By Ryan Kelly –

The prophets of Israel, both major and minor, paint a sobering picture of God’s people. Time and again, the Israelites turned from the Lord, chasing after idols and ignoring His commands. The voices of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Hosea, Amos, and others rang out with warnings: sin leads to destruction. And indeed, their words proved true as the nation fell to exile, their land laid waste and their temple destroyed. Yet even in the midst of judgment, the prophets spoke of hope, a promise that God would not abandon His people forever.

Through those same prophetic voices, we hear whispers of restoration. Ezekiel’s vision of dry bones rising to life, Isaiah’s promise of a suffering servant, and Hosea’s words of God’s unrelenting love all pointed toward a coming rebirth. This restoration was not just the rebuilding of walls or a return from exile, but the unveiling of God’s ultimate plan…the Messiah, Jesus Christ. In Him, the scattered people of Israel would find their true King, and through Him the covenant would be renewed and fulfilled.

And now, because of Jesus, all of us who believe are grafted into this story. Paul tells us in Romans that Gentiles have been grafted into the vine of Israel, becoming part of the one people of God. No longer is belonging determined by nation or lineage, but by faith in Christ. The warnings of the prophets remind us of the cost of sin, but their promises assure us of God’s steadfast mercy. Through Christ, we too rise from the valley of dry bones into the living body of His Church, a people chosen not by blood but by grace.