Dry Bones

                                                                                                                                                

Aloha Dearest Family,

                When I was a young boy I remember learning a catchy song in my elementary school music class. Maybe some of you still remember it.

                Them bones, them bones, them dry bones.  

                Them bones, them bones, them dry bones.

                Them bones, them bones, them dry bones.  Now hear the word of the Lord.

               (The head bone’s connected to the neck bone. The neck bone’s connected to the shoulder bone, etc…) You’re singing it aren’t you?

Apart from learning some basic human anatomy, this song also taught me the fun of musical key changes. But little did I know that this song about dry bones was actually from the Bible. This vision given to the prophet Ezekiel about a valley of dry bones is more than just another strange prophecy from the Old Testament. It serves as a lesson of God’s great power, His wisdom and His enduring promise.

This vision (remember this section of scripture recounts a vision that God gave to Ezekiel to further explain to him, the man of God at that time, what God had in store for Israel) takes place at a time when the Southern Kingdom of Judah has been conquered. Jerusalem has been destroyed and most of the inhabitants are captives and dispersed throughout the realm of Babylon. (Years earlier the Northern Kingdom of Israel had been conquered and dispersed among the kingdom of Assyria). Ezekiel, a priest, is chosen by God to prophecy many things to the captives in Babylon. God had promised them many times that their captivity would be 70 years and then He would bring them back to their homeland. But after many years in captivity in Babylon, this promise seemed impossible. The people of Israel thought that their hope was gone and they were cut off from God’s favor forever. For all intents and purposes, Israel as a nation was “dead”, with no possible hope of revival. The prospect of them ever returning to the Promised Land seemed absolutely impossible. It was at this time that God gave Ezekiel the vision of the dry bones.

“The hand of the LORD was on 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. 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. He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “Sovereign LORD, you alone know.” Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!   This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.’ ” So I prophesied as I was commanded. 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. 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, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’ ” So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army. Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’” (Ezekiel 37:1:11)

This vision about the valley of dry bones was a representation of Israel coming back to life. The reviving of the dry bones signified God’s plan for Israel’s national restoration. What seemed to Ezekiel as being impossible, God declares no problem.

“Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: 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.” (Verse 12) 

God would absolutely bring His people “back from the dead” and bring them back to their homeland. And if you know the biblical record, this is exactly what God did - in the most unlikely way possible. The Kingdom of Babylon fell to Persia in one night. Then the king of Persia, Cyrus the great, sent back the people of Israel to rebuild Jerusalem. Impossible. Furthermore, God stayed true to His promise that He would one day send a Messiah to the people of Israel. And He could not do that if they were still captives in Babylon. We can always count on God’s promises coming to pass. If He promises it, He will do it. “…Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” (Number 23:19b)

                  So what can we learn today from this vision given thousands of years ago? Is it so that we can teach our children a catchy song when they are young? Probably not. The most obvious lesson here is that there is absolutely NOTHING that God cannot do. There is NO situation that He cannot turn around. There is NO circumstance that we will face that he cannot change for your benefit. God is so powerful and He loves you so much and He wants to go to work on your behalf.

                I often think of the record of Jesus and Lazarus. As soon as Lazarus got sick, his sisters Mary and Martha immediately sent men to find Jesus. They knew for certain that when Jesus got there, that Lazarus would be healed. But Jesus did not get there in time and Lazarus died. All of their hopes that they once had, were now gone. It was too late. When Jesus finally arrived he found that Lazarus had been dead for 4 days already and all his sisters could do is berate him for not being there. They could never have guessed what Jesus would do next. Jesus did the miraculous and raised Lazarus from the dead after 4 days in the grave. Simply impossible.

                My friend, God has not changed. No situation is impossible with Him. God wants to be involved in your circumstance so He can go to work and change it. All you need to do is ask for His help, believe that He is able and have confidence that it will be done. What are you waiting for? Cast all of your worries and fears upon Him and He will turn your situation around. It doesn’t matter what it is. If He can do it for me, He can do it for you.

                             Love Always, Ray