This morning, This morning, I’d like to address a concern that many of us have as we read and watch the news, as we observe the changes taking place in the world, and specifically in what used to be considered Christian nations. And what we are seeing is a growing hostility to Christian witness and Christian practice. We are seeing an increasing frequency of verbal and physical attacks on churches and on people of faith. And ominously, we are seeing these attacks not only being tolerated by the governments of those countries, but in many cases initiated by them. For example,
• A Christian woman in England was arrested for praying silently near an abortion clinic. Not interfering with anyone, not speaking to anyone, not even praying aloud. Just standing and praying silently.
• In Finland, a member of parliament was charged with a hate crime for tweeting verses from Romans in response to an LGBT pride event.
• Also in England, many street preachers have been arrested for supposedly “offensive” messages.
Even in our own country, we see that anti-Christian sentiment is much more open and blatant than previously, and that in many cases it is supported by government policies. You may have seen the email which Franklin Graham sent out recently, asking for a time of prayer and repentance, stating that as a nation we have increasingly turned our backs on God and his commands. For example,
• In one well-known case, a Christian baker was charged with a crime for refusing to create a cake celebrating a gay wedding.
• Christian students and school employees have been disciplined for refusing to use transgender pronouns in class. Christian student organizations have been denied the access to resources and meeting rooms which are granted to other groups.
• And a terrible recent event: the murder of Charlie Kirk, which unbelievably, was actually justified or celebrated by many people, including people in government.
Those are just a few examples. I’m sure you can think of others. I realize that I’m painting with a broad brush, and I acknowledge that in many other parts of the world, in some African nations for example, the persecution of Christians is far more pervasive and far more violent. Nevertheless, it is a real and growing problem in the West.
Now, perhaps you have a more optimistic view. Perhaps you see the tide turning, and hopeful signs emerging, at least in America. Let’s all hope this the case. But I want us to consider the possibility that it doesn’t improve; that this intolerance for Christian witness and Christian practice gets worse instead of better, at least in the near future. I don’t have a crystal ball, and I’m not a prophet. If none of that comes to pass, we will all be glad. But I think it is prudent to be prepared. Because for each one of us, there likely will come a time when we are told by someone in authority that we must do something that we believe God prohibits. Or that we must not do something that we believe God commands. Those demands may come from a government official, as in the examples I mentioned, or they may come from some other authority in our lives, such as an employer, or a teacher, or a church leader, or a family member. In fact, you may have already experienced this challenge. You may be struggling with it right now. And when that happens, we need to know what a godly response looks like, so that we can honor God with our response.
This is not a trivial question. Because when we are told to do something by someone in authority, or told not to do something, there is usually a cost if we fail to comply. And that cost can be significant, depending on who is making the demand. That cost can range from disapproval, to reduced career opportunities, to suspension or expulsion. It can include fines or loss of property, and even arrest, and prosecution, and jail. The stakes can be high, and so we need to be very clear on what God expects of us in these situations.
We’re going to look at three examples from the Bible, three different scenarios in which the commands of an authority figure conflicted with obedience to God. All three come from the Old Testament book of Daniel. Daniel is a great book to study on this topic, because it recounts the challenges faced by the people of Israel while living under a foreign king who did not respect their God or their Laws. These events took place in the sixth century B.C., when the Southern kingdom of Israel was conquered, and its people were exiled to Babylon. We’ll start by reading from Daniel chapter one, verses 1-7:
“In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 2 And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the articles from the temple of God. These he carried off to the temple of his god in Babylonia and put in the treasure house of his god.
3 Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring into the king’s service some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility—4 young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians. 5 The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king’s table. They were to be trained for three years, and after that they were to enter the king’s service.
6 Among those who were chosen were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. 7 The chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.”
So the narrative is going to revolve around these four men, who were taken from Israel and elevated to positions of leadership in Babylon. And right away, they are confronted with a challenge to their faith. They are being asked to eat food that violates the Jewish dietary laws.
8 But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. 9 Now God had caused the official to show favor and compassion to Daniel, 10 but the official told Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your food and drink. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you.”
