In Daniel 3 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Daniel+3&version=NIV1984
we read the account of Shadrach, Meshach and
Abednego who refused to bow before the image Nebuchadnezzar had made in spite
of knowing the consequences of not doing it. It is interesting that the image
was made of gold representing the symbol of wealth and power.
“I am the Lord
your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no
other gods before [or besides] me. You shall not make for yourself an idol 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, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers
to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love
to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments,”
(Exodus 20:2-6).
This is the command these three men
obeyed and this is a command that still applies to us as well. Were you brought
out of slavery to sin? This God who brought us out of this enslaving power that
sin had over us and still does it daily, asked of us to serve Him and Him only.
How difficult can it be? You tell me. When the inviting glitter of television
entertainment, the satisfying power and fulfilment of things that money can buy,
and the rewarding attention we receive by being a people pleaser knock at our
door, how easy is it to bow to it, forgetting that we are committed to the Lord
and Him only?
When these three men uttered these
God-pleasing words: “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves
before you in this matter.
If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is
able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will
not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up,” (Daniel
3:16-18) they knew they were bound to be burned. I love the fact that they
didn’t bargain with the Lord. They obeyed Him unconditionally.
How often do we obey the Lord
conditionally? ‘Lord, if you do this and that for me I will obey you, or ‘Lord,
if I obey you, you have to bring your side of the bargain’, or ‘if I meet the
condition, you are bound to make the promise manifest’. He is the Lord and we
are his children/servants, so He calls the shots. He “works in us to will and
to act according to his good purpose,” (Philippians 2:13). When we obey Him we
can also be sure to be thrown into a fiery furnace. “In fact, everyone who wants to live
a godly life in Christ Jesus
will be persecuted,” (2 Timothy 3:12).
When the three
men went into the fiery furnace they were not sure what awaited them. It could
have been a painful death, or it could have been what actually happened. Jesus
promised that if we are persecuted because of righteousness ours is the kingdom
of heaven and great is our reward in heaven (Matthew 5:10-12). He did not say
the persecution will be taken away from us.
Have you
ever thought what would have happened had the three men actually bowed to this
image? They probably would have become like everybody else in Babylon –
powerless followers of an evil king, very much like us when we compromise with
Mammon. They, however, chose to follow their God’s commands and walk in His
power which had the following result: “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. Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say
anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces
and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in
this way,’” (Daniel 3:28-29).
What would people say or think about
you. “‘Your name’ is just like us and
she calls herself a Christian”, or “she must really love the Lord, for in spite
of persecution she refuses to be like us.” Do you defy Mammon’s demands brought
to you via the peer pressure of the Jones’, in other words do you ignore the
joys materialistic life offer you in exchange for obedience to the Lord?
Lord, help me not to deny you.
Thank you Lord that your Word went
out from your mouth, via your servant’s pen, and it will not return to you
empty, but will accomplish what you desire and achieve the purpose for which
you sent it.
Please pass this on if you think others may
benefit by it.
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