The Fire Has No Power - Part 4

"There are certain Jews whom you have appointed and set over the affairs of the province of Babylon--Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men, O king, pay no attention to you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up."  Daniel 3:12

Setting the stage for those who missed parts 1-3 of The Fire Has No Power:  King Nebuchadnezzar build a large, beautiful golden statue, and he placed it in a prominent area of Babylon.  

Upon completion of the statue, he commanded that all the leaders of Babylon to dedicate the golden image.  When they were all gathered he commanded of each leader to listen for the sound of the instruments and music.  Upon hearing these, they were to bow down and worship the golden image.

These leaders were not given the freedom to choose to worship the image, they were commanded to obey the decree of the King, or suffer the consequences, death by the fiery furnace.  

Verse 12 of Daniel 3 points out that there were CERTAIN Jews who did not serve King Nebuchadnezzar.  

The word certain causes me to think that they were not the only Jews in the crowd.  Rather, they were the only three who stood on their trust in God.  They had faith in their God and Him alone.  

The case, brought to King Nebuchadnezzar's attention by 'men of Chaldean descent' was presented to the King in a manner that brought shame to him, "These men, O king, pay no attention to you".

In the eastern world, bringing shame to someone brings shame to his family too.  It is important in eastern customs to have honor.  The phrase 'paying no attention to you' brought shame on the face of the king.  

Hence, the consequence of those who disobeyed the command was death by fiery furnace.  

In America, we have been blessed to have freedom to choose whom we worship.  While there are many political strategies out there to hinder this freedom, at this time we still have the freedom to follow Christ openly.  

We do not, though, have the freedom to disobey the laws of the land where they do not interfere with our Christianity.  The laws of the land are put in place by authorities in which we are to obey.  

I have lived in countries in which this freedom does not exist.  The people are not even free to leave their hometown without government approval.  The control over the people is strong even in the little things in life.  Every building, whether apartment, villa, or hut is watched and the people cannot go in or out without their proper papers.  

The three Jews in Daniel Chapter 3 were very brave in the eyes of most.  There trust was fully in their God.  They knew He would protect them and keep them safe.  They were obeying Him in a matter in which the government and the Word of God conflicted.  

They were not going to worship any other God than their own God.  They knew this was a sin in the eyes of God, a lack of obedience to the highest power in their lives.  Therefore, rather than bow, they stood.  It appears that there may have been other Jews in the crowd who were not as obedient, placing their trust in God rather than the situation set before them.

To be continued....