Dr Hill has just finished writing two volumes of commentary on Ezekiel which will be published at Easter-time under the title ‘Today with Ezekiel’. What appears in this series is a foretaste of these books.

“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.”

The vision of the ‘Valley of Dry Bones’ is the pinnacle of the whole book of Ezekiel. It is the miracle of the resurrection of a nation. No date is given for this vision, but there is a clue in verse 11, where the exiles were saying “our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.” This is similar to Psalm 137, “By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept”. That was the sentiment when they first arrived in Babylon and the temple and Jerusalem were still standing. Here the promise is that it “will be established” (37:26).

A remarkable vision

This incident must be dated after the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC, but before the promises of restoration in chapter 36 that we looked at last week. We may safely assume that this remarkable vision was given soon after the destruction of Jerusalem, when all the exiles in Babylon would be deeply grieving, not only for their relatives back in the land, but for what appeared to be the end of the nation of Israel.

The vision of the ‘Valley of Dry Bones’ is the pinnacle of the whole book of Ezekiel.

“Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone” (37:11). The elders who came to sit at Ezekiel’s feet were fearing that the whole nation of Israel was finished. They were seeking a word from the Lord – trying to teach the young people in the exile communities the history of the nation and their spiritual heritage. Their children and grandchildren were already becoming absorbed into the way of life of Babylon, the land of merchants. The destruction of Jerusalem left the identity of the people of Israel on the edge of extinction.

Desperate situation

Ezekiel was spreading this desperate situation before the Lord. Then the Spirit of God brought a penetrating vision before him. It may have reminded him of something he had seen on the march to Babylon, when they had gone through a valley where an ancient battle had been fought, and no one had buried the dead. In the vision the Lord took him backwards and forwards among the bones so that he had to see the full horror. This was a picture of the land of Israel that was strewn with dead bodies, and there appeared to be no future for the nation. Then he heard the voice of the Lord, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

Nothing impossible to God

It was essential for Ezekiel to face this question because he knew the answer in human logic had to be an emphatic “NO!”. It was utterly impossible, but as Jeremiah had discovered, “Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you” (Jer 32:17). As Ezekiel watched in his vision, God instructed him to prophesy over the bones and say to them, “Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!... I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life.”

But this was only just the beginning of the release of the mighty power of God in the resurrection of a nation.

Spirit of God

The ‘Ruach’ of God – his life-giving breath – swept through the valley, transforming it from a place of death to the delivery-room of birth. An explosion of power burst into the valley, sweeping over the rocks and echoing across its sides with an ear-splitting thunderous noise for which Ezekiel could find no adequate expression. The Hebrew for ‘loud noise’ is lamely translated in our English Bibles as “a rattling sound”! Surely only the British could so underplay the reality of what Ezekiel was seeing! But this was only just the beginning of the release of the mighty power of God in the resurrection of a nation.

A nation reborn

If the nation were reborn without the Spirit of God, they would simply be lifeless institutions – all in good working order and giving the appearance of healthy activity – but useless for the purposes of God. Could this be a picture of the Church in Britain today?

It was at this point that Ezekiel was commanded to prophesy again, “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live.” Ezekiel once more prophesied, calling upon the Spirit of God to come upon these lifeless bodies and fill them with new life and power.

That which appears utterly impossible to the human mind is easily accomplished by God.

The life-giving breath of God swept through the valley again – entering into each of the bodies of the men, who then stood upon their feet – a vast army! Israel was not finished! The nation would not die! The fear that the enemy of mankind had put into the minds of the elders of Israel was baseless. The word of God would prevail!

God’s will will be done!

When God makes a promise, He will always fulfil it. When he declares that He will do something – it will be done! That which appears utterly impossible to the human mind is easily accomplished by God. As Jeremiah rightly said, “Nothing is too hard for you!" (Jer 32:17).

The resurrection of Israel from the ashes of Jerusalem and the scattered people of Babylon was assured.