J
Ezekiel 37: 1-14 Question ?
Today 'Valley of dry bones' came to mind for some reason. I went
to google to find scripture to read on computer, when to my surprise
there were some small photos of 'stacked up skeletons.' My first
thought was, 'this looks like the holocaust.' That led me to ask if
there is any connection to the events in Ezekiels vision and the Jewish
slaughtering under Hitler. Any thoughts ? Explanation ? I don't know
why this is coming up, but I will search if it be Gods will.
>>>>Ezekiel’s vision of the valley of dry bones (Ezekiel 37:1-14) came to him after God had directed him to prophesy the rebirth of Israel in chapter 36. God had just announced, through the prophet, that Israel will be restored to her land in blessing under the leadership of “David, My servant [who] shall be king over them” (Ezekiel 37:24), clearly a reference to the future under Jesus Christ the Messiah, descendant of David (Isaiah 7:14, 9:6-7; Luke 1:31-33). However, this seemed remote in light of Israel’s present condition. She was “dead” as a nation, deprived of her land, her king and her Temple. She had been divided and dispersed for so long that unification and restoration seemed impossible. So God gave Ezekiel the vision of the dry bones as sign.
God transported Ezekiel—probably not literally, but in a vision—to a valley full of dry bones and directed him to speak to the bones. Ezekiel was to tell the bones that God would make breath enter the bones and they would come to life, just as in the creation of man when He breathed life into Adam (Genesis 2:7). Ezekiel obeyed, the bones came together, flesh developed, skin covered the bones, breath entered them and they stood up in a vast army. This vision symbolized the whole House of Israel that was then in captivity. Like unburied skeletons, the people were in a state of living death, pining away with no end to their judgment in sight. They thought their hope was gone and they were cut off forever. The surviving Israelites felt their national hopes had been dashed and the nation had died in the flames of Babylon’s attack with no hope of resurrection.
The reviving of the dry bones signified God’s plan for Israel’s future national restoration. The vision also, and most importantly, showed that Israel’s new life depended on God’s power and not the circumstances of the people. Putting “breath” by God’s Spirit in the bones showed that God would not only restore them physically but spiritually as well. The Israelites residing in Palestine today are not the fulfillment of this prophecy. It will be fulfilled when God re-gathers believing Israelites to the land (Jeremiah 31:33, 33:14-16) and Christ returns to establish His Millennial Kingdom (Matthew 24:30-31).
Today 'Valley of dry bones' came to mind for some reason. I went
to google to find scripture to read on computer, when to my surprise
there were some small photos of 'stacked up skeletons.' My first
thought was, 'this looks like the holocaust.' That led me to ask if
there is any connection to the events in Ezekiels vision and the Jewish
slaughtering under Hitler. Any thoughts ? Explanation ? I don't know
why this is coming up, but I will search if it be Gods will.
>>>>Ezekiel’s vision of the valley of dry bones (Ezekiel 37:1-14) came to him after God had directed him to prophesy the rebirth of Israel in chapter 36. God had just announced, through the prophet, that Israel will be restored to her land in blessing under the leadership of “David, My servant [who] shall be king over them” (Ezekiel 37:24), clearly a reference to the future under Jesus Christ the Messiah, descendant of David (Isaiah 7:14, 9:6-7; Luke 1:31-33). However, this seemed remote in light of Israel’s present condition. She was “dead” as a nation, deprived of her land, her king and her Temple. She had been divided and dispersed for so long that unification and restoration seemed impossible. So God gave Ezekiel the vision of the dry bones as sign.
God transported Ezekiel—probably not literally, but in a vision—to a valley full of dry bones and directed him to speak to the bones. Ezekiel was to tell the bones that God would make breath enter the bones and they would come to life, just as in the creation of man when He breathed life into Adam (Genesis 2:7). Ezekiel obeyed, the bones came together, flesh developed, skin covered the bones, breath entered them and they stood up in a vast army. This vision symbolized the whole House of Israel that was then in captivity. Like unburied skeletons, the people were in a state of living death, pining away with no end to their judgment in sight. They thought their hope was gone and they were cut off forever. The surviving Israelites felt their national hopes had been dashed and the nation had died in the flames of Babylon’s attack with no hope of resurrection.
The reviving of the dry bones signified God’s plan for Israel’s future national restoration. The vision also, and most importantly, showed that Israel’s new life depended on God’s power and not the circumstances of the people. Putting “breath” by God’s Spirit in the bones showed that God would not only restore them physically but spiritually as well. The Israelites residing in Palestine today are not the fulfillment of this prophecy. It will be fulfilled when God re-gathers believing Israelites to the land (Jeremiah 31:33, 33:14-16) and Christ returns to establish His Millennial Kingdom (Matthew 24:30-31).
