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- Oct 26, 2007
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He answered, Behold, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt! And the form of the fourth is like a son of the gods! Daniel 3:25 AMPC
Nebuchadnezzar, the greatest leader of the Babylonian Empire, didn’t tolerate disobedience. After he built a ninety-foot-tall golden statue and told his subjects to bow down to it, Nebuchadnezzar outlined the consequences for disobedience: “And whoever does not fall down and worship shall that very hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace” (Daniel 3:6).
For Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—the trio of Jewish governors who presided over Babylon—the order was problematic. They were subject to a greater authority than Nebuchadnezzar and instructed not to worship anyone else. The question for these three was this: Who were they more afraid of? Nebuchadnezzar or God?
We face the same situation daily. Are we more fearful of God, who controls reality itself, or of what people will think when we refuse to bow down to the idols of pop culture? When we place our fear and trust in God, we needn’t fear the furnace either.
Prayer: Lord, may I recognize You as in control even when I’m thrown into the furnace.
Nebuchadnezzar, the greatest leader of the Babylonian Empire, didn’t tolerate disobedience. After he built a ninety-foot-tall golden statue and told his subjects to bow down to it, Nebuchadnezzar outlined the consequences for disobedience: “And whoever does not fall down and worship shall that very hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace” (Daniel 3:6).
For Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—the trio of Jewish governors who presided over Babylon—the order was problematic. They were subject to a greater authority than Nebuchadnezzar and instructed not to worship anyone else. The question for these three was this: Who were they more afraid of? Nebuchadnezzar or God?
We face the same situation daily. Are we more fearful of God, who controls reality itself, or of what people will think when we refuse to bow down to the idols of pop culture? When we place our fear and trust in God, we needn’t fear the furnace either.
Prayer: Lord, may I recognize You as in control even when I’m thrown into the furnace.
