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One-sentence summary: The Lord tells Ezekiel to prophesy to dry bones in a valley and tell them to live; the Lord promises that both Jews and Gentiles will know He is the Lord when He is hallowed in Israel in the sight of all the nations.
The hand of the Lord comes upon Ezekiel, and He brings him out in the Spirit and sets him in the midst of a valley, and it is full of bones. The Lord causes him to pass by them all around in the valley, and they are very dry. The Lord asks him, "Son of man, can these bones live?" And Ezekiel replies, "Oh, Lord God, You know." Then, the Lord tells him to prophesy to the dry bones. The Lord says He will cause breath to enter into them, and they will live. He will put sinews and flesh on them and cover them with skin and put breath on them, and they will live. Then, they will know He is the Lord. As Ezekiel prophesies, there is a noise, a rattling, and the bones come together, just as the Lord said. Still, there is no breath in them. Then, the Lord tells him to prophesy to the breath, saying, "Come from the four winds, oh breath, and breathe on these slain that they may live!" When he does, breath comes into them. They stand up, and they are an "exceedingly great army." The Lord says the bones are the house of Israel. They have said their bones are dry and their hope is lost and they are cut off. So the Lord tells Ezekiel to prophesy to the people and say that He will open their graves and cause them to come out and bring them back to the land of Israel. Then, they will know He is the Lord. He will put His Spirit in them, and they will live. He tells Ezekiel to take a stick and write on it: "For Judah and for the children of Israel, his companions," then to take another and write on it: "For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel, his companions." He tells him to join the two sticks together, and they will become one. When the people ask the meaning of this, he is to say that the Lord will take the stick of Joseph and the tribes of Israel and join it with Judah and make them one stick in the Lord's hand. He is to do this before their eyes and tell them that the Lord will take Israel from among the nations where they have been scattered and bring them into their own land and make them one nation with one King, and they will never be divided into two kingdoms again; neither will they defile themselves anymore with their idols. The Lord will cleanse them. They will be His people, and He will be their God, and David will be King over them. They will have one Shepherd and will walk in God's ways and dwell in the land forever, and David will be their Prince forever. The Lord will make an everlasting covenant of peace with them and will establish and multiply them and set His sanctuary in their midst forevermore, and the nations will know that the Lord sanctifies them.
The word of the Lord comes to Ezekiel, and He tells him to set his face against Gog and prophesy against it. The Lord says He is against them. The Lord will lead out their army; He tells them to prepare for war. Their troops will cover the land like a cloud with "many peoples with them." They will come up with an evil plan, a plan to come against the peaceful cities of Israel that are without walls to plunder them. He tells Ezekiel to tell then that on the day when Israel dwells safely, Gog will try to come against them on horses, but the Lord will bring them against His land so that the nations may know Him; He will be hallowed in Gog before their eyes. The Lord asks if Gog is not the one whom his prophets prophesied about, saying they would come against His people. When this happens, the Lord says, His fury will show. There will be a great earthquake in Israel so that all the animals and men will shake at His presence. The mountains will be thrown down, and every wall will fall to the ground. The Lord will call for a sword against Gog and bring him to judgment with pestilence and bloodshed. He will bring flooding rain, great hailstone, fire, and brimstone. He will magnify and sanctify Himself and be known in the eyes of many nations. Then, they will know that He is the Lord.
The Lord tells Ezekiel again to prophesy against Gog. The Lord is against them and will lead them up from the north, bringing them against the mountains of Israel. Then, He will take their bows and arrows out of their hands, and they will fall on the mountains of Israel. They will be prey for the birds and beasts, and their bodies will fall on the open field. The Lord will make His holy name known in the midst of his people Isreal and not let them profane His holy name any more. Then, the nations will know that He is the Lord, the Holy One in Israel. The Lord says this is the day of which He has spoken. And those in the city of Israel will burn the weapons and make fires with them for seven years. They will not need wood. They will plunder those who have plundered them. The Lord will give Gog a burial place in Israel, a valley east of the sea, which will obstruct travelers because so many will be buried here. For sevens months Israel will bury them to cleanse the land. He tells Ezekiel to speak to the birds and beasts and tell them to come to His "sacrificial meal," a great meal on the mountains of Israel, that they may eat flesh and drink blood. They will "eat the flesh of the mighty and drink the blood of princes." They will eat til they are full and drink until they are drunk. They will eat horses and riders and mighty men of war. And the Lord's glory will be set among the nations, and they will see His judgments and His hand on them. And the house of Israel will know that He is the Lord their God from that day forward. The Gentiles also will know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity, because they were unfaithful to HIm. He hid his face from them and gave them into the hands of their enemy, and they all fell by the sword. He has dealt with them and hidden his face from them according to their uncleanness and transgressions. But at that time, He will bring back the captives of Jacob and have mercy on the house of Israel and be jealous for His holy name. They will forget heir shame and unfaithfulness when they dwelt safely in their own land and no one made them afraid. When He has gathered them again and is hallowed in them in the sight of the nations, then they will know that He is the Lord their God who sent them into captivity among the nations but who brought them back to their land. He will not hide his face from them anymore, because He will pour out His Spirit on all the house of Israel.
Thoughts/discussion questions:
The fight between Israel and Gog can clearly be interpreted as the culminating war between the powers of good and evil. It would be interesting to research this subject more.
What in your life is dead and dry and needs to come back to life? In God's Spirit, speak life over that thing!