Can You Take the Heat?
23. And these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace.
24. Then king Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisors, “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?” They replied, “Certainly, your Majesty.”
25. He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.”
Daniel 3:23-25
The Power to Stand
Someone has said that “if you don’t stand for something – you will fall for anything.” The truth is, it takes a lot of courage and resolve to stand for something in a culture that thrives on a ‘anything goes philosophy.’ We could go as far as to ask what does it take to stand for something? One of the first issues that comes to light is the principle of free speech. First Amendment rights automatically assumes that everyone can express themselves even if they are wrong. The free speech doctrine also means that “pluralism” is not only to be tolerated but is also to be encouraged. For that reason, we must ask ourselves if the culture of diversity and multi-culturalism is making it harder for us to stand for the right thing. The next issue is temptation to compromise is real. We may claim to be committed, but when faced with the natural desires to do wrong, it takes more than commitment to do right. The big mistake that many will make is to assume that because they are strong in one area, that makes them invincible in every area. So often, we don’t even see or know about our blind spots until it is too late. The late Dr. Charles Stanley brought out an interesting point in his book “When the Enemy Strikes.” Satan studies his subjects and does not try to overcome their strong points, but attacks them where they are weak. The best way to deal with temptation is to be strong in the Lord and in the Power of His Might. Can you take the heat of being different?
What if you were living during the time of Judah’s captivity? How would you handle the pressures of a pagan world and idolatry on every corner? How would you have handled the temptations that existed in that time especially if you were still in your youth? It was not a simple matter of making up your mind, you would have had to have something much deeper. It required unquestionable faith in the Living God. That faith would ultimately be put to the test.
That is what happened in the lives of Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, (also known as Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshech, and Abednego). During that time, there was no free speech clause in the Babylonian constitution. Even though they were devout Jews, they found themselves facing a dilemma and critical decision. Would they yield to the pressures of the culture or would they remain committed to God’s Law? Nebuchadnezzar was ruler and had absolute authority over everything: the military, the court system, the legislature, and even the worship in the kingdom of Babylon. Evidently, the Babylonian king had not gotten the memo that Almighty God rules the affairs of both heaven and earth. Because he had the “power” to do so, Nebuchadnezzar erected a huge statue on the plains of Dura in which he decreed for everyone to come, bow down, and worship. It seems the only one that was exempt from this decree was Daniel. As the text states, there were severe penalties for anyone that did not comply with the mandate: they would be thrown into a fiery furnace and burned alive. Would Shadrach, Meshech, and Abednego be able to come out of this test or would they give in to the pressure? While we all know the outcome of this ordeal, their faith crisis presents some interesting considerations for us today and even provides some solid direction on how we can face such threats with complete confidence in God. It all centers around three key elements that are essential to faith. First is prophecy, the ability to know enough about the future to know that it is in God’s Hands. The second is prayer, the ability to access God’s resources in the time of need. And third is praise, the ability to worship God even when conditions become threatening. How does prophecy, prayer, and praise equip the believer to face the challenges of the fiery tests? These three elements become so hard-wired into the believer’s approach to life that they become the action plan for responding under pressure. Let’s discover how it worked in the lives of the three Hebrew children.
Real Threats to Real People
Some theologians have argued that the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego is a Hebrew myth and was intended to inspire the Jewish people to remain committed to their faith while living in foreign lands. I totally disagree. First, to allege that God’s deliverance is a myth is an outright assault on God’s Power. The Exodus was God’s mighty deliverance from Egyptian bondage and if God delivered once, He could certainly do it again. Believers around the world know that there is nothing too hard for God. Second, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are real people as the deportation records would account for them as actual souls who were sent to Babylon from Jerusalem. As with all other miraculous feats of God, this display of God’s Power demonstrated that God was acting on behalf of His people to deliver them from the hands of their enemies. They had already testified to the king, “Our God is able to deliver us from the fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand.” See Daniel 3:17. They knew that God had a track record of delivering His children and had never failed. Their faith rested on God’s Promise. Third, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego realized that deliverance was not just about them, it was about God revealing His Power before a pagan king. The defiance of Nebuchadnezzar was an assault on the Living God. In his lack of knowledge, Nebuchadnezzar asked the question, “Who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?” Unbeknown to him, this conceited king had just set himself up to face off against the Living God. After the test was over, the same king that signed a decree to worship his statute would make another decree to the people of every language … there is no other God that can deliver after this manner. Daniel 3:29.
