To Read:
Read Daniel 3 in your Bible, and this passage from 1 Peter:
So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honour on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. (1 Peter 1:6-7)
Daniel 3 – We will not bow down to your idols
When living as exiles, we need to realise that the ‘powers and principalities’ of this world can be very intimidating and threatening. This can mean political and violent threats in some parts of the world where people are imprisoned, or worse, for confessing Christ. But it can also take the form of the power of the crowd and of dominant cultural ideas and values that we can feel pressured to conform to. It takes a lot of courage to stand out from the crowd at times, but this is what Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego did in this passage. Targets of people’s jealousy and misrepresentation, and the king’s irrational fury, they are thrown into the fiery furnace.
What helps you take your stand against the crowd is when you are clear on who you worship, knowing to whom you give your affection, attention and loyalty. In many ways, this chapter is about who we will worship. Note the references to the music and instruments as a reminder of this (vv.10,15). Nebuchadnezzar wanted people to worship his golden image. But the three faithful servants knew that we are called to be the image bearers of the God of heaven. We are created in his image and when we worship created things rather than the Creator that image gets distorted (Romans 1:21-25).
And so these three brave men go against the crowd and the power of the king. They take their stand and don’t try to justify or defend themselves. They simply express their faith in God – they trust that he will save them but that, even if he doesn’t and they have to die, then they will not worship any other god (v.18). Jesus joined his followers in the fire and they were not burned – fulfilling the word of Isaiah (v.25; Isaiah 43:1-2). Our faith will be tested by fire (1 Peter 1:6-7) and our faith is related to our devotion. When He alone is our God and we have put our trust only in Him, it is easier to take the test. And when we do, it will result in others – in this case, an angry, pagan king – giving glory to God.
To Discuss
- How do we have the courage to stand out from the crowd – not for our own ego but because of loyalty to God?
- What are the created things of our age that we can be pressured to worship rather than the Creator?
- Have you ever been in the fiery furnace – ever felt that your faith was being tested? What helped?
To Do:
Is there any situation where your faith is being tested? Ask God, and maybe seek the counsel of a Christian friend, about the way he wants you to deal with this. Meditate on 1 Peter 1:6-7 to help you.
There is a PDF version of this study here.