But even if he does not…Those are some of my favorite words in the book of Daniel. At a glance they don’t seem very inspirational until you understand the context. King Nebuchadnezzar, always looking for a chance to blow his own horn, erects a statue and commands everyone to bow in worship to it. Any failing to do so would be toss into a fiery furnace.
When the first day of worship arrived, all of the important people of Babylonia were there. This was the Who’s Who of the kingdom, a red carpet event, a black tie moment. Name dropping on this occasion would be futile since any name worth dropping had already dropped in for the dedication. After the instructions and consequences had been laid out, the music began. Everyone drops to their knees and bows in worship except for three young men who stood their ground and stood out like sore thumbs.
It would have been so easy to just following the crowd…“after all who will know? It doesn’t have to be real, we don’t have to really believe it, God can still be the heart of our worship, let’s not create a scene on this day of national importance…” One could easily justify the action as bowing as an outward expression only. Nevertheless, they stood their ground despite the impending penalty.
I encourage you to stand your ground. Don’t compromise what is eternally valuable simply to avoid temporary embarrassment, exclusion or even death. Someday we will stand before the God of the universe who spared no expense when it came to our salvation. Do you think you can justify to him that you turned your back on your faith to avoid an uncomfortable moment in this broken, temporal world. Stand your ground!
The king was furious, reminded them of the consequences and gave them another opportunity to obey. This quickly became an international crisis. If the king let the Jews get away with it, then every other nation would expect the same freedom. The kingdom would be in chaos and the king would look weak in the process. Their response is classic (and one of my favorite Bible quotes):
“O 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 save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. 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.” (Dan. 3:16-18 NIV)
Their courageous response was gracious but uncompromisingly firm. They had to know what would come next – this king would never back down. Knowing that, their response becomes even more inspirational. I’d like to think I would respond so boldly, but honestly, I don’t know. Until faced with the choice, I doubt any of us know for sure.
G.K. Chesterton wrote, “Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of a readiness to die.”
The rest of the story as you’ve read is thrilling because God rescued them. Not all stories of faith, however, end so triumphantly, but that should never make us less than faithful. In the tough moments, remember the words of this godly trio – “The God we serve is able to save us, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not…