Articles
The Courage of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego - 9.3.2023 Bulletin
Bold Statements of the Bible
The Courage of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego (Daniel 3.16-18)
As we continue to look at “Bold Statements of the Bible” a series where we examine the extraordinary sayings and actions of ordinary people of the Bible, we come to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego who put their faith and courage on display. Previously, we looked at the faith of Habakkuk, who didn’t let the circumstances he faced weaken his faith. When a person’s faith is strong it causes them to act courageously, and as Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego did.
In Daniel 3, the three friends of Daniel face a test. King Nebuchadnezzar has set up a giant golden image and has commanded everyone at the time you hear the instruments in symphony, to bow down and worship the king’s image, or be cast into the fiery furnace. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego took a stand and refused to bow down and worship the king’s image. Keep in mind, at the end of Daniel 2, Daniel along with his three friends are promoted within the kingdom, so they are not the average citizen. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego are brought before the king, and Nebuchadnezzar offers them a second chance to bow down and worship the king’s image, and again they refuse, and respond to the king with these courageous words. “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up” (Daniel 3.16-18). After this Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, are cast into the fiery furnace, but are miraculously saved from death, by God. What can we learn from the courage of Daniel’s three friends?
First, they showed courage by taking a stand. When our faith is strong, it gives us the courage to stand up for what we believe. Those without a strong faith will lack the courage to stand and will go along with whatever they hear (Ephesians 4.14). Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, were resolved, answered the king by saying, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.” They had reached a firm decision that they were going to obey God no matter the cost. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego were able to stand with great courage because they trusted in God, “If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king.” Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego put their trust in the all-powerful Jehovah whom they worshiped, instead of worshipping a king, who thought he had power. They knew God had the power to deliver them from the present danger, but even if He didn’t deliver them, they were still not going to compromise their faith and worship the king’s image, because God would save them in the life to come.
While today we are not faced with a decision to serve God or be thrown into a fiery furnace, we still face a similar test. Each day we face a spiritual battle for our souls (Ephesians 6.12). A battle of good versus evil. Where do we stand? Are we going to have the courage and resolve to stand for Christ, even if it means facing persecution and ridicule, loss of friendship, missing out on certain things, loss of opportunities? Or are we going to serve the world, and reject Christ? We can find the courage we need to stand against the evil of the world in Christ (Philippians 4.13). And the reward for standing for Christ, is far greater than anything the world has to offer (Hebrews 11.16). One place we can’t be is in the middle, we must pick a side (Matthew 12.30).
We can have a great impact on someone by taking a stand for Christ. Not only by their courage were Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego saved from the fiery furnace, but they influenced king Nebuchadnezzar. By their willingness to stand against the king’s word, God was able to show His power to deliver Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego from the hand of the King. Nebuchadnezzar recognized the power of the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, and made a new decree, “Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation, or language which speaks anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made an ash heap; because there is no other God who can deliver like this” (Daniel 3.29). We never know who is watching us at any point in time. When we stand for Christ, we will stand out in a society where many are against Christ. We can never underestimate the power our influence might have to teach others about Christ.
Most importantly Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego all stood together. One of the three didn’t break off and abandon the others, deciding instead to bow down and worship the king’s image. It is easier to have courage standing as a group then standing alone. There is strength in numbers. Think about it this way, a fighter doesn’t fight with an open hand, instead he fights with his hand balled into a fist, because the five fingers working together are much stronger than five fingers working individually. We as followers of Christ need to be united in our mission of defeating the evil Satan puts before us. The more divided we are the easier it is for him to overtake us one by one. But as a unit, drawing strength from one another, and from Christ, we can more easily defeat him.
- Glad_Tidings_9.3.2023_PDF.pdf (5.07 MB)
