Read Ezekiel 37: 1-14Ezekiel is a very curious book. God asks Ezekiel to do some really strange things! If you've never read this book, I'd challenge you to do so with the help of a reliable commentary. There are a lot of neat passages, including one of the more famous ones that I chose to write on, Ezekiel 37:1-14. Just to clarify, Ezekiel is a prophet who was sent to preach to the Israelites. At this point in Jewish history, the Israelites have been rebellious and are being punished by being put into exile. In the book of Ezekiel, God uses this prophet to rebuke the Israelites of their sins as well as to remind them of the future blessing they will receive.
This passage always makes me think of that scene in Lion King when Simba and Nala go into the Elephant Graveyard. All the sudden everything around them is dark and looks like death. They are surrounded by old bones, the bodies of the animals having decomposed long ago. In Ezekiel 37, God takes Ezekiel to a valley of dry bones. The fact that only these dry bones are left shows us that these people had died many years ago. God asks Ezekiel a strange question in verse 3, "Son of man, can these bones live?" Clearly these bones were lifeless and the situation looked pretty hopeless. However, Ezekiel knew better than to limit God, so he gave the only answer he could give, "O Lord God, You alone know" (v. 3).
Then God asks Ezekiel to do another strange thing. He asks him to start prophesying to the bones. Talk about a rough crowd for a preacher! Though I'm sure Ezekiel was confused and alarmed, he wisely obeyed the Lord and began to preach to the pile of bones. An alarming thing happens next. The Lord brings these bones to life! All of the sudden, the bones joined together in their proper places and sinews, flesh, and skin grew over them. Then the Lord breathes into them, just as He did for Adam at creation (Gen. 2:7).
Pretty miraculous, right? Can you imagine the fear and wonder which must have gripped Ezekiel at that point? We see in verses 11-14 that this instance was more than just a miracle displaying the awesome power of God. The miracle had another purpose. The pile of dry bones symbolized the people of Israel. They were dispersed from their land and were living on foreign soil. Politically, their situation was hopeless. In addition to this, they had sinned against God and were an obstinate people. Spiritually, they were dead. Could this heap of dried up, dead people be brought back to life?
We see the answer in verse 12, when God promises to open their graves (symbolically) and bring the dead to life. The Israelites would be restored as a nation in their homeland, as well as restored spiritually. He promises the Holy Spirit to come on them in verse 14. God brings hope to the hopeless and life to the lifeless. He is the Master Restorer and can do the impossible.
Perhaps you feel like that pile of dry bones. You feel so far from God that you see no hope in having your fellowship restored. You feel lifeless and cut off from the Lord. You don't see how He could ever restore you or change your situation. I hope that you are encouraged today to know that the Lord restores and renews. In the most desperate of situations you can call out to Him, for He is more than able to bring you life.
