Bob DeLong

Daniel 3:13-28 (NIV)

   13 Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego … Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true…that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up? 15 Now …, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?”

   16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

   19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious…and his attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual. 20 And commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. 21 So these men … were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace…

   24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire”? They replied, “Certainly, Your Majesty.”

   25 He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.”

   26 Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!” So, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, 27 and the … royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched and there was no smell of fire on them.

   28 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 any god except their own God.

Reflection:

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were among the influential, educated, and skilled Jews taken into captivity in Babylon, when Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to Jerusalem in 605 BC. Their good friend, Daniel (per Daniel and the lion’s den), had been given a prominent position of power by the King, because of his gift to interpret dreams, so they also were given positions of power. It was Babylon’s practice to take the elite members of captured societies into exile in their country, with the goal of assimilating them into, and enhancing, their society.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego took a stand together. Their friendship helped strengthen their faith, and helped give each of them the resolve to defy the King. Even after the king learned that the three friends had defied his order, he gave them a second chance—Daniel 3:15 ‘Now, when you hear…music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good.’ A small compromise in their faith, would have allowed them to go on with their friendship, worshipping their God, and serving their people in a foreign land. But they understood that compromise would have poisoned the very conviction that bound them together—each had a higher unwavering faith in their God.

Today, Christians in the United States do not face ultimatums as direct and ominous as worshipping an idol or being thrown into a burning furnace, but social pressures, often enhanced by social media, can be very intense. As Christians, we can face decisions, not unlike Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, whether to go along with those around us, or even with decisions whether to comply with authoritative orders, when our personal beliefs are contrary to those expected behaviors. To complicate these decisions, we also increasingly hear information sources that misrepresent reality, which can influence our beliefs and make it more difficult to determine the direction that Jesus would have taught us to go.

So, how do we know which direction to go? As Christians, we make friends because we are a changed community. Our friendships allow us to bond with others, who are also seeking a closer relationship with God and looking for answers to how they can help bring His kingdom here on earth. These friendships give us ongoing needed support and encouragement, but sometimes allow difficult discussions of specific topics, for which there is strong disagreement within our society. We all have different backgrounds and experiences, which have helped shape who we are and what we believe. Hearing a trusted friend’s story that is very different from our own, can open our eyes to things we never realized or considered. Studying the Bible together and hearing our friends’ stories can help us refine and strengthen our beliefs. A strand of three cords is not easily broken. The friendships and studies in my small group have helped me tremendously, reminding me that when I am faced with living out my faith in a polarized world, I do not face it alone. 

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego shared a deep faith in the one true God with each other, which required that they take a stand, despite great personal risk, far greater than what we face today. They stood together, and God used their actions to allow others to believe in His power and love.

Prayer:
Lord, thank you for your unending love and for making it freely and abundantly available to share with others. Forgive me for sometimes judging others and failing to fulfill my responsibility, as a follower of Jesus, to spread your love to ALL of my neighbors. Thank you for surrounding me with other followers, who also want to better understand your teachings. Help us to learn from each other. Help me to listen, especially when I hear thoughts different from what I believe. Give me guidance on how to reconcile those differences, and then have the conviction and faith to share with others. Lord, shape me into a peculiar person, who lives differently because I have been transformed by you. Give me the courage of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and the early Christians to laugh at social pressure and fear, to starve greed and selfishness, to serve those in need, and to live with a humble, steadfast faith in you.