Exile and return · Ezekiel 37
The Valley of Dry Bones
Carried out by the Spirit of the LORD, the prophet Ezekiel is set down in the middle of a valley full of bones, very many of them, and very dry. “Son of man, can these bones live?” asks the LORD. “O Lord GOD, thou knowest,” Ezekiel answers. At God’s command, he prophesies: there is a noise, a shaking, and the bones come together, bone to its bone; sinews, flesh, and skin cover them, but there is no breath in them. Ezekiel prophesies again, calling the breath from the four winds: the dead come to life and stand on their feet, “an exceeding great army.” These bones are the whole house of Israel, who say, “Our hope is lost.” God will open their graves, put his Spirit in them, and bring them back to their own land. Two sticks, Judah and Joseph, will be joined into one.
What happens
- The LORD sets Ezekiel down in a valley full of dry bones Ezekiel 37:1–2
- “Can these bones live?” — “Thou knowest” Ezekiel 37:3
- At the sound of the prophecy, the bones come together and are covered with flesh Ezekiel 37:7–8
- “Come from the four winds, O breath”: an army rises Ezekiel 37:9–10
- These bones are Israel: “Our hope is lost” Ezekiel 37:11–12
- Two sticks joined: one people, one king Ezekiel 37:19–22
Who is in this story
The lesson
When everything seems dead and hope is lost, God alone can give life, through his word and his Spirit. What we cannot do, he promises and accomplishes: he raises up his people and gathers them together.
And 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.
Quick quiz on this story
Whom does the LORD say the bones in the valley represent?
“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.” Ezekiel 37:11
How does Ezekiel answer when the LORD asks whether these bones can live?
Ezekiel says neither yes nor no and leaves it to God: “O Lord GOD, thou knowest.” Ezekiel 37:3
What is missing from the bodies once they are covered with sinews, flesh, and skin?
Sinews, flesh, and skin cover them, “but there was no breath in them.” Ezekiel must then prophesy to the breath. Ezekiel 37:8
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