The Valley of Dry Bones

1The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. 2 And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. 3 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.”7 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.11 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.”

The prophet Ezekiel descends from a priestly lineage and resides in exile in Babylon.
As a watchman, he warned the Israelites of the approaching judgment resulting from their idolatry. They refused to repent, and the judgment came.

Yet the LORD, the God of the covenant, does not take leave of His people. He shows the prophet Ezekiel visions. The vision of the dead bones demonstrates God’s covenant faithfulness, even in this dark and desolate state of exile: after all, Jerusalem lies in ruins, and the people are scattered.

Ezekiel must prophesy on behalf of the LORD. Then the bones come together and form complete skeletons, and then complete bodies. The prophet then prophecies to the (Holy) Spirit, whereupon the Spirit breathes life into the dead bodies. See also Genesis 2:7.

Thus, the LORD will ‘raise up from the grave’ the people of the Jews scattered in exile, and bring them into the land of Israel. Then He will breathe the Spirit in them, and they will live, serve the LORD, and sanctify His Name.

In chapters 34 and 36, the LORD already made promises regarding the future of the people of Israel:
-In Ezekiel 34, the coming of the one, good Shepherd is promised; ‘My servant David’ (meaning Jesus, the Son of David), Who will shepherd and bless the wandering sheep of Israel in their land.
-In Ezekiel 36, spiritual renewal is already promised. God brings spiritually dead people to life, so that His Name may be sanctified:

36 verse 25 ‘I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean. I will cleanse you from all your uncleanness and from all your idols.
26 Then I will give you a new heart and a new spirit in your innermost being. I will remove the heart of stone from your body and give you a heart of flesh.
27 I will put My Spirit in your innermost being. I will cause you to walk in My statutes and to observe My ordinances and keep them.
28 You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God.’

The bringing back and reviving of Israel is the beginning.
In Ezekiel 37 verses 21 to 28, God promises that the tribes will be reunited and ruled by a King who will be a Descendant of David.
God’s covenant of peace will thus be realized: He Himself will dwell among them.

Jesus said: ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’ Matthew 15:24.
The restoration of Israel and the shepherding of the Lord Jesus over the ‘other sheep’ are connected; ‘I have other sheep that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice, and there will be one flock and one Shepherd.’ John 10:16.

He also said:
‘Truly, truly, I say to you: The time is coming, and is now, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear him will live’. John 5 verse 25

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