Resurrections: Lesson 4 (5-22-22)
Overview
The Valley of Dry Bones: God's Word Brings the Dead to Life
The prophet Ezekiel ministered during one of Israel's darkest hours. Carried into Babylonian exile in 597 B.C., he served the people in the dual role of priest and prophet, helping them see that their oppression was not evidence that God had abandoned them but the consequence of their own sin. His prophetic work falls into two halves: words of warning before the fall of Jerusalem, and words of consolation and hope after it. The vision of the dry bones in Ezekiel 37:1-14 belongs to that second half—a stunning promise that God will restore what looks utterly beyond recovery.
The setting itself preaches. Bones lying in a valley, "very many" and "very dry," picture Israel's hopeless condition: cut off, without water, without life. When God asks Ezekiel, "Mortal, can these bones live?" the address itself is instructive. We who imagine we can manage every circumstance by trying harder are reminded that we are creatures, not the Creator. Ezekiel's answer—"O Lord God, you know"—models faithful prayer: I am mortal; you are God; if you so desire, you can. That posture turns our eyes away from ourselves and onto the One who is sovereign.
What follows is recreation. Ezekiel prophesies as commanded, and the bones rattle together, sinews and flesh appear, and finally the breath of God enters them. The vocabulary echoes Genesis 2:7, where God formed Adam from the dust and breathed nephesh into him; in Ezekiel, the ruach—the same word for spirit and breath—animates the slain into a vast living multitude. The same divine word carries cosmic power at the cross, where, as Jesus breathes his last in Matthew 27:45-54, the temple curtain tears, the earth shakes, tombs open, and the saints are raised. When God speaks through his appointed messenger, creation answers.
This vision is not merely a national restoration for ancient Israel; it is the Church's story too. Ephesians 2:1-5 reminds us we were "dead through the trespasses and sins" until God, rich in mercy, made us alive together with Christ. 1 Peter 2:9 names the new chosen people—a royal priesthood called out of darkness into light. And the breath of God still comes to dry bones through water joined to the Word. In John 4:13-14, Jesus promises living water welling up to eternal life. There is no such thing as a wordless Holy Spirit; the Spirit always comes attached to God's Word, and in baptism that Word, joined to water, conveys forgiveness, faith, eternal life, and membership in Christ's body.
Pastoral application: When you face a situation that seems beyond repair—your own sin, a hardened heart, a broken relationship, a grief that feels final—remember Ezekiel's answer. You are mortal; God is God. Speak his promises rather than your opinions, for "thus says the Lord" carries weight that "I think" never can. And return often to your baptism, where the same Spirit who hovered over the waters of creation, who breathed life into Adam, and who reassembled a valley of bones, has spoken your name and made you alive in Christ.
Transcript
Good morning. 5s
Good morning. 6s
Let's pray together, please. 7s
Come, Holy Ghost, Creator Blessed, 11s
and make our hearts your place of rest. 14s
Come with your grace in heavenly aid, 18s
and fill the hearts which you have made. 20s
Your light to every thought in part 25s
and shed your love in every heart. 27s
The weakness of our mortal state 32s
with deathless might invigorate. 34s
Drive far away our wily foe, 39s
and you're abiding peace bestow. 43s
With you is our protecting guide, 48s
no evil can with us abide. 50s
Teach us to know the Father's Son, 53s
and you from both as three in one. 56s
That we, your name, may ever bless, 60s
and in our lives the truth confess. 63s
Amen. 68s
Well, welcome to our concluding session here 70s
of this class on Resurrection. 72s
Last week, we took a look at the widow's son at Nain. 75s
That story is really the story of Jesus also, 80s
and it is the story of all the baptized, 84s
how Jesus touches with his grace 87s
and resurrects us unto new life in the waters of baptism. 90s
Well, today's we conclude this class. 94s
I'd like to take a look with you at Ezekiel's vision 96s
of the dry bones, of the Ezekiel's vision 98s
of the dry bones. 101s
Ezekiel was a Jew that was exiled to Babylon 104s
during that Babylonian captivity. 109s
So Nebuchadnezzar comes sweeping in, 112s
and in 597, Ezekiel is part of those that are exiled. 116s
And Ezekiel was a prophet and a priest. 123s
It's an interesting combination, 128s
but he was called to that dual role of priest and prophet. 131s
And what Ezekiel explained was that the oppression 136s
of the people was not a sign that God had somehow 140s
abandoned them, but no, it was a result of their sin. 145s
And Ezekiel's work it fell into two parts. 152s
Prior to the fall of Jerusalem, 155s
when he's a prophesying destruction, 157s
and then after the fall, when you hear this incredible word 160s
of consolation and hope that comes in. 165s
So let's turn to Ezekiel, the 37th chapter. 170s
A good way to find Ezekiel is take a shortcut. 173s
If you're unfamiliar with it, by going to the book of Psalms, 176s
and then start working your way toward the New Testament. 180s
Psalms, proverbs, ecclesiastes, song of Solomon, 184s
Isaiah, Jeremiah, lamentations, and then Ezekiel. 189s
If you've hit Daniel, you're too far. 194s
So we're gonna pick up in Ezekiel chapter 37 verse one. 197s
