“Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego answered and said to the king, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer you in this matter. If it be so, our God, Whom we serve, is able to deliver us from the burning, fiery furnace and He will deliver us out of your hand, O King. But, if not, be it known unto you, O King, that we will not serve your gods nor worship the golden image which you have set up’.”
Daniel 3:17-18
During a time of crisis, we must remember “Christ is” and rest in His Presence, knowing He will take care of us.
Racing thoughts. Multiple options. Pressure to act hastily or conform. Feelings of panic.
Such is usually the normal reaction when we’re facing a big decision. There’s a deadline to meet and little time to prepare. We don’t have the luxury of weeks or months of planning—and, if we’re not careful, we’ll end up acting impulsively, not strategically or intentionally, which will almost always end in disaster.
This is especially so in the spiritual realm in matters of faith.
Daniel, Hananiah (Shadrach), Mishael (Meshach) and Azariah (Abednego) were likely teenagers when they were taken away into Babylonian captivity by Nebuchadnezzar in 605 B.C. (Dan. 1:6-7). And, they were selected by Ashpenaz, the king’s chief eunuch, to study for three years in the schools of science, astrology, culture, etc., in addition to learning the Babylonian language, primarily because they were “without blemish, well-favored (handsome) and mentally sharp” (v.4).
Later on, Daniel would be used by God to interpret Nebuchadnezzar’s troubling dream (2:1-45) and then be promoted to “chief of all the governors over all the wise men of Babylon” (vv.46-48). Daniel then appointed his three Hebrew companions “over the affairs of the province in Babylon” (v.49).
But, then a problem arose.
Nebuchadnezzar decided it’d be good to erect a 90’9” tall, golden statue of himself in the plain of Dura and require everyone to bow down before it when the music played (3:1-3). He also decreed that those who refused should be burned to death in a fiery furnace (v.6).
Needless to say, this posed a problem for Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who knew they should only bow before the God of Abraham, the one true-and-living God. So, they refused to bow down and word soon got back to Nebuchadnezzar (vv.8-12).
He was livid and called the three “rebels” before him to give an account of their disobedience (v.13). He also gave them another opportunity to obey his command, lest they suffer the consequences (vv.14-15). But, without batting an eye they said “O King, we don’t need to spend a lot of time in prayer over this. We’re not going to bow down before your golden image. And, if you want to throw us into the fiery furnace, go ahead—for our God will either deliver us FROM the furnace or IN the furnace” (vv.17-18), which He did (vv.19-25). Dear Pilgrim, when the pressure’s on, Christ’s Presence is near (v.25); therefore, like a ship’s captain while sailing in troubled seas, we should always say “Steady as she goes and stay the course—for Christ is with me.” Glory!!
January 3, 2012
