Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case, the God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image that you have set up.” Daniel 3: 16-18, NKJV (Emphasis provided).
Heavenly Father, there is much that we can learn from these young men in our study today. So please teach us; for Christ’s sake; Amen
Doesn’t this story fascinate you? It does me! And there are some very valuable lessons that we can learn for our spiritual life. One of the main lessons, perhaps, is that to be a Christian, we need to have a made-up mind. Listen to what James has to say: “A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways” (James 1: 8). Before we can serve the Lord in spirit, and in truth, we need to know in whom we believe, what we believe, and why we believe what we believe. In other words, our belief system needs to be intact!
Let us summarize the situation under consideration here. Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego, have been summoned to the presence of king Nebuchadnezzar because they disobeyed an explicit order from the king. The king had a golden image erected; and he invited dignitaries from all over the land to celebrate the unveiling. He had given an order that as soon as everyone heard the music playing, they were to bow down and worship the image. The three Hebrew young men had refused to bow down to an idol and disobey God’s commandment. When the report was brought to the attention of the king, he summoned them, and told them that he would give them another opportunity; but that they would be punished if they still refused to obey.
Considering their answer, it is clear, that when they appeared before the king, they had thought over their situation, and had made their decision to be faithful to God. They had appeared before the king with a made-up mind! Their very first words confirm this, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.” What they were really saying was, “We do not need to be having this conversation, O king, because we have already decided what we will do. Our minds are made up. There is nothing more to be said!”
How could they be so brave under these circumstances? Their bravery came as a result of the faith they had in God’s promises. Consider the promise that they were claiming: “the God whom we serve… will deliver us from your hand, O king.” This is what they believed. This was their only reality. God would deliver them. They had done what they did, in faithful obedience to the commandment of God; and therefore, they were sure of God’s protection. Let us look at their final words to the king on this matter.
“But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image that you have set up.” We often quote these words to explain that what the three young men were saying was, that they believed that God would deliver them, but if He did not, they would still be faithful. Permit me to share my humble opinion on this matter. I believe such an explanation is partly correct. I do not believe that at any point they were not expecting God to deliver them. What I hear them saying is, our minds are made-up to be faithful to our God, at any cost. Their declaration was just their way of explaining to the king, that they served only one God; their God; the true God! They were not insinuating that God may not save them. They were sure that He would. They just wanted the king to know whose side they were on, period!
Are you serving God with a made-up mind? Do you claim His promises in full assurance? Are you convinced that “All the promises of God in [Jesus] are Yes, and in Him, Amen to the glory of God through us” (2 Corinthians 1: 20)? Then by His grace, doubt not, waver not.