“The Valley of Bones.” Pastor Allan Kircher SPBC
24 Jan 2010
Ezekiel 37:-1-14
The Books of I and II Kings were written about the period leading up to the Babylonian exile to show the people how their plight was the result of Israel’s sin
Ezekiel offers us a vivid reminder that God will not leave us forever lifeless and hopeless,
and further that God offers unity where there appears to be only brokenness and death.
Ezekiel was born just after the reforms of King Josiah. What a glorious time that was.
King Josiah repaired the Temple.
He rediscovered the Book of the Law, which Israel had forgotten and ignored for many years. After reading the Law Josiah cleansed Judah.
He removed from the Temple of the Lord all the articles made for Baal and Asherah and the starry hosts and burned them outside Jerusalem.
He took the Asherah pole from the Temple and ground it into dust.
He tore down the living quarters of the male shrine prostitutes which were in the Temple.
He did away with the pagan priests and their altars on the high places. He led the people in a time of covenant renewal.
In his 31st year as king, Josiah was killed in a battle against Pharaoh Neco, king of Egypt.
Neco imprisoned Josiah's oldest son before 3 months of his reign were over;
So a brother was made king in his place whose named Jehoiakim, He was an evil and ruthless king.
He imposed huge taxes on the people in order to pay tribute to Neco and to build palaces for himself.
He pursued other gods and put aside all the reforms established by his father, King Josiah.
He tolerated no criticism and to enforce silence he killed the prophet Uriah and imprisoned the prophet Jeremiah.
When King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon defeated Pharaoh Neco of Egypt, Jehoiakim put himself under Babylonian rule as a vassal.
After 3 years he rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar. Within 4 years Jerusalem was encircled and besieged.
At the critical moment Jehoiakim died – whether from assassination or sickness we do not know.
His 18 year old son, Jehoiachin, surrendered to Nebuchadnezzar. Plunder was taken but the city itself and its Temple were not harmed.
In this first deportation was Daniel.
Though it was now under Babylonian domination, Judah remained an independent nation with her own king.
In 598 BC. Again Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem.
However, Jehoiachin, the officers, the fighting men, the craftsmen and artisans, and all the leading men of the land were deported to Babylon, along with the prophet Ezekiel
While in captivity Ezekiel heard of what happened next.
In 586 BC Jerusalem was totally ruined by Nebuchadnezzer and his great Babylonian army.
Solomon’s Temple, which had been the pride and glory of Israel for almost 400 years was reduced to ashes;
all the inhabitants of Jerusalem had been taken either to Chaldea or to Babylon in captivity, including Zedekiah
the last king of Judah who had been blinded taken in chains to Babylon.
Although they had been warned repeatedly by God through His prophets, including Ezekiel, they had turned a deaf ear!
Now they were spiritually dead.
They were saying, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’
They had come to complete despair in their Babylonian Captivity.
They thought that God would never take them back. Since they had no hope, they also had completely lost their faith in God.
Jerusalem and Judah were no more.
What a discouraging and disappointing time for the people of God.
The exiles in Babylon now encounter very real depression,
Perhaps because they were aware of how much their own actions had led to their current situation,
Perhaps they sensed the absence of God in this foreign land they now live.
How so can we relate today in our own lives……
Nonetheless, the prophet Ezekiel describes an experience he had at a low point in his life. Hope had evaporated.
There was no reason to believe his situation would improve.
I think this story gets to us because life has set us down in a valley of dry bones more often than we would like.
Feeling sometimes in our lives that we are lifeless as bleached bones on a desert floor.
Feeling as though God has abandoned us in our time of need.
We sometimes feel we have been broken down by self-satisfaction and by cultural changes for which we weren’t prepared.
Life sometimes sets us down in a place so barren and so difficult that we're not sure if we will ever make our way out of it.
In the vision Ezekiel is put in the middle of a valley. What a dismal place.
The valley is full of human bones baked white and dry on the desert floor. Apparently a large army had been defeated here.
Buzzards had done their work, and the sun had bleached the bones that remained.
Could this be the same valley where King Zedekiah's sons and army were put to death?
Is there where King Josiah lost to Pharaoh Neco?
We aren't told, but it could very well be that Ezekiel was taken to a place where Judah had fought and lost.
Perhaps Ezekiel was looking at the bones of his own countrymen.
Wherever the valley, the symbolism of the bones is clear: Israel is dead; she is as dead as all those dry, white bones.
