The 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.”
I Will Be Their God; They Shall Be My People
15 The word of the Lord came to me: 16 “Son of man, take a stick and write on it, ‘For Judah, and the people of Israel associated with him’; then take another stick and write on it, ‘For Joseph (the stick of Ephraim) and all the house of Israel associated with him.’ 17 And join them one to another into one stick, that they may become one in your hand. 18 And when your people say to you, ‘Will you not tell us what you mean by these?’ 19 say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am about to take the stick of Joseph (that is in the hand of Ephraim) and the tribes of Israel associated with him. And I will join with it the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, that they may be one in my hand. 20 When the sticks on which you write are in your hand before their eyes, 21 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. 23 They shall not defile themselves anymore with their idols and their detestable things, or with any of their transgressions. But I will save them from all the backslidings in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them; and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.
24 “My servant David shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd. They shall walk in my rules and be careful to obey my statutes. 25 They shall dwell in the land that I gave to my servant Jacob, where your fathers lived. They and their children and their children's children shall dwell there forever, and David my servant shall be their prince forever. 26 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.” Ezekiel 37 ESV
Ezekiel 37: 1-14 Dry Bones
It was full of bones - So we ask, "what is the symbolism, what do the bones represent?" When studying scripture we look first to the context of the chapter before we go about cross referencing to other parts of the Bible, but scripture will always be the best interpreter of scripture. Here, we need not look far, for in verse 11 it says quite plainly, "Son of man, these bones are the house of Israel."
That this cannot refer to the physical resurrection of individuals in this context is evident by several things. These bones are all seen in one valley in Chaldea, not buried or scattered; and the remains of Israel's people were not so disposed. Furthermore, these bones are revived in stages: first bone to bone, then sinews, then flesh, then skin, and finally breath. The physical resurrection, in contrast, is instantaneous (1Cor 15). - Precept Austin
Behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley - Behold, means pay attention, look here, and this is a hard look for a man like Ezekiel, for the bones were left on the surface, without proper burial. In his world this would be a disgraceful thing.
…18Therefore this is what the LORD says concerning Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah: “They will not mourn for him: ‘Alas, my brother! Alas, my sister!’ They will not mourn for him: ‘Alas, my master! Alas, his splendor!’ 19 He will be buried like a donkey, dragged away and thrown outside the gates of Jerusalem. Jeremiah 22: 18-19
…25The LORD will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. You will march out against them in one direction but flee from them in seven. You will be an object of horror to all the kingdoms of the earth. 26Your corpses will be food for all the birds of the air and beasts of the earth, with no one to scare them away. 27The LORD will afflict you with the boils of Egypt, with tumors and scabs and itch from which you cannot be cured.… Deuteronomy 28: 25-27
A man may father a hundred children and live for many years; yet no matter how long he lives, if he is unsatisfied with his prosperity and does not even receive a proper burial, I say that a stillborn child is better off than he. 4For a stillborn child enters in futility and departs in darkness, and his name is shrouded in obscurity.… Ecclesiastes 6: 3-4
Behold, they were very dry - They are beyond hope of life, not even a live body surrounding it like Sarah's womb, that which Abraham thought was past hope. This physical comparison shows the impossibility of Israel's situation nationally and spiritually, it is past Ezekiel's ability to conceive, he has no reference for hope in a situation like this. What else would one think looking at this picture, but the end of an era, the end of a civilization, "very dry", it has been dead and picked for some time, difficult to identify.
Can these bones live - Well, of course not in Ezekiel's experience, scattered bones means there was once life, but just like Jesus' clues to Nicodemus should have led him to Ezekiel 36, so this should cause a priest to ponder. What have I read of God, and what have I believed? He answers that God knows, which is not a bad answer, but did God not make Adam from the dust, Eve from one of Adam's ribs? He was in the business of stem cell research before we could spell it. Was not Isaac called from a barren womb?
Prophesy over these bones - It is not the title of a man that makes what he says prophetic, for many go around calling themselves prophets; it is that he does what God tells him to do, and he repeats what God says. We have a more sure word of prophecy in the Scriptures that He has given us, but men bank more upon their own thoughts and feelings than the word of God.
…16But not all of them welcomed the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?” 17Consequently, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. 18But I ask, did they not hear? Indeed they did: “Their voice has gone out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.”… Romans 10: 16-18
…16They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth. 18As You sent Me into the world, I have also sent them into the world.… John 17: 16-18
…18And we ourselves heard this voice from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. 19 We also have the word of the prophets as confirmed beyond doubt. And you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 20Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture comes from one’s own interpretation.… 2 Peter 1: 18-20
I will cause breath to enter you - This would take you all the way back to the garden. In a sermon, this would be the hope of the pastor, that he sees the skeletons, we know that all start off dead in their trespasses and sins, the structure is there, but what makes it stand up, what gives it a soul? Ezekiel is just a vehicle, yet that is quite an honor, to carry that which the Holy Spirit inspired and will work through. It is also a weight off of the speaker's chest, that He must say what God has already said, and God knows and has decided by His own will what His word will accomplish.
