Be still

Daniel 3 (New International Version)

The Image of Gold and the Fiery Furnace

 1 King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, ninety feet high and nine feet wide, and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. 2 He then summoned the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates and all the other provincial officials to come to the dedication of the image he had set up. 3 So the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates and all the other provincial officials assembled for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up, and they stood before it.

 4 Then the herald loudly proclaimed, "This is what you are commanded to do, O peoples, nations and men of every language: 5 As soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. 6 Whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace."

 7 Therefore, as soon as they heard the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp and all kinds of music, all the peoples, nations and men of every language fell down and worshiped the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

 8 At this time some astrologers came forward and denounced the Jews. 9 They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, "O king, live forever! 10 You have issued a decree, O king, that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music must fall down and worship the image of gold, 11 and that whoever does not fall down and worship will be thrown into a blazing furnace. 12 But there are some Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon—Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego—who pay no attention to you, O king. They neither serve your gods nor worship the image of gold you have set up."

 13 Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, 14 and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, "Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up? 15 Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?"

 16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 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. 18 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."

 19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual 20 and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. 21 So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace. 22 The king's command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, 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 advisers, "Weren't there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?"
      They replied, "Certainly, O king."

 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."

 26 Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, "Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!"
      So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, 27 and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.

 28 Then Nebuchadnezzar said, "Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king's command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. 29 Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way."

 30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the province of Babylon.





A little bit of background about Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego which can be found in Daniel 1. Before they were known as Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, they were Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah respectively. They were from Judah, brought in to Babylon to serve King Nebuchadnezzar in his palace. They must be young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king's palace as these were the criteria that the king gave to his court officials for those Israelites to be brought in to the king's service. They had gone for training for 3 years before they entered the king's service.

Of course, Daniel is the main character of the book of Daniel. However, we have to also look at how his friends, that Daniel was with, are in their faith and walk. In Daniel 2, it was mentioned so clearly that when faced with a difficulty at hand, Daniel went to his friends who were just as he was, followers of Christ. They know exactly that they are in no position and power to change or know everything. Daniel urged his 3 friends to plead for mercy from God. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were there in support with Daniel. We need our fellow brothers and sisters as support in our lives in terms of interceding in prayers or even offering the needed help, comfort and encouragement. Are you being one like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to one like Daniel?

Bulk of their names surface in Daniel 3 for that is the test of their faith. They stood still, giving God the control. What really stands out from the chapter is this:

16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 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. 18 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."

They have faith in the Lord so much that even if the Lord does not deliver them from this situation, they will not give up being still for the Lord! They will still hang on to say that their God is the God of all, the real God, the sovereign God. Now, in our context, there are many other gods and religions and so on. What if one day, our governing committee changes and we are obligated to bow down to gods rather than the God we know. If we do not conform, we would all be executed and shamed in public. Would we then continue to be still or would we give up and give in?

Similarly, there are scenarios in our lives that cause us to defend our faith. They may not be life and death issues but they are the stepping-stones. Scenarios like: Friends asking you out for clubbing vs staying at home & watch TV showing cartoons or budget shows, Drinking as every body is doing so vs soft drinks and be named a goody-two-shoes for the rest of your life, and many more examples.  The choices presented to us have only a fine line between right and wrong. Right and wrong is not determined by us, but by God. This is something worth pondering about, isn't it?


Reflect: Have you ever been in situations like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego had? How was your experience like? Did you remain still and chose what is right or did you go with the flow? Will you be still in situations like this to come? Why or why not?



1 Timothy 4:12 (NIV)
Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.

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