10/26/2007
Ezekiel 37:1 - 8 (HCSB)
1The hand of the LORD was on me, and He brought me out by His Spirit and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. 2He led me all around them. There were a great many of them on the surface of the valley, and they were very dry. 3Then He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I replied, “Lord GOD, ëonlyû You know.” 4He said to me, “Prophesy concerning these bones and say to them: Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! 5This is what the Lord GOD says to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you will live. 6I will put tendons on you, make flesh grow on you, and cover you with skin. I will put breath in you so that you come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.”
7So I prophesied as I had been commanded. While I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8As I looked, tendons appeared on them, flesh grew, and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.
Israel had been scattered, her punishment was complete and now, she lay like dead bodies in a field. This vision of Ezekiel is clearly a metaphor in which God showed Ezekiel how He would reunite His people. You may also recognize this passage as the inspiration for the “Dry Bones” song.
While God was displeased and angry with Israel for her sin, He still loved her and His compassion to bring her back is shown in this passage. But, why would God show this particular vision to Ezekiel?
Remember that Ezekiel was appointed by God as a preacher to the Israelites in exile (in Babylon). I believe this vision was given to Ezekiel so that he could experience the miraculous hand of God in what He was about to do. This would certainly have excited Ezekiel and the people around Ezekiel would see that also.
Can dry bones live? Science fiction aside, we know it is not possible through any of our efforts. But God who gives life in the first place, can cause it to be. In the same way, He would raise up Israel which, for all intents and purposes, was dead beyond resuscitation.
The lesson here is that God wants us to be with Him, but we must approach Him on His terms. A fireman does not rush into a burning building wearing shorts and a t-shirt. A diver does not descend to the depths without proper gear. In the same way, we must approach God with a clean and humble heart.
He desires our companionship. Let me encourage you to humble yourself before Him and share the joy of His glory.
Jeff Justus
Cleff Publishing
www.cleffpublishing.com
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