11 Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, 12 “Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.” 14 So he agreed to this and tested hem for ten days. 15 At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. 16 So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead.
So the first option, when presented with a directive that would require us to disobey God, is not to immediately provoke a confrontation. The goal at this stage isn’t to win a conflict. The goal is to find a way to live in peace while honoring God. And so we look to see if we can find some kind of accommodation, some way to meet the requirement without sinning. Or we propose an alternative approach that accomplishes the same thing. To be clear, when I say “accommodation”, I don’t mean that we compromise our morals or values. I mean that we look for a way to respect those in authority, and to support their goals insofar as they are legitimate. In this case, Daniel recognized that the chief official would be at risk if the men from Israel lost weight. He accepted as legitimate the need for them to be strong and healthy. And so he proposed an alternative diet, that they would eat vegetables and drink water, and he trusted in God to use that form of nourishment to sustain them. Happily, it worked. We don’t know what would have happened had it not, but the point is, they trusted in God, and they sought a way to submit to authority without sinning.
All right. Second scenario. Fast forward a few months. The king has a dream that none of his court magicians can interpret. For a good reason: because the king won’t tell them what the dream was! He demands that before they interpret the dream, they first tell him the dream, which of course they can’t do. But Daniel can. The king is so amazed at this, and so grateful, that he makes Daniel “ruler over the entire province of Babylon” and puts him in charge of all the wise men. The king also makes the other three men— Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—Daniel’s main administrators over the kingdom. So far, so good. Daniel and his friends are running the kingdom. But then, king Nebuchadnezzar decides to construct a huge gold statue of himself; about 90 feet high. A bit egotistical, to say the least. The king announces that there will be a dedication ceremony, which all the officials of the kingdom are required to attend. And the king proclaims that when the music begins to play, everyone must fall down and worship the image; otherwise, they will be thrown into a blazing furnace. So there’s a significant consequence to disobedience. However, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did not do that. It must have been pretty obvious, with all the other court officials on their hands and knees and these three men still standing. So we have the following scene:
“13 Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, 14 and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up? 15 Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music, 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.” (Daniel 3:13-18)
In other words, they defy him. They do it respectfully, but they tell the king clearly, “no, we’re not doing that”. And you probably know the rest of the story. They are tied up and thrown into the blazing furnace, but they are completely unharmed. Not a single hair on their heads was singed. Their clothing doesn’t even smell of smoke. God delivered them. And Nebuchadnezzar was so amazed that he made this proclamation:
“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 the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. 29 Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way.” (Daniel 3:28-29)
Nebuchadnezzar was a man given to strong emotions, let’s just say that. And he’s rather volatile; he goes from being furious with rage one minute to praising God the next.
There are many lessons here. This narrative demonstrates God’s ability to rescue his people from dangerous, life-threatening situations if he chooses. It also illustrates how God protected and preserved the people of Israel while they were in exile, under the rule of a foreign king. But the lesson I’d like us to focus on this morning is what Nebuchadnezzar says in verse 28. These three men “trusted in [God] 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.” He acknowledges that they defied him; that they openly disobeyed him.
Now, did they do the right thing? There was a good outcome. God intervened to save their lives. So if we judge by that, then obviously, yes. But did Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego do the right thing morally, when they disobeyed their king and refused to worship the golden statue? Yes, because if they complied, they would violate the second commandment, which forbids worshipping idols. They disobeyed the king in order not to disobey God.
But aren’t we supposed to obey authority? Yes, we are. In Romans 13 Paul writes:
“1 Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. . . . 4 For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good.” (Romans 13:1)
Christians are to obey authority. That’s the starting point. Our default should be to respect and obey all legitimate authority. However, I believe there is an implied exception, and it is based on the fact that, as Paul tells us here, all authority comes from God. Jesus said the same thing in his response to Pilate: “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above.” (John 19:11) And so no one has independent authority, no one is a law unto themselves. Everyone in a position of authority receives, or derives, that authority from God, the supreme authority, and they are therefore responsible to God to exercise it according to His law. Their authority is limited to operating within the boundaries of God’s law. And God doesn’t give anyone authority to violate his commands, or to order others to do so.
