Ezekiel 37:1–14
Can These Bones Live?
The big idea
God asks a prophet to preach to a valley of dry bones — and the resurrection happens through the preaching.
Context you need before you preach it
The bones are explicitly interpreted in verse 11: "these bones are the whole house of Israel". The people are saying "our bones are dried up, our hope is lost, we are completely cut off." This is a vision about a community that has given up on itself.
The Hebrew word ruach runs through the passage meaning breath, wind, and spirit interchangeably. The wordplay is the engine of the vision and worth pointing out.
The outline
A valley of very dry bones
vv. 1–2He is led round about them — made to survey the full extent. And "very dry" rules out any hope of natural recovery.
The question, and the honest answer
v. 3"Lord Yahweh, you know." Not yes, not no. It is the most honest answer available and God does not rebuke it.
Prophesy to the bones
vv. 4–8The means of the miracle is a sermon. Note the two stages — bones assemble and are covered, but there is still no breath.
Prophesy to the breath
vv. 9–14A second act is required. Structure without breath is a morgue, not an army — a pointed word for institutionally healthy, spiritually dead churches.
Application
- Answer God's hard questions honestly. "You know" is permitted.
- Where you see a situation as very dry, that is precisely the setting the vision addresses.
- A church can have all its bones connected — structures, programmes, staffing — and still need the breath.
Where preachers go wrong on this text
- Skipping verse 11, where the text interprets itself. Preach the given meaning before any application.
- Making it entirely about personal revival when the vision is explicitly about a community.
- Missing the two-stage structure, which is where most of the sermon's power is.
Other ways to structure it
The outline above is one defensible reading, not the only one. If it does not fit the congregation in front of you, these are legitimate alternatives:
- Preach it as a sermon on the preached word as God's chosen instrument.
- Preach the two stages as two points, aimed at a plateaued congregation.
- Preach it alongside John 11 and the raising of Lazarus.
Illustrations that fit this text
Frequently asked questions
What do the dry bones represent?
The text says so directly in verse 11 — the whole house of Israel, in exile, saying their hope is lost and they are cut off. Any application to personal or congregational renewal should be built on that stated meaning rather than replacing it.
You have preached this passage before
Probably more than once, and the earlier version had a line in it you would want back. Transcribe your sermons and every text you have ever preached becomes searchable by reference — $19/month for as many as you preach, and the first one is free.
More from Ezekiel
Preaching resources for Ezekiel — themes, famous chapters, and background for the whole book.