True Commitment

Daniel 3: 16 – 25 (NIV): Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But 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." Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace. The king's command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace. Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, "Weren't there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?" They replied, "Certainly, O king." He said, "Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods."

Shadrach, Mechach and Abednego were three teenagers who had been taken captive by a foreign country and made to be slaves about 600 B.C. They could have used their terrible plight as an excuse to give in and worship the gods of Babylon. They could have turned from their faith in God, reasoning that he had abandoned them. But character is who you are when no one is looking. These young men showed true character; true commitment; true grit.

One of the lessons we can learn from this story is that if we only serve God when things are going well, we might not serve him very often. There is always some disappointment, always something that can cause us to turn from God. These teens served God even when times where at their worst. They served God even when it could have cost them their lives. The king had ordered them to worship a golden statue he had erected representing himself. They simply refused. Our level of sacrifice shows our level of dedication to God and they were willing to sacrifice their lives for him. They had made a vow to serve God and they intended to keep it. We see how true our vows are when they are tested.

I love how they told the king that God was able to save them and they believed he would, but even if he didn't, they were still going to serve him alone. That should be a reflection of our prayer life today: we believe God will answer, but we are going to serve him even if he says no, or if we don't understand his answers. That's true commitment, true belief. Pray believing and leave the results to God.

Finally, there is an interesting event in this story. Not only did God spare the young men, he came and walked with them through their trial (This was undoubtedly Jesus himself). What a beautiful picture of a caring God who allows us to go through trials of fire, but not alone – he walks with us through them, carrying us if necessary.