“The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying, 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. And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land: And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all.” (Ezekiel 37:15-17, 21-22, KJV).
This scripture comes directly after the familiar valley of dry bones passage. If I were to say, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I would expect to hear a resounding, “Thou knowest.” I cannot recall anyone continuing the chapter with the story of the sticks. Ezekiel had quite a few outrageous object lessons, like chapter 4, when he laid on his left side for 390 days, during which he could eat only one eight-ounce meal a day cooked over manure, then laid on his right side for 40 days, and chapter 5 where he shaved his head and beard and burnt the hair. These acts portrayed the condition and subsequent outcomes of the nation of Israel. For all that Ezekiel went through, he also delivered some incredible visions from God and prophecies of hope and salvation.
The sticks’ illustration was meant to show the country’s uniting. The northern kingdom would be brought back together with Judah. The miraculous joining of the two sticks was a sign to the people that this unifying came from God; He was responsible for the joining and deserved the recognition. Who else could take two sticks and make them one while Ezekiel was holding them?
God has always prioritized the unity of His kingdom and the nations. The original design that God shared with Abraham included blessing all nations. This purpose was lost through years of enslavement, battle, the institution of monarchy, and foreign invasion. Throughout scripture, however, we obtain glimpses of God’s promises sustained through every calamity and providing hope for a better tomorrow. Just as these two sticks came together as one for a miraculous sign, two sticks were fashioned together to form a cross atop a mount called Golgotha. These sticks would enable unification for all nations and sinful people together with their Creator. The only perfect sacrifice, Jesus Christ, paid the price of sin. It is through His blood that we are redeemed. We may share in the likeness of His resurrection through His Name. Jesus is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, and all people will one day bow and proclaim His lordship.
It is not an accident that the story of the sticks followed the valley of dry bones. Ezekiel prophesied to the bones, and they came together, sinew and flesh, but they were still not alive. This grand army was rebuilt, but there was no breath in them. The word went forth, the wind blew, and they began to breathe and stood up. Then God shared this with Ezekiel, “And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the Lord have spoken it, and performed it, saith the Lord.” (Ezekiel 37:13-14). Jesus literally defeated the grave and provided us with a way of escape. Not long after, the mighty wind began to rush through an upper room, and God poured His Spirit out so that all nations might live.
The successive account of the sticks notes that these branches would be inscribed. The one would say, “For Judah and for the children of Israel his companions,” the other, “For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim and for all the house of Israel his companions.” We all know the translation of the name Judah means praise. The name Ephraim means fruitful, productive, and fertile. In response to God rescuing us from a dry valley and filling us with His Spirit, we should praise Him and be productive in the kingdom mission of reconciliation. Instead of wandering in a brittle world of zombified masses, we focus daily on God’s purpose, and this keeps us from lying around in the valley until we fall apart.
A great example of this comes from the Exodus and Joshua. Moses and Joshua found themselves on dry ground, surrounded by tumultuous waves. Moses relied on a stick out before him to divide the turmoil for the nation. When Joshua crossed the Jordan, the stick had served its purpose, and this army marched forward, led by the presence of God. Israel conquered the land and regained their inheritance. There are 13 verses about sticks mentioned in the Bible, and even more mention a rod of some type and purpose, but for all of their many uses, Jesus never intended for the sticks to be the end-all. The kingdom advances through the church of the living God. Spirit-filled believers press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:14). The saints of God willingly surrender to self and pick up the ministry of reconciliation, for Joel 2:32 states, “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call.” Keep pressing toward the mark because we make judgment calls outside our authority when we fail to press. These assessments are in the competent hands of a merciful God.
In conclusion, love must be our guiding light. Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, endured the cross for the joy that was set before him (see Hebrews 12:2). This Joy becomes our strength (Nehemiah 8:10). When we embrace the compassion of the Creator, we can view others through that unconditional love that proclaims, “You might not receive this, but I lay down my life for you.” The benefit we have in ministry is not knowing who will say no. Jesus so completely poured out all that He had, knowing the end from the beginning, but did it anyway, explaining, “Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15). “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). Should a dying savior forgive those who crucify Him? Should an omniscient sovereign look into the future at those who deny Him and call them friends? We might not understand, but John 15 commands us to love one another without prejudice, malice, or discrimination. This chapter concludes with a promise and a mandate. “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning” (John 15:26-27). The Comforter has come, and it is time for praise and productiveness for the people of God.