TESTED
BY FIRE
Who likes difficulties? I certainly don’t, in fact I
avoid them like I try to avoid getting sick! Quite often though we do encounter
trials in our lives and as we experience them we have a choice. Either our
character will gain strength or bitterness will gain control over us.
In the last article on Daniel we saw how he and his
friends stood for righteousness with very positive results. But as we carry on
in the book of Daniel, we realize that although the Babylonian king was
sympathetic towards their faith, it did not change his heart completely.
In Daniel chapter 3, King Nebuchadnezzar makes
himself an image out of gold that is described as 90 feet high and 9 feet wide.
Quite an accomplishment for a time when the construction and
forging of metals was not an easy task and would have required a lot of
manpower. In the previous chapter, Daniel had interpreted the dream for
the king and he had described his kingdom as one of gold but the ensuing
kingdoms would be of weaker materials. What the king did not understand was
that Daniel’s interpretation was a prophetic statement not just about his
kingdom but of future kingdoms and events. The king in his shortsightedness and
ego decided that he would make a statement by building this massive statue and
force the citizens of
The three young men, Shadrach, Meshach
and Abednego mentioned in this account most likely
were not the only ones that chose not to bow down at the prescribed moment; I
believe among these were Daniel but for some reason he was not included in the
accusation. When a Persian king issued a decree the words were binding even by
the king himself, he was unable to overturn the decision. It was called the law
of the Medes and the Persians. As these young men made their choice, they were
seen and accused by their own peers and this was brought before King
Nebuchadnezzar. In verses 16-18 they make their declaration to the king and
say; “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 kin, that we will not serve your gods or
worship the image of gold you have set up”. Their confidence was in God and
they were willing to risk their lives for the glory and reputation of God. They
had seen God work before in their lives, they were sure He would work again.
As the story unfolds they are placed in a furnace
seven times hotter then the usual temperature and was
possibly the same unit that was used to mold and forge the statue. When they
are placed in the furnace, the soldiers who took them died in the process but
they were left unscathed. As the king and his cohorts gazed into the furnace
they saw that they were accompanied by someone else and the king described him
as “a son of the gods”. As we study this morning in the sermon we will ask
ourselves some questions.
1. What is the distinction between a trial that is
in-keeping with God’s will for us and when that trial is induced by ourselves?
2. How did God provide His reassurance to them while
they were in the fiery furnace? How does that apply to you and me in our lives?
By: Pastor David Jones