God's promise to restore his people from their exile would not be complete without a fight. Ezekiel tells of a final battle, when an enemy horde advances against God's people while they live securely in their land. But God will defend his people, having mercy on them in order that he might vindicate his holiness through them.

Following Ezekiel's vision of the dry bones comes an even more astounding prophecy. The God of Israel promises to reunify the nation which had been divided into two kingdoms for about 400 years. When God does this, he assures them that they will never be divided again, so that his mission to the whole world will be successfully accomplished through them.

Ezekiel's vision of the dry bones might have been one text that helped Jesus's disciples think through the implications of the surprise of Easter morning. What appeared to be the end of their hope had become the beginning of another story, one in which the curse of sin had been lifted and death was no longer a threat. The mystery of a new creation was now upon them, with the excitement of following their Savior and doing his bidding in his glorious kingdom.

The promised end to exile was better news than Israel could ever imagine. Taken out of the land under God's curse, Israel would be restored to the land under God's blessing. When the exile was finally over, the earth and all who dwell in it would stand as a testimony to God's transformative grace.

The news of Jerusalem's final fall to the Babylonians came as a devastating blow to Israel's exiles. They knew that God had brought judgment on them for their sins, but now it seemed as if all hope for forgiveness was gone. Yet, God opened Ezekiel's mouth to deliver a new prophecy--the promise of God to fulfill his covenant blessings to Israel by delivering them from their captivity by his own hand.

What would life be like if there were no such thing as love? If that's hard to imagine, it's for good reason. The Song of Songs shows us that the enemy of love is death itself. So if we find true love, we must commit ourselves entirely to it. It's the only way to live.

In these three chapters of the Song of Songs, the female voice describes how gratifying love is to her and the trouble she will endure to enjoy it. The male voice describes how terrifying love is to him though he cannot seem to take his eyes off of it. Together, the two lovers tell us how unifying love is for all with its promise to lead us closer to the world the way it was always meant to be.

Song of Songs focuses on love between the married. But love is ordained by God for people of all statuses. We tend to see singleness as a suboptimal condition, one to be freed from, rather than one to worship God in. The truth is that love is for singles too, who can experience various dimensions of God’s love for them and reflect it in their lives. And the body of Christ is well served in knowing how to benefit from singles and how to love them well.

The most explicit language in the Song of Songs is in chapter four. As the man describes his lover and the effect she has on him, we sense that he has been conquered by her love. Their sexual union is like a garden paradise, and entering into it is a cause for great celebration.