The prophet Ezekiel lived during the time of the Babylonian conquest. He counseled the people during the siege of Jerusalem and after Jerusalem was destroyed. The leaders, artisans, and wealthy people were taken captive and lived in exile in Babylon to serve the Babylonian king. The Jewish king was captive in a foreign land. God’s promise to give the Israelites their land for all time seemed empty. The temple, the dwelling place of God, lay in ruins. The Israelites no longer had a national identity. It seemed that God had deserted them.

Today’s scripture passage contains prophetic words of hope to the exiles. Ezekiel’s vision begins in a valley filled with dry bones. It is an apt metaphor for the plight of the exiles. They lived with no joy in the valley between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. God asks a penetrating question, “Mortal, can these bones live?” (v. 3). What hope is there for these people? Ezekiel has no answer but refers the question back to God, who is the source of all life.

God tells Ezekiel to prophesy to the dry bones. There is a double meaning here. In the vision, Ezekiel addresses the human bones lying on the ground. In real life, Ezekiel speaks the word of God to the people. In the vision, the bones come together with a rattling noise, and they take on flesh muscle and skin. But they are not living beings. The exiles in Babylon tried to live normal lives: eating, working, building, serving. But there was no hope, no life, no spirit.

Ezekiel calls the breath of God to come from the four winds and enter the bodies. The Hebrew word ruach meant breath, wind, or spirit. In Genesis, God’s Spirit, wind, or breath moved on the face of the waters. God breathed into the newly formed Adam. Now, God’s Spirit fills the bodies covering the dry bones, “and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude” (v. 10).

God provides the interpretation in verses 11–14. The dry bones are the entire house of Israel. That implies both the exiles and those who remain on the war-torn land far away in Judea. God promises to “open the graves” of the peo- ple and bring them forth. It meant new life for the exiles, and new hope in the face of despair. It also became the foundation for an emerging theology of resurrection after death. The foreshadowing of the stories of Lazarus’ and Christ’s resurrection is obvious to those of us who are Christian.

We continue throughout each era to experience life as a valley of dry bones when crisis, illness, death, or economic ruin destroys our lives. Hope flees, and we do not know where to turn for purpose, joy, and light. Ezekiel reminds us that only God can fill us with the Spirit and call us back into life. Only the breath of God, breathing through us, can recreate us in God’s image and restore our spirit.

Faith Unfiltered Podcast

Hosts Karin Peter and Blake Smith consider how this week's scripture connects to our lives today.

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Central Ideas

1. War, natural disasters, and personal tragedy can leave us feeling like dry bones, devoid of life and hope.
2. Only God can give the gift of new life, new hope, and the Holy Spirit to revitalize us.
3. We are called to be the prophetic voice that announces the presence of God’s Spirit in the lives of people who need transformation and restoration.

Questions to Consider

1. When have you felt like you and those around you were existing as dry bones in an alien valley?
2. When have you felt the Spirit of God bringing new life and hope into your existence?
3. When have you found yourself preaching the word of God to those who were parched and dry, longing for living water? What was the good word to those people? What was the result?