Easter and the Dry Bones
With Easter just around the corner, we're going to talk about a different type of biblical resurrection, one that you might not think of, and then we'll see the connection to the resurrection of Jesus.
Almost 600 years before Jesus, the ancient prophet of Ezekiel had a vision. This is found in Ezekiel chapter 37. He saw a valley filled with dry bones. No flesh, no muscle, no tendons, not a hint of life, just bones.
In the short version, God commands Ezekiel to speak to the bones, declaring that God will cause breath to enter them so that they can live. And then that's what happens.
And this is where it gets interesting. The immediate context was about how God would resurrect a dead and lifeless Israel. The nation was scattered and completely dead, and God was going to bring it to life and bring them back to their land.
But then God delivers another message to Ezekiel about how this resurrection was going to be more than that. He said David would be their king forever. And since King David had already died when this prophecy was given, it was pointing to Jesus as the ultimate Davidic king.
Jesus is the forever king. Here's what the angel Gabriel said to Mary as he was filling her in on her coming pregnancy. This is Luke 1:31,
“You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob's descendants forever. His kingdom will never end.”
So we see a massive resurrection in Ezekiel's vision of the dry bones. And the vision captures something eternal, and not just Israel coming back from being scattered. In fact, maybe the primary meaning of Ezekiel's vision was the resurrection of all those who would live under the reign of Jesus.
If you're a believer, your bones were in the valley of Ezekiel's vision. Here's Ephesians 2:4-5,
“Because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ, even when we were dead in our transgressions. It is by grace you have been saved.”
Every believer experiences a resurrection when they believe. They move from being as dead as Ezekiel's dry bones to being totally and eternally alive with Jesus. So in a very real sense, the dry bones that Ezekiel saw 2,500 years ago and the resurrection that he saw was a picture of the salvation Jesus brings.
None of this is possible without Jesus' resurrection. If Jesus had stayed in the grave, we would have no chance because death would have won, and the vision of Ezekiel would be just a story. Everything in the Bible would be empty.
1 Corinthians 15:17 speaks to this,
“If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile. You are still in your sins.”
Here's a quote from Sinclair Ferguson. He said, “Jesus' resurrection is the believer's resurrection. The two are inseparably connected. God raised Jesus from the dead, and God raises us from our death in sin to new life in Christ.
Jesus, you are the forever-King. These are realities beyond my comprehension, and I'm sorry for so often taking them for granted. Thank you for resurrecting me from death and showing us your victory on the cross and rising from the grave. Please open my eyes to your amazing love.
Song: No Body