The Valley of the Dry Bones
"The spoken word brings restoration over a valley of dryness, and
life over a desolate land."
"The hand of the Lord was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones, 2 And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry. 3 And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord God, thou knowest. 4 Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. 5 Thus saith the Lord God unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: 6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the Lord. 7 So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone." (Ezekiel 37:1-7).
The word of the Lord brings life. The breath of life that we breathe deep within our bosom is the same breath that fills our souls. From the beginning, God brought all life into existence, and the creation of man by His very own breath, "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." (Genesis 2:7). God only spoke the word, and everything was so. For, "In the beginning was the Word, and the word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1:1). As our physical bodies cannot survive without the breath of life, indeed how much more we need to depend on God's word for our spiritual life. Both are essential, and both are of God! "The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life." (Job 33:4). No other form of created power could do such a marvelous thing, than to give life its own existence. Who has the power to give life, and to take it? Who has the power to bring back from the dead? Who has the power to give in full with all prosperity, and hope? Only God can! "The Lord killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up. 7 The Lord maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifeth up." (1 Samuel 2:6-7). Only God alone can restore flesh to human bones, connect tissue to tissue, and only God alone can cause them to live. The Spirit of God is the wind, (the symbol of life), and it is represented by His quickening powers. Disobedience and sin has caused death among the people. The people were spiritually dead, and their bones lay desolate in a valley of dryness. God hates sins, and He hides His face from it. He is pure and He is holy. "Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust. 30 Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth." (Psalms 104:29-30). So, Son of man, can these bone live? O' Lord God, thou knowest! "And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." (Revelation 7:14). Washed in blood of the lamb, and by God's great power! It is by God's power that the dry bones lived! By God's power that He manifested himself through human flesh, and died paying the ultimate price for life! By God's power are we able to confess and be saved. By God's power there is a blessed hope! By God's power there is restoration! For, Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. "And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed." (Joel 2:27).
"And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them. 9 Then said, he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord God; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon 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 up upon their feet, and exceeding great army. 11 Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cute off for our parts. 12 Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. 13 And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O my people and brought you up out of your graves, 14 And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the Lord have spoken it, and performed it, saith the Lord." (Ezekiel 37:8-14).
God's restoration is at hand in the land for His children, and nothing can separate His love for them. "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8). The valley of the dry bones tell about the true power, love and grace of God. That even though we are dead in sin, He stills converts us to himself. Prophesying the word, that we may live and have life. Prophesying the word of the coming King of Kings! Prophesying the word of His death and resurrection as our Savior! Jesus Christ was resurrected in three days! "And after three days and an half spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them." (Revelation 11:11). That reverent fear, that is the fear of the Lord. By that fear one can gain wisdom, knowledge and understanding. The wisdom of not doing it, the knowledge of knowing not to do, and the understanding of why it should not be done. But, by sin, there is death. "Our bones are scattered at the grave's mouth, as when one cutteth and cleaveth wood upon the earth." (Psalms 141:7). Now, through the death of Christ, hope has now been restored, and the people who were dead, could now live.
The same word, the breath of life that was spoken in the beginning of time is the same word whom came down in the flesh as Jesus Christ, to bring life back into that which was dead. "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father;) full of grace and truth." (John 1:14). Christ died on the cross and rose bringing hope and salvation to all. That precious life!!! As prophesied, to Ezekiel in a vision of dry bones, and through the resurrected Son, Jesus Christ, we are now delivered from sin. He has put His spirit within us, and kept us by His power through faith, unto salvation. "Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?" (Jeremiah 32:27). To God be the glory!!!
Have a blessed day dear friends...
