Ezekiel 37:7, commentary and pictures

As he was commanded, the prophet spoke to the lifeless bones spread through the valley, and at his word there was a noise and a shaking as the scattered bones came together bone to bone, were bound with sinews and covered with flesh, and then lived and stood as an exceeding great army when breath entered them. The figure was given to show that no work of restoration is too hard for God, so that none who trust in Him need ever say that hope is lost. It also illustrates His power to call the dead to life in the resurrection, where each keeps identity and character and rises recognizable yet given a new body free from disease and defect. The dry bones are His people when spiritually dead and backslidden, asleep and at ease with only icy, legal religion and form without vitalizing power. Life returns to them only by God's Spirit breathing into the heart, which comes as the sin and atonement are presented in Bible light to reveal Christ and His righteousness, and as that light is believed, obeyed, prayed over, and carried to others in organized effort.

Valley Vision and Promise

The prophet is set down in vision in the midst of a large valley covered throughout its whole extent with the bones of the dead. With these dead bones human might and power could accomplish nothing, and no hope of imparting life to them could be seen.

As he prophesied as he was commanded, prophesying to the wind, there was a noise and a shaking and the scattered bones began to come together, bone to his bone. They were bound together by sinews and then covered with flesh, and as breath came into the bodies thus formed they lived and stood up upon their feet. They stood as an exceeding great army of the slain restored to life.

The figure was given to show that no work of restoration is too hard for God to do. Therefore none who trust in Him ever need to say, as Israel had said, that hope is lost. The coming together of the dry bones at His command illustrates His power to call the dead to life in the resurrection. In that resurrection each person retains identity and character and returns in the same recognizable form, but not with the same particles of matter, for God gives the righteous a new body free from disease and defect.

Spiritual Death and Life

The dry bones are God's people, Israel, and the church in a spiritually dead and backslidden condition. They are asleep and at ease, and in that state they will lose many souls unless something is done. The bones coming together as the prophet speaks at God's command depicts these dead, dry bones needing to be brought to life and energized by the Holy Spirit.

More particularly, the bones are icy hearts that have only a legal religion. They are professors who claim to believe the truth but lack an experimental knowledge of its vitalizing, sanctifying power. In them form has taken the place of power and simplicity has been lost in a round of ceremonies, so that religious form and ceremonies have displaced vitalizing, sanctifying power.

Life comes to the bones only through God's power, for human might and power could accomplish nothing with the dead bones and no hope of imparting life to them could be seen. What is needed is God's Spirit and breath and life breathed into the dry, lifeless bones to revive them so they can stand and live. That is the deep, life-giving work and moving of the Spirit of God on the heart with its life-giving influence, to revive, energize, and make them stand and live. Without it truth remains a dead letter.

God cannot use His people as dry bones until He breathes life into them. When the word of the Lord is believed and obeyed there is steady advancement.

Revival and Its Mission

The coming together of the bones is a stirring with a life-giving power, and that life comes through earnest work and prayer. It comes also through giving a hearing to the light and knowledge that is needed, instead of closing the door against it. Unless something of this kind is done, a church that lies spiritually dead like the valley of dry bones will lose many souls.

The message that gives life to the bones presents the subject of sin and the atonement in Bible light. It is needed by icy hearts that have only a legal religion, that they may see the better things provided for them in Christ and His righteousness. When they see this they can give that light to others. They then become workers together with God in gathering in and bringing home the sheep of His fold.

The backslidden people of God are as dry bones, spiritually dead and asleep and at ease, and they shall live when the Lord breathes upon them. That breathing is the Holy Spirit brought to bear upon hearts to wake them, that they no longer sleep as do others but watch and be sober. Awakened hearts yield the will as clay into the hands of the potter and cooperate with God in becoming a vessel molded unto honor, passive and susceptible to divine impressions. They stand in the bright beams of the Sun of Righteousness, where no earthly or selfish motive is suffered to live, and are renewed in the divine image. This waking is urgent because the end is near and steals upon sleepers off guard and unready as the muffled tread of a thief in the night.

Prophesying to the bones as commanded, so that the bones come together, is organized effort for churches that have remained spiritually lifeless on a dead level. That prophesying is sending workers to set the principles of health reform before every church, combined with the proclamation of the third angel's message. This organized work joining health reform with that message lifts such churches from their lifeless condition. Then shaking, coming together, and revival take place in them, and the breath of spiritual life returns to them.