The Story Behind “RATTLE!” by Elevation Worship
Are you enjoying the song RATTLE! by Elevation Worship on BRIGHT-FM? Chris Brown, lead singer and one of the songwriters, says RATTLE! was created out of the COVID-19 pandemic. He and his fellow songwriters (Steven Furtick and Brandon Lake) saw how so many people buried and mourned over their loved ones this past year. As people who love and know Jesus, the foundation of faith is built on the trust that comes with Jesus’ resurrection. With that hope in mind, RATTLE! was created.
On the surface of this song, it is easy to see how it is a testament to the resurrection of Jesus, but when we dive a little deeper into the lyrics, there’s even more depth to the lyrics. This song was also formed out of a story from Ezekiel 37, the valley of dry bones, and 2 Kings 13:14-21, the man thrown on the bones of Elisha.
The valley of dry bones is referred to in the first two lines of the chorus for RATTLE!:
This is the sound of dry bones rattling
This is the praise make a dead man walk again
And then later in the outro of the song:
God said live, God said live
Hear the Word
And this is what He said
Live, live
Dry bones hear the Word of the Lord
In Ezekiel 37 we read about how Ezekiel was led by the Lord to a valley that was full of dry bones. The Lord then asks Ezekiel if the bones in the valley can live, to which, Ezekiel replies, “Lord, you alone know.”
“Then he said to me, ‘Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’” Ezekiel 37:4-6 (NIV)
Ezekiel began to prophesy over the bones as the Lord had told him, and as he did, he heard the noise of the bones rattling as they came together. The Lord then asks Ezekiel to prophesy breath into these bones so that they may live. Once more, Ezekiel begins to prophesy and before his very eyes, a vast army comes to life, standing in the valley where there had just been dry bones everywhere. Why did God ask Ezekiel to do this and show him this vision? It was a message to the people of Israel, who felt their hope was gone. They felt dead inside and as dry as the bones in the valley. God’s message was simple: “I will put my Spirit in you, and you will live again” (Ezekiel 37:14). This was a message of hope that He was breathing into them.
In the bridge, we hear the snippet about the bones of Elijah:
Just ask the man who was thrown
On the bones of Elisha
In 2 Kings 13:14-21, we read how Elisha, another prophet of God, died from an illness and his body was buried in a tomb. In those days, the Moabite raiders would come to Israel every spring looking to kill and take. This time when they did, some Israelites were burying a man. When the Israelites saw the Moabite raiders, they were fearful and threw the man’s body into Elisha’s tomb so they could run to safety. But when the man’s body touched Elisha’s bones, the man came back to life and stood up on his feet.
RATTLE! reminds us that nothing is impossible for God. Even in the moments that seem like hope is all gone, He can turn it all around within seconds. We see it in Ezekiel 37, 2 Kings 13, and ultimately in the story of His son, Jesus’ resurrection.
