tree of life and may take the tree of life as his food. This is why in John 6 the Lord Jesus told us that He came as the bread of life and that we should take Him as our food. He said, “He who eats Me, he also shall live because of Me” (v. 57b). If we take Him as our food, we will have His life and nature, and eventually, we will bear His image. By having His life, nature, and image we will be built up together. He prayed for this building in John 17:21 when He prayed, “That they all may be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us.” To be one in such a way means that we need to be built up together. If we go from John’s Gospel to John’s Revelation, we can see that in Revelation 21 and 22 all the redeemed ones have been built together into one city. In this city we are all one, not just one in doctrine nor even just one in vision but one in building. From this we see that we need to be built up one with another in life. Then God will have a city, the New Jerusalem. This is the picture portrayed in the Scriptures.
When we come to the book of Ezekiel, we see the same picture. In the first chapter are the cherubim of flaming fire with God in their midst. Other chapters show us how God comes to be our life (chs. 11, 33, 34, 36, 37, 47). Eventually, chapter forty-eight reveals that we who have God’s life will be built up together into the holy city, Jerusalem. Once again we see that the book of Ezekiel is a miniature of the Bible.
We need to be deeply impressed with the fact that the Bible as a whole and the book of Ezekiel as a miniature of the Bible reveal that God’s intention is to dispense Himself into us as our life that we may have His divine nature and bear His glorious image. Then by the divine nature with the divine image we will be built together as one eternal dwelling place—the New Jerusalem. This is the central point of the revelation of the Bible and also of the book of Ezekiel. (Life-study of Ezekiel, msg. 1)
THE RIGHTS, PRIVILEGES, AND STANDING OF THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL
God’s Vine for Accomplishing God’s Economy
Israel was not only God’s elect but also God’s vine. God’s vine is for the accomplishing of God’s economy. John 15 reveals that Christ is the true vine and that we are the branches. As a whole, Christ and we are a vine for God’s economy. To the vine God grants His rich visitation with the supply of sunshine, air, rain, soil, and many other things that are necessary for the vine to grow and produce something.
This vine consists not only of human beings but of human beings joined to the divine person. This means that the vine is a combination of the Divine Being with many human beings. Such a vine is for God’s economy, and it should produce something that can make God happy and cause people to rejoice. As God’s chosen and elect people, Israel was God’s vine for His economy. Christ with the church is God’s vine today.
In the Bible the vine tree signifies God’s people as they are under His care and in union with Him. The vine tree in John 15 is formed by the union of the glorious Christ, God’s Son, and all who believe into Him and belong to Him. This union issues in the flowing forth of the divine life, and this life becomes the wine that brings joy to both God and man. Therefore, with the vine we have four crucial points: God’s care in His grace, the union of God and man, the flowing forth of the divine life, and the producing of wine for the joy of God and man.
In His grace and in His care for us, the believers, God has put us into Christ (1 Cor. 1:30), and now He is cultivating us that we may live in union with Christ. He is the vine, and we are the branches (John 15:5a). We are in Him, and He is in us. As we abide in Him, the divine life flows forth in fruit-bearing, and grapes are produced. Eventually, these grapes become wine to cheer both God and man (Judg. 9:13).
God’s Bride
Israel was also God’s bride, His counterpart, for His satisfaction. Whereas the vine is a matter of the flow of life and the manifestation of grace, the wife is a matter of love and satisfaction. God does not want to be alone but wants to have a bride. Genesis 2:18 says that it is not good for man to be alone. In typology, this signifies that it is not good for Christ, for God, to be alone. Christ desires to have a bride. According to Ezekiel 16 and 23 Israel was God’s bride in the Old Testament time. Today the church is Christ’s bride for His satisfaction (John 3:29; Rev. 19:7). What will satisfy God the most and bring Him the greatest pleasure will be the church as His bride, His counterpart.
God’s Flock
The house of Israel was also God’s flock. In the Old Testament God had a flock on earth that was under His care, and this flock was Israel. Today the church is God’s flock, under His care (1 Pet. 5:2).
