This Week with the Word

The Uniform Lesson for March 22
Background & Commentary by Sam E. Stone

Each of the five lessons this month is from the book of Ezekiel. The first three examined new life as it was promised to Israel in exile. This lesson and the next look ahead to the future God promised to the people.

When those in Babylonian exile received word that Jerusalem (their capital city) had been destroyed, they felt all was lost. It looked hopeless, but Ezekiel brought hope once more, assuring that the Lord would breathe new life into them.

The Setting/Ezekiel 37:1-3

Verse 1. 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. Before other visionary experiences, Ezekiel used the same expression: “The hand of the Lord was upon me” (see 1:3; 8:1). Like John on the isle of Patmos, he was moved by the Lord’s Spirit (see Revelation 4:2). The strange location for Ezekiel’s vision was a valley filled with dried, bleached, and scattered human bones.

Verse 2. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. The bones symbolized the community of exiles lying helpless and hopeless.

Verse 3. He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” Even in the Old Testament, raising a person from the dead was not unheard of (see 1 Kings 17:17-24; 2 Kings 4:18-37; 13:21). Even Job alluded to it (14:14; compare John 11:24). But the question here was, “Can these bones live?” God’s people had been utterly destroyed because of their sin. No life existed anywhere in the valley of dry bones! But Ezekiel wisely replied with caution. I said, “O Sovereign Lord, you alone know.” Good answer! (See Revelation 7:14.) Though no human could raise the dead nation of Israel to new life, God always has the power to do everything he promises.

The Vision/ Ezekiel 37:4-10

Verse 4-6. Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!’” God gave Ezekiel specific directions regarding what to say and what to do. These lifeless skeletons would be returned to the way they looked before they died—clothed with sinew, flesh, and skin. “‘I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’” Iain M. Duguid explains, “Like the creation of the first adam in Genesis 2 . . . so the re-creation of this mighty army is a two-stage process of forming and filling. This underlines the difficulty of the re-creation process and the central role of the Spirit in bringing new life to the restored people.”

Verse 7, 8. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I looked and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them. As the dry bones began to respond to God’s directive, the process of coming together made a loud rattling noise.

Verses 9, 10. 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.’” The Hebrew word ruah is sometimes translated “wind” or “spirit,” but “breath” is better here. As when God created man, he now calls again for the “breath of life” to enter these bodies (compare Genesis 2:7). The divine “breath of life” is seen throughout the natural world, giving and sustaining the life of every creature (Psalm 104:29, 30).

The Interpretation/Ezekiel 37:11-14

Verse 11. Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’” Ezekiel’s prophecy was for both the Northern and Southern Kingdoms. The nation was dead; the people exiled. They had no hope.

Verse 12. Therefore prophesy and say to them: “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel.” God assures them that, from utter despair, he can still restore life.

Verse 13. Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. God still calls them “my people,” despite punishing them for their sins.

Verse 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.’” The nation of Israel will be restored! By the power of God’s Spirit, people can be restored to him today as well. Our spiritual condition is much like Israel’s (see Ephesians 2:1, 2), but the Lord can still make us alive in Christ (Colossians 2:13). |L

Sam E. Stone is the former editor of Christian Standard. He continues his writing and speaking ministry from his home in Cincinnati, Ohio.