"Standing up when the heat is on" - a reflection on Daniel 3

Let us examine the broad impact of the statements made in verses 16 to 18 of Daniel chapter 3. I have been recently fascinated by these verses as never before!

It seems that Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego believed that God would likely deliver them from the threat of being thrown in a burning furnace. As they had proved their total commitment to God in their resolve to not worship the idol of the “golden statue”, they thought that God would in turn vindicate them. But there was also an understanding here, that, perhaps, God may act differently to what they expected ... there was a bit of an “if” concerning what the outcome would be ... it could be that they wouldn’t survive. Deliverance was rightly desired, was even to be expected, but it was not a certainty. One does not have the right to presume how God will act (not without knowing the full picture)!

This was not in any sense faithless, but rather acknowledged that sometimes God’s view of things is different to ours, and that it is God who sees the end from the beginning, and indeed knows best. And as we look at it today, this view would be fair and reasonable, and this would be good theology – because we know many people who have stuck their necks out for God across the centuries, and who have suffered greatly and lost their lives as a result ... many whom we could not even begin to doubt their sincere commitment to God.

Stephen, in Acts 7, was an early example of what happened to an uncompromising God-person in the Jesus-following movement who stood against the tide. Many others have followed around the world. Why would God not save them. What could God’s purpose have been in not intervening. Sometimes we can hazard a guess ... like the good that can be brought about across a whole community following such loss. We know that God can bring good out of all sorts of tragedy. Other times though we can still be left scratching our heads (for we cannot ever see as broadly as God sees)!

But the important thing to acknowledge, lest our faith becomes diminished, is two-fold:

(i)                  we live in a fallen world, where the consequences of human sin have led to a pain and violence riddled world, in which we can suffer; and secondly,

(ii)                that God is committed to us, and actively involved in bringing his purposes to be (and God’s greatest purpose is finding relationship with people through their response to Jesus).

So sometimes God’s people are delivered, other times God’s people perish. Yet we know, ultimately, that all of God’s people find their blessed eternity!

Under the tutelage of Daniel, the three heroes of this story, Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego, have a good grasp of all this. Because they are able to concede that God may not rescue them, but that this will not change nor lessen their resolve. The outcome will be as God would have it – but Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego will not serve nor worship Nebuchadnezzar’s false gods. These three leaders, like Daniel, are happy to serve the king in the best interests of the people of both Judah and Babylon, but they will not compromise their central spiritual connection to the true and living God in doing so.

You might remember that, in chapter one of Daniel, these leaders, transported from Judah to Babylon, would not accept the royal rations of palace life, because, amongst other reasons, this would not distinguish them enough from the over-consumptive and power-hungry rulers. Just like someone who wears an orange jacket and orange socks, they will stand out from the crowd, rather than being absorbed by the crowd.

Now, in chapter three, the nation has generally accepted that they should bow in worship before a god of King Nebuchadnezzar’s own creation. Was this apathy we ask, or was it the threat of a fiery end if they didn’t? Nebuchadnezzar wanted to be open to a variety of god options. Especially important would be the worship of an idol representing his own kingly rule. The “golden statue” that Nebuchadnezzar had made was ridiculously large. It would have been obvious to all that such an idol as this was just self-indulgent and misguided. Yet nearly all the people lined up (follow-the-leader style) to worship it. It seems that no one (except our three heroes) was prepared to say or do anything that would question this grotesque creation, its dedication, and the worship of such a thing.

And Nebuchadnezzar would never had expected that Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego would have felt so committed to their God (as the supreme and true God) that they would stand up for this God in the face of such a deadly threat – and seemingly they did so with no hesitation (and no bargaining space for compromise). Here was trust and commitment matched by remarkable courage! This was impressive to all!! We could assume that these three didn’t find such trust and courage in this moment, but this had already been a practiced behaviour in their recent past in smaller matters (allowing for this level of response on the big stage).

Now, some of the king’s advisors thought it would be a good idea to pressure any dissenter into conforming ... under this threat of being burned alive if they didn’t. This was quite a threat of course!! What would we do? Cave-in? Or, stand up ... even when the heat is on! With all the rest of the peoples bowing down and worshipping the “golden statue”, it would be natural that the king would be enraged that the unanimity was broken by just these three upstart exiles from Judah.

In the world of today there is not just the false gods of materialism and secularism and individualism ... that we could be asked to bow before, but also many false ideas that we are asked to go along with. In a world political system that first thinks revenge ... should not the Jesus-follower be thinking differently (in terms of peace-making)! Where so many people have parochial nationalistic mindsets of us and them ... should not the Jesus-follower live with open arms to the stranger! Where the poor, hungry and sick are depersonalised into statistics ... should not the Jesus-follower actively promote greater consideration of their needs!

Despite the threat of the fiery furnace, Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego, would not just cave-in to conventional thought, community norms or political pressure. Yet, there was no point in arguing with this angry megalomaniac king. In verse 16, Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego say to Nebuchadnezzar, “... we have no need to present a defense to you in this matter”. Sometimes people’s irrational thinking is way too unreasonable to debate with them. No words will be found that will convince someone so opposed to the truth. And ultimately, God will have the final word anyway in his own defense. These three will simply rely upon their actions, their resolve, and their faith.

And of course they were not alone in this stand. In the midst of the heat of the furnace, there was a fourth figure. God here fulfils his ongoing promise to be with his people in the midst of their tribulation. And it was Nebuchadnezzar himself, on the basis of all he had seen and heard from these great witnesses from Israel, who was able to recognise that this was a supreme God who had been present in a remarkably saving way with his three servants. This king saw that any possible reward or threat that existed for Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego while they lived in Babylon, was as nothing to them. Look at verse 28, and the impact this resolve had on Nebuchadnezzar!

Just note one further thing. We read in verse 25 that Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego (along with the fourth figure) were “unbound”. This, despite the three references to the three men being “bound” before being thrown into the furnace, and the further references to the fire not affecting any part of their person including their clothes. Draw the conclusion that you would like about this, but I think them becoming “unbound” depicts the freedom and liberation that results from holding one’s resolve (under pressure).

So it is, that it is not the possible outcome, either good or bad, that should guide us; but rather our solid commitment to live in God’s ways no matter what ... trusting that Jesus journeys with us. It is in this way, and really I think in this way only, that we will have the impact on society God wishes we would have. It is only the fair-dinkum followers of Jesus who can change the things that we all bemoan when we watch the news. It’s only when we are serious enough about our faith to practically bear witness to it, that we can hope to restore the sort of communities we wish to live in.

These verses are all about an absolute trust in God that cannot be undermined. We can still wonder and at times feel alone (for this is what we read in the psalms). We certainly grow and change, and come to understand things better as we go along. But ultimately we should just stand with God along the journey no matter what comes across our path! Amen!