A Precious Treasure
In addition, the people of Israel were chosen by Him to be a precious and peculiar treasure (Exo. 19:5). How marvelous was Israel’s standing before God! They were His elect, His vine, His bride, His flock, and His treasure. These were the rights, privileges, and standing of the people of Israel.
THE ACTUAL CONDITION OF THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL
Unfortunately, the actual condition of Israel was very poor. If we read the long record in Ezekiel from chapter two to chapter twenty-four, we may feel like weeping over Israel’s pitiful condition.
A Rebellious House
The people of Israel were God’s elect, but they became rebels against God. Many times in these twenty-three chapters God said that Israel was a rebellious nation, a rebellious house. In 2:3 the Lord said to Ezekiel, “Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against me.” In verses 5 and 6 God referred to them as “a rebellious house,” and in verse 7 He said that “they are most rebellious.” They were God’s elect, but they had become rebels against God.
Briars and Thorns
The people of Israel were God’s vine, but they became briars and thorns (2:6). A vine should produce grapes as fruit to eat and for making wine. Instead of producing grapes, Israel became briars and thorns. They became a pricking, injuring, and damaging plant which yielded no fruit and no wine. God’s elect became rebels, and God’s vine became briars and thorns.
A Harlot
Moreover, although the people of Israel were God’s bride, they became a harlot. They had a “whorish heart” and they went “a whoring after their idols” (6:9). What a miserable situation! In chapters sixteen and twenty-three God said that His heart was broken because of their whorish heart. As a dear Husband, God was grieved because His people had become a whorish wife.
Scorpions
According to the record in Ezekiel, what became of Israel as God’s flock? In 2:6 we see that God’s flock became scorpions. As God’s flock they should have been sheep producing meat to nourish people and wool to warm people. But they became scorpions, and with scorpions there is no producing, only stinging.
Dross
Ezekiel 22:18 says, “Son of man, the house of Israel is to me become dross: all they are brass, and tin, and iron, and lead, in the midst of the furnace; they are even the dross of silver.” This reveals that Israel, God’s precious treasure, had become dross, the waste material that remains after gold and silver have been refined. As God’s elect, they became rebels; as God’s vine, they became briars and thorns; as God’s bride, they became a harlot; as God’s flock, they became scorpions; and as God’s treasure of gold and silver, they became dross.
This picture of Israel can be applied to the situation of today’s Christianity. In their standing Christians are God’s elect, but many have become rebels against God. Instead of being a vine, they have become briars and thorns. Instead of being a wife, they have become a harlot. According to Revelation 17 and 18 today’s Christianity is not a bride but a great harlot with many daughter harlots. Thus, today’s Christianity is altogether a whoredom. Moreover, among Christians what we see today is not a flock producing meat and wool for others but stinging scorpions. Finally, although some Christians today may be a treasure to God, most have become dross. (Life-study of Ezekiel, msg. 13)
EZEKIEL 37 OCCUPYING A PARTICULAR POSITION IN THE BIBLE
In the book of Ezekiel, there are three chapters which may be considered great chapters in the Bible—chapter one, chapter thirty-seven, and chapter forty-seven. These chapters occupy a special position not only in Ezekiel but in the Bible as a whole. Each of these chapters may be represented by a single word: chapter one—fire; chapter thirty-seven—breath; and chapter forty-seven—water. No chapter speaks of God as fire in the way Ezekiel 1 does. John 4 and 7 and Revelation 22 speak about water, but not in the way that Ezekiel 47 does. Likewise, Ezekiel 37 is unique in the way it speaks of God’s breath. This chapter reveals how God’s Spirit comes into us in order to enliven us that we may become a corporate body, formed into an army, and also built up as God’s dwelling place. Only in this chapter do we see the result of our being enlivened by the breath of life. From this we see that Ezekiel 37 occupies a particular position in the Bible.
Our Condition
Being Dead and Dry Bones
Before God came in to renew us and regenerate us, we were like dead and dry bones. If we had only Ezekiel 36, we would realize that we were sinful and filthy, but we would not think that we were dead. Ezekiel 37 reveals that we were not only dead but that we were also dry bones. This indicates that God’s salvation is not only for those who are sinful but also for those who are dead.
