Have you ever gotten in trouble for standing up for something you believe in?
I came across the well known story of the three Hebrew boys in Daniel 3. They refused to bow down to the idol that King Nebuchadnezzar had built.
I read through the whole chapter and got chills in the way they responded.
Let me give you a little background..
These boys, Shadrach, Meschach and Abednego were taken captive from their homeland. Their names were changed to reflect the Babylonian culture. While their names had been changed, they continued to believe that God is the only true God.
When the king had his statue built, he commanded that everyone was to bow down when the music started. And everyone did, except these three boys. There were people who were already upset with the Jews, and the boys not bowing down added salt to the wound and made for good information to take to the king.
The boys were already highly regarded by the king, but when the news came that they refused to bow down, they were brought in front of the king, their answer angered him and he started seeing them differently. They were defying the king with their response.
The king went as far as giving them an opportunity to change their minds. They refused and this was their response:
“King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 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. 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 3:16b-18 NIV
Do you notice their response?
They knew that God could save them and had they had the ultimate faith, but they also accepted that even if God chose not to rescue them that their response to the king remained the same. No, they would not bow down to an idol.
The king’s anger burned within him. He instructed his soldiers to turn up the furnace seven times hotter than normal. It was so hot that the men who went to throw them in died when they came in contact with the heat.
When the boys were thrown in, there were not only 3 boys there – there were 4 people. King Nebuchadnezzar saw this for himself. The men were walking around without being harmed. Nothing on them was singed, except the cords that had bound them when they went in.
Do you know what the King’s response was when he instructed them the be released from the furnace?
“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. 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 NIV
Because the three Hebrew boys stood their ground, the king was able to witness what God can do. So much so that no one was even allowed to talk against the Most High God. Then the chapter ended by them being promoted.
Let us stand for what we believe in, no matter the cost.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for these lessons. Lord, give us wisdom as we open your word that we may read the same stories with a new understanding. Help us to stand our ground in our beliefs.