The Valley of Dry Bones

Context:

The book of Ezekiel, is about a prophet and Priest named Ezekiel who was In Jerusalem during the first Babylonian attack of the city. They did not destroy the city, but they did take exiles from Jerusalem, and Ezekiel was one of these exiles. The book begins 5 years after that, where Ezekiel, on his 30th birthday, is sitting in one of the Israelite refugee camps. His 30th birthday was when he would’ve been installed as a priest in Jerusalem..yet here he is, 5 years after being taken captive sitting in a refugee camp.

Here is where Ezekiel sees a vision of the glory of the Lord in chapter 1, these 4 winged creatures, with 4 faces, and on them is a chariot..and sitting on the throne is a human like creature glowing and shrouded in fire..the glory of God!..and the question is why is God’s glory in Babylon and not in Jerusalem, not in His temple…so the book opens with exploring that question..and it is at this time that God commissions Ezekiel as a prophet. God tells Ezekiel to accuse Israel of their unfaithfulness…and its because of the idolatry of His people. They had abandoned God and exchanged Him for idols…that God had abandoned His temple..and His glory is in Babylon

The book is divided in chapters 1-11 of these accusations, 12-24 of the judgement of the Israel, and chapters 25-32 God’s judgment on the nations. And then when you get to chapter 33, The temple has officially fallen. So now you have a rebellious people, idolatrous people, in exile, temple destroyed…and thought the temple was destroyed, the spiritual collapse of the nation had taken place well before that. And God had abandoned His temple. He hasn’t abandoned His people, but at this point we ask ourselves..is God done with them for good? What hope is there now. The exile of Israel one of the lowest points of their history, and for all intensive purposes..they could see no way out. You will read in Ezekiel 37, that they say, “our bones are dried up, our hope is gone, we are cut off”

This is backdrop of chapters 34-37..where God tells Ezekiel to prophesy a message of hope to Israel. And this is the subject of our sermon from chapter 37.

Ezekiel 37:1–14 ESV

1 The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. 2 And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. 3 And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” 4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. 5 Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. 6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.” 7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. 8 And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But there was no breath in them. 9 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army. 11 Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.’ 12 Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. 13 And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. 14 And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the Lord.”

In the text we see God and two main characters in the valley. Israel represented by the scattered bones, and Ezekiel, the prophet.

Both of these characters are in the valley…the valley between hope and heartache. The valley between between what is, and what can be. The valley between where we are coming from, and where we are going. It is this valley that Israel the nation, and Ezekiel the prophet are are faced with questions....questions that will determine how and if they will move forward.

Three questions the Israelites must answer, Ezekiel must answer..and we must answer

The Three Questions We Face as We Walk the Valley Between Hope and Heartache.

Why am I here

Can this be fixed? Will it always be like this?

How can we move forward?

Israelites

1. Why am I here?

2 Chronicles 36:14–21 ESV

14 All the officers of the priests and the people likewise were exceedingly unfaithful, following all the abominations of the nations. And they polluted the house of the Lord that he had made holy in Jerusalem. 15 The Lord, the God of their fathers, sent persistently to them by his messengers, because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place. 16 But they kept mocking the messengers of God, despising his words and scoffing at his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord rose against his people, until there was no remedy. 17 Therefore he brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary and had no compassion on young man or virgin, old man or aged. He gave them all into his hand. 18 And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king and of his princes, all these he brought to Babylon. 19 And they burned the house of God and broke down the wall of Jerusalem and burned all its palaces with fire and destroyed all its precious vessels. 20 He took into exile in Babylon those who had escaped from the sword, and they became servants to him and to his sons until the establishment of the kingdom of Persia, 21 to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its Sabbaths. All the days that it lay desolate it kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years.

Israelites: Why were the Israelites there?

Rebellion, Idolatry, Wickedness

Sin had gotten them there. God laid before them the path of righteousness, and they sought life outside of Him..and found despair and ruin. They found themselves destroyed by thier own sin.

