The hand of the LORD came upon Ezekiel, and by the Spirit of the LORD he was carried into a valley filled with dry bones. This valley looked like the aftermath of a battle—where the entire army lay fallen, their bodies left unclaimed, stripped of honour, and reduced to dry bones scattered across the ground. As Ezekiel was led among them, he saw that they were many and utterly lifeless, and God asked him if he could imagine that these bones would ever live.
He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry.
Ezekiel 37:2 (NIV)
What do the dry bones scattered across the valley symbolise?
The imagery of the valley of dry bones points to the death-like condition of exile, where the people were cut off, hopeless, and detached from the promises of God. These dry bones represent the whole community of Israel—defeated, scattered, and spiritually dead. Having turned to live on their own terms and given in to the pull of evil, they were overcome and left in a state of ruin, like soldiers abandoned in a valley of death with no one to restore them. Yet into this hopeless scene, the LORD commands Ezekiel to prophesy, declaring that He will breathe life into them—restoring flesh, skin, and breath—so that they will rise again and know that He is the LORD.
“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 (NIV)
Why does God choose to breathe life into what appears to be a lost cause, like the dry bones?
God’s ways are unfathomable. At first, Ezekiel himself would have been dumbfounded as to why God was asking him to prophesy to lifeless bones. Surely, they could neither hear him nor change their ways now. Yet God is not limited by what appears final to us—He can raise dry bones, restore the lost, and bring hope where there seems to be none.
Because of this, God calls us to pursue what we often consider lost causes. What seems beyond recovery to us is not beyond His purpose. We must not lose hope when He asks us to reach those who appear beyond change.
God breathes life into what seems to be a lost cause because His purpose for mankind has never changed. From the beginning, He did not need to create mankind, yet He chose to, desiring that they share in His kingdom and rule with Him. He breathed life into man’s lifeless body, fully aware that mankind would later betray His trust.
In the same way, though Israel failed Him and did not listen to His word, God’s love does not withdraw. It is the deep and unexplainable love of a Father that continues to pursue His people, even when they have reduced themselves to a state like dry bones. He is willing to rebuild the broken relationship that mankind has left behind. Step by step, He restores what has been stripped away—placing flesh and tendons back upon dry bones—making them whole again and setting them right in His sight.
Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’”
Ezekiel 37:9 (NIV)
God commands Ezekiel to prophesy to the breath, and as he obeys, breath enters the slain and they come to life, standing as a vast army. The LORD then explains that these bones represent the people of Israel, who feel cut off and without hope. Yet God promises to restore them—bringing them out of their graves, placing His Spirit within them, and returning them to their land—so that they will live again and know that He is the LORD who has spoken and fulfilled it.
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 37:14 (NIV)
What is the connection between the breath and the Spirit in giving life to the dry bones, and how does this apply to our lives today?
The repeated use of “breath” is central to the vision of the dry bones. The Hebrew word ruach is used throughout, meaning both “breath” and “Spirit,” showing that the life-giving breath comes from God Himself. Even after the bones came together and were covered with flesh, there was still no life in them. It was only when the ruach entered them that they truly lived. While this vision points to Israel’s national restoration, it also foreshadows a deeper reality: real and lasting life comes through the Spirit, not just outward revival.
Outward change in our lives—whether in behaviour, routine, or appearance—is not enough. We may look “put together” on the outside, yet still lack true spiritual life within. Just as the dry bones in in the valley remained lifeless until God’s Spirit entered them, we too cannot experience real life apart from His Spirit. We must examine our lives and whether our faith is merely external or truly alive. Real transformation comes when God breathes His Spirit into us—renewing our hearts, shaping our desires, and enabling us to live in obedience.
This also gives us hope that no matter how lifeless or beyond repair our situation may seem, God is able to breathe life back in us. Therefore, we should not settle for outward revival alone, but seek the inward work of His Spirit that brings genuine restoration.
One Nation Under God
Son of man, take a stick of wood and write on it, ‘Belonging to Judah and the Israelites associated with him. ’ Then take another stick of wood, and write on it, ‘Belonging to Joseph (that is, to Ephraim) and all the Israelites associated with him.’ Join them together into one stick so that they will become one in your hand.
Ezekiel 37:16-17 (NIV)
What was the reason for the rivalry between the northern and southern kingdoms?
Though Israel was officially divided into northern and southern kingdoms during the reign of Solomon’s son Rehoboam, the hatred between the people had already existed since the time of Saul and David. Even when Saul was king, David became the unofficial king of the southern kingdom and was accepted by the elders in Hebron. When David came to power, he moved the capital to Jerusalem, in the southern hill country of the Jebusites; it lifted the southern kingdom and made the northern tribes, especially Saul’s tribe, feel sidelined. This rivalry between north and south continued to grow and later became a full division under Rehoboam. The tension remained even in the time of Jesus , where some rejected Him as the Messiah simply because He came from what they saw as the wrong part of the kingdom.
God instructs Ezekiel to take two sticks—one representing Judah (southern kingdom) and the other Joseph (Ephraim in the north)—and join them into one, symbolising the reunification of Israel. Through this act, the LORD declares that He will gather His people from among the nations, bring them back to their land, and make them one nation under one king. He promises to cleanse them from their sin and restore their relationship with Him, so they will once again be His people and He will be their God.
I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. There will be one king over all of them and they will never again be two nations or be divided into two kingdoms
Ezekiel 37:22 (NIV)
God promises a king in the line of David will rule over His people as their one shepherd, leading them to obey His laws. They will live securely in the land given to their ancestors, and this restoration will be lasting. The LORD will establish an everlasting covenant of peace with them, dwell among them, and make them His people. Through His presence with Israel, the nations will recognise that He is the LORD who makes them holy.
My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people.
Ezekiel 37:27 (NIV)
When will God establish His everlasting covenant, dwell among His people forever, and fulfil His promise spoken through Ezekiel?
These promises are fulfilled in Jesus Christ, who is the promised King in the line of David and the true unifier of His people. This unity is not built on human love or natural bonds, but through His blood, which saves us from death and brings us back to life. Like the dry bones in the vision given to Ezekiel, we were once a lost cause—going our own way and following the ways of the world. But God sent His Son to breathe His Spirit into us. Now we have become God’s holy temple, His dwelling place, and these words are fulfilled in us as we have a direct connection with Him. The giver of life has given His Spirit to us and transformed our dry and ritualistic lives into a new life filled with His presence, where He now dwells within our hearts.
The Jordan Valley 
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