Daniel 3:16-17: “Shadrach Meshach and Abednego answered and said unto the king, O’ Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer you in this matter.  If it be so our God is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of thy hand O king. But if not be it known unto thee O king that we will not serve your gods nor worship the golden image which you have set up.”
Ezekiel 37:4: “And he said unto me, Prophesy unto these bones and say: O’ ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.”
I was reading something very interesting in the Midrash (Canticles Rabbah 8) with regard to Ezekiel. Ezekiel was a priest and prophet during the Babylonian exile. King Nebuchadnezzar had already executed some of the young men from the House of David because they were so handsome and the Babylonian women were falling head over heels after them.  So Nebuchadnezzar had them executed, their bodies mutilated and their bones scattered. The Midrash teaches that these were the dry bones of Ezekiel 37:4 and that this was not only a vision but reality as well.  God actually instructed Ezekiel to speak to these dry bones and they would come together and live again.  Not only was this a prophetic sign but it was an actually event.  The Midrash goes further to teach that these now resurrected men went on to marry and live out a full life.
Needless to say, if such an event actually occurred this would have established Ezekiel as a prophet of God.   The Midrash, which is just a commentary and oral tradition and not the inspired Word of God, recounts the story of the three Hebrew young men thrown into the fiery furnace and that before they made their decision to defy Nebuchadnezzar, they consulted with Ezekiel.  Ezekiel initially said he had no witness in his spirit that the three Hebrews would escape the furnace if they defied Nebuchadnezzar nor did he have any witness that God would raise them from the dead.   The men, however, decided to defy Nebuchadnezzar without any assurance that Ezekiel could raise them from the dead.  After they left God spoke to Ezekiel and said that they would survive the ordeal, but Ezekiel was not to tell them this, God wanted them to take their stand without this knowledge.
Suppose there is some historical accuracy to this commentary. This may explain the strange statement they made to Nebuchadnezzar that God would delivered them from Nebuchadnezzar‘s hand, but if not they would still not bow down before his idol. Actually, they are not saying God would deliver them out of the furnace, but out of the hand of Nebuchadnezzar.  This passage is written in Aramaic and in verse 17 the word deliver is shazav. It is here that the grammar gets a little confusing.  In Aramaic the Yod before the Zayin creates a Sere Yod rather than a Chireq Yod which we would have if the Zayin came before the Yod.  This form actually intensifies the word. What this tells me is that this is intended to be a participle but rendered as a future tense not to show a time element but a sense of certainty.   This leads me to believe they are speaking of a prior event and not one that is about to happen. As I said, the Midrash is not the inspired Word of God, but it may have some historical accuracy and these three Hebrews are really saying: “God is able to deliver us as He has already done with the other Hebrews you executed.  If He took their dry bones and breathed life into them, then He can take three crispy critters and breathe life into them as well.” Now that would have really spooked out this powerful king.
It is possible the three Hebrew youths went to Ezekiel to get assurance that he could raise them from the dead like he did their companions who were executed.   After all they were executed for their good looks, while these three Hebrews were facing execution for their faith, surely God would be more incline to raise them from the dead.  Yet, Ezekiel could not give them that assurance. Nonetheless, they were still determined to die rather than bow to the idol, even if God would not raise them from the dead like their companions.
As I continue my journey to the heart of God, I find myself getting a little irritated over the fact that others, seemingly less devoted than I am are getting their prayers answered while I get apparently nothing. I find myself wanting my piece of the blessing pie.  I mean some nominal Christians who are not seeking God’s heart but only following God to get all the goodies are getting it. They seem to get these great miracles of healing and wealth.  Me, zip, zap, nothing. It just ain’t fair.
Yesterday my study partner and I were looking at the syntax of Psalms 119:36 “Incline my heart unto thy testimonies and not to covetousness.” My study partner will do a study on this verse which you can read next week on our website under Jots and Tittles, so I will not steal her thunder, but I just wanted to point out that the word testimonies is ‘avad which is a legal term that I have found used in the Mishnah.  It literally means what God has seen and experienced.  David wanted to see the wealth of God, but not covet it. In other words, he wanted to see how rich and powerful God was and then to be awed by the fact that that this rich and powerful God loved little old worthless him.  He did not covet that wealth or power, it didn’t matter if God shared it with him or not, it was simply that such a rich and powerful God took the time to love Him.  Being rich and powerful made God the God He loved.  But David did not marry God for his money, he was not a gold digger.  He truly loved Him whether he shared that wealth or not. He wanted to know God’s heart but not covet the secrets that His heart would reveal for his own purpose or gain.
I have seen God take the dry sun baked bones of someone’s career or ministry and breathe life into it. He can do the same for me if he chooses, but that is irrelevant. I understand now that I want to learn the secrets of His heart to know who and what He is.  Like the three Hebrew young men, sharing the benefits of those secrets have nothing to do with my journey.  Even if I never partake of the wealth, power and healing of God, “Be it known O prince of darkness that I will not serve any other god, not even your god of despair and discouragement.”

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