Faith Proved in Fire
One of the odds and reports of winning the overcoming insurmountable victory is found in the book of Daniel. Together with Daniel and most of Judah, three young men were taken captive to Babylon. While persevering in captivity, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego faced a great dilemma. King Nebuchadnezzar had created a golden image sixty cubits high. An order was given throughout the province, so that all would bow and worship the image that the king had made when they heard the sound of the music played. These young people were committed to the Lord and only Him. Knowing that facing the king's wrath, these men remained faithful to the Lord and refused to bow to an image made of man.
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I. The Confrontation. V. 12-15
These verses describe the confrontation that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego faced in relation to the order of the king. Note:
A. The accusation. V. 12 - "There are certain Jews that you have placed over the administration of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach and Abed - these men, O king, did not listen to you, your gods do not serve, nor do they worship the statue of the music you played, and the crowds began to adore the image of gold, those men remained firm in their faith and refused to bow down, and it did not take long for the refusal to be noticed by the others. captivity, they were prepared for leadership roles within the kingdom.No doubt, this brought a greater scrutiny of the Babylonians, and the rejection was immediately revealed to the king.These counselors sought to make their refusal to become personal with the king, declaring that no they had considered the decree of the king or worshiped the image that he had raised.
- Those who are committed to serving the Lord today are watched closely by those around them. The world rejects our faith and seeks any means to accuse us before others. Many will even try to make our obedience to the Lord appear as a direct attack on certain individuals. The opposition is true for those who are committed to serving the Lord. 2 Timothy 3:12 - "And indeed all who want to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution."
B. The interrogation. V. 14 - "Nebuchadnezzar spoke and said: Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not honor my god, nor worship the golden image that you see?" those men were led to the king and interrogated about his refusal to bow before the golden image of the king. He heard the accusations and was determined to discover the truth.
- Maybe they are never forced to appear before the authorities because of our faith, but we must be prepared. Many who reject the Lord want to weaken our faith and intimidate those who are committed to the Lord.
C. The statement. V. 15 - "Now, then, if you are ready, when you hear the sound of the trumpet, the flute, the harp, the zither, the psaltery, the bagpipe of bellows, and all kinds of music, to prostrate yourselves and worship the statue that I made, it is good, but if you do not worship it, you will be thrown at the same time into a furnace of burning fire, and who is that god who will be able to deliver you from my hands? " Whatever patience the king might have, now he was running out. He assured them that rebellion and disobedience would not be tolerated. There were two options - bend to the image or burn in the blazing furnace. He even with a bit of sarcasm - "If you do not bend, come on if that god can get you out of my hands?"
- That remains a reality for many believers throughout the world. They are forced to choose between their lives and serve the Lord. Although we do not face such intense persecution, it may very well come to that. One thing is certain - society declares that we must bend to their philosophies or face their anger. In the United States, Christian companies are being tried before the court and facing bankruptcy for remaining in the Word and adhering to Christian principles.
II. Commitment. V. 16-23
- Here we discover the committed determination of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. We have found:
A. They were convinced. V. 16 - "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to King Nebuchadnezzar, that it is not necessary for us to answer you on this matter." Probably the king was surprised with such boldness. The men did not hesitate to answer him. They declared that there was nothing to think or discuss. They were established in their faith and their minds convinced. "We do not need to answer you about this business!"
- We need that kind of deep and established faith. Our commitment to the Lord and our faith in him must be so strong and convincing that we do not hesitate to defend him, even in the face of adversity. I encouraged you to establish yourself in what you believe in and commit yourself to the Lord in times of peace, so that you know where you are when the problem arises. We do not have to pray for being committed to Christ. We should not think about what we will do when we are expected to behave contrary to our faith! "Behold, our God whom we serve can deliver us from the furnace of burning fire, and he will deliver us from your hand, O king, but if not, he will know, O king, that we do not serve your gods or worship the golden statue that you have raised
B. They were delivered. V. 17-18 -This is an image of genuine faith in the Lord. They declared: "Our God is able to deliver us, and we trust that He will deliver, but if by chance He chooses not to free us from the fiery furnace, we would rather die to serve their gods or the image that you created!" These men were totally devoted to the Lord and confident in His will for their lives.
- Such faith is easy to proclaim, but difficult to possess. Peter declared that he was ready to die with Christ, but ended up denying him when asked. We must be willing to walk with the Lord and serve Him faithfully, if we expect to have that kind of faith. A chance encounter once a week with the Lord on Sunday night or in the morning will not produce that kind of faith!
C. They were firm. V. 19-23- It was one thing to remain resolute while conversing with the king, but it took a lot of courage and faith to face the fiery furnace. They remained resilient in their faith. The king was furious, demanding that the furnace be heated seven times more than what had already been heated. He was determined that those men die for their challenge. The men were bound, with their clothes, and thrown into the oven. The fire was so hot that those who threw them into the fire perished from the heat that came from the oven's entrance.
- Do we have that kind of faith? Are we really willing to give our lives for the cause of Christ, if necessary? These are worrisome issues and, nevertheless, they should be considered and answered. I am convinced that difficult days are ahead of the church. Only those who are abiding in the Word and committed to Christ will endure.
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III. The Companion V. 24-27
- Finally, we discovered that God honored his commitment to Him. Although they faced the correct death, He did not abandon them. They were not alone, even in the middle of the fire.
A. The Presence of the Lord. V. 24-25 - "Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was surprised, and got up quickly, and spoke, and said to his counselors, Did we not cast three bound men into the fire? They answered the king, It is true, O king. : I, however, see four loose men, who walk around inside the fire, and no harm they suffer, and the appearance of the room is similar to a son of the gods.When Nebuchadnezzar looked at the fiery furnace, he could not believe what He questioned his counselors about the number of men thrown into the fire, claiming that only Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had been thrown into the fire, and miraculously the king had to admit that there was a fourth man in the fire with them, and He He had the form of the Son of God.
- We have no way of knowing what we will face in life, but we have the guarantee that we will never be forced to face our trials on their own! Jesus will always be by our side, regardless of what we face. He will never leave us or abandon us. In fact, He went to prepare a place for us and will return to call every believer to himself.
B. The Lord's provision. V. 26-27 "Then Nebuchadnezzar came to the door of the fiery furnace and spoke, saying," Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out and come! "Then Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the midst of the fire. The satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the counselors of the king, when they were assembled, saw that the fire had no power over the bodies of these men, nor were the hair of his head called, nor did his mantles change; the smell of fire had passed over them. Note that the men who threw them into the burning furnace died in the heat, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego survived the furnace and were even able to go out on their own. Their bodies due to heat and flame, their hair was not called, their clothes were not charred and they did not smell the smoke, if you had not witnessed this event, there would be no proof that these men had been on fire.
- This reveals the incredible power and grace of the Lord whom we serve. He is able to allow us to prosper, even in an impossible situation. These men remained faithful and the Lord met their needs. It was said many times - they did not bow down; They did not bend and did not burn. Christ is more than capable of providing for us, even in the face of a certain defeat. He is able to free us from the trials and burdens we face, and he is faithful to find us in the midst of fire! Satan and the world want us to believe that we will never survive, but the Lord promised the opposite. John 10: 28-29 - "I give them eternal life and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand." My Father, who has given, is greater than all, and no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand.
The Lord is faithful to those within the body of Christ. If you are struggling today, come to Him to receive strength and help. If you are not saved, respond to Him by faith. He is able to meet your need, allowing you to overcome and experience victory!
The example of these three young people show that their was decisive, the fire will not be able to extinguish the faith that they had in God, God bless you
Resteem by: EC