Daniel 3:17-18 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.
By way of brief background and to refresh your memory, Daniel had found favor in the eyes of King Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel’s three friends—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—were appointed as administrators over the province of Babylon. Now the King with all his good intentions set up an image of gold to be worshiped. I say with good intentions because the King had just finished telling Daniel, “Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries…” (cf. Daniel 2:47), so perhaps the King thought he was doing well to make such a magnificent creation. We are told the statue was sixty cubits high and six cubits wide, and for our reference that would be about 90 feet tall and 9 feet wide. Good intentions or not, such action no matter how well-crafted and no matter how ornately adorned with gold was strictly forbidden by the Lord God Almighty.
Deuteronomy 5:7 You shall have no other gods before me.
Deuteronomy 5:8 You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, and a jealous God…
Deuteronomy 5: 9 You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.
Of course, King Nebuchadnezzar never heard those lessons taught in Sunday School, and perhaps he succumbed to the woke teachings of his day—this would be a call to unity, something to demonstrate his efforts for inclusion. And just for an additional little flair, everyone loves music, so that could be his cue to call for unified worship.
Daniel 3:7 Therefore, as soon as they heard the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp and all kinds of music, all the nations and peoples of every language fell down and worshiped the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
That is, everyone but Daniel’s three friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They knew it was wrong to worship anyone or anything other than the Lord God Almighty. Their potential penalty was death by being tossed into a blazing furnace to be burned alive. Our penalty? Oh, perhaps loss of a friendship, someone accusing us of being a Christian, losing a political vote or someone not speaking to us, or saying something mean. You see, in our country, the consequences for failure to stand up for our Lord are relatively small in this life. Perhaps that is why we fail to take it seriously. Let me assure you, the consequences of failure to stand up for our Lord—to worship Him alone—to follow his ways and his teachings according to biblical truths—are consequences that will last an eternity. I have heard it said that there is never a right way to do a wrong thing—there is never a good way to compromise with evil. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego knew this, too. They were confident the Lord would rescue them, but even if that rescue did not take place, they were resolved to do the right thing. The question for us becomes In Whom do we place our confidence and trust? Do we have courage to do the right thing even in the face of today’s political and social adversity?
For Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego there was a happy ending for their faithfulness.
Daniel 3:26-28 So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out of the fire…the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was the hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them. Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the god of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.
For us, there will be a happy ending for our faithfulness, too.
2 Timothy 4:8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
Gracious Heavenly Father,
Thank you for the lesson of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—men who were unwilling to buckle under social pressure. Sometimes we shrink back for fear of what others might think, and we ask your forgiveness. Give us the boldness and confidence to worship you alone and to stand firm in the teachings presented in your written word—to read them, study them, and apply those teachings in our everyday lives.
In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, Amen.
The devotional Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego appeared first on Write From My Heart at writefrommyheartblog.blogspot.com
email: Dotty Willmon, writefrommyheartblog@gmail.com
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