HH, Sir Godfrey Gregg D.Div
“What is the meaning of the Valley of Dry Bones in Ezekiel 37?”
Let me try my best from the word of God to do justice to this question. I
Ezekiel’s vision of the valley of dry bones (Ezekiel 37:1–14) came to him after God had directed him to prophesy the rebirth of Israel in chapter 36. God announced, through the prophet, that Israel will be restored to her land in blessing under the leadership of “David, My servant [who] shall be king over them” (Ezekiel 37:24), clearly a reference to the future under Jesus Christ the Messiah, descendant of David (Isaiah 7:14; 9:6–7; Luke 1:31–33). However, this promise seemed impossible in light of Israel’s present condition. She was “dead” as a nation, deprived of her land, her king, and her temple. She had been divided and dispersed for so long that unification and restoration seemed impossible. So God gave Ezekiel the vision of the dry bones as the sign.
God transported Ezekiel—probably not literally, but in a vision—to a valley full of dry bones and directed him to speak to the bones. Ezekiel was to tell the bones that God would make breath enter the bones and they would come to life, just as in the creation of man when He breathed life into Adam (Genesis 2:7). Ezekiel obeyed, the bones came together, flesh developed, skin covered the flesh, breath entered the bodies, and they stood up in a vast army. This vision symbolized the whole house of Israel that was then in captivity. Like unburied skeletons, the people were in a state of living death, pining away with no end to their judgment in sight. They thought their hope was gone and they were cut off forever. The surviving Israelites felt their national hopes had been dashed and the nation had died in the flames of Babylon’s attack with no hope of resurrection.
The reviving of the dry bones signified God’s plan for Israel’s future national restoration. The vision also, and most importantly, showed that Israel’s new life depended on God’s power and not the circumstances of the people. Putting “breath” by God’s Spirit into the bones showed that God would not only restore them physically but also spiritually. The Israelites residing in the Holy Land today are not the fulfilment of this prophecy. It will be fulfilled when God re-gathers believing Israelites to the land (Jeremiah 31:33; 33:14–16) and Christ returns to establish His Millennial Kingdom (Matthew 24:30–31).
This is the place the church is at right now and needs the breath of God in it for deliverance from the things of this world. The Church is suffocating with the pleasures and copywriting of the world. It is like “do what I do and live to my principles”. Our Lord reminds us that we are not of this world and we should not indulge in the things of the world. So many times I hear my Baptist brothers and sisters remind the congregation that Baptist is like Israel and while studying the word I fall in agreement. What the Baptist church needs now is a breath of air from the Holy Spirit through every office, position, pulpit, chair or pew and into the hears of every believer until they arise from the slump of this world. Take me, Jesus, as I am, break me, melt me and mould me into the image that you want me to be in.
The church needs to hear from God and I do not know where the starting line will be at but something needs to be done before it falls off the cliff into the sea of oblivion. It is getting later than we think and time is slipping away. Arise my fellow readers, brothers and sisters. Arise church, wake and see the light has come and the glory of the Lord has risen upon thee.