And this is a vision that the Lord gives 202s
to the prophet, to the priest, Ezekiel. 205s
The hand of the Lord came upon me, 211s
and he brought me out by the spirit of the Lord, 215s
and set me down in the middle of a valley. 219s
It was full of bones. 222s
I just a little aside here, where it says, 227s
the hand of the Lord came upon me. 229s
That is what is called an anthropomorphism in Holy Scripture, 233s
where God is portrayed with human characteristics. 238s
And so you'll see that pop up every now and then. 243s
And what Ezekiel is saying here is that the quote-unquote 248s
hand of God. 251s
The hand of God is that understanding that God is touching him, 254s
God is leading him to make this proclamation, 260s
to communicate the word of God. 265s
The valley that he's talking about is full of bones. 268s
And this symbolizes Israel's lostness, 272s
the hopeless, hopeless condition 276s
that they are in. 280s
Jump down into verse 11, and there we read, 282s
then he said to me, mortal, these bones are the whole house 285s
of Israel. 290s
They say, our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost, 292s
and we are cut off completely. 295s
So it's the spiritual condition of the people, 300s
of old chosen people. 304s
And it also reflects, of course, our spiritual condition 306s
by nature. 310s
Not only are the bones in a valley symbolizing the depth 313s
of sin, but also notice the descriptor in verse 2. 317s
He led me all around them. 323s
There were very many lying in the valley, 326s
and they were very dry. 329s
There's no water. 334s
The bones are dry. 336s
They are in the valley. 339s
There is no hope, the lostness of their condition. 341s
And all hope is destroyed. 347s
Verse 3, he said to me, mortal, can these bones live? 351s
Now just a little aside here, how Ezekiel is addressed. 362s
Oh, God turns and says, mortal. 366s
That's helpful for us to keep in mind, isn't it? 371s
It's helpful for us who think that we can somehow 374s
control all of the circumstances in life. 378s
If we just try a harder, right, it's helpful to be reminded 381s
that we are all mortals. 385s
And God turns to Ezekiel, and the first thing, mortal, 392s
that immediately says that he's a mortal and who isn't, 399s
but God. 407s
So it puts things in the perspective right off the bat. 409s
Mortal, can these bones live? 411s
Notice the question is not, can these bones live? 416s
Can you make these bones live? 420s
Can you make these bones live? 423s
But the question is, can these bones live? 425s
We are constantly reminded in life of all of the things 433s
that we can't control, of all of the things that come along. 436s
And we say, nothing I can do about this. 441s
There's nothing I can do about this. 445s
And we are reminded of our mortality. 448s
We are reminded of the one who is sovereign. 450s
And the question comes, can these bones live? 455s
And the response, I answered, oh Lord God, you know. 463s
Ezekiel has got the right answer here, isn't it? 472s
Ezekiel turns it right back on God and says, yeah, I can't do anything. 475s
I can't do anything to affect here. 478s
This hopeless state that the people are in this spiritual condition here, 481s
that they are in as a result of their sinfulness. 488s
I can't do anything about that. 491s
But Ezekiel, in his response, is communicating, but you can. 495s
You can. 500s
In our prayer life, it can be instructive for us to say, oh Lord, 502s
I am but mortal. 507s
You are God. 511s
And if you so desire, you can and fill in the blank, 513s
that immediately focuses our attention off of ourselves and on to God. 522s
Verse 4, then he said to me, prophesy to these bones and say to them, 527s
oh, dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. 534s
Thus says the Lord, God, to these bones, I will cause breath to enter you and you shall live. 538s
I will lay sin use on you and will cause flesh to come upon you and cover you with skin 545s
and put breath in you and you shall live and you shall know that I am the Lord. 551s
Ezekiel is conveying the very speech of God and the will of God. 563s
So therefore, Ezekiel's words have authority to them. 570s
Our words have authority to them. 575s
When we communicate God's promises and God's words, they have gravitas when we do that. 578s
They have a weight to them. 587s
It takes us so far beyond sentences that start with I think, or here's my opinion on that. 589s
You know, when you can say, thus sayeth the Lord and you're coming right from Scripture, 598s
that's a word that has weight to it because you are beyond that word. 604s
It is God's word and you as the mortal are just privileged to be able to share God's word 611s
that has grounding and weight and gravitas to it. 618s
Verse 7, so I prophesy it as I had been commanded. 623s
And as I prophesied suddenly there was a noise of rattling and the bones came together. 628s
Bone to it's bone. 635s
The world reacts as the word of God goes forth and is spoken as the one appointed for him to speak. 639s
When the appointed one Jesus Christ speaks from the cross, the cosmos is effective. 650s
Keep your finger here and let's go over to Matthew chapter 27, Matthew chapter 27, first book in the New Testament. 657s
Matthew chapter 27, verse 45. 668s
From new non-darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon and about three o'clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, 684s
that is my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? 694s