In fact, the people in the despair of the Exile identify themselves with the dry, white bones.
Can these dry bones live? Absolutely not! That is our typical reaction.
Look out over any valley of dry bones .... look at any skeleton that has been parched by the sun,
bones that have been picked clean and smoothed by the ravages of time and the elements
and we would be quick to say that even the question itself is ridiculous.
Of course dry bones cannot live again! No further discussion is even necessary.
They say to one another: "Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off" (Ezek 37:11). They felt like skeletons picked clean to the bone.
As Ezekiel surveys this gruesome scene, God asks him a surprising question: "Son of man, can these bones live?" (vs 3).
In the Hebrew the question is phrased in such a way that the only possible answer is "No." "No God. These bones cannot live." They are white and dry.
The heat of the sun and the wind has long since sucked out all the moisture.
The marrow is dried up and dead. The bones are old and chipped and cracked.
"No God. These bones cannot live."
Do you ever feel that way for somebody you are praying for, that they cannot possibly be revived to live with God?
They are too far gone, they’ll never come to church. They’ll never stop drinking, or getting angry, they’ll never stop living in the world.”
God says this morning to look upon the valley of those dry bones and have faith that He will restore by the breath of life.
Ezekiel says to God about the despondent bones of the Israelites, "O Sovereign LORD, you alone know" (vs 3).
Ezekiel has seen so many strange and wonderful things that he cannot dismiss the possibility of those old, dried up bones coming to life again.
You too cannot dismiss the possibility of anything not coming to pass in the kingdom of God.
Ezekiel knows that the power of God transcends the power of the grave.
He knows how the Lord used Elijah to bring to life the widow of Zarephath's dead son.
He knows how Elisha was empowered by God to raise from the dead the Shunammite woman's son.
Ezekiel would agree with Hannah who said (1Sam 2:6) "The LORD brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up.
It is always hard to know if any humor surrounding the issue of death is appropriate but it does make the point.
I have read several times about three friends that were discussing death and one of them asked:
"What would you like people to say about you at your funeral?"
The first of the friends said: I would like them to say, he was a great humanitarian, who cared about his community.
The second said that he hoped people would say that he was a great husband and father, who was an example for many to follow".
The third person said, I would like them to say, "Look, he’s moving!!"
Or there was the letter that was reportedly sent by the Indiana Department of Social Services to a person who had been receiving assistance through their organization.
The letter read as follows: "Your food stamps will be stopped in March because we received notice that you passed away. May God bless you. You may reapply if there is a change in your circumstances."
Funny perhaps - and that is the point - we know that dry bones cannot live.
Dry bones do not come back to life.
And there are so many dry bones all around us.
Lives that have been parched by the heat and storms of life.
Individuals that have been overwhelmed by the circumstances of life to the point that life has been stripped from their existence and all seems hopeless.
Do circumstances change - It’s not going to happen" "Dry bones live again - no way!"
The prophet Ezekiel is taken in the middle of the spirit to a valley filled with dry bones ...........
Can these bones live?_ he is asked.
Being in the presence of God, Ezekiel answered by faith instead of sight or logic –
"O Lord God, only you know!" How could he even said that.
It is so obvious - of course such dry bones cannot live. Still Ezekiel knew that in the presence of God anything can happen.
Can dry bones live? How often are we so very sure that the answer is no.
And how often are we so very sure about that answer that we give up all hope.
How often do we stumble along the cold hard road of life and find ourselves in a deep valley where everything around us seems devoid of life.
In a valley full of dry bones we may not even ponder the question long - _ Can these bones live? - of course not.
Living without hope is such a terrible way to live.
Seeing dry bones and believing that there will never be life there again is such a horrible thing to have to live with.
When you stand in the middle of this graveyard, don’t you often have the same question?
Are you also living in a graveyard of finances? Does there seem there is no way out of debt?
Hey, discover the faith you have in God and say yes these dry bones of finances can live….
Are you living in a graveyard of dead love in your marriage? Does it seem hopeless?
That there’s no way we are going to make it in these dry bones of arguments, disagreements and strive.
Hey, discover the faith you have in God and say yes these dry bones of our marriage can live…..
When I see how paganistic America has become - where it has accepted the pluralistic religion which says we all go to the same place, I wonder, “can these bones live?”
When I turn on the TV and see half naked people and kids in college boasting about the drugs and sex they’re having, I wonder to myself, “can these dry and dead bones live?”
