Lessons From Ezekiel 37

BACKGROUND FOR EZEKIEL 37

  1. Ezekiel 37:1-10
    The hand of the Lord was upon me, and He brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; and it was full of bones. And He caused me to pass among them round about, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley; and lo, they were very dry.
    And He said to me, Son of man, can these bones live? and I answered “O Lord God, Thou knowest. Again He said to me, prophecy over these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.’ Thus says the Lord God to these bones, Behold I will cause breath to enter you that you may come to life. And I will put sinews on you, make flesh grow back on you, cover you with skin, and put breath in you that you may come alive; and you will know that I am the Lord.
    So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold, a rattling; and the bones came together, bones to its bone. And I looked, and behold, sinews were on them, and flesh grew, and skin covered them; but there was no breath in them.
    Then He said to me, “prophecy to the breath, prophecy, son of man and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they come to life. So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the breath came into them and they came to life, and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.
  2. A Prophet of Hard Times
    A historical setting for the book of Ezekiel is Babylon during the early years of Israel’s Babylonian exile (593-571 B.C.). Ezekiel’s prophetic ministry occurred during the darkest hour of the Old Testament history, the seven years preceding the 586 B.C. destruction of Jerusalem (593-586 B. C.) and the 15 years following it (583-571 B. C.).
  3. Ezekiel’s Three-fold Purpose 
    1. To deliver God’s message of judgment to apostate Judah and Jerusalem (Ch 1-24) and to the seven nations around her (Ch. 25-32).
    2. To sustain the faith of God’s remnant in exile concerning the restoration of his covenant people and the final glory of His Kingdom (Ch 33-48).
    3. We are each responsible before God rather than pass off the exilic judgment as simply the result of their ancestors sins (Ch.18:1-32; 33:1-10). Change can happen!
  4. Interpreting Through a New Testament Lens
    In this look at Ezekiel 37, I am putting forth more of a New Testament lens of interpretation looking at the “prophetic” as a tool of “edification, exhortation and comfort” as I Corinthians 14:3 says.

LESSONS FROM EZEKIEL 37:1-6

  1. The Closed and the Open Hand of God – v. 1.
    1. It is not an angry, closed hand of God that is towards us.
    2. It is an open hand of God to release a blessing (Hebrew word – yad).
    3. The hand of the Lord is to edify, exhort, and comfort.
  2. Being in the Spirit – vs. 1.
    1. This is a walk, not just a talk or a doctrine. It is more than just having profound experiences.
    2. Dr. Paul Yongi Cho of Korea stated – “The American Church has a lot of talkie, talkie but not a lot of walkie, walkie.”
  3. Dry Bones – vs. 2.
    1. These bones represent the House of Israel and/or the Church of Jesus in our times.
    2. These bones represent fragments of the structures in disarray.
    3. They were dislocated and very dry!
    4. It is not enough just to get a word of knowledge; a diagnosis of the temporal condition- “Things are bad… dry… terrible…”
    5. We must also have a remedy to go with the word of knowledge – This is a complimentary antidote or solution needed to the gift of prophesy – the gift of faith, discerning of spirits, etc.
  4. “…Can these bones live?” – vs. 3.
    1. This question is an invitation to change the situation.
    2. The word “live” is “Eve”, or “declare life.”
    3. What is the remedy? Prophesy or declare Life!
  5. …“Prophesy over these bones!” – vs. 4.
    1. To prophesy is to speak or to sing with inspiration the current mind or heart of God.
    2. We are to seek the word of the Lord, that we may excel to edify the Body of Christ. (I Cor. 14:12)
    3. Release God’s medicine by declaring life to the dry people, places, churches, and cities! Look deeply into the heart of God, and breathe forth God’s blessing into and over the broken circumstance.
  6. …Cause breath to enter… – vs. 5-6.
    1. Prophecy calls forth the breath of God to enter difficult circumstances and situations.
    2. This “breath” is the Holy Spirit Himself being released.
    3. As breath enters, these fragmented structures come alive!

LESSONS FROM EZEKIEL 37:7-10

  1. So I prophesied – vs. 7.
    1. You and I are the ones who speak forth. God doesn’t make us do this. We yield and speak it forth in faith.
    2. But we often give the excuse, I’m not going to do it until I feel a special leading. A tension exists here and there are different levels of prophetic revelation. But we are to prophesy according to our portion of faith (Rom. 12:6.), not just by special anointing only.
  2. …As I was commanded... – vs. 7.
    1. The word “command” means “to appoint” or “to be charged” – not by prompting, but by commandment.
    2. This term denotes a stewardship being given to us.
    3. Mature spirituality is doing what you are commanded without being told over and over to do it.
    4. Maturity is obeying even when you’re not told to obey. Maturity and love emphasize obedience. (Jn. 14:23)
  3. …As I prophesied… – vs. 7.
    1. The miraculous happens … as I do it. But, not until I step out on the limb of faith typically spelled R-I-S-K. I have witnessed the greatest effects when we stretch ourselves beyond our comfort zones.
    2. At the wedding of Cana, Jesus turned the water to wine–not when it filled the vessels (pots)–but when it was poured from one vessel to the next. (John 2:1-11)
    3. It is the same with us. As we step forth, God multiples what we give to Him. The more you give away, the more is given to you!
  4. …There was a noise! – vs. 7.
    1. The prophetic always creates a stir and a noise!
    2. There is a noise to life. People finding their place and functioning in it is great news worth celebrating.
    3. There can also be a noise of persecution as new things come about disturbing the status quo.
  5. “Prophesy to the breath…” – vs. 8.
    1. In this next phase we are to speak to God Himself, praying the prophetic promises back to God. The breath here is the Spirit of God. This is prophetic intercession.
    2. We can also lift the limitations of our understanding of what the prophetic can address. In this verse, a whole new dimension opens up to us.
    3. Speak to the wind! Declare life to churches, cities and nations – not just to individuals. Address the heavenlies and call forth an opening for a new beginning to come forth. (Eph. 3:10-12)
  6. …An exceeding great army – vs. 10
    .

    1. Prophesy out of God’s bigger vision! Let God fill your heart with a vision of His purposes. See the problem and then look higher. There is a solution to every problem.
    2. Don’t just see broken bones, see the army of God and call them forth into their destiny!
    3. Speak the plans and purposes of God for your generation.
    4. Daniel took the promise of a former generation (Jeremiah’s) and declared it through prayer for his time. We don’t have to get a new word. Act on an old one and declare it forth! Prophesy Life! Call for life out of chaos!

For more on this subject, see my book The Coming Prophetic Revolution. This is my most complete book to date on the prophetic, but one of my most overlooked. It is filled with clarity and wisdom for our day including a whole chapter on this subject of prophesying life. I trust this lesson will help you as you seek the Lord for wisdom applications for our day and times.

In Search of Solutions!

James W. Goll