In the sight of God, when we were fallen, either as a sinner or as a backslidden believer, we were dead and buried in a grave. We were in the “grave” of various sinful things and worldly entertainments. Before we were saved or before we were revived we were all buried in some kind of grave. We were sinful, dead, buried, and dried up. We had no blood, no flesh, no sinew, no skin—just dry bones. This is a picture showing what we were and where we were.
Being Scattered
Because we were dead and dry, we were also scattered. According to Ezekiel 37 not one piece of bone was joined to another piece. All the bones were disjointed and scattered, having no oneness. Whether we were an unsaved sinner or a backslidden believer, this was our situation.
Today many Christians are buried in the graves of denominations, divisions, independent groups, and different movements. All denominations, sects, groups, and movements are graves. Many of us can testify that formerly we were in such graves, dead, dry, scattered, disjointed, and not connected to anyone.
Recovery Through Prophesying
Praise the Lord that He did not leave us in our situation but came in to rescue us! However, the Lord did not come in directly to be our Shepherd, but, in keeping with Ezekiel 37, He came in through the prophesying of His word.
Many Christians have a mistaken understanding of prophesying, thinking that to prophesy is only to predict. But there is hardly any prediction in Ezekiel 37. Instead, the prophesying here is a matter of declaring something or speaking something forth. This indicates that prophesying in this chapter does not mainly mean to predict but to tell forth, to make some kind of declaration. When the Lord told Ezekiel to prophesy, He meant that Ezekiel should speak forth. The Lord told Ezekiel that when he prophesied, He would send the breath and the wind. When Ezekiel spoke forth, God gave people the Spirit. From this we can see clearly that the main meaning of prophesying is not to predict but to speak forth something for the Lord.
Other Christians think that to prophesy is to teach. But no matter how much one may teach dry bones, they remain dry bones. One may teach dry bones about the need for wind, breath, and the Spirit, but nothing happens to these bones. In this chapter Ezekiel neither predicted something to the dry bones nor taught them. On the contrary, when Ezekiel prophesied, he spoke something for God, and God followed him. As Ezekiel was prophesying, God was blowing upon the dry bones, sending the wind, the breath, and the Spirit.
The Wind, the Breath, and the Spirit
In Ezekiel 37 three things are related to the prophesying: the wind, breath, and Spirit. In English these are three different words, but in Hebrew they are only one word, ruach. Verse 9 uses the word wind and the word breath, but in the Hebrew text both are the same word, ruach. In verse 14 there is the Spirit, but this also is a translation of ruach. It is difficult for translators to decide how to translate ruach in these verses. The translation is based both upon the context and upon the understanding of the translator.
If we apply this matter to our spiritual experience, we may say that when God blows upon us, that is the wind; when we breathe the wind, it is the breath; and when the breath comes into us, it is the Spirit. First comes the wind and then the breath and then the Spirit. When Ezekiel prophesied, God blew the wind, the people received the breath, and the breath became the Spirit, the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45b).
The Breath Coming in
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.
Two Dry Sticks Being Joined
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.
The Way of Life
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. (Life-study of Ezekiel, msg. 18)
THE LORD’S GLORY, GOD’S JUDGMENT, AND LORD’S RECOVERY,
BEING ALL FOR THE HOLY BUILDING OF GOD
In the foregoing messages we saw the appearance of the glory of the Lord, the judgment of God by fire, and the recovery of the Lord by life. Now we come to the last section of Ezekiel (chs. 40—48), which is concerned with the holy building of God. The three previous sections are for the last section; that is, the glory of the Lord, the judgment of God, and the recovery of the Lord are all for the holy building of God. We may even say that the issue of the glory of the Lord, the judgment of God, and the recovery of the Lord is the building of God. God’s eternal purpose is to have a building. Whatever God does among His people on earth is for His building. (Life-study of Ezekiel, msg. 19)
We need to see something further concerning the holy land. Apart from the land, there can be no temple. We may appreciate the temple very much, but we need to realize that the temple is in the land and that without the land there cannot be a temple. The temple, which typifies the church, is the issue of the land, which typifies Christ. Thus, the temple depends on the land. If we do not have the experience of Christ, it is impossible for us to have the church. The church is the issue of the enjoyment of the riches of Christ.
