##DailyDevotion Good News For Hopeless Times

Ezek. 37:1–14

The LORD laid His hand on me and by His Spirit took me out and put me down in the middle of a valley that was full of bones. ²He led me past them all around. There were a great number lying on the floor of the valley, and they were very dry. ³“Son of man,” He asked me, “can these bones become alive?” “Lord GOD,” I answered, “You know.” ⁴“Prophesy about these bones,” He told me, “and say to them: ‘Dry bones, listen to what the LORD says. ⁵The Lord GOD says this to these bones: I will make breath enter into you, and you will live. ⁶I will put sinews on you, have flesh come on you, cover you with skin, and put breath in you so you will live and know I am the LORD.” ⁷“I prophesied as I was ordered, and as I prophesied, there was a noise and a rustling as the bones came together, one bone to another. ⁸I saw sinews coming on them. Flesh came on them, and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them. ⁹“Prophesy to the breath,.” He told me. “Prophesy, son of man, and tell the breath, “The Lord GOD says this: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain people so they will live.’” ¹⁰So I prophesied as He ordered me, and breath entered into them and they stood on their feet — a very great army.

It was in the midst of the exile, the Babylonian captivity of Judah and Jerusalem Ezekiel receives this prophecy. One can only imagine the great distress of God’s people. In successive waves the Babylonians started emptying the land of Jews of the Promised Land. Finally, even the puppet king of Jerusalem whom the Babylonians put in place tried rebelling again, against the orders of the Almighty and the city was besieged, people starved to death, the walls were breached, the many of the people were killed, and the Temple and the city were razed to the ground. All this was because they did not fear the LORD their God, worship him alone and put their trust in him.

So this vision of the dry bones in a valley is not much of a surprise. They were the people of God. Their bones exposed to the elements. They were not even properly buried. The Jewish people in exile were greatly distraught and needed some good news. I guess perhaps they finally realized their predicament. They knew they had been unfaithful to the LORD their God and this is why they were experiencing the horrors they were experiencing. Some true repentance may have been kindling in their hearts that they might receive this prophecy from the LORD through Ezekiel.

So the LORD has Ezekiel prophesy to the dry bones. To prophesy is not always to speak of the future but to speak the Word of the LORD. You could say pastors prophesy every Sunday in their preaching. So Ezekiel does as the LORD commands. He speaks the Word of the LORD to the bones and they come together (hence the spiritual song). Then he saw sinews, flesh and skin covered them. Ezekiel prophesied to the breath to enter them. Then stood before Ezekiel a very great army. The people of Israel would experience a great renewal as the people of God. This though speaks to the Last Day. The LORD who commands to prophecy is the same LORD Jesus who rose from the dead on the third day. It is not only the faithful descendants of Abraham that are resurrected but all those who put their faith in our LORD Jesus Christ who in that faith are Israel, God’s Holy people. As the ancient people were encouraged by this vision, we should also be encouraged.

Merciful God and Father, as we are besieged by our times, give us faith to look to the promise of your Son Jesus Christ and his resurrection from the dead so we will not lose heart but confidently look to his reappearing and our resurrection. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.