Ezekiel 37:1-14: The Valley of Dry Bones

"Then he said to me, 'Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, "Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off."'" Ezekiel 37:11

This morning we come to one of the more famous stories in Ezekiel: The Valley of Dry Bones. Many interpretations have come out of this text, but this morning, I'd like to take a hard look at what's actually there. I'd like to argue this morning that the main point of this story (at least the specific story of the valley of dry bones, not including the rest of the chapter) is that amidst seemingly hopeless situations, God's promises are the key that unlocks the door of HOPE. Although the rest of the chapter fleshes out (punintended) the rest of the theme, I'd like to take a specific look at the main story this morning.

In this story, we find Ezekiel being led to a valley that is filled with dry bones. There is no life in Ezekiel's view, only death. Yet God questions Ezekiel, "Can these bones live?" Ezekiel, in his openly-Calvinist answer, replies, "O LORD GOD, you know." Next, God calls Ezekiel to prophesy to the dry bones, calling them to life. He does so, and the bones start "rattling" and flesh is formed on them. Next, God calls Ezekiel to prophesy that they might breathe, and God causes breath to enter in them. What an amazing, yet unique story.

But what's the point? The text tells us in verse 11 (quoted above). In my view, God is saying here that these "dry bones" are a metaphor for Israel's current state. Remember the context here: Israel has sinned against God, and because of this God has caused the nation of Babylon to take them captive and destroy their temple. For Israel, all hope is lost. God has promised to give them a land to live in and a Davidic king to reign on the throne, but neither of those is currently happening. They are in a foreign land, and there is no Davidic king on the throne. All seems hopeless, all seems dead--just like a valley filled with dry bones.

Yet, as we find in this story, when the eyes of men see no hope, God sees hope all the more. So often we forget that the God who created man also has the power to restore him. In Israel's deepest trial, God didn't even have to lift a finger to save them from their distress. His power is infinite, and he surely had enough goodness and infinite wisdom to rescue his people from their distress (which he himself put them in). Though the hope of Israel was fading as they wondered if God had deserted them, God gave Ezekiel a vision in order to show Israel that God had never left them nor forsaken them. It may have seemed like it, but through the eyes of men many things are askew. But we are called to live by faith and not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7).

In application this morning, let us take these truths to heart. In case you haven't noticed, we live in a chaotic world. A global pandemic, political upheaval, and hurricanes are on some days the least of our worries. Personal situations lead to personal distress, chaos, and even depression. Yet we have hope in the promises of God. Just like Israel, we can cling to the promise that God will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5-6). By sending his Son to die on the cross, God proved that he was faithful to this promise. And thus like in Ezekiel in a valley of dry bones, we trust that God can bring hope to hopeless situations. Hope to our countries. Hope to our unsaved friends. Hope to our chaos. And hope to our lives. God is a God of restoration--he breathes life into the dead, and he will continue to do so in today's age as we hope in him. Amen.