Valley of dry bones
Day 421, Monday, Oct. 6
Ezekiel Chapters 37 – 39
One of the best known visions in Ezekiel starts off today’s reading with the valley of dry bones.
The image is of scattered Israel which appears to have no life left in it, but can still be restored in hearing the word of God.
“Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’
“Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel’”
While the original image referred to the broken and scattered nation in exile, this remains a powerful image for the church in any time when it feels crushed and in despair.
Often God’s people have lived in days when they felt and appeared to be little more than a valley of dry bones, far beyond any hope of life.
Yet, the word of God can breathe life into even the driest of bones.

Beginning in chapter 38 we get into some of the favorite verses of people who want to use the prophets to predict that we are near the end times, identifying “Gog” and “Magog” with whomever the popular enemy of the day is.
Gog appears to be a general term used for the nations of the north. The prophesy, which ties into the age in which it was given, speaks of how a powerful enemy will be used by God to bring his justice upon his people, but how Israel will, in the end, throw off its oppressor.

Monday meditation

Psalms 1:1-6
Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.
Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

Prayer focus
Lord, bring back life into our dry bones, empowering us with your holy spirit.

-Rev. Mark Fleming