Book of Ezekiel: Chapter 37
During the many years of Ezekiel’s ministry, he probably felt like his words were being taken in by nothing but a bag of bones. They were so unresponsive to his words that he might as well have been talking to the dead. In this chapter of Ezekiel, God has the prophet do such a thing, but with much different results.
In this chapter, God takes Ezekiel to a valley that is filled with bones. The dry, dusty land is nothing but an open collection of human bones. God instructed Ezekiel to speak to these bones. When he does, the bones begin to re-form into full skeletons. Ezekiel continues speaking and they regain their muscles and their skins. Afterwards, even breath is brought back to these bodies.
This demonstration showed Ezekiel how God’s word can raise the dead and reunite the lost. God’s word in this chapter promises a reuniting of the exiled and captured Israelites. God shows us that if His words can breathe life into a pile of bones, then they can also bring His chosen people back to their homeland.
In addition to reuniting the exiled and the captured, God promises to reunite the two nations of Israel. During Ezekiel’s time, Israel was split into two factions: led in the north by the Ephraims and their allied tribes and led in the south by the Judeans and their allied tribes. God instructs Ezekiel to write the names of the two factions onto two separate pieces of wood. By having Ezekiel combine the two pieces, God is demonstrating how He will reunite the nation of Israel. God’s promises will be heralded by the coming of the Messiah.
Key Verses:
“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.” ~ Ezekiel 37:12-13 NLT
Questions to ponder:
- Did God’s demonstration with the valley of the bones intend to show how He will resurrect the dead, or the spiritually dead?
- Why did God choose two pieces of wood to represent the two factions of Israel?
