Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abed-nego were between the proverbial “rock and a hard place.” Along with Daniel and many others, these
three Hebrew youths had been forcibly taken from their homeland and transported
as captives to Babylon. By God’s grace,
they made the best of a bad situation and achieved positions of influence in
KIng Nebuchadnezzar’s administration.
But situations continued to arise which tested their commitment to God.
One such situation occurred in chapter three of
Daniel. The prideful king of Babylon had
a massive golden image erected and invited all of his administration to the
dedication ceremony. As part of the
festivities, at a certain point, everyone was to bow down and worship the
image. Failure to do so would result in
the offender being put to death in a blazing furnace. This posed a problem for Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abed-nego. Remaining true to their
faith in God meant they couldn’t bow down and worship the image. But disobeying the king’s command meant
certain death.
To their credit, the youths stood firm on their
commitment to God and refused to bow down.
This news quickly came to the king’s attention and he flew into a
rage. He had them brought before him and
gave them one last opportunity to follow orders before being thrown into the
fire. Their response reveals their great
faith: “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need
to give you an answer concerning this matter.
If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the
furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But even if He does not, let it be known to
you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden
image that you have set up” (Daniel 3:16–18).
Do I have the courage to be faithful to God even if
things may not work out the way I want?
Lord, please help my faith to be conditionless. No “if’s,” “and’s,” or “but’s.”
God loves you!
Mike
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