A people now scattered as bones, all that remains of a nation, in exile.

How did they get there....sin got them there. By failing to trust God, they find themselves in ruin.

Its not that God let them down…its not that God had failed them....their idols had. And so they fell into a place of heartbreak and ruin.

Application:

God has never failed you, God has never let you down…your idols have. If your hope feels like it is going up and down…hopeful some days, hopeless others…it indicates that your hope is attached to something that changes. Its connected to something which can not deliver. Maybe it can on some days, but other days it fails. Maybe its your spouse, maybe its your job, maybe its your kids, grandkids, reputation....all of these things no matter how good they may seen, can not carry the weight of your soul.

If your hope is in who God is, if your hope is in who Jesus is, if your hope is in what God has done....then your hope is secure. God can not change. God doesn’t just give hope, He is hope. God doesn’t just provide a way out…He is the way out. God doesn’t just point you to a refuge, God is the refuge. God can not fail, no more than I can not be a bird....its not what I am. And to fail just is not who He is.

So for this nation, it wasn’t about what God had done, or that God had failed them…they were looking for life somewhere else, in other gods, places, things…and found out that it couldn’t carry them. So they fell..in the valley, scattered, exiled.

And so in the mind and heart of the people…a nation in turmoil, not only do they have to ask themselves why am i here...they must ask themselves the second question.

2. Can this be fixed? Will it always be like this?

Can these bones live?”

What does Israel think?

i. The Israelites response in seen in verse 11: Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.’ They saw no way out

For the Israelites their was no foreseeable way of rescue. They could see no way forward, because they did not see any hope. The “dry bones” pointing to the picture of having been in the same place for so long. Ezekiel had been in Babylon for 5 years before his first vision in chapter 1…8 years passed by the time we arrive at the 37th chapter. So we are looking at a 13 year exile. by this point…and it did not look to be getting any better.

And so the last question of

3. How do we move forward

They did not know. They had been that way for so long…they had been in exile so long, that they saw no way of rescue.

They had no answers…and they remained in exile. This is the condition of Israel. Not simply an exiled people, but a people that had no hope. A Valley of Dry bones…all that remained of a once great nation.

But here now is the next character in the text…Ezekiel. And He finds himself also, given a vision brought to the valley…and facing the same questions.

Ezekiel

Ezekiel is swept up into this vision, not simply a dream, but something more real. A glimpse into the spiritual reality of Israel..and God places him in the middle of this valley. In the midst of the scattered bones of Israel…and proceeds to reveal to Ezekiel His purpose.

1. Why Am I Here?

Why was Ezekiel there? Why did God show Him this vision, and place Him in this valley.

The Spirit placed Him there

Ezekiel 37:1

Ezekiel 37:1 ESV

1 The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones.

God placed him there. For whatever reason, it was purposed.

While Israel finds themself scattered in the valley of exile because of their disobedience...Ezekiel finds himself there, in this vision, because God brings him there.

The Israelites are in the valley because of their sin…God in a vision places Ezekiel there because he is sent!

Why is Ezekiel there, a prophet in captivity amongst his people…and now placed in the valley in this vision by God himself? Why…because God put Him there. And why did God place Him there?

That’s where the bones were

God wanted to bring his nation and people back to life, back to himself..but to get his nation out of the valley, he had to bring his prophet to the valley.

God intended to use Ezekiel to bring hope to this scattered and desolate people.

And while the nation (Ezekiel included) wanted out of exile and out of the valley…God had to first put Ezekiel in the valley.

Because God was going to use Ezekiel to bring hope, and prophecy to these people…but to help those in the valley…He had to be in the valley!

Application:

Sometimes we are in the valleys of life because of our own decisions and lack of trust in God…but sometimes we are in dark places not because of our sin…but because we are sent. Because Christ in us, has put a light in us…to help those there.

Ezekiel wanted out of exile like eveyrone else…but if the people were coming out, it was going to be through the word of God, spoken by the prophet of God, by the power of God.

