the book of ezekiel is the most overlooked book in the bible the time of ezekiel were tough times zedekiah was judah's final puppet king he was given the authority to rule in jerusalem with only a small army the city was besieged once more and nebuchadnezzar's army captured zedekiah they slayed each of his sons in front of his eyes so that he could see that the royal line had ended then they took his eyes out so the last thing he saw was his sons being slain then nebuchadnezzar ordered the total destruction of jerusalem ezekiel was called
to preach around this time despite the fact that he was thousands of miles away from jerusalem in the land of babylon the traditional spiritual dem dry bones has a catchy tune but it's actually about a boneyard revival it is based on ezekiel's vision of the valley of dry bones given by the lord god desired to provide desperately needed hope to his chosen people because of their wickedness the lord allowed nebuchadnezzar to enter and conquer their land the people had become captives in the exotic faraway land of babylon they were downcast the valley of dry bones
vision is primarily about the children of israel but it also has practical implications for our own lives ezekiel chapter 37 verses 1 and 2. the hand of the lord came upon me and brought me out in the spirit of the lord and set me down in the midst of the valley and it was full of bones then he caused me to pass by them all around and behold there were very many in the open valley and indeed they were very dry the lord appeared to ezekiel in the form of a valley full of dry bones
god does not change ezekiel's location but gives him a vivid inward sense that he has been taken to a valley full of bones their dryness indicates that they had been there for an extended period of time the bones also suggested that the valley was once inhabited but it wasn't there anymore the lord wanted ezekiel's mind and spear to be deeply affected by the situation's apparent hopelessness if they are not careful our homes can decompose into a pile of dry bones the more we ignore god's word's family rules the more likely they will become a skeleton
even some christians who were once walking with the lord have become a heap of bones they live on what they were rather than what they should have been ephesians chapter 6 verses 1 to 4 children obey your parents in the lord for this is right honor your father and mother which is the first commandment with promise that it may be well with you and you may live long in the earth and you fathers do not provoke your children to wrath but bring them up in the training and admonition of the lord ezekiel chapter 37 verse
3 and he said to me son of man can these bones live so i answered o lord god you know ezekiel responded to god's inquiry about whether or not the bones were capable of sustaining life by stating that only the lord knew for definite according to ezekiel the scenario was impossible when we contemplate the significance of the day we may also think about the times that come if we desire to see a revival it will be up to the lord to bring it about just as he did in the time of ezekiel but god is
able to accomplish whatsoever he sets his mind to he is the god of the unthinkable luke chapter 18 verse 27. but he said the things which are impossible with men are possible with god ezekiel chapter 37 verses 4 to 8. again he said to me prophesy to these bones and say to them o dry bones hear the word of the lord thus says the lord god to these bones surely i will cause breath to enter into you and you shall live i will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you cover you with skin
and put breath in you and you shall live then you shall know that i am the lord so i prophesied as i was commanded and as i prophesied there was a noise and suddenly a rattling and the bones came together bone to bone indeed as i looked the sinews and the flesh came upon them and the skin covered them over but there was no breath in them ezekiel was subsequently given instructions from the lord to preach to the bones that had already died ezekiel was being shown by god a crucial truth that we all need
to comprehend and that is that the proclamation of god's word carries with it power there is life to be found in the bible it offers both life and faith to those who receive it ezekiel was present for a miraculous event the bones began to fuse with one another bone to bone as he watched muscles and flesh began to grow over the skeletons and soon their bodies were covered with skin however they were nothing more than a horde of dead bodies moving in an orderly fashion hebrews chapter 4 verse 12 for the word of god is
living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword piercing even to the division of soul and spirit and of joints and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart romans chapter 10 verse 17 so then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of god ezekiel chapter 37 verse 9 also he said to me prophesy to the breath prophesy son of man and say to the breath thus says the lord god come from the four winds o breath and breathe on this land that they may live some people believe
that god's work is accomplished through organization which is something that shouldn't be underestimated because even our own bodies are organized a church may have its affairs in order but if it does not have breath in it the church is nothing more than a lifeless body ezekiel was instructed by god to preach to the breath the word winds is derived from the hebrew word ruach which can mean wind breath or spirit ezekiel was in the process of discovering that everything that people accomplish is in vain unless the holy spirit is there the presence of the divine
breath of life and our existence is necessary in the same way that it was for adam a person is born of the spirit when he or she is born again god must instill spiritual life into our very hearts ezekiel witnessed a tremendous display of vitality as the army stood to its feet genesis chapter 2 verse 7 and the lord god formed a man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living being john chapter 3 verses 5-8 jesus answered most assuredly i say to you
unless one is born of water and of the spirit he cannot enter the kingdom of god that which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the spirit is spirit do not marvel that i said to you you must be born again the wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes so is everyone who was born of the spirit ezekiel chapter 37 verse 10 so i prophesied as he commanded me and breath came into them and
they lived and stood upon their feet an exceedingly great army ezekiel chapter 37 verses 11-13 then he said to me son of man these bones are the whole house of israel they indeed say our bones are dry our hope is lost and we ourselves are cut off therefore prophesy and say to them thus says the lord god behold o my people i will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves and bring you into the land of israel then you shall know that i am the lord when i have opened your
graves o my people and brought you up from your graves the vision was made clear and god illuminated its uplifting significance the israelites had lost all hope but god had promised them that they would experience a national revival they had been cornered and scattered around the area humans thought things were hopeless yet they underestimated god's might israel will not only be revived but also brought back to its former glory god promised to restore them to their homeland ezekiel chapter 37 verse 14 i will put my spirit in you and you shall live and i will
place you in your own land then you shall know that i the lord has spoken it and performed it says the lord god finished the vision for him since ezekiel wouldn't answer and then he told him what it meant how was he going to resurrect the disjointed bones of israel that had lost all vitality word and spirit would be the means by which you would accomplish this goal it was revealed to ezekiel that he should prophesy concerning these bones and he was instructed to say to them dry bones hear the word of the lord then
as ezekiel obeyed god permitted the bones to begin mending themselves together while tendons flesh and skin gave them their original shape again but the word had to be followed by the imparting of the spirit in order for these bodies to receive breath and come to life which is a classic example of revival the spiritual revitalization of god's church in the modern day is brought about via the word into the spirit when either of these elements is lacking the people of god are unable to have a meaningful experience of god's presence among them second corinthians chapter
3 verses 17 and 18 now the lord is that spirit and where the spirit of the lord is there is liberty but we all with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the lord are changed into the same image from glory to glory even as by the spirit of the lord according to the word of god our trespasses and sins had previously rendered us as lifeless as a pile of dried bones on the other hand god conveyed to us a message of hope when we acknowledged jesus christ as our lord and savior
he quickened or brought us back to life the time has come for us to share this word of hope with those who because of their sins and transgressions are still spiritually dead if we spread the word and keep in mind that we are dependent on the holy spirit for a strength and direction we might be able to observe a revival in a tomb ephesians chapter 2 verse 1 by grace through faith and you he made alive who were dead in trespasses and sins romans chapter 5 verse 8 but god demonstrates his own love toward us
in that while we were still sinners christ died for us