…62Then what will happen if you see the Son of Man ascend to where He was before? 63The Spirit gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. 64However, there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray Him.)… John 6: 62-64
…10For just as rain and snow fall from heaven and do not return without watering the earth, making it bud and sprout, and providing seed to sow and food to eat, 11so My word that proceeds from My mouth will not return to Me empty, but it will accomplish what I please, and it will prosper where I send it. 12You will indeed go out with joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.… Isaiah 55: 10-12
…6But springs welled up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. 7Then the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being. 8And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, where He placed the man He had formed.… Genesis 2: 6-8
As I was commanded - He did what God told him to do, and for this men fall out of grace with other men, but what is that to me, they did not create the universe. Just say what God has said; it is that simple, and you have no right to change what He says. If He says, "speak to the rock", then speak to it, but don't change the message. Don't rob God.
…7And the LORD said to Moses, 8“Take the staff and assemble the congregation. You and your brother Aaron are to speak to the rock while they watch, and it will pour out its water. You will bring out water from the rock and provide drink for the congregation and their livestock.” 9So Moses took the staff from the LORD’s presence, just as he had been commanded.…
…10Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly in front of the rock, and Moses said to them, “Listen now, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?” 11Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with his staff, so that a great amount of water gushed out, and the congregation and their livestock were able to drink. 12But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust Me to show My holiness in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.”… Numbers 20: 7-12
A rattling - the bones came together, matched up, now we have a structure.
Sinews, flesh and skin - Now we have the bodies, recognizable, a multitude, like those who came to hear Jesus, to see Him heal the sick, and then to watch as He fed thousands from a boy's meager lunch. They ate and they were filled, but then He chased them all away with His message, only a few of His disciples remained.
…67So Jesus asked the Twelve, “Do you want to leave too?” 68Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69We believe and know that You are the Holy One of God.”… John 6: 67-69
But there was no breath in them - There was a body, a nation, but how were they any better off than before? They had received the law, and it was good, but they did not have the will to walk in it back then. They had a temple, and it was torn down, another one after the return of the exiles from Babylon, but it will be torn down in 70 A.D. Look at Israel in Jesus' day, the only impressive expression of faith, that which amazed the Son of God, that came from a Roman Centurion. What will be different this time? Well, first let's look at the stages:
1. It is a valley of old dry bones, Israel has been dead for a long time, as a whole nation it fell apart after the reign of Solomon.
2. Then there is sinew, flesh and skin, and so slowly there is a nation again, and in the middle of the last century till now, we have seen Israel become a nation recognized by the U. N., and we have seen Jews return there from all over the world. There is a physical nation there, a revived Hebrew language, but their hearts are not yet turned to God, they have yet to look upon Him who they pierced and to mourn for Him as a Son. Remember chapter 36? Something else has to take place, for they cannot continue in sin, and their battle will not always be about flesh and blood.
…8For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell one to go, and he goes; and another to come, and he comes. I tell my servant to do something, and he does it.” 9When Jesus heard this, He marveled at the centurion. Turning to the crowd following Him, He said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith.” 10And when the messengers returned to the house, they found the servant in good health.… Luke 7: 8-10
So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the breath came into them - Again, he says what God tells him to say, and then God provides the increase. It's just a body, just a nation, until the breath of life comes into them. Look at his ministry, he gives the gospel, unearths their sin, because this was light of the law, it manifests the stillborn condition, that we are dead in our trespasses and sins. Ezekiel faithfully started there as God directed him, confronting Israel's sins, even those that it's elders thought secret. He gives a call to repentance so many times, so slowly did the glory of God depart from the temple, so many times were they warned. What will make the promises of a kingdom possible? The breath of God, made available by the sacrifice of God, received through the Spirit of the living God.
…7Do not be amazed that I said, ‘You must be born again.’ 8The wind blows where it wishes. You hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” 9“How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.… John 3: 7-9
…14We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do, I do not do. But what I hate, I do. 16And if I do what I do not want to do, I admit that the law is good.… Romans 7: 14-16
Our hope is lost, and we are indeed cut off - The northern kingdom is part of Assyria, and now lost and dispersed even further. Judah is in Babylon, and all the words of the false prophets have proven themselves out as lies. This is the state of their state, but can you see your own? You won't build an earthly kingdom that honors God by your own works, and He won't support that which is unholy. Who could fix such a mess?