Matthew 5:14-16

Matthew 5:14–16 ESV

14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Hear me church, what is the light for except to light dark places. And how can we light dark places if we are afraid of dark places? How can we help those in the valley if we won’t go into the valley. If what is in you can help others get out…what are we doing?

Sometimes we pray to get out of situations that God has sent us into. We are so focused on trying to get through the valley…we don’t recognize we’ve been to the valley. We don’t recognize that you are where you are…no matter how painful, or dark, or stressful, or hard it may be…if you carry the light..you are to light the way to those around you.

Notice what God does now…he walks him through the bones. Thourougly. He doesn’t say anything yet, ask him anything yet..he just walks him through.

Ezekiel 37:2 ESV

2 And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry.

To see....to feel...To understand the burden and pain of the people in a way which could not be known otherwise.

He looks and he sees the dry bones..and God walks him back and forth.

The church is not afraid of dry bones. The church is not afraid o the valley. The church is not afraid of broken people! Why? How can the light be afraid of the dark…all darkness is is the lack of light. Anywhere the church walks into, the light follows. So if Jesus is in you, the light of the world…stop looking for how to just get away from broken people, and struggling people, and sinful people, and messy people…because you sturggle too..but if you have Jesus, you should look how to get to them.

Why? The church is not saved to be delivered from people in darkness..but saved to be delivered to people in darkness.

Church, do you see the dry bones around you? Do you see those dying in thier sin?

But after walking him through..God now asks Ezekiel, a stunning, important question.

“Can these bones live?”

2. Can this be fixed? Will it Always be like this?

Can these bones live?

. The Israelites see no way out…and the fact that these bones are shown to be dry points to the hopelessness.

This question is about possibility. Ezekiel knows the power of God. Ezekiel knows that God made mankind by His hand…and He knows the story of Adam and Eve, where God forms them from the dust and breathes into them to give them life. Ezekiel knows that God can make life from the dirt…but this is a different question. Its not about whether God can create life where there is none, this is a question about whether God can give life to what sin has destroyed. can God take back what sin has won? Not simply can God give life, but can God give life where sin has taken it. This is a people broken, scattered because of wickedness…a people in exile…the question here is this, God made man, satan deceived man, and Israel..and what can God do with such a mess?

Though we are talking about a vision of dry bones, and an exile of a nation…this question points us to the deeper problem. A spiritual exile. T Sin has corrupted this world…and every since the fall when Adam and Eve disobeyed God, the world has been broken. Humanity is broken..and they were exiled from the Garden and the presence.

Romans 6:23

Romans 6:23 ESV

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

You see death was not meant to originally be apart of Human life, but sin seperates us form God, out of the garden.

Genesis 2:9

Genesis 2:9 ESV

9 And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

You see God had placed in the middle of the garden the tree of life, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. And they exchanged eternal life and obedience to God, for sin, death…exile

Sometimes our choices put us in the valleys we face our life, sometimes God places us in them to be a light to those in it…but ultimately, the world has valleys, and we are in valley’s because the world is broken.

The world has valleys because humanity fell. The world has death because because we sin…and the physical exile of the Israelites in this valley of death, points to the spiritual exile we are all in.

Moreso than simply Israel…can this mess of humanity be redeemed. Can these bones, wretched, wicked, lost, weak, people live. Can these bones come to life? Will death have the final say? Does God have no answer? This is the question!

Elijah’s response: “O God, you know.” Or as the NIV says, “O Soverign Lord, you alone know!”

Elijah does not presume to know the answer. He had never seen, or heart anything like this. And how God was going to bring bones to life, or better yet, a scattered nation back to himself…was a mystery. If it was going to be done, God was going to be the one to do it.

Application:

You may be in the valley between heartache and hope right now. Whether you are a beliver, or nonbeliver…whatever it is, whatever the pain, whatever the loss…you may be asking, can this be fixed. Will there every be life?