So. What does that mean? If someone in authority commands you to do something that is contrary to God’s Word, or forbids you from doing something that God’s Word requires, then they are no longer exercising their authority in a legitimate way. They have gone rogue. And so you have no moral responsibility to obey those commands. That doesn’t mean you can reject their authority altogether. Nor does it mean that you will escape the consequences if you defy them. But you don’t have a responsibility before God to obey any specific commands that are contrary to the Scriptures.
Now, this principle can certainly be misused, and made into a loophole to justify disobeying any laws or directives that we disagree with, and that is certainly not what I’m saying. We should grant a presumption of legitimacy to the commands of those in authority, and only make an exception when it is clear that they are commanding something that is contrary to God’s Word. So, keeping this principle of derived and limited authority in mind, let’s evaluate again the actions of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Did the king have the authority to order them to worship an idol? No. Because that was contrary to God’s law. Therefore, they had no responsibility before God to obey him; in fact, they had a responsibility to do the opposite.
What can we learn from the way in which they disobeyed the king’s command?
• First, note that they did not go out of their way to provoke a confrontation. When the decree went out, that all of the king’s officials must fall down and worship the idol, they didn’t send a message back to the king stating their refusal to do so. Nor did they make an announcement to their fellow officials that they were going to defy the king’s order. They simply ignored it. It wasn’t until some of the king’s astrologers reported it to the king that he even knew what had happened. So it didn’t start with open defiance. It started with passive non-compliance, and then was escalated by others, until these men had no choice but to openly defy the king to his face.
• Second, they weren’t challenging the king’s authority in general. They weren’t being disrespectful or showing contempt for the king. The simply said “no” to this particular command. And we can assume that otherwise, they continued to be loyal subjects and to respect his authority.
• Third, we see that they stood their ground, even when the threats of a fiery death were repeated, even when they were given a second chance to comply. And so their actions weren’t rash or impulsive, or driven by the emotions of the moment. They had carefully considered the cost of their actions, and they stood by their decision.
• Fourth, they testified to their faith in God; verse 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.” They acknowledged publicly that they were trusting in God, and that they knew he could deliver them.
• But fifth and finally, they were prepared to accept the consequences of their disobedience. They were ready to go into the furnace. Their decision to disobey the king’s demand was not dependent on God delivering them. Verse 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.” In other words, O king, we know that God can save us from what you have threatened; we know that he can preserve our lives. And our expectation is that he will do so. But even if we knew that we wouldn’t be saved; even if we knew that we would die, we would still obey God, and not you.
And I would suggest that the actions of these three men can be an example to us, when we find ourselves in a situation where we are told, by some authority figure, that we must do something that we consider to be a sin, a clear violation of our conscience before God. If we can find some accommodation, as we saw in the first scenario, we should do that. If that’s not possible, we should start by simply choosing not to comply, but try to avoid provoking a confrontation. Unfortunately, that’s not always possible, and so in those cases, we should remain respectful, while explaining that our reasons for non-compliance are based on what we believe God would have us to do. If we are threatened, we should take the opportunity to testify as to our faith that God will provide for us. But we need to make sure that we have counted the cost, and that we are confident that this is what God would have us do, so that if we are threatened, or given another opportunity to comply, we can stand firm, as these three men did. As Job said,
“Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him;” (Job 13:15)
And sometimes, that is the case. That is why we have martyrs. We have had them throughout human history, and we have them today. In Nigeria, in the Congo, in Sudan and Somalia, and in many other places around the world. These are Christians who trust in God, and who choose to obey God, even when it means they will lose their life.
This is the same attitude that Paul expressed in Acts 20:
22 “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. 23 I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. 24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.” (Acts 20:22-24)
What about their reasons? This is important. They didn’t disobey the king because they thought his command was foolish, or ill-advised, or inconvenient, or wrong. They didn’t defy him because they simply preferred not to do what he ordered, or even because they had strong objections against it. They disobeyed because they could not comply with his edict while remaining faithful to God; they could not obey without sinning. And that should be our standard as well. Yes, we have the right to veto commands that violate God’s law. But we should use that right only when necessary.
