New Life for Old Bones

In an amazing vision, God brings Ezekiel to a valley filled with dry, dusty bones—what could be less likely and less useful than a bunch of dry, dead bones? Yet God tells Ezekiel to speak the Lord’s words to them, and as he does, the bones begin to rattle and find each other, connecting across the valley. Tendons form, flesh covers the bones, and skin wraps them—but they are still lifeless. God then tells Ezekiel to speak to the four winds, and as he does, breath enters them. The bones come to life and stand as a great army.

It’s both incredible and incredibly weird. This vision, which at first may seem too strange or unsettling for Pentecost, reveals a powerful truth: the people represented by the bones—those exiled and hopeless—believe they are cut off from life and a future. But where Ezekiel sees dry bones, God sees resurrected life.

God tells Ezekiel that the bones represent the whole house of Israel, a people who have been defeated, exiled, and spiritually dead due to their own rebellion. They had turned from God, rejected His ways, and exchanged Him for idols. Still, God doesn’t abandon them. Instead, He asks Ezekiel, “Can these bones live?” Only God knows—and only God can bring life where there is none. The Hebrew word ruach—used for breath, wind, and Spirit—appears throughout the passage, filling it with the promise of God’s Spirit.

This same Spirit breathes again at Pentecost, when Jesus’ fearful followers, feeling like dry bones themselves, are filled with power. The Spirit comes like a rushing wind, tongues of fire rest upon them, and thousands are saved as they speak the words Jesus gave. This Spirit has not stopped moving.