Sermon Central
-
Ezekiel And The Valley Series
Contributed by Scott Maze on May 24, 2021 (message contributor)
Summary: Revival is needed today. For many of us, spiritual awakening is nothing more than a distant memory. When our eyes scan the American horizon, the skies for biblical Christianity look dark in many respects. The tide of God’s grace is out to sea. We need heavenly rain.
Introduction
Over the course of this fall sermon series, we are witnessing a series of encounters between ordinary people and extraordinary God. These encounters are called visitations and they are almost always following a crisis of some kind. This is a series devoted to get you thinking and praying for a spiritual awakening.
Today’s passage is the most unusual of visions. A valley of dry bones – how appropriate on Halloween Eve. Yet, this weird vision is a message of hope for hurting, broken people. It’s a vision of God breathing fresh life into His people again.
This is an urgent message. The average life expectancy of Americans today is a little over 78 years. Now some of you are living in overtime now ?. If you are under the age of nineteen, you’re still in your first quarter. If you are under 39, you’re still in your second quarter. If you are under the age of 57, you’re living in your third quarter of life. And if you’re under the age of 78, you are in your fourth quarter of life.
There’s an urgency to the prophet’s vision. If God is near, there is hope.
Today’s Scripture
The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. 2 And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. 3 And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” 4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. 5 Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. 6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.”
7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. 8 And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But there was no breath in them. 9 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.
11 Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.’ 12 Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. 13 And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. 14 And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the Lord.” (Ezekiel 37:1-14)
What could Ezekiel’s vision of a valley of bones mean?
1. We are Lifeless
Again, this is the most unusual of visions. And the picture of a valley of skeletons points to an important biblical truth: we are lifeless. Here is a vision of a bone yard: “The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones” (Ezekiel 37:1). This must be a powerful experience for the prophet to have “the hand of the Lord” on him. This picture of a valley of bones was a picture hope for a discouraged people. We need hope.
Notice three aspects the prophet highlights for us.
1.1 Dead
The first feature is evident, bones mean death. The reason we hold up skeletons around this time of year (Halloween) is because bones mean death and death is scary for us. Its one thing if we are sick. If you’re sick, maybe something can be done. But, nothing can be done if you’re dead.
