Miracles at the last moment -16

                                                   Miracles at the last moment -16

Introduction

Daniel 3:30 “Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon.”

            In the above passage we see Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were exalted in the province of Babylon. In order to attain this divine promotion these three had to face a lot of trials and temptations. The experiences they had is more or less like a learning for all of us to grow spiritually. The road they travelled was not a bed of roses. They had to face many challenges to fulfill the divine purpose of the Lord. In Daniel 2:47 ‘The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret.’ In this passage, we see the king himself worshipped the God of Daniel and proclaimed the greatness of our Lord. But his heart did not change and it did not believe in the name of the Lord.

            In Daniel 3:1 ‘Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.’ The King made the statue revealing his majesty and glory. The statue was a mere reflection of his dream. This led to the open commandment from the king to worship the idol. Let us discuss how Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego faced this situation and let us see how the miracle of the Lord worked out at the last moment.

God’s command

Daniel 3:12 “There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.”

            In the above passage, we see the king’s commandment was contradicting to the commandment of the Lord God. Despite of contradictions, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego chose to obey the commandment of the Lord. Even when they were about to be thrown into fire, they did not give up. They were relentless and adhered to the commandment of the Lord. Similarly in I Samuel 15:22 ‘And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.’  Here we see Samuel obeyed the words of God. Even in our lives, when we truly obey the Lord’s commandments, we will be protected by the hands of the Lord.

Zeal

Daniel 3:16 “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.”

            Over here we see the King receives a complaint on the three of them as they refuse to worship the idol image. Interestingly, when the king interrogates the three of them, they were dauntless. They faced the king with full of courage. Though they were questioned by the king himself, they did not re-consider their decision. This could be a dangerous situation but this did not change their zeal. When they showed their zeal, the Lord showed his zeal for his children. In Daniel 3:15 ‘Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?’ The king challenges them as to who will come to their rescue but he did not know that he was challenging the living God. The Lord acknowledged their zeal and attempts to deliver them.

Faith

Daniel 3:17 “If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.”

            The above passage signifies their works of faith. Shadrach Meshach and Abednego firmly believed that the Lord will deliver them. In Daniel 3:21-22 ‘Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Therefore because the king's commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.’ They knew they were about to be pushed into the fiery furnace yet they had faith on the Lord God. Though the severity of the trial was increasing, that did not change one percent of their faith. As we read in Romans 8:28 the Lord worked out everything for good to his children. The same God who walked around the garden of Eden (Genesis 3:8) walked around Shadrach Meshach and Abednego in the fiery furnace (Daniel 3:25). When the Lord stepped inside the furnace, things were changed upside down. The Lord worked out his might miracle in the last minute and honored their faith. Amen.