Refuse to bow down - Daily Devotional October 25th 2009

Daily Bible Reading: 2 Chronicles 21-22, Daniel 3, Acts 1

Refuse to Bow Down

If you went to Sunday School when you were a child I'm sure you heard the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and the furnace of fire many times. In my day we called them "the three Hebrew children." It's an awesome story of God's power to save. Because these three stood up for what they believed and refused to bow down to the image of gold, they were thrown into Nebuchadnezzar's furnace that had been heated seven times hotter than it had ever been. It was so hot the soldiers who threw them into the furnace fell over dead.

Nebuchadnezzar was boiling mad at these guys, so he was on hand to watch them burn up. But instead what he saw was four people walking around in the fire. He knew they had only cast three into the fire and he said the fourth one "looks like a son of the gods." I believe this was a pre-incarnation appearance of Jesus. He was walking around in that furnace with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. The three Hebrews were ordered to come of the furnace. They only thing that had been burned was the ropes that bound them. Their bodies and clothes had not been burned, their hair was not singed and there wasn't even the smell of the fire on them.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego could have compromised and pretended to bow down to the golden image. They could have said, "God knows our heart. We just knelt down and pretended to worship the image. But we really didn't worship it." That would have saved their skin. But they were men of integrity and they stood up to the king and said they would not do what he had ordered.. If they were thrown in the furnace, God would save them. And I like this. "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." Later Nebuchadnezzar said about them, "They trusted in him (God) and defied the king's command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God."

How does this apply to us today? As Christians in an unredeemed world, we can find ourselves in numerous situations where it would be easier to compromise than to do the right thing. Perhaps we're enticed to go someplace where Christians should not go; watch a movie that we shouldn't see that will leave images imprinted in our minds that will play over and over; partake of a substance that is better left alone. In some situations it can take a lot of fortitude to stand up alone and say, "No, I'm not going to do that." In these days of Internet pornography, it's easy to indulge in this filth secretly and no one will ever know. But God knows. Psalm 101.3 says "I will set before my eyes no vile thing."

Because Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were true to their convictions, God showed up on the scene and rescued them. Nebuchadnezzar had a change of heart and praised God. He issued a command that no one could say anything against God; they would be cut in pieces and their houses burned. Then he promoted Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. One of my sons was fired from a job because he would not lie for his boss. He now says it was the best thing that happened to him because he was able to set up his own business. God rewards faithfulness.

Psalm 15 says, "Lord, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill? He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous." I believe the Lord is issuing a call to us today to walk before him uncompromisingly. Eph. 2:6 says "God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus." Randy Alcorn in his book Heaven writes, "A man who sees himself seated with Christ in Heaven, in the very presence of a God to whom the angles cry out, "Holy, Holy, holy," won't spend his evenings viewing Internet pornography." He also quotes J. C. Ryle in this same book. "Without holiness on earth, we shall never be prepared to enjoy heaven. Heaven is a holy place, the Lord of heaven is a holy being, the angels are holy creatures. Holiness is written on everything in heaven. How shall we ever be at home and happy in heaven if we die unholy?"

Let's take a lesson from these three Hebrew men, men just like us, and refuse to bow down to anything that would hinder or compromise our walk with a holy God. We can walk uprightly in a world that does not know God and not "have the smell of fire" on us. Refuse to bow down.

Tomorrows Bible Reading - 2 Chronicles 23, Daniel 4, Acts 2

God is good all the time,

Naomi Brinkman