And some of the bystanders heard that they said this man is calling for Elijah. 700s
At once one of them ran and got a sponge filled it with sour wine, put it on the stick and gave it to him to drink. 704s
But the others said, wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him. 710s
Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed his last. 715s
At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 720s
The earth shook and the rocks were split. 725s
The tombs also were opened and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. 728s
After his resurrection they came out of the tombs and entered the holy city and appeared to many. 735s
Now when the centurion and those with him who were keeping watch over Jesus saw the earthquake in what took place. 741s
They were terrified and said, truly this man was God's son. 749s
The word goes forth and things are changed and azekiel as the spokesperson for God communicates God's word. 757s
And things are changed. 770s
There is still one thing that is missing and that is breath. 774s
Look at verse 8, please. 780s
I looked and there were sinews on them and flesh had covered, they had come upon them and skinned covered them. 784s
But there was no breath in them. 791s
Then he said to me, prophesied to the breath, prophesied mortal and say to the breath, 795s
thus says the Lord God, come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain that they may live. 801s
I prophesied as he commanded me and the breath came into them and they lived and stood on their feet a vast multitude. 811s
In Genesis chapter 2, verse 7, let's turn there, please. 822s
Genesis chapter 2, verse 7. 828s
We read these instructive words. 832s
Then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and the man became a living being. 843s
The word there in Genesis is a Hebrew word, it's nefesh. 858s
Nefesh means one's life or one's soul. 863s
When you go over into a zekeel, the word for breath is the same word for spirit. 867s
It's a different word. It's the word ruach. 875s
And there that meaning is that which animates us. 880s
So you hold the point together then that Adam became a whole person, body and soul or nefesh because he received the ruach, the animating life giving spirit of the Lord. 885s
So this visionary recreation here of the people, hearkens all the way back into Genesis 2, 7, where first formed from the dust and then God breathes into them life. 901s
Okay, back to Ezekiel 37, 11. 924s
Then he said to me, mortal, notice that continual refrain there. 930s
Mortal, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say our bones are dried up and our hope is lost. 936s
We are cut off completely. 946s
Therefore, prophesy and say to them, thus says the Lord God, I'm going to open your graves and bring you up from your graves, O my people. 952s
And I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 962s
And you shall know that I am the Lord when I open your graves and bring you up from your graves, O my people. 966s
I will put my spirit within you and you shall live and I will place you on your own soil. 973s
Then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken and will act, says the Lord. 982s
This is not a general resurrection of the dead here. This is a national restoration here of the dead and the buried in exile here. 991s
Being raised to newness of life, all their hope is gone here and God is reminding his people that even though they are there because of their sin, God has not abandoned them. 1002s
Verse 14, again, I will put my spirit within you and you shall live and I will place you on your own soil. 1017s
Then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken and will act. 1024s
Pentecost Sunday in two weeks. 1032s
One of the texts that can be used on Pentecost Sunday is precisely this text, precisely the one from Ezekiel. 1036s
You see, long before the Holy Spirit came upon the people in the book of Acts, you have the Holy Spirit being sent into the dry bones. 1047s
And so this text can be used on Pentecost. 1060s
The new chosen people is the church. The new chosen people is the church. 1068s
Let's go to 1 Peter, chapter 1. Good way to find first-peters to go to Revelation. 1074s
Slowly work your way toward Matthew. You are going to cross over the John. You will bump into the Peter's here. 1080s
1 Peter, chapter 2, verse 9. 1087s
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people. 1099s
In order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 1108s
Like the Israel that Ezekiel sees in the vision, those that would make up the church were at one time dead. 1117s
Spiritually dead. 1130s
Let's go to Ephesians, chapter 2. 1133s
Keep turning toward Matthew. You'll bump into Ephesians. Ephesians, chapter 2, verse 1. 1137s
You were dead through the trespasses and sins in which you once lived following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient. 1153s
All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh following the desires of flesh and senses. 1169s
And we were by nature children of wrath like everyone else but God who is rich and mercy out of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, 1176s
made us alive together with Christ by grace you have been saved. 1193s
We were like dead bones but now we have been made alive. 1203s
And it is the life giving spirit of God that brings life to us dry bones and he does it through water. 1213s
Through water. 1228s