It doesn’t seem like anyone wants to hear what God has to say anymore.
And when I think about what kind of pressures the children today face, with “safe sex” and evolution being preached everywhere they go, I wonder to myself, “can these dry bones live again?”
Or will their faith go dry? It certainly seems hopeless doesn’t it? Like Ezekiel we also say, “Lord, you alone know!”
Jesus stood in front of the tomb of His friend Lazarus.
Everyone knew that the situation was hopeless - everyone, that is, except Jesus.
For some incredible reason, Jesus believed that dry bones could live again.
How can dry bones live here and now? Jesus knows differently.
In a few months we will again proclaim the risen Jesus Christ and remind you that He was only the first fruits of resurrected life.
In Christ there never needs to be any hopelessness when it comes to death and resurrection to eternal life.
God dramatically shows Ezekiel His power over life and death. He does so in a two stage act.
First, God tells Ezekiel to preach to the bones.
I try to imagine myself in such a spot.
I try to imagine myself behind this pulpit but in the pews in front of me are nothing but dry, old bones.
And then God says to me, "Son of man, preach to those bones." "You got to be kidding, God. You want me to preach to dry bones!?
Ezekiel listens to God and he preaches.
The results are amazing. The scattered bones beings to clank and clink and rattle.
They move toward each other and are joined together, forming human skeletons.
Miraculously, muscles and flesh are fitted to each skeleton, but they are still dead.
Second, God commands Ezekiel to speak to the wind.
Addressing the four corners of the earth, the prophet calls for the "breath of God" to blow over the bodies and give them life.
As he speaks, it happens. The bodies stand up, alive, a virtual army where moments before had been only dry, bleached bones.
Does this vision remind you of anything? It should.
It reminds me of what we read in Genesis. There we read of a similar two stage act.
First, we read of how the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground. Then we read of how the LORD God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.
Only then does the man become a living being (Gen 2:7).
In the valley of dry bones Ezekiel witnesses God's creative power at work.
What God does there in that valley is exactly the same as what He did on the last day of Creation when he made man.
What is the meaning of this vision? What is the Lord's message here?
A key to understanding the vision is Ezekiel's use of the Hebrew word ruach.
This word is translated as "Spirit" in verses 1 and 14; as "breath" in verses 5,6,8,9, and 10; and as "winds" in verse 9.
But in the Hebrew language the same word is used every single time.
Ruach describes the blowing of the wind. It speaks of breath or breathing.
It tells us about the work of God's Spirit.
We have to conclude that Ezekiel's strange vision points to the life-giving work of the Holy Spirit.
What, then, is the purpose of the vision?
To an Israel and an Ezekiel who are full of gloom and in a state of despair and depression the vision of the valley of dry bones is a message of hope.
I want to tell you this morning that the single greatest weapon that the devil has to use against the people of God is discouragement.
If the devil can get you discouraged then you will
Not pray ( what’s the use, God don’t hear)
Not read the bible (what’s the use God don’t speak to me)
Not pay all of your tithe (what’s the use, I can barely make it now)
Not give in the offering (things are really tight now)
Stub up at what the preacher is saying (this guy don’t live in reality)
Not come to church (What’s the use or I just don’t have time.)
Lose sight of what God has for you and for this church!
Because of this weapon of discouragement, statistics tell us that every month in America 200 pastors quite the ministry,
because of this great weapon of discouragement 3,000 churches every month put a pad lock on the door and close down.
Because of this weapon called discouragement the people of God become down hearted, hopeless, burdened down and weary in well doing and become a valley of dry bones.
To an Israel and an Ezekiel who have watched the death and destruction of their land, their people, their city, and their Temple, the vision of the valley of dry bones is a message of encouragement.
I see so many congregations drawing corpses into their churches with a nice basketball league, or a nice sign, or a fancy building.
They do an excellent job at bringing people in.
But the sad thing is, that once they bring them in, they are afraid of offending these prospects with God’s law or specific doctrine.
They have watered down the Word so the Ten Commandments are just ten suggestions.
The threat of eternal hell is never mentioned.
The promise of forgiveness through baptism is never laid out.
And so if these prospects only hear funny stories during sermon, what good does it do them?
It’s like taking a dead corpse and trying to put nice clothing on it. It still stinks on the inside if that’s all you do.
The encouragement for Ezekiel is the same for us - “JUST STICK TO THE WORD! It works!”
