O Dry Bones! Hear The Lord's Word!

"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. 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. And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” So I answered, “O Lord God, You know.” Again He said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! Thus says the Lord God to these bones: “Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. 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.” ’ ” 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. 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. 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.”’” So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army." (Eze. 37: 1-10 nkjv)

Though this prophetic vision was foremost intended not to describe spiritual quickening and resurrection, yet it is similar in many ways, as most bible believers attest. I have written upon this story as it relates to 1) the ordo salutis, 2) total depravity and spiritual death, 3) use of means in spiritual quickening. This story is all I need to destroy Hyper Calvinism and Hardshellism and their fallacious reasoning upon total depravity. 

First, let me cite from some of those postings. I will begin with two of the foremost leaders of the first generation of "Primitive Baptists," from Elder John M. Watson and Elder John Clark.

"Dr. Watson on the Dry Bones" (here) 

I wrote this introduction to Elder John Watson's remarks (from his "Old Baptist Test").

One of the passages of scripture that helped me to overcome the errors of Hardshellism, who deny the use of preachers and gospel preachers, in the new birth, was Ezekiel's story of the "dry bones." All of the logical arguments I used to defend the "no-means" or "Spirit alone" view of regeneration were shown to be false by this story. The Hardshells commonly talk about how silly it is to preach to the dead, to talk about spiritual things to one who is spiritually dead, to one who has no spiritual ears. That, according to the Hardshells, would be like asking a physically dead man if he would like a drink of water, and that would be foolish, by their logic. But, that will not work on the case of Ezekiel's preaching to the dead! Hardshell logic makes a fool out of God and the prophet for God told him to preach to dry dead bones, saying "hear ye the word of the Lord"!

I then cited Dr. Watson saying:

Dr. John M. Watson wrote:

"What said the prophet? "O ye dry bones, hear ye the word of the Lord." I would just state here, at once, that I have no idea that sinners, dead in tresspasses and sins, will ever believe through the exhortations of the Lord's ministers, any more than that the dry bones would have lived through the prophesying of the prophet, apart from what the Lord did for them. But that fact does not nullify the commission to preach to them, but on the contrary greatly strengthens it. The divine assurance that God's word will prosper in the thing whereunto He hath sent it, affords great encouragement to preach to sinners. If it be said by the objector that they are deaf and cannot hear it, faith replies God can open their ears; if said they are dead, faith again says God will give them life; and thus faith can meet all the objections which can be urged against preaching to the very chief of sinners, and at the same time exclude that Arminianism which some affect to see in a course of this kind. Where is the Arminianism, I would ask, in doing what the Lord has expressly commanded us to do? unless, however, it be by doing these things without faith. It seems to me that two very opposite errors may be indicated here:

1. The Arminian takes the means out of the hands of God, in toto, or in part, and uses them according to His own strength, and they then degenerate into Arminian powers.

2. The Antinomian will not regard any thing in the light of means, and in his doctrine will not allow even the Lord to employ them, says that the Lord is not dependent on means, and can do all His work without them. Now, the truth is, had it been the will or the way of the Lord, He could have breathed upon the dry bones as well without the prophesying of the prophet as with it, and could have given repentance to John's converts, or to Paul's, without their preaching; but their preaching to such, even to those dead in tresspasses and sins, had been included in the divine plan, and it needs must be done, let it be termed means, the will or way of the Lord, as you please." ("Old Baptist Test," pages 327, 328)

Elder John Clark, a friend of Watson, and editor of Zion's Advocate, has said the same thing as Watson. 

Here is what I wrote in another posting on Ezekiel's dry dead bones. In this citation the article is from Samuel Williams of Lebanon, Ohio (where my sister lives and where Elder Wilson Thompson once pastored) and written in the Advocate in July 1858. It obviously is the position of Zion's Advocate. (See here)