The Hebrew word for hope is tiqvah which means "wait or to look for with confident, eager expectation, calling for patience, reminding us that the fulfillment of hope lies in the future". Tiqvah is translated in the Septuagint by the Greek noun elpis which means absolute assurance of future good, the way Scripture most often defines "hope" - not so, but hope sure! God instructs Ezekiel to prophesy to the despairing exiles that they are incorrect. Their hope has not perished. While this prophetic hope, this absolute assurance that God will do good to Israel in the future, will not necessarily be fulfilled in his hearer's lifetime, it will most assuredly be fulfilled! (Cp Joshua 21:45, 23:14, Nu 23:19, Titus 1:2-note, Heb 6:18-note) - Precept Austin
I will open your graves - They are dispersed, and it is like Joseph and Jacob's bones, bringing them back to the Promised land. How will we get home, and who is He talking to? It is Israel, though many try to replace them in their interpretation of this, but God is speaking to Israel, that is the plain sense of the text. They get a sense of the miraculous even in the OT, and some return after the 70 years of Babylonian captivity, but what could possibly give them the entirety of the covenant land? What could give them peace in a place that so many of their neighbors want to evict them from? We know that all along it was God they should have feared rather than man, but in order to be at peace with Him, then the wages of sin have to be paid by Him, and they must be born again. It is not so much what, but who? Now, I don't want to open to big of a can of worms here, because I will rabbit trail too easily, but look at some of the miracles of Jesus.
1. He raises not only Lazarus, who had been dead to the point he stunk, but also others from the dead. This says much about Who He is and where He comes form, and that He has power over death.
While Jesus was still speaking, some people came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” they said. “Why bother the teacher anymore?”
36 Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”
37 He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James and John the brother of James. 38 When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly. 39 He went in and said to them, “Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.” 40 But they laughed at him.
After he put them all out, he took the child’s father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. 41 He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which means “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). 42 Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished. 43 He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat. Mark 5: 35-43
2. He changes the water into wine. Jesus has power over the elements.
3. He calms the storm. He is the prince of peace, and the wind and the waves obey Him. He also directs the fish into the disciples nets, and in both instances, those who watched are filled with fear. They were afraid during the storm, but terrified in the calm. Who was this in the boat with them? Nature responds to His voice. So when God promises the flowering of Israel or peace, or raising the dead, it is by His power.
4. He feeds the 5,000, so when He promises to vanquish hunger in the Millennial kingdom, we know Christ has the power to do this.
5. He takes a man, a man who has terrorized the country side, someone scarier than Charles Manson, a man they tried to bind but could not control. He ask the man his name, and the response is not from the man himself, for the answer comes, "Legion, for we are many", and this is a man possessed by thousands of fallen angels. Christ shows His power over the spiritual, in that these demons have to answer to Him, and they ask Him a favor which he allows, and that is to be cast out into a herd of swine. Jesus' miracles aren't random, and when the demons leave the man and go into the pigs, the pigs run themselves off a cliff and drown. This made it clear to the observers that something outside the norm happened, that this Man before them was not ordinary. The mad man was now sane, yet they were never so afraid of him as they are now of the Man with the power to make him that way. Some go on about the pigs, but I think John Macarthur is right, it's just like the disciples response to being with the Man, Who calms the storm, He is far scarier. When Isaiah looks upon the holiness (otherliness of God) his response is, "woe is me, for I am a man of unclean lips." When God gives Israel all of the Millennial promises, returning to the land, peace, and Satan being bound for a thousand years, He will accomplish all that through His Son, and the convicting power of the Holy Spirit will bring a future remnant to believe in the One they crucified.
I have spoken, and I will do it - He made a unilateral covenant with Abraham, God is the initiator, executor and fulfiller of this covenant. As I have said before, Abraham slept, God walked between the pieces.
John MacArthur writes that Ezekiel 37:11-13 is "the key to the interpretation of the vision. It is the resurrection and salvation of Israel."
Ezekiel is describing "salvation" of the nation and salvation of individual Jews who receive Messiah as Redeemer. Henry Morris explains it this way...
The first part of this "dry-bones" prophesy (Ezekiel 37:8) was evidently fulfilled with the worldwide return of Jews to Israel and the official recognition of the nation in 1948. The true (spiritual) regeneration of the nation (Romans 11:26), however, when the Holy Spirit will be in them, awaits their acceptance of Christ when He returns (Zechariah 12:10). - Precept Austin
25I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you will not be conceited: A hardening in part has come to Israel, until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. 26And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come from Zion; He will remove godlessness from Jacob. 27And this is My covenant with them when I take away their sins.”… Romans 11: 25-27
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