Ezekiel’s record indicates that the temple was not within the city but was separated from the city. Whereas the city signifies the government of God, the temple signifies the fellowship of God. The temple is God’s house, God’s dwelling place, for His rest, and the city is God’s kingdom for His authority.
The book of Ezekiel concludes with the words, “The name of the city from that day shall be, The Lord is there” (48:35b). God dwells in the temple, and He dwells also in the city. In the temple God has fellowship with His people, and in the city God reigns among His people. This indicates that God has come down from heaven to live with man.
We hope that this will be the situation in all the local churches. In the church as His building today, God has His temple, His dwelling place, and He also has His city for His administration. In this way, the church becomes the center for the fellowship with God and for the reigning of God. If we have the adequate enjoyment of Christ as the good land, there will be an issue—the temple and the city. When there is the temple and the city in the good land, God will have His expression, we will enjoy God and God will enjoy us, and we and God will have mutual satisfaction. (Life-study of Ezekiel, msg. 27)
THE LORD INSTRUCTING EZEKIEL TO SHOW GOD’S HOUSE
TO THE PEOPLE
After pointing out these abominations, the Lord told Ezekiel how to instruct the people: “Thou son of man, show the house to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities” (v. 10a). The Lord did not charge Ezekiel to teach God’s people the law and the Ten Commandments as He had charged Moses. Rather, He told Ezekiel to show God’s house to the people. Here the Lord seemed to be saying, “From now on, it is a matter not of the dispensation of the law but of the dispensation of My house. Simply to keep the law is not good enough. You have to keep the form, the fashion, the ordinances, the statutes, the laws, the comings in, and the goings out related to the house. You should behave not merely according to the Ten Commandments but also according to My house.”
God’s Intention Being to Check the Living and Conduct of the People of Israel as a Rule and Pattern
According to verse 10 God wanted Ezekiel to show the temple to the house of Israel so that the people would be ashamed of their iniquities. The temple of God is a pattern, and if the people would examine themselves in light of this pattern, they would know their shortcomings. It was God’s intention to check the living and conduct of the people of Israel by His house, His habitation, as a rule and pattern. The living of the people of God must match the temple of God. Showing the temple to God’s people exposes their sins and shortcomings and causes them to be ashamed of their iniquities.
Most believers today feel that moral regulations and spiritual principles are sufficient as rules of behavior and conduct. Few realize that our behavior and conduct should be examined not only according to moral regulations and spiritual principles but also according to the church, the house of God.
The common, or lower, teachings in today’s Christianity tell the believers how to behave, that is, what to do and what not to do. The believers are given many rules of conduct. There are also higher teachings which encourage the believers to be spiritual. These teachings are an improvement over the teachings regarding behavior. The Lord did not tell Ezekiel to show the law or spiritual principles to the house of Israel. Rather, the Lord charged Ezekiel to show His house to the house of Israel. Because the house was to be their regulation, the Lord charged Ezekiel to show them “the form of the house, and the fashion thereof, and the goings out thereof, and the comings in thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the laws thereof” (v. 11).
Our Concern Being in Conforming to God’s Temple
Our main concern today should not be with behaving ourselves or even with becoming spiritual. Our concern should be with fitting into God’s house, that is, with how we conduct ourselves in God’s house. The Lord did not command Ezekiel to show the law, the Ten Commandments, to the house of Israel; neither did He command him to show the spiritual principles to the house of Israel. On the contrary, the Lord charged Ezekiel to show His house to the house of Israel.
Suppose a certain young man gets saved. Before he was saved, he treated his parents and his sister quite poorly. Now that he has been saved, he learns how to treat them with respect and to behave rightly and properly in relation to his father, mother, and sister. Later, he learns to be spiritual and to do things such as reckon himself dead. He is good in conduct and in certain matters he is even spiritual; however, he is altogether independent. He is so independent that he is not willing to pray with others. Such a person, who is extremely independent, does not know anything about God’s house. He does not care at all for the church. Everything he does is for himself individually; nothing is for the church, the Body, Christ’s corporate expression.
