Ezek. 34 to 39
Perhaps we could call the visions God showed Ezekiel like pictures, only still more real, they were as though he saw the very things. One strange vision was as though he were taken to a valley full of dry bones, and he was asked, “Can these bones live?” We would think Ezekiel would have answered, “No,” but Ezekiel believed God’s power, and he answered, “O Lord God, Thou knowest.”
God told him that the bones should live; and Ezekiel seemed to hear a shaking, or movement, of the bones, and each bone moved to its right place; muscles and flesh came on them and skin covered them. There was no life or breath until God told Ezekiel to speak for breath to come, and breath came into the bones, so they lived and stood up like a great army of people. (Ezek. 37:1-101The 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, 2And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry. 3And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord God, thou knowest. 4Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. 5Thus saith the Lord God unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: 6And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the Lord. 7So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. 8And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them. 9Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord God; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. 10So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army. (Ezekiel 37:1‑10)).
We would not understand at all what was meant by this queer vision, but the Lord explained it to Ezekiel: He said the nation of Israel were like the dead bones, they had no hope, and were of no use to God, and they would be scattered over the earth as the bones. But God said He would again bring people of Israel together, as the dry bones were, and they should live in their land, which is what we call Palestine. Ezekiel was to tell the people all these words, and of the vision, and say to them,
“Then shall ye know that I the Lord hath spoken it, and performed it.”
God said also that when He should bring Israel safe to their land, they should not be divided as they had been, with one king over part of the people, and another king over another part, but one king over all. God said,
The Lord often called the people of Israel His “sheep,” and the men who were their leaders, “shepherds”; but He told Ezekiel that most of the “shepherds” did not care for His people, and that He would Himself be their Shepherd, and He would place a King over them forever, one called David, which means “beloved” (Ezek. 37:2424And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them. (Ezekiel 37:24)). From later scriptures we learn this “David” will be the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, Who is also spoken of as the “Root of David;” root means “the life,” or the living One (Rev. 5:55And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. (Revelation 5:5)).
You may have learned from world history that there are people of the race of Israel now living in all parts of the world, but are not themselves a nation, and have had no ruler of their own for many centuries. After the time of Ezekiel, people of Israel. lived in their land (Palestine) many years, but were under the rule of other nations, and not with a king from God as here promised. So the peaceful time for that nation, has not yet come; and the vision of the dry bones shown to Ezekiel, has not yet been fulfilled. But it was shown to teach all who read it, that what seems impossible to us, will surely come true in God’s time, as He has said.
ML 06/07/1942