"To ELD. JOHN CLARK, DEAR BRO--I see in the 12th No. of the present Vol. of the Advocate an extract taken from "True Union," containing the following query "Does God, in quickening men 'dead in tresspasses and sins,' employ any instrumentality, or does he perform this work directly by the influence of his spirit, upon their hearts," I would answer, he does it by the direct influence of his spirit upon their hearts. But, that he does not use instrumentality in quickening the dead, I dare not say, and I will tell why I dare not. I take it for granted, that no man has power to give life to the dead. But God has used men in giving natural life to the dead--Proof:--Read the case of the widow's son restored to life by Elijah (I Kings iv. chap.) Read the case of Tabatha, brought to life by Peter (Acts 7th chap. and last paragraph) Also, read the case of Eutychus restored to life by Paul, (Acts 20th chap 9th to the 12th verses inclusive). We here see, that agencies and instrumentalities have been employed in ministering to the dead, whether we can tell how or not, it is God's truth. I believe that the Baptist generally understand the dry bones in Ezekiel's vision, to represent God's elect, dead in tresspasses and sins. What effect the preaching of Ezekiel had upon the dry bones, I am unable to tell, but it looks to me very much as though God did employ the preaching of the Prophet to bring the dry bones to life. God did not command the prophet to preach to them because they had life, and were free moral agents, and therefore were able to arise, and stand up an army of living men; nay, verily; but I think that was God's way of giving them life; it was God that done the work, and not Ezekiel. If we come on down to the day of Pentecost, it looks very much as though God did preach through Peter to the convincing of those wicked Jews of their rebellion against the Messiah. "Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their hearts." Nothing said about their being pricked in their hearts until they heard. Now let us turn to the 26th chapter of Acts and 16th, 17th and 18th verses. The 18th verse reads--"To open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive the forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me." Could Paul do the wonderful work described in the foregoing verse? I answer no. But God done the work through or by Paul. God healed the man that was lame from his mother's womb, by Peter, and Peter let the people know that it was not by his power that the man was healed. (Acts 111:12) Jesus told his disciple when they were brought before kings and earthly rulers, to take no thought to what they should say, then added--"For it is not ye that speak, but the spirit of your Father which speaketh in you." (John 10th chap. and 20th verse). That God has spoken through men to men, and to men dead in sin, is clearly taught in the scriptures, to my mind at least. If Jehovah speaks through me to the dead sinner, the dead sinner will hear: but if it is me that speaketh, the dead will not hear my voice and live."

"Believing that God has sometimes spoken through me to the dead, I exhort the dead sinner to repent of his wickedness; not because I think he has power to repent but hoping that God may speak through me to him, and cause him to believe what I say, and give him repentance. But some one may say, is it the duty of the Lord's ministers, to call upon the ungodly to repent?--To the law and to the testimony. Paul at Athens, (a city wholly given to idolatry) said--"But now commandeth all men everywhere to repent." Peter to Simon the sorcerer said--"Repent, therefore, of thy wickedness." Paul and Barnabas at Lystra, where the people were so ignorant they did not know a worm of the dust from a God, said to those people, "We are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from those vanities unto the living God." John the Baptist said unto men whom he termed a generation of vipers--"Bring forth, therefore, fruits meet for repentance." He also said, "Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."--"And they went out and preached that men should repent" (Mark vi. 12) Again, to the wicked Jews at Jerusalem Peter preached, "Repent ye therefore and be ye converted." That the Apostles did tell the unconverted to repent, I think I have abundantly proved; and that is authority enough for me to preach to the same kind of men to repent. Let repent mean what it will, it appears to be the duty of the minister of the Lord, to say to the ungodly, repent; which I understand to be, sorrow for sin, and a turning from it. If I knew a sinner does repent, I say, Jesus gave that sinner repentance; for it is written--"Him hath God exalted with his own right hand to be a Prince and Savior, for to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins." I have heard preachers in their preaching, tell what is not preaching repentance; well, whether it is, or not, the Apostles did tell them to repent. If you, brother Clark, or any of the readers of the Advocate, see anything wrong in the letter, point it our; I want to get right, if I am wrong." 

In another article where I give lengthy citations from Elder Clark I will cite these in particular (See here):

"And the apostles and primitive ministers were no where commanded to confine themselves in their ministry and addresses exclusively to those who had been quickened and made alive in Christ. Paul preached Christ crucified to the Jews and also to the Greeks, and yet owned that it was a stumbling block to the former and foolishness to the latter. It was not with them a question of power or ability. They did not institute an enquiry to know who had power, and who not, to repent,--that was not embraced in their commission and instructions received from the Lord Jesus. "Teaching the to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you," he said, and those commands they could not mistake: "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature." The revelation made to John of the angel flying in the midst of heaven having the everlasting gospel to preach, shows to whom it was to be preached and also what he was to preach. He was to preach to every nation and kindred and tongue and people (Rev. 14:6), and the 7th verse shows what he preached, "Saying with a loud voice, fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come; and worship him that made heaven and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters."

In addition to this array of testimony in support of our position, we remark that the resurrection of the dry bones, in Ezekiel 37 furnishes a very striking illustration. The prophet was carried in the Spirit of the Lord into the valley which was full of bones, and which were very dry, and he is first interrogated to know whether these bones could live, and then directed to prophesy upon them and say, "O ye dry bones, hear ye the word of the Lord," following which is a revelation of what God would do; and the prophet declares that he prophesied as he was commanded, and the result was a shaking a shaking among the bones, their coming together, flesh and skin coming upon them, and breath coming into them, so that they stood up an exceeding great army. Now we do not find that the prophet took any exception to this course upon the plea of inability in the bones to hear and obey, but prophesied as he was commanded, and left the consequences and result with God: and his sovereign word, his express command, was his guide in prophesying or preaching to these bones, and not the existence of any supposed power or ability in them." 