Let's go to John the fourth chapter. Matthew, Mark, Luke and then John. 1231s
John chapter 4, verse 13. Here is the story of the woman here at the well. 1239s
John chapter 4, verse 13. 1250s
Jesus said to her, everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. 1258s
The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life. 1272s
The same spirit that breathed life into Adam in the garden. 1281s
The same spirit that comes and resurrects the people of old lost in their lostness and sin. 1288s
It comes to us at the font and there is the breath of life that comes to us. 1299s
Dead sinners and we have life for our souls. 1307s
The second verse of that great hymn, thy strong word, it goes like this. 1315s
Low on those who dwelt in darkness. 1321s
Dark is night and deepest death. 1326s
Broke the light of thy salvation. 1329s
Breathe thine own life giving breath. 1333s
Aliluia, Aliluia, praise to thee who light does send. 1338s
Aliluia, Aliluia, Aliluia, without end. 1343s
In baptism the spirit is conveyed through the word of God connected with the water. 1349s
I talk about this in the sermon this morning that there is no such thing as a wordless Holy Spirit. 1358s
No such thing. 1366s
And the Holy Spirit is always attached to the Word. 1368s
The Holy Spirit always comes to us through the Word. 1373s
The Holy Spirit does not come to us apart from the Word. 1376s
No such thing as a wordless Holy Spirit. 1381s
And so God comes in the waters of baptism. 1385s
And our dead dried bones, we are dead in our trespasses, we are born wanting nothing to do with God. 1390s
God comes and washes us in the promise. 1396s
The Spirit is there communicating the forgiveness of sins, one through the Lord Jesus Christ. 1400s
We are washed in that Word. 1407s
We are given forgiveness. 1410s
We are given eternal life. 1412s
We are given the Holy Spirit. 1416s
We are made members of the family of the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. 1418s
All gifts that God comes and gives in baptism. 1425s
I mentioned also in my sermon it is such a great day to baptism. 1429s
So 1-845 and 1-11. 1433s
And these two little guys here being brought to the font. 1438s
And the lyric that is going to be sung by the choir after the baptism as it was done at the first service. 1446s
Come to the font to be born a new, the gift of salvation is waiting for you. 1453s
I mean, that's glorious and beautiful, isn't it? 1462s
Where God comes and makes His decision about us in the waters of baptism. 1467s
Come to us mortals who cannot affect any kind of spiritual change in us. 1474s
And come with these two boys that won baptism early and then in the second service, giving the gift of faith to them. 1481s
An unconscious faith that will then become conscious as both of them grow by the grace of God. 1492s
As the Spirit touched to the Word that breath of life and the story of the resurrection of the dry bones of Ezekiel is our story too. 1499s
Nothing comes closer to the vision of Ezekiel than the land called the church and what God does for us. 1515s
I think of the hymn, come you faithful, raise the strain. 1526s
Come you faithful, raise the strain of triumphant gladness. 1531s
God has brought His Israel into joy from sadness. 1536s
Loose from Pharaoh's bitter yoke, Jacob's son and daughters. 1541s
Let them with, I love this, unmoisoned foot through the red sea waters. 1546s
Alleluia, now we cry to our king, immortal who triumphant burst the bars of the tomb's dark portal. 1554s
Come you faithful, raise the strain of triumphant gladness. 1564s
God has brought His Israel into joy from sadness. 1569s
Let's pray. 1576s
Gracious Heavenly Father, we give you thanks for this week, as these weeks, as we have been studying resurrections in Holy Scripture. 1579s
We give you thanks, O Lord, for the story of Jonah, for the story of Lazarus, for the widow's son that name, and today for the story of Ezekiel's vision of the dry bones. 1588s
Gracious Heavenly Father, you are a God of resurrection, and we thank you that your spirit has blown into us through the waters of baptism, that these dry bones, born in rebellion of you, have been given life eternal, and that we are filled with the Holy Spirit washed in your water. 1605s
We thank you for your word, and raised unto new life that extends into all eternity. 1633s
Hear the praise, O Lord, of your people, in Jesus' name. Amen. 1641s
Well, in June, we start some breakfast, and that will extend throughout all of August, so we hope that during this time you will enjoy some breakfast together, and that time together, and we have got a new cycle of adult classes that are in development for 2022 and 2023. 1648s
It's going to start on Raleigh Sunday, September 11, and so we look forward to a whole new season. Watch for that season. We'll let you know what's ahead to hear that will come out in August or so, probably about mid-August. 1672s
We look forward to some more teaching coming up on Sunday morning in the fall. We hope you'll take advantage of some opportunities this summer, the small groups. You'll see those advertised. 1687s
One of them is the reading through of the entire Bible in three months, during the summer, period of time. 1701s
Meeting because of people's travels, meeting via Zoom when you can to join in on some discussion and encouragement as you take that journey. 1712s
I encourage your participation in that this summer, and we'll loop back again for adult classes, beginning on September 11. Blessings. 1722s