How does this fiery test apply to the times in which we live. Much like the days of Nebuchadnezzar, we face the threats of those who would have us bow down to their pagan gods. Not much has changed since those ancient times where people would construct their economic gods, political gods, gods of fame and fortune, and command us to bow down to them. The question is whether we can take the heat of ridicule? Can we take the heat of criticism and verbal assault? We are human and there is only so much that we can endure. We might even question, what does the culture want from us? I will tell you plainly that the culture wants your soul. We might be tempted to simply go along to get along but that is not enough. The culture will keep gnawing at you and berating you until you buckle under pressure and give in. But thanks be to God Who always causes us to triumph through our Lord Jesus Christ. We have the assurance that our Faithful God will be with us despite the threats of this wicked society.
Taking the Heat Demands Preparation
For some, the threats may not be the culture at all. It could be life in general as each of us share the same burden of living in a sinful world. There are threats from family members who are bent on doing their own thing at the expense of the family. Then there are the threats in the workplace where you may be the only one trying to do your job and live a decent life. Taking the heat can even be a personal struggle with your own inner self as you try to make sense of the sticky situations that life throws at you. That is where the prophecy, the prayer, and the praise play a huge role in helping believers take the heat and learn to thrive under pressure. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego carried those three key elements with them into the fire and that is where the miracle happened.
Prophecy is the ability to know enough about the future in order to face it with confidence. No matter what form the fiery test may come, a child of God must know that God is in charge of the future. The three Hebrew children made statements to the effect that they knew that God would deliver them. They took that into that furnace. They were not being arrogant or rude. They responded to the king’s threat and to the question that he had posed. “If you are ready when the music starts and you worship the image I have made – well … but if you do not worship, you will be cast into the burning fiery furnace the same hour … and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?” To that threat, the Hebrew children spoke what they knew about God. “Our God Whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace and HE WILL deliver us out of your hand, O king.” They added, but if not, be it known to you O king, that we will not serve your gods, nor worship the golden image that you have set up. How many times have you taken God’s Promise into a situation? Perhaps you simply said, The Lord is my Rock or The Lord is my Shepherd, but it was enough prophecy to carry with you into that threat. God will take care of the rest if you simply Confess Your Best. The prophecy is not detected with the natural eye but must be seen through the telescope of hope. Faith looks through that telescope and declares that God will make a way somehow. Take that into your fiery trial.
Then there is Prayer. The text does not state specifically that they prayed, but knowing how they were raised from youth and taught to pray, they made prayer their regular practice. While they were heating the furnace seven times hotter, they were calling on the Lord. When the soldiers came to bind them, they were praying. Why? The Bible declares that God invites us to pray at all seasons and in all circumstances. Psalms 50:11 tells us to call upon God in the day of trouble: and I will deliver you and you shall glorify Me. When we pray, God provides the strength that is needed to take the heat. Moses prayed and God opened up the Red Sea and allowed the Israelites to cross over. Joshua prayed and God made the sun stand still. David prayed and God gave him victory on the battle field. Elijah prayed and God sent the fire down upon the altar. Even Daniel had prayed and God gave him understanding to tell the king his mysterious dream. There is no doubt that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego prayed and God gave them everything they needed to take the heat. Prayer is the ability to access God’s resources in the time of need. If you need Mercy, God has it. If you need Forgiveness, God surely will provide it. If you need Peace, the Lord will give His Peace.
The third element is Praise. We would think that the praise would have started after they got out of the fiery furnace. That is not how the text reads. They were thrown into the fire with their hands and feet bound. Then, by the kings own testimony – they were set free and were walking around in the fire. Then king Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisors, “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?” They replied, “Certainly, your Majesty” … He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods. There was something about that fourth man that the king saw was even more strange than the other three walking around in the fire. He looked like the Son of God. At this point, we are led to ask, what does God get out of the fiery furnace. God got all the glory and praise even from the king that had the Hebrew children thrown into the fire.
Here is the bottom line. If you are or have been in a heated situation, remember to take prophecy, prayer, and by all means praise with you. Give God all the Glory! Amen.