There is an old spiritual song that is titled "Dem Bones" (also called "Dry Bones" and "Dem Dry Bones"). It was first recorded by The Famous Myers Jubilee Singers in 1928. There is a short and long version of this song. The lyrics includes a litany of various bones, their connections, and address Ezekiel's prophecy.
Dem bones Dem bones Dem dry bones...
Hear the word of the Lord.
Toe bone connected to the foot bone
Foot bone connected to the heel bone
Heel bone connected to the ankle bone...
Hear the word of the Lord.
The lyrics were inspired by Ezekiel 37:1-5: "The power of the Lord was upon me and I was carried away by the Spirit of the Lord to a valley full of old, dry bones that were scattered everywhere across the ground. He led me around among them, and then he said to me: 'Son of dust, can these bones become people again?' I replied, "Lord, you alone know the answer to that." "Then he told me to speak to the bones and say" 'O dry bones, listen to the words of God, for the Lord God says, See! I am going to make you live and breathe again."
Ezekiel was a mighty man of God, a priest of the sixth century B.C., whose name means "God will strengthen." He was among the exiles carried away to Babylon. He was a man of stern integrity and strong purpose and completely devoted to his calling. He was the voice of the Lord to the whole house of Israel, although they were no longer in Jerusalem after the defeat of Jehoiachin.
Ezekiel relates to us this magnificent and glorious experience. He begin by telling us, "The power of the Lord was upon me." Ezekiel seeks to let us know that somehow and in someway the Lord appeared to him in a vision. Ezekiel was not able to really explain how it happened, but in some mysterious and mystical way the Lord communicated with him. By way of this vision Ezekiel was carried out by the Spirit into the middle of a valley. The valley was full of human bones, baked, white and dry. What a dismal scene. When you are in the valley there is not much lower you can go. Ezekiel is there because the Lord brought him there, by the way of his vision for a specific purpose of prophesying to those bones.
Wherever the valley is, the symbolism of the bones are clear, Israel is the dead. She is as dead as all of those dry bones. In fact, the people was in despair, and those in exile identified themselves with the dry bones. They said to one another, "Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off for our parts" (Ezekiel 37:11). They felt like their skeletons has been picked clean. However, this vision is being given to them to let them know that they do have hope, and it is for the whole house of Israel.
Before I go any further, let me give clarity and understanding to bones. Bones are very important in our life's development. The purpose of the bones are to support the anatomy or structure of the body and protect the vital organs. The human body has 206 bones. Bones are a key part of our skeletal system. Your bones serve five main functions in your body: supporting the body and helping it to move, protects the internal organs, produces blood cells, stores and releases fat, and store and releases minerals.
In Ezekiel's vision we are able to see the disjointedness of the bones with no hope of life. These bones revealed a condition, but it takes more than bones to have life. But as he surveyed this gruesome scene, Ezekiel stared at all those bones in total amazement. He got a very good look at those bones because he said, "He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry." After this examination through the eye gate, the Lord pops this question to him, "Son of man, can these bones live?" This question was phrased in a way that the only logical answer could be, "No." In the natural we would have said, "No" God, these bones cannot live they are white and dry. The heat of the sun and the wind has long since sucked out all the moisture. The marrow is dried up and dead. These bones are old, chipped, and cracked. No, God, these bones cannot live. Let me say again, this would and should have been the answer expected, but that was not the answer Ezekiel gave God. His response was, "O Sovereign Lord, you alone know." Ezekiel had seen so many strange and wonderful things the Lord made happen in his life that he couldn't dismiss the possibility of these old dried-up bones coming to life. Without any question, Ezekiel knew that the power of God can transcend into power, of anything imaginable. A lesson to all of us is, "Is there anything impossible for God?" For by faith there is no limit as to how and what God will do in order to accomplish His will.
Then God told Ezekiel to prophesy to the bones and say to them, "Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. This is what the Sovereign Lords says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord" (Ezekiel 37:4-6).
In verse eight we see our God in action. Ezekiel said, "I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them." God told Ezekiel to "Prophesy to the breath." (verse 9). So in obedience Ezekiel prophesied as God commanded him and breath entered them, they came to life, and stood up on their feet and they became a vast army. Dem bones became alive!
The dry bones represented Israel, now a nation in exile. They were there because of disobedience. The dry bones were a picture of Israel's hopelessness. They were cut off from the mother land and they felt abandoned. The dry bones revealed God's sovereignty. The fact that God is sovereign means that He has the power, wisdom, and authority to do anything He chooses. God can do what he wants to do. The dry bones represented restoration. There will be an opportunity to return back to their land. The dry bones represented reconciliation as an opportunity to come to God.
God was fed-up with Israel, They had a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For they were being ignorant of God's righteousness, they were going about establishing their own righteousness, and they fail to summit to the righteousness of the One and true living God. Their waywardness brought the wrath of God upon them. There was destruction in the land by the Babylonian army and they ended up as slaves by the bank of the river in a strange land, mocked and confused. But they were still God's people.
Just like Ezekiel's day we see the valley of dry bones all around us. People are set in their rebellious ways and they show no signs of spiritual life. Time and time again the Lord is calling out people, "Dry bones, hear the Word of the Lord." But people choose to remain as dry bones. They desire to live in the valley of dry bones. Don't this look like what is happening in churches today? People are no longer showing up. When they do show up nothing but strife is being stirred up. The preacher finds himself or herself preaching the Word of God to a congregation of dry bones. Every congregation consists of those that are saved and those that are unsaved. You heard what I said. Everyone that attends church are not all saved. You have some who are saved, they do have ears, but they do not hear. Then you have the ones that are not saved and they are dead in their trespasses and sin. When you are called by God to preach and teach the Word, you must do it in obedience to your calling. That means that you are to continue to speak to the dry bones without questioning God.
However, if you do not know God, or have strayed away, now is the time to come to the light. Now is the time to let God put the bones back together. God is calling all dry bones to life. Let God breathe new life into you. Just because you are breathing, you can still be a dry bone. You can be breathing and still be spiritually dead.
If you are a dry bone, remember there is a fountain filled with blood that draws from Immanuel's veins and sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stain. If you are a dry bone remember that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. If you are a dry bone remember Jesus says, "Behold I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me" (Revelation 3:20). If you are a dry bone remember Jesus said, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28).