Don’t worry about how, leave that to God. Don’t worry about when, leave that to God. Don’t worry about figuring it out…leave it to God. You have to figure out how you are going to make it through, or what its going to look like. Thats not the point. The valley is not simply about finding answers, its about finding the one with the answers. Its not about finding out the how..but finding out the who!

In the valleys of life…don’t aim to just know the answers of why, when, how…aim to know Jesus. Because the more you know Jesus the content you become in the mysteries of life.

Romans 11:33

Romans 11:33 ESV

33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

ii. Now Ezekiel’s response is different. He could not see the way out either, but He recognizes that its not His job to see the way out. Its God’s. Its his job to trust. He says, “O Lord God You Know”

Ezekiel could not see how a nation couple be delivered from a physical exile…and even more so a spiritual exile…but he saw God. And that was enough. Trust God.

The Valleys of life come becuase of our sin, the brokenenss of this world..and because God will place us in them. But when you at the brokenness around you…don’t get so focused on what is, or what was…ask yourself what can be? God can make a way?

Now this is God told Ezekiel to do. And by doing so, helps us to answer the third question.

How do we move forward

How do you move forward in the valley? Two parts to this.

Prophesy to the bones: The first thing God tells Him is to prophesy to the bones!

God gives him the word…and He tells him to speak to the bones

Hear the word, speak the word…and keep speaking it!

Think about this, how crazy is it to speak to bones. Bones can’t hear..bones are just bones. They have no ears. Speaking to bones is about as hopeless of a thing as you can do. But notice the power isn’t in Ezekiel, the power isn’t in the bones…the power is in the word!

Applciation

Even if everything around you looks one way…hold on the word of God, and preach it, and preach it, and preach it…and you will see it transform you, and your life.

Romans 12:1-2

Romans 12:1–2 ESV

1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Remember i preached for my last message..and we are transformed as we hear, and listen, and meditate on what God has said. Before Ezekiel could speak it, He had to hear it…and before he spoke it He had to trust the one who was speaking!

1. You have to preach to yourself more than you listen to yourself. Stop allowing the self talk of doubt, fear, and worry to have free reign in your mind. Israel, what did they think..no hope, no way out. They did not trust God, did not listen to God…and were stuck!

The prophet though…heard the word…trusted God…and allowed that word to change what even he though was possible.

Hear me, God’s word has the power to change what is and what can be.

2. Not only must you preach to yourself and allow that so change your mind and heart…but preach to the dry bones. Speak the word into every area of your life that needs to be revived.

Broken marriage…put some word on it. Put some word in it. Grab your spouse and sit down and just read the word together of what a loving marriage and family looks like

Stress at your job…walk into your job speaking the word of God. Soon as you walk in, its like people just turn your good day into a bad one. Speak the word...”This is the day that the Lord has made and I will rejoice and be glad in it”

Problem with your kids: Get them under the word. Sit and read together…and even if it feels like they aren’t listening…trust not in the power of you or them to change…just in the power of the word to change them.

Notice that Ezekiel speaks about a reality that is not yet, and preaches it untill it becomes what God has said.

3. We have to stop getting so caught up in where people are or where they have been! We get too caught up in complaining about the bones to preach to the bones. We are so busy complaining about our spouse to allow the word of God to remind us of what we can be.

We need a church not that can tell you just where you’ve messeed up..that doesn’t just tell you where your problms are. Israel knew thier problem..what they didn’t know is what they could be! Preach, preach, preach the word.

To those who are dead in thier sin, who don’t know Jesus and are looking for a way forward…there is a way out! You don’t have to stay there. You are not what they said you were..you are not bound to your failures or mistakes. It can be changed..there is a way out…preach the word!!

And then the second part of this is just as important. Why…because though preaching to the bones made them into bodies…they were still dead. A corpse is just as dead as dry bones. It may look nicer, but they are still without life.

They needed the spirit!

