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Scripture reading – Ezekiel 36; Ezekiel 37
* Please note that words and phrases in brackets are the author’s amplification.
Ezekiel 36
God’s Call to the Mountains: Israel’s Inheritance (Ezekiel 36:1-3)
In Ezekiel 35, the prophet warned the Edomites that the LORD’s wrath would be poured out on their nation for persisting in hatred toward Israel and for rejoicing in Israel’s sorrows. Because Edom coveted the land God had promised Israel as its inheritance, the LORD commanded Ezekiel to “prophesy unto the mountains of Israel” and to call upon them to hear “the word of the LORD” (Ezekiel 36:1).
With Jerusalem destroyed, the land of Judah desolate, and the Jews taken captive to Babylon, the Edomites boasted, “The ancient high places are ours in possession” (Ezekiel 36:2). In Israel’s absence, the land promised to Abraham as an inheritance (Genesis 12:6-8) was occupied by Edomites who devoured it and blasphemed against it (Ezekiel 36:2-3).
God Promised to Remember the Land and Judge Edom (Ezekiel 36:4-7)
Ezekiel called upon the mountains, hills, rivers, and valleys of Israel to be His witnesses and declared that God’s wrath was stirred against Edom (Ezekiel 36:4-5). With Israel and Judah exiled, the Edomites gleefully took what was not theirs (Ezekiel 36:5-6), but they would bear the LORD’s wrath and “their shame” (Ezekiel 36:7).
God’s Promise to Heal the Land (Ezekiel 36:8-15)
The land known as Palestine in the 21st century has never ceased to be Israel’s inheritance, for the children of Israel and the land of Israel are inseparable in God’s heart. Though the land has been a place of violence and war, it remains the place where God placed His name, and it will one day be the seat of Christ’s millennial kingdom.
Although Edom occupied the land in Ezekiel’s day, the LORD revealed that Israel would return and the land would again be fruitful (Ezekiel 36:8-10). On that day, the LORD promised that Israel’s population would increase, the cities would be rebuilt, and the people would acknowledge the LORD as sovereign (Ezekiel 36:10-11). Israel would take possession of her land, and the day would come when wars would cease and peace would reign (Ezekiel 36:12-15).
The Jews returned to their land after 70 years of captivity in Babylon; however, the fullness of the promises recorded in Ezekiel 36 has yet to be fulfilled. Although modern Israel was founded in 1948 and the Jews occupy the land today, the promise of all the tribes of Israel returning and of lasting peace remains for the future.
God’s Care and Promises for Israel (Ezekiel 36:16-38)
The latter verses of Ezekiel 36 remind us that Israel and Judah were in captivity because of God’s judgment for their wickedness (Ezekiel 36:16-21). God’s people had committed murder, worshipped idols, and profaned His name before the heathen (Ezekiel 36:16-21). Because they provoked God’s wrath with their sins, He scattered them among the nations of the earth (Ezekiel 36:18-19).
Yet the LORD had not forsaken Israel and promised that He would restore His people for His name’s sake (Ezekiel 36:22). The LORD also promised that Israel would return to her land and that the nations of the earth would know He is “the LORD” (Ezekiel 36:23).
Ezekiel 36:24-38 records fifteen promises that will be fulfilled when Israel and Judah return to their inheritance and become one nation in the land. (I encourage my readers to take a few minutes to reflect on Israel’s future as a nation and people.)
Ezekiel 37 – A Picture of Israel and Judah’s Resurrection and Reunification
Ezekiel’s Valley of Dry Bones has captured the imagination of believers for centuries. The prophet declared how “the hand of the LORD” carried him “in the spirit of the LORD, and set [him] down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones” (Ezekiel 37:1).
A Valley Full of Dead Men’s Bones (Ezekiel 37:1-2)
The valley of bones was a picture of death, and we read that Ezekiel walked among the bones (Ezekiel 37:2a). The bones in the valley were “many” and “very dry” (for there was no life in them, Ezekiel 37:2).
Ezekiel’s Commission (Ezekiel 37:3-10)
What purpose might a prophet serve in a valley of dead men’s bones? The LORD asked Ezekiel, “Son of man, can these bones live?” (Ezekiel 37:3a). The prophet wisely replied, “O Lord God, thou knowest” (Ezekiel 37:3b). The LORD then commanded Ezekiel, “Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord” (Ezekiel 37:4).
Echoing a preacher’s commission, Ezekiel was commanded to call upon the dead, and the LORD promised, “Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live” (Ezekiel 37:5). With the LORD’s assurance that He would bring the bones together and cover them with flesh and skin (Ezekiel 37:6), Ezekiel prophesied (Ezekiel 37:7a).
Suddenly, there was a great stirring of bones in the valley as men’s bones (perhaps some slain in battle and left there) began to “come together, bone to his bone” (Ezekiel 37:7b). When the bodies were covered with muscle and skin, Ezekiel observed, “there was no breath in them” (Ezekiel 37:8).
Therefore, the LORD commanded the prophet to summon the wind to “come from the four winds” (symbolic of the Spirit of God) and “breathe upon these slain, that they may live” (Ezekiel 37:9). Ezekiel obeyed, and “the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army” (Ezekiel 37:10). Wow! What an incredible display of God’s power!
Interpretation of the Vision (Ezekiel 37:11-14)
What was this valley of dry bones? It symbolized “the whole house of Israel” (the northern and southern kingdoms) that were exiled and scattered among the nations (Ezekiel 37:11).
What was the message for the people in captivity? It was that God was not finished with Israel and would revive and resurrect Israel from the grave of captivity (Ezekiel 37:12). The LORD would return Israel to her land and fulfill His promises (Ezekiel 37:13-14)!
A Vision of Two Sticks Joined Together: Israel and Judah Will Be Reunited and Form One Nation (Ezekiel 37:15-28)
When news arrived that Jerusalem had been destroyed, the future looked bleak for the Jews in captivity. To give the people hope, Ezekiel was commanded to use an illustration of two sticks he joined together, symbolizing the reunification of Israel and Judah as one nation under one king (Ezekiel 37:19-23).
Who was the king? The Scriptures reveal that He would be from David’s lineage and reign as “prince forever” (Ezekiel 37:24-25). This prophecy will be fulfilled when Christ returns to reign in Jerusalem during His millennial kingdom. On that day, He will dwell among men “and will be their God, and they shall be [His]people” (Ezekiel 37:27).
What a glorious day that will be!
Copyright © 2026 – Travis D. Smith
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The post A Valley of Dry Bones, and Israel’s Resurrection (Ezekiel 36-37) appeared first on “From The Heart of A Shepherd” by Pastor Travis D. Smith.
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