Ezekiel Chapter 37
The Lord showed Ezekiel a valley bones. The valley was filled with dry bones completely clean of any flesh. Verses 3-6 read,
“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.”
When God spoke to Ezekiel and said, “Can these bones live?” the obvious answer for most people would have been a resounding “No!” But Ezekiel trusted God. He knew there was a purpose for the vision, and he knew that God is God and all things are possible with God. Ezekiel saw a valley filled with skeletons but God saw more. God saw what could be and what would be. So Ezekiel answered, “O Lord God, you know.” The Lord’s response was to tell Ezekiel to prophesy, to deliver His word and will to the bones. Ezekiel obeyed even though it seemed hopeless to expect a valley of bones to receive that word. Verses 7-10 describe what happened next.
“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.”
When the Lord has a word, a will, it will be done. Even the impossible becomes possible. God gave the very dead remains life again. They were so dead, there was nothing left of them, not a single shred of flesh, just very dry bones. But the Word of God restored flesh and blood to the bones, and the Spirit gave them breath and life and they stood and became a great army.
God used Ezekiel to speak His word and command life to the bones. He uses you and me to speak His word to the dead today so that they can be restored to life. When Jesus becomes Lord of someone’s life, they are brought out of death to new life. They are made whole, healed, and given the new promise of eternal life. They are given the Holy Spirit and sealed eternally. People may have lost all hope of life. They may think their sin is too grievous and that there is no way to have a relationship with God. Even others looking at them may see them as doomed but the Lord doesn’t. The Lord knows there is possibility and if He tells us to give His word to someone we must reply, “O Lord God, you know.” Verses 11-14 read,
“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.”
Not only can everyone experience spiritual resurrection but there will be a physical one as well. Believers have been called out of their spiritual graves, no longer headed for Hell and now headed for New Jerusalem. One day we will be called out of our physical graves and gathered together in New Jerusalem with Jesus as our King forever. That resurrection is the perfection of the new life we receive now on earth. We were once dead in sin, destined for eternal Hell. Now we are alive in Christ living eternal life with Him. One day we will raise out of our graves and be completely transformed and completed whole and holy.
At the time of Ezekiel’s prophecy Israel was two nations, Israel and Judah. But the Lord had promised to restore them and He meant absolutely. He said He would unite the divided nation to be the one nation they were meant to be. He even had Ezekiel perform a miracle of taking two sticks and making them one stick. Verses 21-22 read,
“then say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will take the people of Israel from the nations among which they have gone, and will gather them from all around, and bring them to their own land. 22 And I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. And one king shall be king over them all, and they shall be no longer two nations, and no longer divided into two kingdoms.”
These verses refer to the spilt nation of Israel, and they refer to the Jews and the gentiles united in Christ. In unity it no longer mattered if the Jew were from Judah or Ephraim, he was from Israel. In Christ it doesn’t matter if we were Hebrew or Greek, we are belong to Christ. Verses 26-28 read,
“I will make a covenant of peace with them. It shall be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will set them in their land and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in their midst forevermore. 27 My dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.28 Then the nations will know that I am the Lord who sanctifies Israel, when my sanctuary is in their midst forevermore.”
Jesus is God with us forever. He is our sanctuary. We are the temple of God and His Spirit is within us and with us forever. Nothing can take us out of God’s hand. Nothing can separate us from Him. That is His awesome promise. Once we were dead. We were a pile of dry brittle condemned bones. Now we are fully alive, filled with the Spirit of the Living God, living with Jesus as our King forever. We are united with God, inseparable from Him.
You have the power to speak that life to the dead. God didn’t show Ezekiel the valley of bones and say ‘What a pity for them’ He showed Ezekiel the valley of bones and said, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord… you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.” I encourage you today, to listen to the Lord, obey His Spirit and prophesy to those He calls you to. Give the hopeless the hope of Jesus. Show them they can be united with God. He will be their God and they will be His people.
