Our God Is Able to Deliver Us
He will walk with us, even through the fiery furnace
The story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace is one I remember from my childhood. And likely, most people who have grown up around any Christian or Jewish influence are familiar with it as well.
But this is so much more than a children’s story. The response these three men made to Nebuchadnezzar is one we should all take to heart. The Babylonians brought these men to Babylon as captives, indoctrinated them into Babylonian culture, and inducted them into government service. And they had risen to positions of great influence within that government.
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But then they were faced with a choice. To bow to an image of gold. An image that represented Babylon and its gods. Or to remain faithful to God.
A Declaration of Faithfulness
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. 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.
Daniel 3:17–18 NIV
They chose to remain faithful to God and refused to worship the gods of Babylon, choosing to give up everything, including their lives, rather than bow before the golden image Nebuchadnezzar had set up. They trusted that God would deliver them, and He did. But they said that even if He did not, they would not worship or serve any god but the Most High God.
A Timely Example
I live in a culture that is very different than either ancient Israel or Babylon. I have never faced the choice of worshipping an idol or being killed.
But the false gods of modern American life — the gods of conformity, pleasure, and prosperity — constantly confront me. And the pressure to worship at their altar is, at times, very great. So the example that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego set here is very appropriate.
We should never compromise our faith in God in order to be more acceptable to our culture. Choose to worship Him alone and trust in His deliverance.
