E. The Vision of the Valley of Dry Bones (37:1-28)

By using the terms “the hand of the Lord was upon me” and “he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord” (37:1), Ezekiel clearly indicated a visionary experience similar to that which he wrote about in chs. 1 and 8. Thus there is no need to speculate about the location of the valley or why the bones were there. The vision confronted Ezekiel with several important issues: Is there any hope for Israel that is now dead and scattered to the four winds? Can it ever be brought back to life and restored to its homeland? If so, how will this be done? As Ezekiel carried out God’s instructions, he saw and heard the bones come together to form bodies and come to life. So, too, God said, God would raise up the dead nation that was now in exile and restore her to her own land (v.13). This was not a physical resurrection of individual Israelites but a restoration of the nation, or remnant, which had learned through the Exile that God may judge sin but that he never stops loving the sinner.

The curious acted parable of the two sticks, one representing Israel and the other Judah (vv.15-28), promised the reunion of the nation of Israel again under a Davidic king. B. H. Hall notes, “This is not an allusion to a resurrected David, but to a second David, the originator of a new dynasty. . . . The fulfillment of this great promise is accomplished in Jesus Christ, the ‘root of David’” (p. 469). God’s dwelling place (v.27, Heb. miškan, “tent”), must be reflected in the Greek word skēnē (“tent”), which underlies John’s statement that “the Word became flesh and lived for a while among us” (Jn 1:14). In the new kingdom over which the New David will rule, everyone will live up to the covenant of peace in holiness and righteousness (vv.24-28). Through the coming Holy Spirit, God’s sanctuary/dwelling (vv.26-27) will be among them forever (Jn 14:16).