The Spirit of the Lord led the prophet Ezekiel out and set him in the middle of a valley full of dry bones.  God asks the question,”Son of man, can these bones live?” (Ezekiel 37:3) Ezekiel’s answer was “O Sovereign Lord, you alone know.”

Art work by Marco Boag, age 11, The Netherlands, found in the book “Ladder of Angels” by Madeleine L’Engle.

God tells Ezekiel to prophesy to the bones saying, “Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!” God says he will make flesh come upon them and will breathe his breath into them.  They will live and will know he is the Lord.  Ezekiel did this and the bones came to life.  All of Israel thought their hope was gone.  They had lost hope for their nation.  How bad does it have to get for us to feel there is no longer hope?  Recently I visited the Nevada State Museum in Carson City. Here is what I saw…

Can these bones live?

The story in chapter 37 of Ezekiel is a picture of resurrection.  Can you hear the rattle of the heap of dry bones as they were brought back together?  After tendons are attached, flesh and skin then cover the bones.  Yet, the moment when they come alive again is when God’s breath enters them.  The Hebrew word here is “ruah”.  It is the same word for wind and Spirit, present in creation and on the day of Pentecost.  Can you just hear the mighty wind that is the breath of God?  WOW!  What a picture of resurrection!

I love Ezekiel’s faith!  When God asks the question,”Can these bones live?”, he could have so easily said, “NO WAY!”  But his answer was, “You know Lord….you know!”  The following poem is entitled “The Journey” by David Whyte…

Pondering…

How have you experienced dry bones?

What words/phrases in the poem speak to you?

nk