Prophesy to the wind

Ezekiel: An Introduction and Commentary f. The Spiritual Rebirth of the People (37:1–28)

The second action was tantamount to praying, as Ezekiel besought the Spirit of God to effect the miracle of re-creation, to breathe into man’s nostrils the breath of life (cf. Gen. 2:7). This time the effect was devastating. What preaching by itself failed to achieve, prayer made a reality.

Let me say it like this…the word of God, apart from the Spirit of God…can make a good looking church but it can’t make al living one. The Spirit works through the word to accomplish tranformation in our lifes.

So not only must your preach. But you must pray. Wherever we go, it will be guided by the word, and empowered by the spirit. The word can tell you what to do, but the spirit can help you do it.

You see the Spirit here that God was going to breath into His people pointed to not just a physical exile, but a spiritual one. God could bring them back together and make them a nation..but something had to change, because they would still be dead.

You see, God could rescue them from their physical exile, but their spiritual one was the most serious. Because think about it for God to truly rescue them…it wasn’t just about the physical, because thier disobedience would get them right in the same spot. Even if God broguth them together, if He didn’t put His spirit in them to change them…then sin would come and do the same thing again. They needed a new life, better than the first. Not just something to saave thier life, but thier soul.

God had a plan.

And so what does God do…well He sends someone else in the valley. But this time is wasn’t a vision it was a mission. This time it wasn’t just a metaphor…it was a reality.

Jesus

John 1:14 ESV

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Jesus, son of God, God himself, the WORD incarnate, empowered by the Holy Spirit…came into the valley.

John 1:9–11 ESV

9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.

1. Why am I here? Why was Jesus in the valley?

Luke 4:18–19 ESV

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Jesus came into the valley for you and me..you see even Ezekiel, preaching the message of Hope and life, needed hope and life. He wasn’t the hope and life…He needed it like everyone else. Why? Because he was a fallen broken man like everyone else.

John 10:10 ESV

10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

Jesus came to the valley because thats where the bones were. Because thats where you were!

2. Can this be fixed? Will it always be like this?

You may be here today and you just feel exhausted, broken..tired..and unable to see hoep.

Can I tell you something. You are not too far gone. How do I now that those bones can live?

Isaiah 53:4–5 ESV

4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.

Jesus was torn apart so that you could be put back together. Jesus crushed so that you could be restored. Jesus wounded so that you could be healed! Killed on a hill called calvary..where the blood flows into the valley…so that all who are dead, can find life.

And a life which satan can not take. Sin made us all spiritual exiles, but the new life Jesus gives is the life which can not be taken.

John 11:25 ESV

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,

There is hope for those in the valley!

3. How do we move forward?

Psalm 23:4 ESV

4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

First, know that Jesus is with you. He is walking with you. You are not alone!

Unbelievers

Believe and receive the God who became man for you. THis message that Ezekiel preached points us to Jesus. The Spirit that brings us to life is found in Jesus.

John 4:24

John 4:24 ESV

24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Read the word of God, pray! Look to Jesus

2. Believer

John 20:21

John 20:21 ESV

21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”

Where to? The Valley

If Christ has saved you, He has not saved you for you. We go to where the bones are.

Luke 4:18-19

Luke 4:18–19 ESV

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

A light that is afraid of the dark is useless. If salt has lost its saltiness whats it for?

“Some want to live within the sound Of church or chapel bell; I want to run a rescue shop, Within a yard of hell.”

― C.T. Studd

Lion King: “Everything the light touches is our kingdom”

Isaiah 43:18–21 ESV

18 “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. 19 Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. 20 The wild beasts will honor me, the jackals and the ostriches, for I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, to give drink to my chosen people, 21 the people whom I formed for myself that they might declare my praise.

“I believe in the power of recovery!” shirt..I belive that where you are is not where you have to stay. No matter how long you’ve been there..no matter what you’ve done, said, or failed at. No matter your addiction, your struggle, your trauma, your failures…the church sees what can be.

These bones can live! Because Jesus lives. Its time to walk out.