These elders taught the original view of the Baptists, a view that their followers today reject. But, in the latter half of the 19th century the "no means" view was gaining ascendency and is reflected in these words from Elder R.W. Thompson. I will also cite from Elder W.M. Mitchell (who I have cited before and who did live at the time of Watson and Clark). 

In the posting "Valley Of Dry Bones" (here) I wrote:

Hardshell "patriarch," Elder R. W. Thompson, says this about the Hardshell "interpretation" of Ezekiel and the valley of dry bones.

"These bones . . . were an evidence of a former life, and are far from representing unregenerate sinners, who are dead in trespasses and sins . . . If these dry bones represent any who have not been quickened by the Spirit, then there might be a reason for calling upon dead sinners to hear, believe and obey. As they do not, but do represent . . . Christians . . . If it should be claimed that Ezekiel was an instrument in the hand of God, to the accomplishing of this change, then I would say, He would only be such to those who were dead to their privileges and enjoyments; but were not dead to the fact, that they were God's chosen people highly favored . . ." (pages 1, 4 of THE HARDSHELL BAPTIST, 3/85).

Notice how Thompson is not willing to admit that the dry bones represented dead people! How it overthrows Hardshell mocking about preaching to the dead. The story of the dry bones creates "cognitive dissonance" with the Hardshells.

Elder Mitchell, another Hardshell, wrote the following on Ezekiel's valley of dry bones:

"This vision of the valley of dry bones has frequently been applied, both in preaching and writing, to represent the unconverted sinner while dead in trespasses and in sins; and the prophesying of the prophet upon these dry bones is said to represent the preaching of the gospel to the unconverted and dead sinner, who is alienated from the life of God through the blindness of his heart, and this preaching to him, it is said, becomes the means by which God gives him life from the dead."

"Now, as we have neither time nor inclination to argue this question, it may suffice to say at present, that neither this narrative of the valley of dry bones, nor any other text, will justify such an application of the subject as we have stated above. "The preaching of the gospel is to them that perish foolishness." To them it is the "savor of death unto death," but to the church and people of God who are born of God, it is the "savor of life unto life," as Ezekiel's prophesy was unto the "whole house of Israel" as represented by the dry bones of the valley. The Lord saith unto the prophet, "These bones are the whole house of Israel." And not only this, but he also saith that they are "my people;" therefore, or for that reason, "prophesy unto them." "Thus saith the Lord, Behold, O my people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.""

This is a clear case of stubbornly refusing to admit an error and remaining wedded to a theory no matter what the facts say.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. “Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness." (Matt. 23: 27-28 nkjv)

Notice how our Lord refers to an unbeliever's inner being as spiritually dead, and this by the words "full of dead men's bones." That makes us think back to the story of Ezekiel and the quickening of the dead bones. 

Further, though spiritually dead, Christ, unlike the Hyper Calvinist, speaks to the dead! 

In another posting I cite Spurgeon on the dry bones (See here):

Spurgeon said:

 "An equally remarkable thing is that the gospel calls upon men to do what they cannot do, for Jesus Christ said to this paralyzed man, “I say unto thee, Arise, take up thy bed and walk.” He could not rise, could not take up his bed, and could not walk, and yet he was bidden to do it. And it is one of the strange things of the way of salvation that --“The gospel bids the dead revive; Sinners obey the voice and live. Dry bones are raised and clothed afresh, And hearts of stone are turned to flesh.”

"Listen to him as he makes solemn proclamation. “Thus saith the Lord, Ye dry bones live!” “Ridiculous, Ezekiel! they cannot live, why speak to them?” He knows they cannot live of themselves, but he also knows that his Master bids him tell them to live, and he does what his Master bids him. So, in the gospel, the minister is to bid men believe, and he is to say, “Repent ye, and believe the gospel.” For this reason alone do we say, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” The gospel bids you believe, albeit that you are dead in trespasses and sins. “I cannot understand it,” says somebody. No, and you never will till God reveals it to you; but, when the Lord comes and dwells with you, you will perfectly understand, and see how the exercise of faith on the part of the preacher of the gospel is a part of the divine operation by which dead souls are raised...The man, though he cannot take up his bed and walk, yet believes that he who told him to do it will give him power to do it, and he does take up his bed and walk: there is the whole of it in a nutshell. He believes, and acts on that belief; and he is restored. And that is the whole plan of salvation. You believe the gospel, and act upon the truth of it, and you are saved—saved the moment you accept the witness of God concerning his Son Jesus Christ." [Excerpts from Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Volume 21, Year 1875, Sermon #1269, pages 703-706]

The story of Ezekiel and the dry bones destroys the reasoning of the "born again before faith" view. Action preceded life. That disproves their theory that says "life precedes action." It disproves their theory that you can only preach to those already spiritually alive.