It convicts and damns with the LAW, and then renews and brings to life with the promise of forgiveness and eternal life through the gospel of Jesus Christ.
That’s what brings life from death. That’s what works faith. That’s it!
So just keep preaching it preacher!
Remember that with your friends and neighbors and family as well.
All you can do is tell them what God’s Word says.
The ONLY thing that will give life from death is the Word of Christ.
If they don’t like it, then let them stay dead.
Don’t waste your effort on dressing up a dead corpse.
So Ezekiel says today, “go to the graveyard!
See the dead and dry bones! Look at the filth!
And then, listen to the Word - and speak the Word - and watch the dead come back to life!”
What a miraculous sight it is!
What a powerful weapon we have in the Word! Amen.
To an Israel and an Ezekiel who identify themselves with dry, white bones the vision of the valley of dry bones is a message of good cheer.
God is telling a despondent people about new life, wonderful life that is coming their way. And it is the same here…..
Can’t you feel the power of God in this church?
The valley of dry bones is telling us to get up from our sloth, and gossip, and backbiting.
To pick up the cross of Christ daily and live for God.
And we will have that new life. That wonderful life.
But we must turn from our self will and repent and seek God in all that we do.
The vision of the valley of dry bones is a promise to Shell Point of better things to come.
New life will come and flourish. So don't be discouraged, don't be despondent, don't give up hope, don't let despair take over. That's the purpose of this vision.
Because God restored Israel and He can restore you.
Fifty years later, in 538 B.C. the first group of exiles returned to Jerusalem. A second and a third group of exiles returned in 458 and 444 B.C.
The people returned to the land of Israel.
They rebuilt their cities and farms. They restored the Temple.
They once again became prosperous.
A people who were dead like dried bones were once again made alive through the power of the Spirit.
That's the first fulfilment of Ezekiel's vision of dry bones.
Ezekiel's vision finds its second fulfilment in the raising of Christ.
At the end of time we will see another fulfilment.
For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead will rise (1 Thess 4:16).
The sea will give up the dead that are in it, and death and Hades will give up the dead that are in them.
There will be a noise, a rattling sound, and bones will come together, bone to bone.
Tendons and flesh will appear on them and skin will cover them.
God will put into them the breath of life and they will come to life and stand up on their feet – a vast army of them.
This is what we know as the resurrection of the body – the third fulfilment.
There is one fulfilment I have yet to talk about. For you and me living today it is the most important one.
Before I say anything more, let me ask if you noticed how God brings life to the dry, white bones?
He brings life by the Spirit and through the Word. The prophet speaks or prophesies, the ruach or Spirit blows and enters in, and the dry, white bones come to life.
"By the Spirit and through the Word." Do you realize what Ezekiel is describing?
He is describing the process by which we are made born-again, he is describing regeneration, he is describing how we are made new or renewed,
he is describing the method by which we come to faith and repentance and conversion.
"By the Spirit and through the Word." The Spirit of God uses the Word to make us born-again.
We see this with Lydia. She was the first recorded European convert to Christ.
She became a Christian when "the Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message (Acts 16:14).
No man, woman, or child has ever come to faith by another route: it was and always is the Spirit creating faith by means of the Word.
Something mysterious and beautiful happens when we place ourselves under the Word: the Spirit produces faith and makes us born again.
God's people must put themselves under the Word.
They must come for worship services. They must involve themselves in Bible Study.
They must set aside a regular time for family and personal devotions. That is what the Spirit uses to make us born-again.
Our God is so almighty.
By the Holy Spirit and through the Word He is able to bring life to dry, white bones.
And, by the Spirit and through the Word He is able to bring life to the deadest of sinners and the most fallen of saints.
But we also celebrate what God is doing by His Spirit and through the Word: He takes dry, white bones and gives them life. How we praise and thank God for His great and marvelous work.
God promises nothing about the future except that it will be ours and God's together and that life can come out of dry bones.
Divine life can breathe into mortal beings, into clay, into people like you and me, no matter what happens.
No, matter what happens, God will take us by the hand, and the Spirit of God will lead us where we need to be.
We need not be afraid, though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death or find ourselves in a valley of dry bones.
God can breathe life into death faced by people and nations.
The God who brought Ezekiel from despair to hope,
who brought hope to a defeated nation and who raised Jesus from the dead is our God, too.
This God is more powerful than all the sin of humankind and all the forces of destruction at work in the universe.
May this God breathe life into our nation and world.
May this God be with us, keep us close and breathe life into us.
