Saturday, October 15, 2005
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
Have you ever read the story about Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego? You can read about it in the Bible in the book of Daniel, chapter 3.
This is an amazing story. There were these three guys who served the king. The served him pretty well, even though the king was kind of a freak. He had built a statue and insisted that everyone worship it. But these three guys refused. Instead they worshipped their own God.
I won't bore you with my interpretation of the details; you really should read the story yourself. However, I will say that the thing that impresses me the most in this story is what they said to the king when he threatened to kill them if they didn't worship his statue. They said, in Daniel 2:16 "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."
So what does one take from this story? I think it is an important illustration about faith. A lot of people have been asking "Why do you believe?" or even "Why should I believe?" It's especially difficult in the health care field. "How can you believe in a God that allows people to suffer?"
I think the answer is there in the words of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. They believed in God because they believed He had the power to save them. But what is less obvious is that they believed in God because they knew they were already saved.
This is an amazing story. There were these three guys who served the king. The served him pretty well, even though the king was kind of a freak. He had built a statue and insisted that everyone worship it. But these three guys refused. Instead they worshipped their own God.
I won't bore you with my interpretation of the details; you really should read the story yourself. However, I will say that the thing that impresses me the most in this story is what they said to the king when he threatened to kill them if they didn't worship his statue. They said, in Daniel 2:16 "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."
So what does one take from this story? I think it is an important illustration about faith. A lot of people have been asking "Why do you believe?" or even "Why should I believe?" It's especially difficult in the health care field. "How can you believe in a God that allows people to suffer?"
I think the answer is there in the words of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. They believed in God because they believed He had the power to save them. But what is less obvious is that they believed in God because they knew they were already saved.
Comments:
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That's good Otho.
I also take from the story that, EVEN IF HE DIDN'T RESCUE THEM, God is *still* good, His ways are *still* right.
Even if He didn't rescue them, they would *still* serve God, they *still* believed in Him.
God is just, He is good, loving, gracious and merciful, even when He doesn't do *for* us what we think He should.
I also take from the story that, EVEN IF HE DIDN'T RESCUE THEM, God is *still* good, His ways are *still* right.
Even if He didn't rescue them, they would *still* serve God, they *still* believed in Him.
God is just, He is good, loving, gracious and merciful, even when He doesn't do *for* us what we think He should.
# posted by 
: 8:24 AM
: 8:24 AM
Thank you for your comments. What I was trying to get at by saying that they were already saved was that even if they died in the furnace, they knew they would be with God in the end; that they would be saved.
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