“And He said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O LORD GOD, thou knowest.” Ezekiel 37:3
TWO THINGS
God had assured His people, the Jewish exiles (Judah and Jerusalem), that he would gather the House of Israel, even all of it and would bring them out of Babylonian captivity, and return them to their own land. But there were two things that rendered this very unlikely: –
1) That they were so dispersed among their enemies, so destitute of all helps and advantages which might favour their return, and so dispirited, likewise, in their own minds. Upon all these accounts they are here, in vision, compared to a valley full of the dry bones of dead men, which should be brought together and raised to life;
2) That they were so divided amongst themselves, too much of the old enmity between Judah and Ephraim remaining— even in their captivity.
DEAD MEN’S BONES
The prophet, Ezekiel (meaning: God will strengthen), a man of stern integrity and strong purpose, was made to take an exact view of this deplorable condition—of these dead bones. Ezekiel was the voice of the Lord to “the whole house of Israel.” “By a divine power he was in vision, carried out and set in the midst of a valley, where God then talked with him, and it was full of bones, of dead men’s bones, not piled up on a heap, as in a “charnel-house” (a vault for bones of the dead—still in effect in Greece due to lack of grave sites), but scattered upon the face of the ground, as if some bloody battle had been fought here, and the slain left unburied till all the flesh was devoured or putrefied, and nothing left but the bones, and those disjointed from one another and wildly dispersed in scattered heaps” (paraphrasing mine). Paraphrased from where?? I need a reference
He passed by them round about, and he observed not only that they were very many (for there are multitudes gone to the congregation of the dead), but that, lo, they were very dry, having been long exposed to the beating sun and cruel winds. The bones that have been moistened with marrow (Job 21:24), when they have been any while dead, lose all their moisture, and are dry as dust. The body is now fenced with bones (Job 10:11), but then they will themselves be defenseless. The Jews in Babylon were like those dead and dry bones, unlikely ever to come together, to be so much as a mounted, upright skeleton, less likely to be formed into a body, and least of all to be a living body. However, they lay unburied in the open valley—under the eye of heaven—for there is still hope in their end—even dead men’s bones!
CAN THESE BONES LIVE?
A dry bone is proof of extinct life, for bones are made only in a living organism!
“Bones are rigid organs that constitute part of the endoskeleton of vertebrates. They support and protect the various organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells and store minerals. Bones come in a variety of shapes and have a complex internal and external structure, are lightweight yet strong and hard, and serve multiple functions. One type of tissue that makes up bone is the mineralized osseous tissue (bone tissue), that gives it rigidity and a coral-like three dimensional internal structure. This inorganic bone mineral is formed from carbonated hydroxyapatite (Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2. Other types of bone tissue found in bones include marrow, endosteum, periosteum, nerves, blood vessels and cartilage. At birth, there are over 270 bones in an infant human’s body, but many of these fuse together as the child grows, leaving a total of 206 separate bones in an adult!” (Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bone)
“The chemical and physical properties depend on species, age, and type of bone. The nonliving intercellular material of bone consists of an organic component called collagen, a fibrous protein. Organic material comprises 50 per cent of the volume and 30 percent of the dry weight of the intercellular composite, with minerals making up the remainder. The major minerals of the intercellular composite are calcium and phosphate. Carbonate is also present in two phases; calcium carbonate and carbonate apatite. The tensile strength of bone depends on the intimate association of mineral with collagen which exhibits many of the same properties of fibreglass and bamboo.
“Compact (cortical) bone has a tensile strength in the range of 10,000–20,000 pounds per square inch and compressive strengths of 20,000–30,000 pounds per square inch–values of which are on the same order of aluminum or mild steel, but bone has the advantage of being considerably lighter.” –Encyclopedia Britannica, (www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/72869/bone/41882/Chemical-composition-and-physical-properties)
Israel as a nation was once a living, vibrant organism, full of the life of God. Ah! But Israel sinned, and then came decay with disintegration, and intolerable dryness; until now Israel has become like a valley of dry bones scattered over the earth. Man, created in the image of God, was a living organism filled with the life of God, but man sinned, and then came decay with disintegration which has made the world a valley of bones—void of life, function, or usefulness.
