Dry Bones Rattling
One Year Bible: November 18
Ezekiel 37:1-38:23
DRY BONES RATTLING
“The LORD took hold of me, and I was carried away by the Spirit of the LORD to a valley with bones. He led me all around among the bones that covered the valley floor. They were scattered everywhere across the ground and were completely dried out. Then He asked me, ‘Son of man, can these bones become living people again’?”
“O Sovereign LORD,” I replied, ‘You alone know the answer to that.” (Ez. 37:1-3)
Scattered. Dry. Dead.
Sinews. Flesh. Skin.
Scattered Bones. Whole Skeletons. Not Alive.
Four Winds. One Spirit. Two Sticks.
One Nation. One King. One Shepherd.
This is today’s RATTLING message for the Nation of Israel and for the world to come.
Chapters 37-39 in the book of Ezekiel are the most well-known and highly debated chapters in Ezekiel, but I am not here to debate them. I am not a theologian, prophet, or Hebrew scholar.
I am just a woman of faith who literally stands in awe and kneels in worship as I read this chapter. I hope as we stop to take in the unbelievable spectacle contained in this chapter that your heart will RATTLE also…
As Ezekiel quickly found out, he was correct, “Only YOU ALONE know the answer to that!”
Ezekiel did exactly as the LORD asked him to do. He spoke a prophetic message to the bones that were scattered all over the surface of the valley and completely dried out by the sun. As he spoke there was a RATTlING NOISE ALL ACROSS THE VALLEY!!
Can you imagine preaching that kind of sermon while watching the dead re-attaching and the skeletons reconnecting? Next, the muscles and flesh formed over the bones and skin now cover their body. This had to be Ezekiel’s very best day on the job, EVER!
But, “THEY STILL HAD NO BREATH IN THEM.” (37:7-8)
So, God speaks again and commands, “This is what the Sovereign LORD says: ‘Come, O breath, from “THE FOUR WINDS”! Breathe into these dead bodies so they may live again!”
FOUR WINDS. COMPLETE. BREATHE OF GOD.
The word “WIND” or Hebrew “ruah” which is translated as BREATH (v. 5 and 30) is also translated as “SPIRIT” or “SPIRIT OF THE LORD”.
What just happened here reminds us of creation when God “Breathed the breath of life into creation”. At that time he started with the dust, but this time he took brittle dead bones.
What has created such a “RATTLE” on this hopeless day of death, destruction, and deportation?
It was “THE WORD” and the “SPIRIT”!
There were three stages for these bones that represent the nation of Israel. First, they were scattered dry bones. Then, they were flesh and sin coming together, but still DEAD. They are not made ALIVE until the “Spirit of God” comes into them!
This prophecy is much larger than just a word for their return from their 70 years of exile because it speaks of TWO STICKS which is actually Ezekiel’s last object lesson. He was commanded to take two sticks and write on them the names of the two most prominent tribes of the divided kingdom. All of Israel would understand this object lesson….
Then God reveals a message that is far greater than just a physical restoration of his divided kingdom. He is going to spiritually revive them and “breathe” life back into them like the RATTLING DEAD BONES.
How will this happen?
There will be ONE KINGDOM. ONE SHEPHERD. ONE SON OF DAVID.
Why David? He represented the man of true selfless worship! God had made a covenant to him and out of that covenant, He would bring a fulfilled covenant through his lineage.
The best part of this story is the word… FOREVER!
How long will HE reign?...FOREVER!
New Hearts. Eternal Covenant. Rebuilt Temple.
How will this happen exactly? When will all this occur?
I don’t know exactly, but I sure can’t wait to see DRY BONES RATTLING!
