Notes
The Lord took hold of me, and I was carried away by the Spirit of the Lord to a valley filled with bones. He led me all around among the bones that covered the valley floor. They were scattered everywhere across the ground and were completely dried out. Then he asked me, “Son of man, can these bones become living people again?”
“O Sovereign Lord,” I replied, “you alone know the answer to that.”
Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to these bones and say, ‘Dry bones, listen to the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Look! I am going to put breath into you and make you live again! I will put flesh and muscles on you and cover you with skin. I will put breath into you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”
So I spoke this message, just as he told me. Suddenly as I spoke, there was a rattling noise all across the valley. The bones of each body came together and attached themselves as complete skeletons. Then as I watched, muscles and flesh formed over the bones. Then skin formed to cover their bodies, but they still had no breath in them.
Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to the winds, son of man. Speak a prophetic message and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, O breath, from the four winds! Breathe into these dead bodies so they may live again.’”
So I spoke the message as he commanded me, and breath came into their bodies. They all came to life and stood up on their feet—a great army.
Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones represent the people of Israel. They are saying, ‘We have become old, dry bones—all hope is gone. Our nation is finished.’ Therefore, prophesy to them and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: O my people, I will open your graves of exile and cause you to rise again. Then I will bring you back to the land of Israel. When this happens, O my people, you will know that I am the Lord. I will put my Spirit in you, and you will live again and return home to your own land. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken, and I have done what I said. Yes, the Lord has spoken!’”
Ezekiel 37:1-14
In this chapter, God gave Ezekiel a visual illustration of how He was going to restore the broken people of Israel. Many of us are saying the same things now that the Israelites were saying back then. God spoke into the dry, desolate situation of Ezekiel’s time, and He speaks into those situations now.
1) Speak to the dead situation
Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to these bones and say, ‘Dry bones, listen to the word of the Lord!
Ezekiel 37:4
Don’t give up on people. The congregants Ezekiel spoke to were a pile of dry bones. But still he spoke to them out of trust in the Lord. When the situation seems hopeless, continue speaking the truth. Find a sustainable hope, a hope is an empty grave and a resurrected Jesus. Believe in God’s power to breathe life into anyone, no matter the situation.
2) Speak to the winds
I will put flesh and muscles on you and cover you with skin. I will put breath into you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”
Ezekiel 37:6
Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to the winds, son of man. Speak a prophetic message and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, O breath, from the four winds! Breathe into these dead bodies so they may live again.’” So I spoke the message as he commanded me, and breath came into their bodies. They all came to life and stood up on their feet—a great army.
Ezekiel 37:9-10
I will put my Spirit in you, and you will live again and return home to your own land. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken, and I have done what I said. Yes, the Lord has spoken!’”
Ezekiel 37:14
In God’s Word, the wind often represents the Holy Spirit. He is there to guide and empower us. When you call on God to forgive you and breathe life into you, He will, because He always keeps His promises. But we aren’t meant to stop there; we are to let the Spirit flow into us so that He can flow through us. We do this by using our gifts in the Church so that together, we become an army.
3) Speak to the people
So I spoke the message as he commanded me, and breath came into their bodies. They all came to life and stood up on their feet—a great army.
Ezekiel 37:10
Though I am the least deserving of all God’s people, he graciously gave me the privilege of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ. I was chosen to explain to everyone this mysterious plan that God, the Creator of all things, had kept secret from the beginning. God’s purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.
Ephesians 3:8-10
We gather together because the cause is bigger than ourselves; it is too big for us to accomplish on our own. Do what God created you to do: be His reflection. Salvation is a gift for us, and a tool for God. He will finish what He has started. The question is, will we participate in speaking His love, mercy, and hope to the world?
Group Questions
- What did Ezekiel’s vision represent, and what can we learn from it?
- What is the difference between a false hope and a sustainable hope?
- How can we continue speaking life when the situation seems dead?
- Why is it important to use our spiritual gifts instead of hoarding them?
Prayer
Thank you for letting us be a part of your story. Even though sometimes situations seem hopeless, we believe that you have already written the end. We want to rise up and be representatives of you to all the nations of the world.