Are You in the Valley of Dead Bones?

© 2021 by Tom Boynton (editing by Kathy Boynton)

“The 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,  And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry.  And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest.” (Ezekiel 37:1-3)

Throughout Scripture, God uses vivid word pictures to portray spiritual truth.  Here, God shows the spiritually dead condition of a national Israel that had turned away from God.  This picture conveys the even broader condition of humanity in general.

God had told Adam not to eat the forbidden fruit.  Furthermore, God had warned Adam that, in the day he disobeyed, he would die.  Adam ate.  That same day he died spiritually as God had promised.  A physical body can’t last long with a dead spirit inside.  In comparison to the millennia that followed, Adam’s physical death occurred shortly after his spirit died.  In fact, Adam passed spiritual death and sinfulness on to all his descendents.

“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:” (Romans 5:12)

All humanity became like the dead bones in Ezekiel’s vision.  God asked Ezekiel if those bones could live again.  Ezekiel understood that God alone knew the answer, and God alone could make it happen.

God the Son, Jesus Christ, the redeemer, came to earth to provide that answer by dying and rising again.  He had come to impart life where none was present.  One night, Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader, came to Jesus.  He began with some positive remarks, regarding Jesus’ credentials.  However, Jesus cut right to the chase and said,

“… Ye must be born again.” (John 3:7)

Dead bones, dead bodies, and dead hearts don’t seek life.  In this respect, Nicodemus and Lazarus experienced the same truth.  Nicodemus could not rebirth himself, and Lazarus could not resurrect himself.  Both events required the direct and unaided intervention of God Himself.  At Lazarus’ tomb Jesus said,

“…Lazarus, Come Forth.” (John 11:43)

Jesus’ command placed life into Lazarus who now eagerly obeyed this otherwise impossible command.  Lazarus, now alive, came to Jesus as ordered.  Similarly, Nicodemus’ rebirth required the direct intervention of God.

Scripture says,

“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans10:13)

Has God re-birthed your heart, causing it to call upon Him?  Do you now desire to follow Him?  Or are you still just “dead bones” in a body not yet dead?

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