Serving God FAITHFULLY no matter WHAT HAPPENS!
September 11 Bible Reading: Daniel Chapters 1-3
Serving God FAITHFULLY no matter WHAT HAPPENS!
Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar,
we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case, our God whom
we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will
deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king,
that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you
have set up." (Daniel 3:16-18)
The
Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar had set up a golden image of himself that was 90
feet high in the plain of Dura. He had then commanded everyone in his kingdom to
fall down to worship it when they heard the sound of music. Anyone who refused
would be cast into a fiery furnace (3:1-7). For failing to comply with the
king’s edict, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego were brought before the king,
but as faithful Jews they still refused to worship the idol.
Complying
with the king’s proposal would have meant them violating the second commandment
(Ex. 20:4). The answer of the three men to the threats of Nebuchadnezzar is noteworthy
(3:16-18). They affirmed their confidence in God to deliver them from death,
but also declared that they would still remain faithful to Jehovah God even if He did not deliver them. They had already decided what their course of
action would be concerning the king’s image, and their refusal was permanent.
They affirmed that God whom they served was
able to deliver them. Whether God did
deliver them was up to Him. They
would still faithfully serve Him in
all events either by life or by death!
The response
of the Jewish young men is a model of
confidence in God and submission to His will as they recognized God’s
sovereignty and power. They had recognized
that sometimes it was the will of God
for His children to die ‘in the line of
duty’ as they served Him. They knew that God was able to deliver them, but did
not know if it was His will. What
was at stake here was not God’s ability to save or their precious lives, but
their faith and obedience to serve Him regardless of the cost. Let us understand
that our faith in God may not translate
into victory in every circumstance (see Heb. 11:32–39).
The three
friends of Daniel provide us the model
for a faithful testimony under the
threat of torture and death. This is exactly how Job had professed when he
was in deep trouble: "Though He slay
me, yet will I trust Him" (Job 13:15). Indeed if God be for us, we
need not fear what humans or even people in authority can do unto us. God will deliver us either from death, or in
death!
The idea
through this incident is not that God
will always protect us from physical
harm (Isaiah 41:10; 43:1, 2). He may do that and certainly is able to. The idea is that we should be obedient to
Him whatever the consequences. Our ability to stand against temptation is
directly proportional to our trust in God’s ability to deliver us. Let us believe that God is able to deliver us
from the most difficult circumstances. Let us be willing to endure death rather than deny our faith in God’s
power to deliver us. Let us serve God
faithfully no matter what happens!
