There are so many messages and lessons found in this passage of Scripture. We will not explore all of them tonight. I do want to focus on something I haven’t focused on before. I want to focus on the thought that you and I can prophesy or speak to the valley of bones in our lives and God will put everything back the way it should be.
First, how many here have ever been in a valley? In that valley there was nothing but death – dry bones. There seemed to be no hope. It’s a valley of hopelessness. A valley of death. Everywhere you turn there is nothing but dead, dry bones. The bones represent our hopes.
There are many valleys. Maybe it is a valley where your health has dried up, your finances have dried up, your marriage has dried up, things at work and church have dried up, things between you and your children have dried up, your spiritual life has dried up, etc. Maybe you have hit the bottom because of alcohol or drugs. Do some of you understand what a valley is?
Verse 3 – “Can these bones live?” Is there any hope in the valley? You look around in your valley and think there is no way these dead bones (hopes) will ever live again.
The whole scene seems to be hopeless.
There are some people who are here and because of sin in your life things seem to be hopeless.
There are some Christians here who are in some deep valleys where everything seems to be hopeless. But remember that is how we view the situation.
In verses 5 and 6 God gives His assessment of the situation concerning the valley of dry bones. (read) God is saying this to the dashed hopes (bones) of our lives.
Ezekiel was commanded to prophesy to these dead bones. The word “prophesy” is a verb which means “to bubble up, boil forth, hence to pour forth words like those who speak with fervorer of mind or under divine inspiration.
Telling Ezekiel to prophesy to the dry bones was like telling Noah to build the ark. When that instruction came to Noah it had not rained before and the prospects for it raining then did not look very promising. Yet by faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house (Hebrews 11:7). So it can be said, by faith Ezekiel prophesied to these dry bones and they lived again.
Ezekiel spoke to these bones. Don’t you imagine that looked and felt foolish? Can you imagine what Ezekiel must have thought? What if somebody sees me, they will think I am crazy. They will be ready to commit me to the nut house.
It is time we got beyond what people think and started obeying God. We would see more victory if we stooped listening to people & started listening to God more.
No matter how utterly ridiculous it may have seemed, Ezekiel prophesied to the bones.
1 Samuel 15:22, 23 – “(22) And Samuel said, has the Lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold to obey is better than sacrifice and to heed than the fat of rams. (23) For rebellion is as the sin of divination (witch craft), and insubordination (rebellion) is as iniquity and idolatry” (NASB).
The dispersed bones came together and the displaced bones were knit together, the divine power supplying that to these dry bones which in a living body every joint supplies.
Notice verse 9. He was to prophecy life, prophecy to the breath.
We must speak or prophesy to the valley of bones in our lives. We must speak life to them according to what the Word of God says.
Say unto them live. Say to your dry bones right now – live! Live! Live!
