S151P2 – When the sun sets: Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
Dan. 3:13-15
Then Nebuchadnezzar in furious rage commanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought. So they brought these men before the king. Nebuchadnezzar answered and said to them, “Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up? Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, well and good. But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?”
One thing we can learn from history and life’s experiences is that there is no office, no title, no position in this world that is secure. For a multitude of reasons, anyone who is on top of the world today can suddenly be cast to the bottom of the heap tomorrow. That is the way of the world. These three godly men had been appointed to high offices by the king himself at Daniel’s request. I can expect they enjoyed freedoms and luxuries that most people of that time in that place did not enjoy. Yet, these appointments by the king did not save them when they were persecuted just for being God’s people. The security one might have thought came with their position simply did not exist. They could not trust the king who appointed them or those who served the king alongside them.
The king’s threat here is nothing compared to the response from these men. Not only were they threatened with seeing an end to their short time of authority and prestige, but their lives were on the line. In a matter of moments, they could move from privilege and power to death by fire. This was not just about taking their position from them. The king had greater authority than that. Boldly, they answered his question by not answering him at all. For them, it was not a matter of being saved by their God. The issue was that of worshipping one who did not deserve their worship. [16-18] Their concern was not being saved from a fiery physical death. They wanted to make sure they did not endure a fiery spiritual death.
When we enter a season during which it seems like we have it all, it can be easy to forget what actually is valuable. When someone threatened to turn the lives of these men into a nightmare if they did not defy the Lord, they were wise not to hold on to the wrong thing. Their hope was not in their lives here or in their position. When all that was about to fade away, they remained hopeful in that which is truly secure. Only God can provide this security, and no man can take it from us. We need not prove it in words. We will arrive there one day, and every eye will see. Father, give us the faith of these servants of yours to remain focused on our real hope and security no matter the threats we face.