“God has no use for lazy men in His cause; He wants thoughtful, kind, affectionate earnest workers. Active exertion will do our preachers good. Indolence is proof of depravity. Every faculty of the mind, every bone of the body, every muscle of the limbs, shows that God designed these faculties to be used, not to remain inactive.” –Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 4, p. 411
Now there is no process known to science by which a dry bone can be suddenly changed into a vital, living organism. When, therefore, God asked the prophet, “Can these bones live?” the prophet was compelled to refer the question back to God for an answer. O Lord God, Thou and Thou alone knowest. If these bones are never made to live, Thou wilt have to tell us how (Ezekiel 37:3). Can philosophy or politics restore a captive nation—to reach and put life into these dry bones? No! Says, the prophet Ezekiel. I know not how it shall be done, but Thou and Thou alone knowest (Ezekiel 37:3).
God will, hereby, answer the question as to how dry bones of all ages may be made to live: –
PREPARATION OF A PROPHET
In the first place, those commissioned to raise dry bones must have a special preparation. This preparation is twofold.
One must see a vision of God and receive the touch of God. In the first chapter of Ezekiel’s prophecy we are told that he saw visions of God! He saw wings with human hands under them; a vision of the divine and human—the wing everywhere symbolizes divinity and the hand, humanity—the divine controlling the human, for the wings moved the hands. He saw winged creatures with the face of a man symbolizing intelligence, the face of a lion symbolizing courage, the face of an ox symbolizing patience, and the face of an eagle symbolizing aspiration, all under control of the divine wings.
The need of every prophet of God is that his intelligence, courage, patience and aspiration shall be linked with God and be completely controlled by Him (Ezekiel 1:1-28; 10:1-22). These visions of Ezekiel on the banks of the Chebar show how closely heaven is connected with events on earth (Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, p.751; Prophets and Kings, p. 464). These are wonderful representations and symbols given to Ezekiel (Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, p. 752); “the book of Ezekiel is deeply instructive.” –Fundamentals of Christian Education, p. 395
Consequently, in these visions Ezekiel feels the touch of God. “The hand of the LORD was upon me.” Ezekiel 37:1. The hand of the Lord symbolizes His power, and to be under His hand is to be endued with His power. The spirit of God is in every Christian for life, but every Christian is not under God’s hand for power. The prophet responds to the touch of God and goes where He leads. “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.” Ezekiel 37:1. He was willing to be led by the Lord’s hand into the valley of dry bones. The temptation is for us to seek the garden with its flowers rather than the valley with its dead bones.
The prophet also responds when God’s hand sets him down in the midst of the bones. Dwelling with the bones is more trying than just going to them on a temporary mission, as most do. To have bones for neighbours and companions may not be pleasant. We have a taste for the company of living people. But unless we are ready to respond to the hand of God which would lead us to the bones and make us dwell among them, we are not prepared for the work of raising them to life again.
The work cannot be done at a distance. The millions who throng the streets, crowd the theatres, discos, drink and revel, shunning the church as they would the “pest house” (a shelter or hospital for those infected with pestilential or contagious diseases), cannot be reached by the pastor in his study, making eloquent sermons for his cultured congregation, nor by the Christians who meet in halls, homes, conferences, and churches, for fellowship and Bible study. Thank God for the men and women who gladly respond to the hand of God, leading them to the most sinful and hopeless! Ezekiel is told to prophesy to the bones the promise of life (Ezekiel 36:4–5).
THE TEST OF FAITH
Three things severely tested the prophet’s faith:
1) The bones were very many. The valley was white with them! To reach them all by personal effort was impossible. And yet the multitude of the bones did not cause the faith of the prophet to fail, for his eyes were upon God and he believed that God was equal to such a task. As we look at millions unreached by the Gospel we may be appalled, but the eye of faith sees God, still equal to the great work of reaching and saving. No difficulty can surpass His resources.
2) The bones were very dry. There was no sign of life. Their dryness was positive proof of death. We are apt to classify people as either (add) hopeful and hopeless. We are hopeful for the child raised in the Christian family and taught in Bible school classes. We are hopeful for the amiable woman, cultured and refined, who takes an interest in church affairs. But the poor, addicted, shiftless one, the hardened criminal, the outcast harlot, and the blatant anarchist, we are apt to regard as hopeless dry bones, if we take our eyes from our God of infinite power and love. If Ezekiel had kept looking at the great number of very dry bones, he might have said, “There is no use trying to raise them to life.” But though Ezekiel was willing to face the facts and would not deny the difficulties, he did not look to the bones for assurance of faith. He trusted God who made the men whose bones were before him and who could, by the fiat or decree of His will, remake them. To the man whose faith is in God alone the hopeless becomes hopeful—the dry become vibrant!
