Daniel 3:16-25
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated. And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Therefore because the king's commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flames of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.
In the third chapter of Daniel, God shows us the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and how they denied the orders of king Nebuchadnezzar, and refused to bow to the golden image he had set up. This is one of my all time favorite stories in the Bible, because it shows me three strong willed, faithful servants of God, who decided to put their faith over fear, and take a stand for God.
The question that always came to my mind when reading this story was how were they able to make the decision not to bow so fast? Without hesitation, when asked to bow, they said, “He will deliver us out of thine hand O king, but if not, be it known unto thee, O king that we will not serve thy gods”.
The reason they were able to make that decision so fast was because of their commitment. They didn’t make their commitment to God, the day they were told to bow. They made the decision to be committed long before.
The lesson I got from this chapter is that as a young Christian I need to make the decision to be fully committed to Christ. It’s better to make the decision to be dedicated to Christ now, so when your tested, your mind is already made up. If I want the same strong relationship with Christ that my Great Grandfather had, or the great faith of other strong Christians, then I need to make my decision to go "all in" for Christ today!
Austin Plumley
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