And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord God, thou knowest. – Ezekiel 37:3
Recently I came across a historical photo showing an ancient Native American burial site on Memaloose Island in the Columbia River, east of Hood River. The site was literally covered with bones. The photo had been taken at the time of the building of the Bonneville Dam, before the bones were carefully removed and interred elsewhere.
Seeing the photo of innumerable dry bones helped me to visualize Ezekiel’s valley of dry bones—and just how humanly impossible it would be for those bones to come alive again. Only God could cause that to happen! The historical fulfillment of this prophecy concerned the renewal of Israel as a nation. This occurred the first time when Israel was restored after seventy years in Babylonian captivity. The second time involved a much longer time frame, when Israel was re-established as a nation in 1948, after nearly two thousand years of dispersion. Note that Ezekiel’s vision was in two parts: first the dry bones were restored to flesh and blood, but they were still dead. Then God breathed into them the breath of life and they became a living, vibrant army. This reminds us that God is not yet done with Israel. Today, the nation exists and has shown remarkable military and economic prowess. But spiritually speaking, they are still “dead in trespasses and sin.” The day will come when those who are left of Israel will truly accept their Messiah.
We can also apply this vision to ourselves personally, as well as to our church. If we have strayed far from God, there is hope. We can turn wholeheartedly back to Him and He will restore us as He did the dry bones. Even if we are serving the Lord, we may feel that somehow there is a lack of progress in our spiritual lives. We might feel the need for spiritual revival—both personally and as a group—but is this realistic? Taking Ezekiel 37 as a promise, the answer is a definite yes! As we reach out to God in faith and prayer, and are quick to do whatever He lays on our hearts, He most definitely can breathe new life into us. Let us claim this promise today!