Ezekiel 37:1-14 may be the best-known Text in all the Book of Ezekiel. The vision of the valley of dry, dead bones! Bones which suddenly came to life … on the command of God!

Notice that Ezekiel is here said to be “in the spirit.” And God gives him a “tour” of this vast valley of death. “The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones, and caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry.” The first two verses of the chapter, where such a collection of dry (dead) bones must have once been a battlefield! One in which these “victims” were slaughtered en masse! Nearly a whole army, just as well say a whole (though small) nation!

Then God asks His Prophet a question. “Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest.” Verse 3, “live?” What a miracle that would be! (Sometime study the questions God asks in the Old Testament! Or Jesus asked in the New Testament. Enlightening!)

The Lord continues His instructions: “Prophesy (preach) upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.” See here that God is the CAUSE behind this miracle! God is rebuilding this army, this nation! Miraculously, again I emphasize, verses 4-6. (Bones to be overlaid with muscle, flesh and skin!)

So Ezekiel (as usual) obeys: “So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a NOISE, and behold a SHAKING, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. 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.” Wow, verses 7-8. I would be interesting to study the “noises, sounds” God’s mighty acts produce! As on the Day of Pentecost! And as when the Rapture occurs!

Get ready now! “Then said he  (the Lord) unto me (Ezekiel), Prophesy unto the WIND (“ruach” often meaning “spirit” too), 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.” Verses 9 an 10, the very Breath of God, I suspect!

Remember when God “breathed” into a pile of dirt (in Eden) … and Adam became a “living soul?” (Genesis 2:7 … “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”) Same principle here!

Then God explains the vision, the experience: “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts.” The Jews, all 12 tribes, verse 11, the “whole” house of Israel.

Wow, national resurrection!

Then in the next verse (12) God sort of changes metaphors a bit. From dead bones in an open field to (still dead) bones, but now in some grave! “Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your GRAVES, and cause you to come up out of your GRAVES, and bring you into the land of Israel. 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 bring you into the land of Israel.” Amazing, what Grace and Mercy and Love! God here again calls them “My people!”

Bring the scattered ones “back” to Israel!

But there’s more, even better too! Salvation ahead for Israel! “And ye (the Jewish population) shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves.” Well, I guess so! No longer blind, verse 13.

Still, in verse 14 it gets sweeter! “And I (the Lord) 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.” That’s being “born-again,” folks! God’s Holy spirit, within!

What hope this must infuse into the hearts of the Jewish people, yet today! At least some of them.

Truly for the Israelites … “For His anger endureth but a moment; in His favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” Psalm 30:5

One word, Hallelujah!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell