Encouragement, Prayer
Why is Ezekiel’s “Dry Bone Vision” important to you?
Ezekiel had numerous, powerful visions, so why is his “Dry Bone vision” important to you?
Because it is an old Testament illustration of the Resurrection.
Download the 5 Reasons I believe Ezekiel’s dry bone vision has spiritual significance and the outline. Here’s the link. https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/patriciaholland/ezekiels-dry-bone-vision-notes.pdf
Resurrection is a powerful word.
From life to death…that we can comprehend, but from death to life is impossible…until you meet The Resurrection. John 11:25 NIV “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;”
Wow! Resurrection life lives in us when we believe on Jesus. Don’t you wish everyone knew Jesus?
One of the most powerful illustrations of the resurrection in the Old Testament is found in Ezekiel 37.
Ezekiel was both priest and prophet to the Jewish exiles in Babylon. He encouraged them to take responsibility for their sins, to stop rebelling against God and never stop believing that they would one day inhabitant the land God had given them. They would once again be one nation instead of two.
The Jewish people were so discouraged.
To express their hopelessness They coined a phrase, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.” They repeated it among themselves.
God used their hopeless words as a basics for the dry bone vision that He gave to Ezekiel. This powerful vision was given to the Jewish people to encourage them to believe that their nation would be restored. But this vision also has spiritual significance for believer’s today.
MacLaren’s Expositions says,
“We may extend the application of the vision to the condition of humanity and the divine intervention which communicates life to a dead world, but must remember that no such meaning was in Ezekiel’s thoughts. The valley full of dry bones is but too correct a description of the aspect which a world ‘dead in trespasses and sins’ bears, when seen from the mountain-top by pure and heavenly eyes.”
5 Reasons I believe
the Dry Bone Vision
has Spiritual Significance
1. Ezekiel’s vision is a powerful picture of people dead in trespasses and sin. (Ephesians 2:1-10)
2. Jesus is the resurrection and the life. He gives us spiritual life. (John 11:25)
3. Jesus came to undo the works of the devil. (1 John 3:8)
4. The term “son of man is used 90 times in this book” Jesus called himself the son of man.
5. The work of both the Word and the Spirit in the context of this vision. Keys in Ezekiel’s vision we need to use
Partnership Strategy
- What is the situation?
- Go to Scripture. What does God say about the situation?
- What is God telling you to do?
- Do what God says.
- Keep your eyes on Jesus.
- Is there a second step?
Do you think God pointed at the bones or looked Ezekiel in the eyes when He asked, “Can these bones live?”
There is great wisdom in Ezekiel’s answer, “Lord God, you alone know.”
What does God say about your situation?
Where do you go for advice?
Do you Google it?
Ask a friend…a relative?
Maybe you ask an expert for their advice?
But Ezekiel was very wise. He wanted to hear what God had to say.
At what point, when facing a problem, do you go to His Word?
With His instructions, God issued Ezekiel a simple invitation to partner with Him; an invitation which is a catalyst for a miracle.
It’s a practice I see God repeating again and again! God seems to work through people to accomplish His will and plan.
God said Prophesy to the dead bones.
4And He said to me, “Prophesy concerning these bones and tell them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!
5This is what the Lord GOD says to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you will come to life.
6I will attach tendons to you and make flesh grow upon you and cover you with skin. I will put breath within you so that you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.’”
“Dry Bones, Hear the Word of the Lord.
This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones:
So I prophesied as I was commanded.”
He’s prophesying, but his eyes are on the Lord
He hears the rattle of bones, the sound of miraculous movement, he watches as sinews and flesh and skin come onto the bones. But now he sees dead corpus.
7So I prophesied as I had been commanded. And as I prophesied, there was suddenly a noise, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8As I looked on, tendons appeared on them, flesh grew, and skin covered them; but there was no breath in them.
Prophecy is both foretelling and forthtelling.
Foretelling is telling something before it happens. Forthtelling is declaring what God has already said. Helps Words Studies says “forthtelling reveals the mind (message) of God in a particular situation.”
There is power behind all God’s Words.
For some reason when I’ve read this story, I only noticed the “Prophesy to these bones.” part. I struggled with the question, “What do I say to dry bones?” I see lots of dry bones…prodigals, unbelievers, non-believers.
I was convinced God tucked a prayer strategy in this illustration.
(Declaration is a form of prayer). But what words do I declare over them? When I finally saw it, I couldn’t believe I missed it for so long!
God said to say, “Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!”
That’s it. That’s the words I was missing. “Hear the word of the Lord.”
Ever seen people that don’t want to hear the truth?
It breaks my heart when people that I love refuse to listen. When they babble lies that are so ridiculous, that they could only come from deception. So I’ve made up my mind to partner with God through prayer.
I’m doing what Ezekiel did!
I’m prophesying to them (in my prayer time) I replace “dry bones” with the person’s name that I’m praying for, then declare “Hear the Word of the Lord.” I’m mixing my faith with my words to make a faith declaration.
Another verse
2 Corinthians 4: 4 NIV “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
Isaiah 29:18 (KJV)”
And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness.
Prophecy to the breath
Not good enough!
9Then He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and tell the breath that this is what the Lord GOD says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, so that they may live!”
Prophecy to the breath
The word that is used for breath here is the same word used of the Spirit of God at creation.
10So I prophesied as He had commanded me, and the breath entered them, and they came to life and stood on their feet—a vast army.
The work of the Holy Spirit is so important.
John 16:8 And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment.
The word that is translated here “convict” also means prove or convince. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to convict and convince people that they need Jesus. It’s not the hopeless kind of conviction that enslaves a person. Instead, He helps people see that they need a Savior, that can cleanse them and clothe them in His righteousness. And help them to see that if they reject God’s free gift then the judgement of God is their consequence.
John 6: 44 NLT “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day.
John 12:32 NIV “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”
Download the 5 Reasons I believe Ezekiel’s vision has spiritual significance and the outline. Here’s the link. https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/patriciaholland/ezekiels-dry-bone-vision-notes.pdf