The God who raises what’s dead

Well, winter’s almost over, and spring is almost here. Which means that Easter is right around the corner. And here we get a vivid picture of what Easter is all about.

In this passage, Ezekiel is given a vision of a valley of dry bones. And God asked him,

Son of man, can these bones live? (Ezekiel 37:3a)

To which Ezekiel replied,

O Sovereign Lord, you alone know. (Ezekiel 37:3b)

God then said to Ezekiel,

Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!

This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life.

I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life.

Then you will know that I am the Lord.’ (Ezekiel 37:4–6)

When Ezekiel did so, the bones came together, were covered with flesh, and when God breathed life into them, they became a massive army.

As that army stood before Ezekiel, God told him the meaning of the vision.

Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel.

They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’

Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel.

Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them.

I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land.

Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.’ (Ezekiel 37:11–14)

The Israelites’ hopes were dead and gone, buried under the loss of their kings, priests, and their land.

But God said, “You may think all is lost, but I am the God that can raise the dead. And though you have been scattered and your nation is in shambles, I will restore you to your land.

“Our relationship that was broken by your sin will be restored. My Spirit himself will dwell in you, and you will live.

“I will be your God and you will be my people, and I will dwell among you forever.”

What can we get from this? So many of us have broken lives and broken dreams. Everything has been smashed, and we think there’s no way that they can be repaired. We feel like a bunch of old, dry, dead bones.

But God can give life to you again. He can restore your life and your hope.

I heard one person say, “Jesus didn’t come to make bad people good. Jesus came to make dead people live.”

We were dead in our sins, without hope and without God in the world.

But through Christ, our sins can be forgiven. Our brokenness can be healed.

And God can take the old, dry, dead bones of our lives and make all things new. All we have to do is call out to him, and he will save us.

As Paul wrote,

The same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:12–13)