A Trip to the Valley Ezek. 37:1-14

Ezekiel 37:1 - 14 (NKJV) 1The hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones.  2Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry.  3And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” So I answered, “O Lord GOD, You know.” 4Again He said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!  5Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: “Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live.  6I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the Lord

.”’” 7So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone.  8Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them. 9Also 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.”’”  10So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army. 11Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, ‘Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!’ 

12Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.  13Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves.  14I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken it and performed it,” says the Lord.’”

God takes Ezekiel to a valley of dry bones, and asks, "Can these bones live?" We prefer mountain tops but sometimes God needs us to see what is in the valley. God led him back and forth among the bones. God wants Ezekiel to get it. Sometimes it takes us a while to see what God wants us to see. Can these bones live? The right answer is the one Ezekiel gave. "Lord, you know.“ --- “Thy will be done.”

God tells Ezekiel to preach to the bones, for they need God's word. 1 Corinthians 1 says that God looked at the alleged wisdom of the world and chose through the foolishness of preaching to save those who believe. Bones come to life because they've heard the Word of the Lord.

God wants Ezekiel to tell them three things: I'll change your status. I'll put breath in you. You'll go from being skeletons to beings and will know that I am the Lord. Look at verse 4: "Then he said to me, 'Prophesy to these bones.' " Then in verse 7: "So I prophesied as I was commanded.“ It doesn’t always works that way.

Obedience is a necessary element in the scheme of revival. God said to Ezekiel, "Prophesy! So he did as he was commanded. God is not waiting to hope you believe it first. God said it, and his obedient people have it settled in their own minds. When we find ourselves in the valley of dry bones, stop pushing, stop struggling, stop resisting him. Just do what you know His will to be.

After Ezekiel obediently preached, amazing things happened in the valley. Verse 8 ends with a sense of sadness. There was no breath in them. The Hebrew word here is variously translated "wind," "breath," or "spirit," that which inspires. The breath of God is the animating, energizing principle in the life of the saints. Nothing happens until God breathes in us. The wind (spirit) goes into the skeletons, and they become a vast army.

What can we learn from this trip to the valley? First, God is still concerned about dry, disjointed people. Second, we can't do anything without the breath of God. Finally, it is God's desire that people know that he is God. Psalm 100: "Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his."

Conclusion Maybe in our valley we don't have to see bones, all we need is a good mirror. Maybe we will see ourselves as if for the first time—dusty, barren, parched. Hear the good news of the gospel: the bones can live again. So may there be a rattling among us. May there be the fresh wind of the Spirit among us. And may we stand as an army, declaring the Lord is God.