FEARLESS is a five-part series based on Old Testament stories of people who faced great fears. I’m sure these individuals had fears in their lives, but when they were faced with the choice of following God or giving in to their fears, they chose to fearlessly obey the Lord.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were three young men who faced one of the most difficult decisions you could ever imagine: disobey God and live or obey God and die.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
In 605 B.C., Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, attacked and conquered Judah (1:1-2). Following his victory, Nebuchadnezzar ordered that the best and brightest young men of Judah be deported to Babylon. His plan was to train these young men for three years and then given some of them positions in the royal court (1:3-5). Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were among this group.
The three years of training in Babylon was really an attempt to brainwash the Jewish captives. Nebuchadnezzar wanted Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, and the others to become so indoctrinated in Babylonian culture that at the end of their training they would think and act like Babylonians. Even the names of the young men were changed. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego’s original names were Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (1:6-7). Their Jewish names honored the Lord, but their new names honored the gods of the Babylonians.
The Babylonians could change their names, but they couldn’t change their hearts. They would remain loyal to the God of Israel no matter what.
WHEN YOUR FAITH IS TESTED BY FIRE
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV).
King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, ninety feet high and nine feet wide, and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon (Daniel 3:1).
Then the herald loudly proclaimed, “This is what you are commanded to do, O peoples, nations and men of every language: As soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. Whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace” (Daniel 3:4-6).
The music sounded and everyone bowed low except for three men who stood tall: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
“Now when you hear [the music], if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I have 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?” (Daniel 3:15).
A faith that is tested by fire is a faith that can be TRUSTED.
Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you (1 Peter 4:12 NKJV).
On July 19 in the year 64 A.D., Rome burned. The Romans believed that Emperor Nero was responsible. Nero blamed the Christians. And this began the Roman persecution of Christians. The “fiery trial” may refer to the burning of Christians in Rome by Nero. (Many scholars believe that 1 Peter was written either just before or after the burning or Rome and that Peter wrote from Rome.)
...now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine (1 Peter 1:6-7).
A faith that endures the fiery trials of life is a faith that can be trusted. Here is a question for you to think about: “Can your faith handle the fire?”
• Could your faith handle the trial of an unanswered prayer?
• Could your faith handle the trial of personal loss (money, health, someone you love)?
• Could your faith handle the trial of betrayal?
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were people just like you and me. They were young men who had hopes and dreams for the future. They wanted to live. They didn’t want to die. But they were faced with a difficult choice: bow down to an image or be burned alive.
What would you do? If I were in their place, I might rationalize why it wouldn’t be so bad to bow down to the image:
• I will bow down but not actually worship the idol.
• I will worship this one time and then ask God for forgiveness.
• This is a foreign land. God will excuse me for following the customs of the land.
• My ancestors set up idols in God’s temple! This isn’t half as bad!
• Everyone else is doing it.
• If I get myself killed and a pagan takes my position, he won’t help my people in exile.
Although all these excuses may sound sensible at first, they are dangerous rationalizations. To fall down and worship the image would violate God’s command in Exodus 20:3: “You shall have no other gods before me.”
The problem is, when we rationalize once, we can rationalize twice. And when we rationalize twice, we can rationalize three times, and on and on. Before long, we are living a life of compromise.
What do we do when our faith is tested by fire?
1. Obey God’s COMMANDS instead of man’s EXPECTATIONS.
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter” (Daniel 3:16).
Nebuchadnezzar had given Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego important positions in his kingdom. He had even given them a second chance to escape the blazing furnace. But pleasing Nebuchadnezzar meant displeasing God. They were determined to obey God and not a man.
2. Believe the TRUTH instead of just the FACTS.
“If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king” (Daniel 3:17).
• Fact: The king said, “Bow down.”
• Fact: They disobeyed.
• Fact: The king was angry.
• Fact: The furnace was very hot.
• Fact: The king threatened to throw them into the furnace.
• Fact: Anyone thrown into the furnace would die.
• Fact: They didn’t want to die.
• Truth: God would deliver them.
• Truth: Even if God didn’t deliver them, they would go to heaven.
• Truth: It is always better to obey God. If they had bowed down, they would have lived with regret. If they had not been delivered by God and died, they would have died with a clear conscience.
3. Believe God. Don’t just believe IN God.
“But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up” (Daniel 3:18).
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego said, “The God we serve...” (v. 17). The Lord was not the God they only heard out or read about or the God their parents served. Their faith was not just a faith of words or thoughts or feelings. It was a faith of actions.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego didn’t just believe in God. They believed Him enough to put their lives on the line. “Our God can save us and He will save us, but even if He doesn’t save us, we will not bow down to your image.” We could call their faith “a faith of no matter what.” “Even if...we will believe God no matter what.”
THE PRESENCE OF ANOTHER
Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisors, “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?” They replied, “Certainly, O king.” 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 [the Son of God, NKJV]” (Daniel 3:24-25).
When Nebuchadnezzar looked into the furnace, he couldn’t believe his eyes. Instead of writhing in pain, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were unhurt. Instead of being tied up, they were free. Instead of three men, there were four. The fourth person in the furnace could have been Jesus Christ in a pre-incarnate appearance.
During the fiery trials of life, God is WITH us.
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. Then King 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 the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God” (Daniel 3:27-28).
Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you want to be my follower, you must put aside selfish ambition, shoulder your cross, and follow me. If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life” (Matthew 16:24-25).
A faith that is tested by fire is a faith that can be trusted. Are you willing to obey God no matter what?
PRAYER OF COMMITMENT
Heavenly Father,
I want my faith to be a faith of actions,
Not just a faith of words, thoughts, or feelings.
Today, I promise to obey You when my faith is tested by fire.
Today, I vow to follow You no matter what.
Thank You for Your presence during the fiery trials of life.
Amen.
