True Faith Confronts A Challenge
Warren Wiersbe said, when speaking on Daniel 3,
”God tests us to develop our faith, because a faith that can’t be tested can’t be trusted. False faith withers in times of trial, but true faith takes deeper root, grows, and brings glory to God.”
If you haven’t read through Daniel 3 go do that. I’ll give a brief summary of the overall story now. King Nebuchadnezzer has been told that 3 of his jewish leaders refuse to worship the golden statue he made. Whenever citizens heard music of any kind they were to fall down and worship this idol, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, the jewish leaders, refused to. Their Babylonian counterparts went to the King and said “King these men do not worship, they don’t believe in your gods, and they worship another god besides you,” (Daniel 3:12) paraphrase.
The King then calls them in for questioning asking, Is it true? They basically tell him to kick rocks. In Daniel 3 verse 16. They told the King “we don’t have to answer you in this matter” That was a death sentence right there, knowing the consequence was to be thrown into a fiery furnace.
Daniel 16-17 “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king.”
The intestinal fortitude those three men had to have! It amazes me reading this and stories like it of christian martyrs the amount of faith they have to stand up for Christ.
Daniel 18 “But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”
There is an awesome display of faith with the end goal of glory to our God. These men knew what they did was right, in the sight of God, and whether God chose to save them, or let them die, the glory was His. Imagine that for a second, if you had an outlook on God’s will and not our’s, how powerful faith can give you all you need. If we die God gets the glory because we stood for what was right in His eyes and we died obedient, or God saves us to show His might power, and again His glory or shown to all.
It’s a Win/Win for the faith filled believers.
Daniel 19-25 “Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with fury, and the expression of his face was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace heated seven times more than it was usually heated. And he ordered some of the mighty men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. Then these men were bound in their cloaks, their tunics, their hats, and their other garments, and they were thrown into the burning fiery furnace. Because the king's order was urgent and the furnace overheated, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell bound into the burning fiery furnace.
Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.”
The King was so mad at the audacity of these men, he had the furnace stoked seven times hotter than normal. It was so hot that his own men were killed trying to put Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in. So they fall in and what happens? King Nebuchadnezzer sees not only the three, but he sees a fourth man. That fourth man was described as looking like a son of god. Now obviously Jesus hadn't been born yet, but it doesn’t mean He was alive. He was with them in that fire. This is one of His pre-incarnate appearances in the Old Testament. These 3 men walked right out of that fire. The King, the officials, the citizens who all witnessed these three men thrown into the fire and come out unsinged, and not even smelling of fire now knew the ultimate power of the God of Israel. They knew how powerful faith in Him could be, and who to look to for the inspiration of being dedicated to The God of Israel. With just one act of defiance to the King these three men witnessed God’s Power, God’s Glory, and Their faith to the entire nation of Babylon.
Time for some practical.
When trials come, and they will come, look to God for the solution. His will is always better than ours.
Trust Him in it. The fiery furnace probably looked horrible. I know it couldn’t have been pleasant to be anywhere close to it.
Search for His glory in the good, the bad , and ugly. Like shadrach, meshach, and abednego they were ready to die for His glory, die in their obedience, but also had the faith that God could save them out of it. They were fine either way. We should be the same if it sucks, good. If its great, good attitude.
My Pastor said “There’s never a wrong time to do the right thing”
If you’re scared of confrontation then maybe you should read the gospel again. Jesus is meek, but I don’t see mild anywhere. Not in His character, or the men who followed Him. Christian men it is time we stop wearing our meek and mild attire, and put on the armor of God. Confront these challenges that we’re faced with at work, at our schools, and our political systems. Use your faith as a weapon in confrontation so that no matter the outcome the Glory is God’s. If we get knocked down at least we stood for what was right, and if we assault the enemy and prevail It was because of God’s Glory, not ours.
Soli Deo Gloria