ESOCS Devotional 21 May 2026 – The Valley of Dry Bones
MEMORY VERSE: “I will put my Spirit in you, and you will live again and return home to your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord, have spoken, and I have done what I said. Yes, the Lord has spoken!” Ezekiel 37:14 NLT
TEXT: EZEKIEL 37:1-14
The hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. 2 Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry. 3 And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”
So I answered, “O Lord God, You know.”
4 Again He said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! 5 Thus says the Lord God to these bones: “Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. 6 I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.” ’ ”
7 So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them.
9 Also He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” ’ ” 10 So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.
11 Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, ‘Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!’ 12 Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. 13 Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves. 14 I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken it and performed it,” says the Lord.’ ”
READ OTHER ESOCS DEVOTIONAL HERE
In Genesis 3:15, following the great fall and the emergence of sin, God swore that He would bring about a lasting hostility between the serpent and the seed of the woman. This hostility shall rage for ages, until the seed of the woman would crush the head of the serpent. And this will lead to the defeat of the devil and the restoration of fallen man to his lost estate. While that aggression lasts, man will lie spiritually dead, even as the world plain exists as a valley of dry bones.
As part of the process of the total restoration, God promises to pour out His Spirit upon all flesh – to restore spiritual liveliness to mankind, (Joel 2:28-29). This will bring about man’s spiritual renewal through the Holy Spirit, the imminent total defeat of the devil, and the beginning of God’s eternal Kingdom.
In Acts 2:1-4, the Church experienced the manifestation of God’s promise of Joel 2:28-29 – the emergence of the era of the Holy Spirit. In our text today, we see the power of God that was manifested on the resurrection of the bones. This proved to the people that if God could raise dry bones, and put life in them, then surely He could raise up His people out of their captivity. By extension, God could restore spiritual life to mankind, and bring them back unto eternal life in His Kingdom. This is life eternal, and is only made available to those who believe in the finished work of Christ at Calvary. They shall be declared sons of God, (John 1:12). They shall reign with Christ in His Kingdom unto times age abiding. Strive to be part of it, while the opportunity lasts.
Reflections
- As many as received Him will receive grace and power to function as sons of God.
Prayer
- Lord, my God, may I not miss out in this great expectation.
Further Reading: Zechariah 3:1-10; Luke 24:13-35; John 20:24-47
ESOCS Devotional 21 May 2026
