Those Dry Bones

“and, lo, they were very dry.”
Ezekiel 37:2

The words above describe a valley that the Lord showed unto Ezekiel, which we call “The valley of dry bones” (Ezekiel 37:1-14) This passage speaks of Israel becoming a nation, of course, but it can also a prophetic type for the church. We see here a resurrection from the dead. The Lord asks, “shall the dead live again?” And our answer is “yes, Lord they shall, by thy grace”. It speaks of resurrection, but it also can be about a new birth. Don’t you see, the Lord promised Israel a homecoming, just as He does the church; he promised him an opening of the graves, just as He did the church. These dry, dead bones, are as “whited sepulchers, full of dead mans bones“, but when the Spirit of God occupies them, they surely will live again. So, we see that though this passage refers to Israel in its context, there is a beneficial application for us in it. If the Word of God is not able to benefit us, then we must say we don’t need it! Don’t cut out the Old Testament, there is much practicality there for us today.

In this chapter then we see:
1. The new birth; (Jn. 3:16~ Gen I, etc.)
2. The resurrection of the dead; (Comp. 1 Cor. 15)
3. The restoration of Israel, and our restoration to our heavenly home. We seek a country, as the old saints did (Heb. 11:14), “Whose builder and maker is God”.(Heb. 11:104.
4. The growth process; the “skin,” sinews, and joints of the church comes together as we grow in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and we become one body.

Yes, those dry bones can live again, and indeed they will, just as our dead and dried up bodies shall be renewed when we receive our new, glorified bodies; the graves will be opened, and the dead will walk, and live again.