David My servant shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd; they shall also walk in My judgments and observe My statutes, and do them. Then they shall dwell in the land that I have given to Jacob My servant, where your fathers dwelt; and they shall dwell there, they, their children, and their children’s children, forever; and My servant David shall be their prince forever. Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them, and it shall be an everlasting covenant with them; I will establish them and multiply them, and I will set My sanctuary in their midst forevermore. Ezekiel 37:24–26
In Ezekiel 37, God gives the visionary prophet a revelation about the future of His people who were in captivity in Babylon. The scene is grotesque. Israel was reduced to a wasteland littered with the bones of its former inhabitants. Not only were there no signs of life among the scattered bones; there was not even any trace of moisture left in them. When God puts this scene before Ezekiel, He asks, “Can these bones live?” (v 3). Even though all chance of revival seemed lost, the prophet held out hope: “O Lord God, You know.” Through Ezekiel, God promised Israel a grand renewal.
God promised Israel a new life (vv 1–14). Just as He breathed life into man in the beginning (Genesis 2:7), God had the power to breathe new life into these dry bones (Ezekiel 38:8–10). Paul points out that God still has the ability to restore life to Israel today if they will cast aside their unbelief (Romans 11:22–23). Our new life begins when we are baptized in the name of Jesus (Romans 6:4). To those who think they are so steeped in sin that they are past all hope of recovery, Paul would point out that even he, the self-proclaimed “chief of sinners,” was the recipient of God’s mercy (1 Timothy 1:15–16).
God promised Israel new leadership (vv 15–25). This leadership would not resemble the counselors who had lulled them into false security before the captivity (cf. Ezekiel 11:3). In Ezekiel’s vision, God said that David would be king over the people and that they would have one shepherd (Ezekiel 37:24). Although David’s dry bones––long ago entombed (Acts 2:29)––will one day be raised, it was not God’s intention to put a resurrected David on the throne, for although David’s reign was undoubtedly the greatest of all kings, even his administration was far from flawless. David stands here as a metonym for an even greater king who would never lead His people into captivity, nor die and leave His kingdom to another. Such a king could be none other than the Son of David (Matthew 1:1), who reigns today in God’s kingdom.
God promised Israel a new law (vv 26–28). Under this new covenant, the northern and southern tribes would be reunited for the first time since the days of Solomon (v 22), and there would be “showers of blessing” (34:25–30). Under this new covenant the Lord made peace not only between Ephraim and Judah, but through the cross He even tore down the wall that separated Jew and Gentile (Ephesians 2:11–21).
When we survey the valley of dry bones, it seems that there could be no more hopeless situation, but God can give us victory in any circumstance. If you will “hear the word of the Lord,” God will give you new life, new leadership in Jesus, and a new law by which to live.