3) The prophet was told to do a very foolish thing. It is foolish to speak to a deaf man, more foolish to speak to a dead man, and it is the climax of folly to speak to a bone so lifeless and formless as not to be classified as man at all. Ah! But Ezekiel was willing to appear a fool to the worldly wise. And it is by the foolishness of preaching that men are to be saved! Ezekiel was ordered to preach—he must preach, but to pray also, which he did—by grace. (Ezekiel 37:4, 7, 9–10).
THE MEANS USED
The man of God spoke the word of God in the power of the Spirit of God. Ezekiel was a man of God in that he was right with God and completely under God’s control. It is well to be a man of learning, a man of position, a man of means, a man of eloquence, but it is a thousand times better to be a man of God!
But the word of God must be spoken by the man of God. The prophet spoke to the bones exactly what God told him. In 2 Timothy 3:16–17 we have the purpose of the Scriptures; “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” The man of God has the whole Bible from which to draw equipment for every good work.
But he must be a man of prayer, depending upon the Spirit of God to use the Word. The prophet was commanded to call upon the breath of God to breathe upon the valley of bones, and, while he spoke God’s word, God’s invisible power moved upon the valley of bones.
Every worker in the valley of bones needs these qualifications! He must be a man of God, a man of the Bible and a man of prayer. He must keep right with God and speak the word of God, while he trusts the Spirit of God. No valley of bones can resist a man of this kind!
THE PROCESS
The prophet spoke directly to the bones. There was no manipulation—no bleaching—no assembling. There was no preparing the bones to receive God’s word. He did not try by human wisdom to articulate the bones into their respective joints, nor suture the cranial bones, and cover them with artificial flesh, before he spoke to them and called upon God to move upon them. He knew that bones have no power to receive or retain life. And yet while he spoke, there was a rustling, appalling noise; bone came to his respected bone. The shaking was bone-noise. It was the frightful rattle of death and not the voice of life. Thus dry bones often move and make a deathly noise under the breath of God. How awesome! (Ezekiel 37:4–6).
When a husband for whom his wife has been praying begins to be especially mean and cruel, I expect him to be converted soon. You see, it is the bones touched by the breath of God and the noise is made by the resistance of his evil heart. When a man for whom I have been praying gets mad, swears and blasphemes when I speak to him about his soul or spiritual things, I confidently and silently expect to see him converted soon—or at least have hope in him. The bones, those piteous bones, are moving under the breath of God and the rattling is made by the resistance of his will! Understand?
What every dry bone of the valley needs, first of all, is a touch of the breath of God. Knowledge of Greek, Latin, French, German, Mandarin, success, music, mathematics and science leaves spiritual dry bones just as they were. It is the lack of the knowledge of God that makes them dry, dry, dry—and nothing but the knowledge of God can restore them to life!
THE PURPOSE OF THE VISION
“Ye shall know that I am the Lord.” Twice this purpose is given. “Israel herself shall know that I am the Lord, when they shall see that I have raised the valley of scattered bones in an army of living men.” There “stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.” (Ezekiel 37:10). Not a great mob like the bones in terrified confusion, but an organized army! Incredible!
An army carries with it the idea of organization, discipline, loyalty, and obedience to orders and leadership under a commanding general. The scattered dry bones of Israel shall become again, a living, national organism (Ezekiel 37:21–23), and the effect of this transformation, their conversion, (Ezekiel 37:13), their being filled with the Spirit (Ezekiel 37:4), shall be to make other nations acknowledge the Lord.
The best books on the evidences of Christianity are “the living epistles known and read of all men,” who were once moral and spiritual dry bones, but who are now alive and battling in the army of Christ.
One live Lazarus is worth forty sermons on the resurrection. Let not the number, nor the dryness of the bones appall us. With the vision of God before us and the touch of God upon us, let us speak to these DRY BONES by the Word of God while we trust the God of omnipotent power to give them life, and we shall not be disappointed!
Amen <>< <>< <><
John Theodorou
U.S.A.