11/06/19 DRY BONES
Ezekiel 37:1-3 The Power of the LORD was upon me and I was carried away by the SPIRIT OF THE LORD to a valley full of old, dry bones that were scattered everywhere across the ground. He led me around among them, and then he said to me: “Son of dust, can these bones become people again?” [Living Bible Translation]
I said, “O Sovereign LORD, you alone know.” Then He said to me, “Prophesy to these bones….”
[New International translation]
Summary
Ezekiel was an Old Testament priest. His calling/job was to speak the WORD of GOD to a people that were in rebellion against GOD, a most difficult task indeed. But since he was “called” by GOD, GOD prepared Ezekiel for the task. Ezekiel’s preparation involved experiencing the SPIRIT OF GOD through a number of visions. In verse 37, Ezekiel has a vision of a valley of dead bones. These bones were very dry bones (New Testament translation) and very scattered. In other words, the fact that these bones were dry was compounded by the additional problem of these bones being disjointed, confused, fragmented, and mixed up. The fact that these bones were dead and that the whole valley was full of these bones, must have caused Ezekiel to question whether that particular valley was even a safe place to be. Ezekiel saw “Death Valley,” a mass graveyard of confusion.
The first thing that GOD did for Ezekiel was to cause him to open his mind up to the possibility of “seeing beyond the visible.” Ezekiel initially saw scattered bones in a valley. Through a series of questions, and instructions, GOD caused Ezekiel to realize that these bones were, in fact, people---his congregation--- in fact, the Nation of Israel. Israel had been beaten, led into captivity, humiliated and were so beaten down and so disconnected from their roots that they (the bones themselves) thought they had no hope. They were “lifeless.” But GOD promised Ezekiel, if Ezekiel followed HIS instructions, and prophesied to the bones, telling them about GOD’s plan for raising them up as a nation and about GOD’s plan to provide them with a KING and ONE SHEPHERD (Verse 37:24), (i.e. JESUS CHRIST), the dry bones would live again.
So, Ezekiel prophesied and GOD did just what HE said HE would do. GOD breathed life into the bones. GOD transformed a valley of death and dry bones into a people with spiritual life. GOD used Ezekiel to strengthen the bones. In Hebrew, Ezekiel’s name means “GOD will strengthen.”