The Valley of Dry Bones

   Good afternoon everyone, Travis here with some encouraging words for you. Today, I want to bring you a story from the book of Ezekiel. This is one of my favorite stories in the Bible. It is a story of hope, restoration and redemption. It comes in chapter 37, verses 1-14. It starts out saying, "The hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit, and set me out in the midst of the Valley, and it was full bones."

  When it says, "The hand of the Lord was upon me", it means that God gave Ezekiel a vision. He was in the midst of a valley full of dried up bones. These bones represented the house of Israel. They were dry, representing that death had occurred a long time ago, and there was no hope of resuscitation. God called Israel a "rebellious nation" in chapter 2, verse 3. First Samuel 15:23 says that "rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft and idolatry, two things God hates. In Proverbs 29:18 it says, "Where there is no vision, the people perish, but he that keeps the law, happy is he". Israel had turned their back on God and were spiritually dead. 

  In verse 4, God gives the prophet an instruction to, "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 will know that I am the Lord." 

  A few things that I gleaned from this text is that the breath represents the life that only God can give. In Genesis 2:7 God breathed life into Adam. The sinews literally means tendon, but figuratively they represent strength, energy, force, might and power according to the dictionary. The skin represents the covering of God's protection. 

  The word "prophesy" doesn't always mean to predict the future. One of the definitions in the Merriam Webster dictionary means "to give instruction in religious matters. 

In verses 9-10, Ezekiel commands that the breath of God to breathe upon the bones. God breathed and the bones came to life and stood on their feet. They said, "Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we are cut off. God tells the army that he will open their graves and bring them back into the land of Israel. He also says that He will put His Spirit in them.

  These bones represent a once mighty army of strong soldiers. When you become a child of God, you are enlisted in his heavenly army. If you feel like hope is lost, and you are cut off, ask yourself, "What killed my spirit?" Sometimes we have to get to a point of desperation to cry out to God. I know that was true in my case. God loves to show up when it seems like all is lost. Take the Lazarus story in John chapter 4. Jesus knew that Lazarus was sick, but He said that this was for the glory of God.

  Today, I want to call out the breath of God to breathe on each one that is reading this who is spiritually dead. Lord breathe the breath of life on each individual, and give them the life that only you can give.