As a nation Israel seemed to be dead, even her faith was lifeless. But here God is showing Ezekiel that Israel will live again, both as a nation and spiritually. “Israel,” in its full extent, reaches beyond national and racial boundaries to include the true people of God of all times and nationalities. This is what God had originally promised Abraham (Gen 17: 4-5). We also were dead like the bones in Ezekiel’s vision before we were born again (Joh 3:3), but now God has given us a new life…
Ezek 37: 1-14
Dry Bones Live Again
The hand of the Lord was upon me, and brought me forth in the spirit of the Lord: and set me down in the midst of a plain that was full of bones. And he led me about through them on every side: now they were very many upon the face of the plain, and they were exceeding dry. And he said to me: Son of man, dost thou think these bones shall live and I answered: O Lord God, thou knows. And he said to me: Prophesy concerning these bones; and say to them: Ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.
Thus said the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will send spirit into you, and you shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to grow over you, and will cover you with skin: and I will give you spirit and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord. I prophesied as he had commanded me: and as I prophesied there was a noise, and behold a commotion: and the bones came together, each one, its joint and I saw, and behold the sinews, and the flesh came up upon them: and the skin was stretched out over them, but there was no spirit in them.
He said to me: Prophesy to the spirit, prophesy, O son of man, and say to the spirit: Thus said the Lord God: Come, spirit, from the four winds, and blow upon these slain, and let them live again. And I prophesied as he had commanded me: and the spirit came into them, and they lived: and they stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army. Then He said to me: Son of man: All these bones are the house of Israel: they say: Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost, and we are cut off.
Therefore prophesy, and say to them: Thus said the Lord God: Behold I will open your graves, and will bring you out of your sepulchres, O my people: and will bring you into the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall have opened your sepulchres, and shall have brought you out of your graves, O my people: I shall put my spirit in you, and you shall live, and I shall make you rest upon your own land: and you shall know that I the Lord have spoken, and done it, said the Lord God.
