Gluten Free & God Seeking: Looking at the Spiritual Meaning in Ezekiel's Visions - What's the Valley of Bones All About in Ezekiel 37?

Monday, October 21, 2019

Looking at the Spiritual Meaning in Ezekiel's Visions - What's the Valley of Bones All About in Ezekiel 37?

Long before I had even read the book of Ezekiel I knew the song like most kids do that's called Dry Bones. It was a fun way to learn how all the bones are connected to each other, but I never would have thought it had any spiritual meaning!

In chapter 37 of the book of Ezekiel God gives him a vision of a valley full of scattered bones and that all those bones represented the children of Israel. At this time in their history God's saw His people as dead and scattered.

It is interesting what happens next. God doesn't begin to hunt for bones and try to connect them to each other like someone trying to put a Lego kit together. Instead He tells Ezekiel to prophesy over these bones.

Then He said to me prophesy over these bones and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of Jehovah. Thus says the Lord Jehovah to these bones, I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. Ezekiel 37:4-5

Then He said to me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy son of man, and say to the wind, Thus says the Lord God; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. 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. verses 9-10

Without Witness Lee's exposition on pages 203-204 in chapter 18 of the Life-Study of Ezekiel, I would have been completely lost as to what this all means:

With my grandkids at a harvest festival

"Many Christians have a mistaken understanding of prophesying, thinking that to prophesy is only to predict....Other Christians think that to prophesy is to teach. But no matter how much one may teach dry bones, they remain dry bones....In this chapter Ezekiel neither predicted something to the dry bones nor taught them. On the contrary, when Ezekiel prophesied, he spoke something for God, and God followed him. As Ezekiel was prophesying, God was blowing upon the dry bones, sending the wind, the breath, and the Spirit" (Lee, Witness. Life-Study of Ezekiel. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry, 1998).

Probably what stood out to me the most in this chapter was when I read that this shows us that the believers first have to get their bones together and then God will send His enlivening breath through their speaking to one another (See 1 Corinthians 14:26)!! That may sound a little backwards, but that's what this vision shows us.

And this breath makes them a great army, which is what God wanted His people to be on the earth. I learned more about that in the recent study on the book of Numbers that I've been doing. If you'd like to check into that, here's a link from Living Stream Ministry's website to the Life-Study of Numbers.

Other posts on the Major Prophets

Life-Study of Isaiah:

You can listen to excerpts of Witness Lee's speaking the Life-Study of Isaiah on Life Study of the Bible with Witness Lee. You can also read the online Life-Studies of Isaiah and check out other resources available to enhance your study of the Bible on Living Stream Ministry's website.

How Can the Son in Isaiah 7:14 & 9:6 Be the Mighty God?
Seeing Christ as the Great Light in Isaiah 9:2
Why is Christ Called the Cornerstone in Isaiah 28:26?
Taking a Closer Look at Isaiah 53 - Christ's Crucifixion Foretold - Part 1

Taking a Closer Look at Isaiah 53 - Christ's Resurrection &Ascension Foretold - Part 2 of 2

Life-Study of Jeremiah & Lamentations: