Dry Bones

Date: Monday, June 29, 2026

Ezekiel 37 is the Jewish people’s favorite chapter of Ezekiel’s prophecy. It bridges God’s seeming abandonment to the original covenant promise that brings them back into the land and God’s favor. But it’s much more than that for the rest of us. This is the Bible’s most cinematic vision of resurrection. God sets Ezekiel down in a valley of dry bones, a literal battlefield graveyard of crushed hopes. Then God asks the most audacious question imaginable: “Son of man, can these bones live?” (Ezekiel 37:3). The honest answer, humanly speaking, is no. But God does not operate within the boundaries of what is humanly possible. He commands Ezekiel to speak life where there is only death. Then, bone by bone, breath by breath, a vast army rises to life from the valley floor.

This vision was Israel’s promise of national restoration, but it is also a prophetic foretaste of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and, and through Him, the resurrection of all who belong to Him. Paul quotes this imagery: “the Spirit who raised Christ from the dead is alive in you” (Romans 8:11). Whatever has died in you is not beyond the reach of God who specializes in resurrection. He is not intimidated by your valley. He is already speaking to the dry bones of your soul with a promise to restore and preserve your physical body in the life to come.

When we die, we do not become disembodied spirits floating around eternity. We receive glorified bodies that never decay. This is commonly misunderstood among Christians. For a profound and biblical look at our life in Heaven, I recommend N.T. Wright’s book, “Surprised by Hope” which will give you an entirely new perspective on the afterlife, with practical suggestions for living your best life now.

Devotional Prompts:

How does the resurrection of Jesus make Ezekiel’s vision not just poetry but an historical and physical promise for your own future?
Does the promise of bodily resurrection change your view of the “New Heaven and New Earth” and the eternal nature of your actual body?

Prayer: God of resurrection, You are not intimidated by our valleys or dry bones. Breathe Your Spirit into every dead place in us, and raise up what only You can restore, for the sake of Your glory and the joy of those watching. Amen.