ARMY FROM A BONE YARD

" So 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 37:10)

ONE OF THE GREAT PROPHECIES of the restoration of Israel is found in the 37th chapter of Ezekiel. There, the hand of the Lord was strong upon Ezekiel, and carried him out in the Spirit of the Lord, setting him down in the middle of a "valley that was full of bones." The Lord then "caused" the prophet to pass "among" the bones, and "all around" them. There were "very many" bones, and they were "very dry," bleached out because they had been there for a long time. The bones were disassembled, scattered over the valley floor. They were not skeletons, but every joint had been separated, and there was no semblance of unity among the bones. It appeared to be an utterly hopeless situation.

AS HE WAS PERUSING THE BONES, the Lord asked Ezekiel a penetrating question. "Son of man, can these bones live?" (v 3). To the flesh, the question was absurd, but Ezekiel was "in the Spirit," not in the flesh. He replied, "O Lord GOD, thou knowest." He knew with God, all things are possible. Quickly Ezekiel was told, "Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, 'O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!" He was even told What to say to the bones. "Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: ‘Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the LORD’" (vs 5-6).

NOTICE, THE PROPHET WAS NOT TOLD to rebuke the bones, or to challenge them with an exhortation. All he told them was what the Lord was going to do. (1) He would cause breath to enter them, and they would live. (2) He would put sinews, or tendons, upon them, cause flesh to come upon them. (3) He would put skin upon them and breath within them, and they would live. (4) They would know He is the Lord.

AS EZEKIEL SPOKE THESE WORDS a disruption suddenly occurred in the open valley. There was a noise and the rattling of bones as they began to assemble into complete skeletons, "bone to his bone." At the sound of his words sinews and flesh came upon the bones, and skin covered them, making them complete bodies. However, they were not alive.

THE LORD THEN TOLD EZEKIEL, "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" (v 9). Notice, they had been "slain," the victims of an aggressive enemy. As he prophesied, breath came into the bodies , and they "stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army" (v 10).

THE LORD DID NOT LEAVE THIS MATTER for the prophet to interpret. He told Ezekiel what this meant. The bones were "the whole house of Israel." They were in a hopeless state, considering that all of their hope was cut off, and they could no longer be gathered together. Yet, the Lord declared He would fetch them from oblivion and "bring" them "into the land of Israel." They would know He was the Lord when He did this. He then promised, "I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken it and performed it, says the LORD" (vs 13-14). The Lord then confirmed to Ezekiel that He was going to unite Judah and Israel again, making them one nation under one king, and that it would happen in their own land. "Surely I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, wherever they have gone, and will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land. And I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king over them all; they shall no longer be two nations, nor shall they ever be divided into two kingdoms again" (v 22). The prophets identity that king as the Lord Jesus Himself, prophetically called "David" (Jer 30:9; Ezek 34:23-24; 37:24-25; Hos 3:5).

TO THIS DAY, JUDAH AND ISRAEL have not been united. As a whole body, they have never returned to the land of Israel, and are not "one nation in the land." Furthermore, they have not had a king since the Babylonian captivity. God’s Spirit has not yet been put into them, and, in the sense of the text, they do not "know" that He is the Lord.

HOWEVER, THE WORD OF THE LORD will not return to Him void. It will accomplish what He has determined and declared (Isa 55:11). It is still true, "There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: for this is My covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins" (Rom 11:26). When this occurs, Israel will come forth as a mighty army, mighty to do the work of the Lord. They will themselves be evidence of the mighty power of God. God has spoken, and cannot lie.

THIS WORD CONCERNING THE ISRAELITES is not affirmed among many professed believers. Some even deny that it is true, even though it has been spoken by the mouth of the Lord. It should not surprise us that spiritual impotence characterizes those who deny this prophecy. They do not worship a God that can raise up a great army from a dry and hopeless bone yard.

– Given O. Blakely