An army from dry bones

         The people of Israel had lost their land. They were scattered to different part of the world. In order to show them that they would come to their land, prophet Ezekiel was shown a vision. In that vision the hand of the LORD came upon him and brought him out in the spirit of the LORD and set him down in the mist of the valley. The valley was completely filled with bones which were dry. This bones were scattered all over the valley  just as people of Israel were scattered all over the world. The bones were completely dry this means that the situation was for a long time i.e they have been dead for a long time. There was no blood or flesh on the bones. There was no hope that this bones would come to life. ,because this bones completely dry .LORD ask Ezekiel son of man, will this bones live? Though there was no hope that the bones would live instead of saying no he said “ oh LORD God ,you know?”He was sure that God knows whether a thing would come to life or not, In another word he believed in a God Who was omniscient. Not only that ,He believed in a God who can provide life  to the  things which have no life. He believed in a God who turn a stick into a snake .He believed in a God who makes impossible things into possible ,thus he believed in a God Who is omnipotent.

       God said to Ezekiel to prophecy to these dry bones and say to them “ O dry bones hear the word of the LORD’” God has made his prophet to prophecy to the dry bones .God was not asking his prophet to prophecy to living human being but to dead human being which cannot hear and have turn to dry bones. But prophecy is the gift of God .Prophecy is done with the help of Spirit of God. It is the Spirit of God which fulfill the thing which are  said in prophecy.

Zechariah 4:6-7

      Then he said to me, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel saying, 'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the LORD of hosts. What are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become a plain; and he will bring forth the top stone with shouts of "Grace, grace to it!"'Thus the spirit of God is responsible for the fulfillment of the prophecy.

      He prophesied and said "Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones, 'Behold, I will cause breath to enter you that you may come to life. '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 he prophesied as he was commanded; and as he prophesied, there was a noise, and behold, a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to its bone. The noise was because of the bones which were coming together .This bones were scattered but since they were coming together they made noise .The dry bones were filled with sinews and flesh came upon it they were filled with skin. But their was no breath in them.

Then LORD said to him, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they come to life."'" So he prophesied as LORD commanded him, and the breath came into them, and they came to life and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army. Thus the prophet was asked to prophecy to the breath and the breath obeyed his command .The breath was asked to breathe on the slain In another word this were once an army who were slain. This army was once exceedingly great army which turn into dry bones in the valley after being slain.

We read in Ezekiel 37:11-14.

Then He said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel; behold, they say, 'Our bones are dried up and our hope has perished. We are completely cut off.' "Therefore prophesy and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves, My people; and I will bring you into the land of Israel. "Then you will know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves and caused you to come up out of your graves, My people. "I will put My Spirit within you and you will come to life, and I will place you on your own land. Then you will know that I, the LORD, have spoken and done it," declares the LORD.'"

We see this prophecy is coming to fulfillment as people of Israel is entering their land. Spiritual lesson can be derived from this vision. We are aware of people who once in their life had been a prayer warrior. But later in life they have turn from the truth and were slain and fell into worldly pleasure. They were slain by the wicked one. Their condition is similar to the dry bones. There is no hope that they would become spiritually alive. But Jesus said “what is impossible for man is possible for God”.

We read in Jeremiah 32:17

"Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.

Isaiah 59:1
Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear.

Jeremiah 32:27
"I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?

Thus there is hope even when the condition is like that of a dry bones. We need to pray for such people who are lost .God is able to listen to our prayer. God is able to sent His spirit and is able to make the dry bones come alive to make an army. Though the army was slain he is able to make them come alive.It does not matter how much time a person is spiritually dead. Though he might have become a dry bone still God is in control. Our God who raised Lazarus from dead is still alive and he is still the God of miracles Who is able to make dead army into live army.