Ezekiel 37 is all about God’s desire for us to lay hold of the promises of his new covenant, learning how to truly live by entering into the blessing of the covenant.
We have all heard the story of the “dry bones” told by the prophet Ezekiel. It is important to note that these old bones lying lifeless on the ground were under the covenant. You see, the Lord had told them, “O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!” (Ezekiel 37:4, NKJV). God made this covenant promise: “I will put my Spirit in you, and you shall live” (Ezekiel 37:14).
Even though these dead bones had the new covenant promise preached to them, they were not yet able to enjoy its blessings. Many believers today know of God’s new covenant, yet they can hardly believe it because it sounds too good to be true. They say, “I know God has given us the Holy Spirit to live within us, and I know the Spirit takes it upon himself to cause us to obey Christ. I want that blessing badly, but how can I obtain it for my life?”
Here is what we must do first. Ezekiel writes that God told him to prophesy, “Thus says the Lord God: ‘Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live’” (Ezekiel 37:9). Scripture says that Ezekiel prophesied as God had commanded, “…and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army” (Ezekiel 37:10).
What a sight! There suddenly stood before Ezekiel a great army, alive and breathing! The Holy Spirit had filled all those dead bodies with life, and now they were prepared to do battle. In an instant, they had entered into the full enjoyment and blessings of the new covenant. “’Then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken it and performed it,’ says the Lord’” (Ezekiel 37:17). God’s Spirit had taken his rightful place in them, and he was bringing about all the promised changes.