Ezekiel 37:1-14 (NRSV)
Read Ezekiel 37:1-14 on biblegateway.com
Chapter 37The hand of the Lord came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. Verse 2He led me all around them; there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry. Verse 3He said to me, "Mortal, can these bones live?" I answered, "O Lord God, you know." Verse 4Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Verse 5Thus says the Lord God to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. Verse 6I will lay sinews on 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." Verse 7So I prophesied as I had been commanded; and as I prophesied, suddenly there was a noise, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. Verse 8I looked, and there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them; but there was no breath in them. Verse 9Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, mortal, and say to the breath: Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live." Verse 10I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude. Verse 11Then he said to me, "Mortal, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, 'Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely.' Verse 12Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: I am going to open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you back to the land of Israel. Verse 13And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people. Verse 14I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken and will act," says the Lord.
Devotion
While turkey hunting in the hills of Wisconsin, one enters the woods while it is still quiet and dark. As the sun comes up over the hills and into the valleys, the sight of grass and flowers turning to embrace the light is pure awe. Birds begin to leave their nests, sing and fly to find food while coyotes scavenge and small mice leave the cornfields to find cover. Deer migrate to a safe location, while pheasants and turkeys start calling and gobbling to find a mate. Fields come alive with the breaking of the morning sun. Like verse 6b, “I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord,” an awakening of the morning is God’s reminder of our breath and being. It is a reminder that He is God and has put His spirit within us and we will live in a land He has shared with us.
Prayer
Thank you Lord, that we are not a valley of dry bones, but filled with Your Spirit of life. Amen.