The Lord showed Ezekiel a valley bones. The valley was filled with dry bones completely clean of any flesh. Verses 3-6 read,
“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.”
When God spoke to Ezekiel and said, “Can these bones live?” the obvious answer for most people would have been a resounding “No!” But Ezekiel trusted God. He knew there was a purpose for the vision, and he knew that God is God and all things are possible with God. Ezekiel saw a valley filled with skeletons but God saw more. God saw what could be and what would be. So Ezekiel answered, “O Lord God, you know.” The Lord’s response was to tell Ezekiel to prophesy, to deliver His word and will to the bones. Ezekiel obeyed even though it seemed hopeless to expect a valley of bones to receive that word. Verses 7-10 describe what happened next.
“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.”
When the Lord has a word, a will, it will be done. Even the impossible becomes possible. God gave the very dead remains life again. They were so dead, there was nothing left of them, not a single shred of flesh, just very dry bones. But the Word of God restored flesh and blood to the bones, and the Spirit gave them breath and life and they stood and became a great army.
God used Ezekiel to speak His word and command life to the bones. He uses you and me to speak His word to the dead today so that they can be restored to life. When Jesus becomes Lord of someone’s life, they are brought out of death to new life. They are made whole, healed, and given the new promise of eternal life. They are given the Holy Spirit and sealed eternally. People may have lost all hope of life. They may think their sin is too grievous and that there is no way to have a relationship with God. Even others looking at them may see them as doomed but the Lord doesn’t. The Lord knows there is possibility and if He tells us to give His word to someone we must reply, “O Lord God, you know.” Verses 11-14 read,
“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.”
Not only can everyone experience spiritual resurrection but there will be a physical one as well. Believers have been called out of their spiritual graves, no longer headed for Hell and now headed for New Jerusalem. One day we will be called out of our physical graves and gathered together in New Jerusalem with Jesus as our King forever. That resurrection is the perfection of the new life we receive now on earth. We were once dead in sin, destined for eternal Hell. Now we are alive in Christ living eternal life with Him. One day we will raise out of our graves and be completely transformed and completed whole and holy.
At the time of Ezekiel’s prophecy Israel was two nations, Israel and Judah. But the Lord had promised to restore them and He meant absolutely. He said He would unite the divided nation to be the one nation they were meant to be. He even had Ezekiel perform a miracle of taking two sticks and making them one stick. Verses 21-22 read,
“then say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will take the people of Israel from the nations among which they have gone, and will gather them from all around, and bring them to their own land. 22 And I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. And one king shall be king over them all, and they shall be no longer two nations, and no longer divided into two kingdoms.”
These verses refer to the spilt nation of Israel, and they refer to the Jews and the gentiles united in Christ. In unity it no longer mattered if the Jew were from Judah or Ephraim, he was from Israel. In Christ it doesn’t matter if we were Hebrew or Greek, we are belong to Christ. Verses 26-28 read,
“I will make a covenant of peace with them. It shall be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will set them in their land and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in their midst forevermore. 27 My dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.28 Then the nations will know that I am the Lord who sanctifies Israel, when my sanctuary is in their midst forevermore.”
Jesus is God with us forever. He is our sanctuary. We are the temple of God and His Spirit is within us and with us forever. Nothing can take us out of God’s hand. Nothing can separate us from Him. That is His awesome promise. Once we were dead. We were a pile of dry brittle condemned bones. Now we are fully alive, filled with the Spirit of the Living God, living with Jesus as our King forever. We are united with God, inseparable from Him.
You have the power to speak that life to the dead. God didn’t show Ezekiel the valley of bones and say ‘What a pity for them’ He showed Ezekiel the valley of bones and said, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord… you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.” I encourage you today, to listen to the Lord, obey His Spirit and prophesy to those He calls you to. Give the hopeless the hope of Jesus. Show them they can be united with God. He will be their God and they will be His people.
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