Let’s go on to the third scenario. It’s a bit different. In the previous narrative, the Israelites were being commanded to do something they could not do and remain faithful to God. But what about the opposite situation; when we are being forbidden to do something that God tells us to do? Years later, under a different Babylonian king, Darius, Daniel faces that situation. His rivals in the royal court persuade the king to issue an edict that for 30 days, no one should pray to any god other than Darius (you think office politics are bad where you work?). The punishment for disobedience was to be thrown into the lion’s den. They did this explicitly to trap Daniel. What was his response?
“10 Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.” (Daniel 6:10)
“Just as he had done before”. His response was simply to keep doing what he had always done. As a result, he was thrown into the lion’s den, and I think most of you know the rest of the story. Spoiler alert: he survived. But his actions illustrate the fact that our responsibility to defy these kinds of orders is the same. If God has commanded us not to do something; we must not do it. And if God has commanded us to do something, we must do it, regardless of the consequences.
Well, you might say, all of those examples were from the Old Testament. What about the New Testament? The apostles faced this situation also. After Peter heals a man who had been lame from birth, he and John are thrown into jail, and then brought before the Sanhedrin, the Jewish ruling council.
16 “What are we going to do with these men?” they asked. “Everyone living in Jerusalem knows they have performed a notable sign, and we cannot deny it.17 But to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people, we must warn them to speak no longer to anyone in this name.” 18 Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! 20 As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:16-20)
And a short time later, all of the apostles are commanded not to preach.
“27 The apostles were brought in and made to appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. 28 “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.” 29 Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings!” (Acts 5:27-29)
This is the only correct response: When there is a conflict between the two, we must obey God rather than people. In closing, I’d like to make a few comments about applying these lessons.
• First of all, disobeying any legitimate authority is a serious step, and not to be taken lightly. It’s serious because we do have a responsibility to obey those in authority, as Paul tells us. And so we have to make sure that the situation we are facing is a genuine exception, and that there is no reasonable alternative to disobedience, or else we will be sinning by disobeying. We need to have a settled conviction that there is a genuine conflict between what God requires of us and what we are being commanded to do by human authorities. I recommend talking it over with other mature believers to make sure that your perspective is correct.
• Second, this is hard. Our natural tendency is to follow orders. Most of us are wired to do what we are told to do. And so there will be an internal conflict. We will come up with all kinds of reasons for why we should just go along with the crowd, even when we know in our heart it isn’t right. It’s easier just to fall into line and not make waves. That’s easier, but it’s not safe, spiritually. The only safe thing to do spiritually is to determine in our own heart what we believe is right, what God would have us to do, and then do that, regardless of the cost. Otherwise, one compromise leads to another, one little sin leads to another, bigger sin, and eventually we find ourselves far from God with a corrupted and hardened heart. And that’s a very dangerous place to be.
• Third, we need to examine our reasons for choosing to disobey, and make sure that our actions are driven by a desire to honor and please God, rather than another motive, such as pride or anger. It is possible to do the right thing for the wrong reasons, and we want to make sure our motives are right. If they aren’t, then we need to pray that God will purify our motives before we take any action.
• Fourth, we need to be prepared to accept the consequences of disobedience; we need to be ready to pay the cost, trusting that those consequences are a part of God’s good, and wise, and loving plan. As an example, in 1660 the Puritan Preacher John Bunyan was arrested and put in jail for the so-called “crime” of preaching without a license. He spent 12 years in jail. During those 12 years, he could have been freed at any time; all he had to do was promise to stop preaching. But he believed that God had called him to preach, and so he refused. Twelve wasted years? No, it was during his time in jail that he wrote “The Pilgrim’s Progress”, one of the most influential books ever written, certainly one of the most influential Christian books every written. And so if we do suffer loss as a result of obeying God rather than men, we can trust that he has a purpose for it.
Not only that, but Christ promises that the rewards of obeying God will be far greater than what we may lose, even if that includes losing our life. I’ll close with his words:
“27 Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?” 28 Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.” (Matthew 19:28-30)
Whatever we may sacrifice by obeying God rather than men will be amply rewarded, a hundred times over, when we enter into eternal life. Let’s pray that God will give us the courage to do what is right, so what we may receive those rewards.
