EZEKIEL Chapter 37 - The Valley Of Dry Bones

The Valley Of Dry Bones

The Hand of the Lord was upon me,

And He brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord

And set me in the middle of a valley;

IT WAS FULL OF BONES.

2 He led me back and forth among them,

And I saw a great many bones that were very dry.

3 HE ASKED ME , 'SON OF MAN, CAN THESE BONES LIVE?'

I said, 'O Sovereign Lord, you alone know.'

4 Then He said to me,

'PROPHESY TO THESE BONES AND SAY TO THEM

'DRY BONES, HEAR THE WORD OF THE LORD!

5 THIS IS WHAT THE SOVEREIGN LORD SAYS TO THESE BONES:

I WILL MAKE BREATH ENTER YOU, AND YOU WILL COME TO LIFE.

6 I WILL ATTACH TENDONS TO YOU

AND MAKE FLESH COME UPON YOU

AND COVER YOU WITH SKIN;

I WILL PUT BREATH IN YOU,

AND YOU WILL COME TO LIFE.

THEN YOU WILL KNOW THAT I AM THE LORD.'

7 So I Prophesied as I was Commanded.

And as I was Prophesying,

THERE WAS A SOUND, A RATTLING SOUND,

AND THE BONES CAME TOGETHER, BONE TO BONE.

8 I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them

And skin 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 it,

'THIS IS WHAT THE SOVEREIGN LORD SAYS:

COME FROM THE FOUR WINDS, O BREATH,

AND BREATHE INTO THESE SLAIN, THAT THEY MAY LIVE.'

10 So I Prophesied as He Commanded me,

AND BREATH ENTERED THEM;

THEY CAME TO LIFE AND STOOD UP ON THEIR FEET--

A VAST ARMY.

11 Then He said to me:

'SON OF MAN, THESE ARE THE WHOLE HOUSE OF ISRAEL.

They say, 'Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone;

WE ARE CUT OFF.'

12 Therefore Prophesy and say to the:

'THIS IS WHAT THE SOVEREIGN LORD SAYS:

O MY PEOPLE, I AM GOING TO OPEN YOUR GRAVES

AND BRING YOU BACK TO THE LAND OF ISRAEL.

13 THEN YOU, MY PEOPLE, WILL KNOW THAT I AM THE LORD,

WHEN I OPEN YOUR GRAVES

AND BRING YOU UP FROM THEM.

14 I WILL PUT MY SPIRIT IN YOU AND YOU WILL LIVE,

AND I WILL SETTLE YOU IN YOUR OWN LAND.

THEN YOU WILL KNOW THAT I THE LORD HAVE SPOKEN,

AND I HAVE DONE IT, DECLARES THE LORD.

One Nation Under One King

15 The Word of the Lord came to me:

16 'Son of man, take a stick of wood and write on it,

'BELONGING TO JUDAH AND THE ISRAELITES ASSOCIATED WITH HIM.'

Then take another stick of wood, and write on it,

'EPHRAIM'S STICK, BELONGING TO JOSEPH

AND ALL THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL ASSOCIATED WITH HIM.'

17 JOIN THEM TOGETHER INTO ONE STICK

SO THEY WILL BECOME ONE IN YOUR HAND.

18 'When your Countrymen ask you,

'Won't you tell us what you mean by this?'

19 SAY TO THEM, 'THIS IS WHAT THE SOVEREIGN LORD SAYS:

I AM GOING TO TAKE THE STICK OF JOSEPH--

WHICH IS IN EPHRAIM'S HAND--

AND OF THE ISRAELITE TRIBES ASSOCIATED WITH HIM,

AND JOIN IT TO JUDAH'S STICK,

MAKING THEM A SINGLE STICK OF WOOD,

AND BECOME ONE IN MY HAND.'

20 Hold before their eyes the sticks you have written on

And say to them,

21 THIS IS WHAT THE SOVEREIGN LORD SAYS:

I WILL TAKE THE ISRAELITES OUT OF THE NATIONS

WHERE THEY HAVE GONE.

I WILL GATHER THEM FROM ALL AROUND

AND BRING THEM BACK INTO THEIR OWN LAND,

ON THE MOUNTAINS OF ISRAEL.

THERE WILL BE ONE KING OVER ALL OF THEM

AND THEY WILL NEVER AGAIN BE TWO NATIONS

OR BE DIVIDED INTO TWO KINGDOMS.

23 THEY WILL NO LONGER DEFILE THEMSELVES

WITH THEIR IDOLS AND VILE IMAGES

OR WITH ANY OF THEIR OFFENSES,

FOR I WILL SAVE THEM FROM ALL THEIR SINFUL BACKSLIDING,

AND I WILL CLEANSE THEM.

THEY WILL BE MY PEOPLE, AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD.

24 'MY SERVANT DAVID WILL BE KING OVER THEM,

AND THEY WILL ALL HAVE ONE SHEPHERD.

THEY WILL FOLLOW MY LAWS AND BE CAREFUL TO KEEP MY DECREES.

25 They will live in the Land I gave to My Servant Jacob,

The Land where your fathers lived.

They and their children and their children's children

WILL LIVE THERE FOREVER.

AND DAVID MY SERVANT WILL BE THEIR PRINCE FOREVER.

26 I WILL MAKE A COVENANT OF PEACE WITH THEM;

IT WILL BE AN EVERLASTING COVENANT.

I WILL ESTABLISH THEM AND INCREASE THEIR NUMBERS,

AND I WILL PUT MY SANCTUARY AMONG THEM FOREVER.

27 MY DWELLING PLACE WILL BE WITH THEM;

I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY WILL BE MY PEOPLE.

28 THEN THE NATIONS WILL KNOW

THAT I THE LORD MAKE ISRAEL HOLY,

WHEN MY SANCTUARY IS AMONG THEM FOREVER.'

(Ezekiel 37)

How Empty and Futile are all the Machinations of mankind

In their Rebellion against God and His Word.

His Word was Established at Creation and is Unalterable.

Ezekiel has Prophesied what has happened

And what will happen in the near Future.

AS GOD HAS SPOKEN, SO SHALL IT BE!