The Effect of Obedience

In the book of Daniel, we see a compelling story of three faithful Jews. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had an image of gold built and expected all people of all languages to fall down and worship this image when they heard the sound of all the musical instruments playing. He declared that all who did not obey this command would be thrown into a blazing furnace. Upon hearing that there were three Jews (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego) who refused to obey this command, he became furious and sent for them.

When the three faithful Jews arrived, the King demanded that they fall down at the onset of the music and worship the image. This was their response. "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. 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". Daniel 3:17,18 (NIV)

The King was outraged and had the furnace heated up to seven times hotter than normal and had the three men thrown into the furnace. The King looked into the furnace and saw that an angel of the Lord had rescued the three Jews. They were completely unharmed by the blazing fire. King Nebuchadnezzar was so impressed that he verbally praised God, he decreed that anyone who spoke evil of God would be killed, and promoted the three Jews within the province of Babylon.

Point #1: FAITH The three Jewish men state that God is "able to save" us. They confess and believe that God can save them.

Point #2: RECOGNITION AND ACCEPTANCE OF GOD'S WILL They say "but even if he does not save us, we will not serve your gods". They recognize that it may not be God's will to rescue you them from the fire, but they clearly state that they are willing to accept the consequences.

Point #3: OBEDIENCE They stay true to their faith and accept God's will and refuse to worship the gold image. They are in total obedience to God and are thrown into the fire.

The Message: The King may have been impressed by the faith of these three Jewish men. He also may have been even more impressed by their willingness to accept whatever God's will was for them. However, without their total obedience, this incident never would have come to full fruition and as a result the King became a witness to the power of God. In turn, this witness had a profound effect on the King's attitude towards the God of Israel.

In closing, I pray that as Christians we would find strength and courage through the Holy Spirit to remain obedient to God in the face of the most challenging circumstances; that through our obedience we would bring recognition and glory to Jesus Christ; that the words we profess would be validated by our actions. It is my hope that many hearts would be softened by being a witness to the faith and obedience of the true followers of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.