Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying, "Blessed be the God of
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, who sent His Angel and delivered His servants
who trusted in Him, and they have frustrated the king's word, and yielded their
bodies, that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own God!
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." Then the king promoted Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abed-Nego in the province of Babylon. –
Daniel 3.28-30
Poor old Nebuchadnezzar. Poor guy just could not get
his head around these strangers and their God. Sometimes he seems to get it and
then he is back to his old ways. But more about that later.
For now the important thing is the impact of Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego on the king and the kingdom. They had the courage to do
the right thing by not obeying the law and bowing to the image.
Although it doesn’t look like it clicked completely yet
the king proclaims ‘blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego!’
For some people we are the only picture of Christ they
will ever see. They need to see a difference in us. There needs to be something
about us that causes men to say ‘blessed be Roger’s God.’ Do I reflect the kind
of God in my life that people want to meet? I doubt any of us will ever survive
being thrown in a literal fiery furnace, but we all go through hard times and
struggles. How do we go through them? Do we go through those ‘fiery times’ in
such a way that people say ‘I wish I had what he has?’
Nebuchadnezzar is not there yet, but the testimony of
God’s people is drawing him closer and closer.
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