BY BRUCE GREEN
OPINION —
Last week we saw from Daniel 3 how Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego made the courageous decision on the plain of Dura not to bow down to the image Nebuchadnezzar had made. They doubled down on this when the king offered them another opportunity. What was involved in the decision they made?
- They understood the simple truth that doing right is never wrong, so they didn’t feel the need to defend themselves before the king or anyone else (v. 16). While there’s something to giving a reason for the hope that we have (1 Peter 3:15), it needs to be balanced with the truth that sometimes actions speak louder than words. This was one of those times.
- They did the right thing for the right reason. Verses 17 and 18 make it clear that the young men had no doubt about God’s ability to rescue them, but they also had the maturity to understand and accept that He might not choose to do that on this occasion. So, they weren’t defying the king because they knew they would be rescued, they were obeying God because it is the right thing to do. Period.
- They left the consequences of their actions to God. They didn’t know what was going to happen, but they knew the God they served was in control and in the end, everything would be okay. We would do well to remember if everything isn’t okay right now, it’s because we haven’t reached the end.
As a parent, grandparent and teaching minister, I wonder how these young men came to have the faith they did. Were they raised in a family where God was honored above everything else? Or is it possible that they grew up in a compromised environment — certainly many existed in Judah — where idols were given equal or superior standing to God? If so, perhaps they came to God as a result of the captivity. Or it could be possible that everyone but Daniel was in some lesser state of following God when they started their training in Babylon. If so, then Daniel’s actions (he is the only one mentioned as requesting the special diet – 1:8ff), and the consequent results convicted them and stirred them to a greater faith.
We have no way of determining how these young men came to faith. Maybe it was different for each of them. But if it was important, we would know. The fact that we don’t reminds us that people can come to faith out of all sorts of circumstances. What matters most is not where they came from but that they made the choice to follow God. As you read this, you might have had a smooth path or a rocky road to your faith, it doesn’t matter. All that is important is that you made the choice to follow Him as these young men did.
Find more of Bruce’s writings at his website: a-taste-of-grace-with-bruce-green.com.