If this kind of person is measured by the house, he will realize that he is lacking in many ways. For instance, he will realize that he does not have the windows, that is, the life-giving Spirit. He needs to have the windows by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus. The more he calls on the Lord’s name, the more windows he will have. This brother also needs to be checked by and compared with the doors of the house. This may cause him to realize that he has many doors by which he can exit the church life. Concerning the church life, he may come and go as he pleases, coming in one day and going out the next. Although he has many doors, the temple does not have many doors. He does not have windows, but he has many doors, many ways to leave the church life.
We all need to be checked by the building, the house, in our comings in and goings out. If we would come into the church life, we must come in through one gate. Then we need to progress inward and upward, ascending higher and higher. Once we reach the rear of the third story, we realize that we cannot escape, for there are no gates through which we can go out.
In the book of Ezekiel, God measures His people by the temple. For example, in the temple the number six is used many times. As we have pointed out, the number six here, which is used with the wall, the entry, and other parts of the temple, signifies the humanity of the Lord Jesus. This indicates that we need to check our humanity by the building and take the humanity of the Lord Jesus as our humanity.
Another example is related to the wood used in the temple. The wood that was used for a certain purpose had to be of an appropriate measure. This means that the wood had to keep its position and function accordingly. If a piece of wood were either larger or smaller than its prescribed measure, it would not fit properly into the building. In applying this to our experience in the church life today, we need to consider whether in our situation we match the measurements of God’s temple. Suppose God’s wants you to measure three cubits. Do you match this measure, or are you either more or less than three cubits? A sister should stand on the position of a sister. If she presumes to stand on the position of a brother, she will not be within her measure, and this will not match the building or fit into it.
Yet another example of being measured by God’s building involves the cherubim and the palm trees. If we are measured by the cherubim and palm trees carved into the walls, we will consider the matters of the expression of Christ’s glorious image and the expression of Christ’s victory. As one who is in the church life, do you have the image of Christ? Do you express the glory of Christ and the victory of Christ? Have you experienced God’s “carving”? Do you have any wounds or scars which testify that God has been carving you? If we are measured by the temple in this way, we may realize that we are still “smooth wood,” wood that does not have cherubim and palm trees carved into it.
A particularly important point is that in the building there are no independent pieces. Every piece of material has been built in. Every piece is related to others, and no piece is independent. What about you? Are you independent? Have you been built into the building? Do your form and fashion fit into the building? You may say that you like this and not that, but the question is not what you like or do not like but whether or not you fit into the building, into the church. Does your way fit in with the church life?
Ezekiel was told that from that point on the house of Israel was to behave according to God’s house. This indicates that today we should behave ourselves not according to certain teachings but according to the church. The church has to be our regulation. We need to be regulated by the fashion of the church, by the comings in and goings out of the church, by the ordinances, statutes, and laws of the church. This means that we should be God’s people not according to the law of Moses but according to the form of the temple in Ezekiel.
Today the Lord’s concern is not the law—it is the house. His concern is not spirituality—it is the church. The Lord cares for the church, that is, for the place of His throne, for the place of the soles of His feet, for the place where He can dwell for rest and satisfaction. Because the Lord cares so much for the church, His house, we also should care for the church as His house and fashion ourselves according to it. If we realize this, we will not care merely for teachings from the Bible or about the inner life. Likewise, we will not care for speaking in tongues or for a particular way to pray. Instead, we should care absolutely for the church and fashion ourselves according to the church, God’s house.
The Body Life Being the Greatest Test of Real Spirituality
The church life, or the Body life, is the greatest test of real spirituality. If we cannot pass the test of the church life, our spirituality is not genuine.
We need to see from the book of Ezekiel that the requirement of the indwelling Christ is not according to the law but according to His house. Everyone must be measured and checked according to the measurement of God’s house. We are not under the dispensation of the law; we are under the dispensation of the house. This is the age of the church, not the age merely of being spiritual. Now is the time for the church life. If what we are and what we do cannot fit into the church life, it amounts to nothing in the sight of God and may even be an abomination to Him, a kind of whoredom. Therefore, we need to fashion ourselves according to the church and allow the church to measure us and check us in every aspect. (Life-study of Ezekiel, msg. 24)