Dry Bones

Exile

The Israelites are in Exile

the northern kingdom has been taken by the Assyrians

the southern has been taken by the Babylonians

the land is desolate the people are in despair without hope

God gave Ezekiel a vision of the future in this land where there is an army of dry bones

the people of Israel felt like they were these dry bones

left out to be bleached by the sun

not had a proper burial

they were outside the land that God had given them

their temple has been destroyed

metaphorically they were a people who died in the desert of thirst

and their bones are there where they dropped

this is the context of our scripture this morning

read Ezekiel 37 1-14

The Vision

V 1-3

Ezekiel had the hand of the Lord on him

The Spirit was guiding him in life

as does the Spirit guide us if we don’t say no to Him and grieve Him

so, the Spirit brought him to this valley of bones

great many bones just scattered everywhere

the birds and the animals have scavenged the flesh

God asks him a question

to our eye there is no way these bones are dead, dead

Ezekiel cannot make them alive

the bones cannot make themselves alive

Ephesians 2:1–2 LSB

And you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience,

so Ezekiel answers the only way possible

you Know Lord

you are the only one who can regenerate the dead

and give new life

the Israelite people are scattered around the world

their nation is dead

could they on their own come back and make alive this nation?

V 4

God’s will is for these bones to live again

but it’s also God’s will for Ezekiel to proclaim the word of God to them

God could have done everything on His own but He wants to include us in His work

God in His sovereignty has allowed us to enter into the work he is doing

V 5

Ezekiel is preaching to the dead, sun bleached bones

V 6

I will give you new life from God

V 7

So he preached like he was told to and there was a rattling

V 8

just as God said

but there was no life in the bodies

V 9

now preach to the breath to come into them

from the 4 winds bring life back to him

from the 4 corners of the earth the people returned to Israel

Isaiah 43:4–6 LSB

“Since you are precious in My sight, Since you are honored and I love you, I will give other men in your place and other peoples in exchange for your life. “Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your seed from the east, And gather you from the west. “I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ And to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’ Bring My sons from afar And My daughters from the ends of the earth,

V 10

they came alive

So who are theses bones?

this is a prophecy given to Ezekiel about the nation Israel

after WWII the European Jews did not have a home to go to

their homes businesses were taken away

they were coming from concentration camps

the population around them were hostile to them

they were seen as non humans by the 3rd Reich

so they migrated to Israel their ancient home

the place where God was drawing them to

in 1948 Israel was made a nation again

God has blessed the nation and made them very productive

very powerful, but they have also been an enemy of the rest of the world.

V 11 these bones are the house of Israel

the nation Israel

this part of the prophecy has been fulfilled

Future Prophecy

V 11 look they are saying

they are a nation

they are back in the land

they are prosperous

but they still lack

V 11

they are not saved

they have no hope

they are still in the grave

dead in trespasses and sins

the land has been regenerated with the people coming home

but the people have not been regenerated as a nation

V 12-14

I will do this

I will cause you to be saved

I will regenerate you

cause you to be born again, every one

turn to Romans 11 25-

There has been a lot of antisemitism in the church as of late

some christians are replacing the church with Israel as Yahweh’s chosen people

they are saying that the nation of Israel is an anomaly

BUT

God is not done with Israel

He is not done with the Land of Israel

He will save all of Israel at the end of the tribulation

Israel is still the chosen nation of God

Israel will be saved

they will rule with Jesus in the Millennial Kingdom

the Kingdom will be restored to Israel

Prophecy after prophecy has told us of this occuring

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