When We Face a Furnace
Thursday, November 11th, 2010The audio portion of this broadcast is no longer available on-line.
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Send to friendI'm sure you know the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, the three young Jewish men who refused to worship the image of gold, which King Nebuchadnezzar had decreed that all should worship. We've heard their story of courage, as they stood true to their convictions and how marvelously God delivered them from the burning furnace. I'd like us to take another look at this incredible story.
When these three young men were brought before the King to explain their refusal to obey, here's what they said, "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." (Daniel 3:16-18)
Now, put yourself in their shoes, if you can. They are looking at certain death—a fiery furnace—and their faith in God's ability to deliver them is strong and sure. But at the same time, their commitment to stay true to God is a decision made regardless of the outcome, before they know what's going to happen.
And their commitment is not based on God's performance. They will obey and honor God's Word, even if the result is not a storybook ending, even if God doesn't do what they think he should and can do. They can say, "But even if God does not..."
How could these three young guys have such tremendous faith as they faced that burning furnace? Because they knew God; they understood God's sovereignty that he is in control even when it looks like he isn't. They understood their relationship to God. God is Master, they are servants. And they had learned to trust him, for they knew he was good and he would work all things for their good, even a burning furnace.
Have you come to the "But even if he does not" place in your life yet? When we can say, "Lord, even if you don't..." we are at a new and higher level of faith and trust. We've gone beyond the "God is my Santa Claus" mentality, to "God is my God, my King, and regardless of how things look to me, I can trust him." When we can say, "Lord, even if you don't..." then we're really getting to know God, for knowing God means that we trust him against all evidence to the contrary, against all human reasoning.
I want to encourage you as you face your burning furnace, whatever it is, to know that God is trustworthy. You can believe him for your welfare, even if he does not do it your way.
Have you noticed that often when you take a big step of faith and declare you are trusting God in a difficult situation, it seems to get worse instead of better? I can think of numerous times when I've gone before the Lord to declare my utter faith in his ability to deliver and totally committed a particular situation to his care. And then to my dismay, it appears to me that instead of honoring my faith and immediately changing my situation, the whole thing looks more hopeless than ever.
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego went through that, too. They stood up to King Nebuchadnezzar and said that even if he threw them into the fiery furnace, they would not worship his golden image and thereby deny their God. They told the king that without doubt their God could and would deliver them. And they stuck their necks out and declared for the whole world to hear that they would trust in God.
And what happens? The king ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual. What do you think went through their minds as they watched the temperature rising on this furnace? Wait a minute, Lord. Did you forget the game plan? Have you lost control? Are you trying to make a fool out of us? Didn't you hear what we said to the King? Aren't you going to do what we told you to do?
When we've made a step of faith, we can expect that faith to be tested. God wants to know if we're just trying to pull his strings and get our way by sounding spiritual, or if we really mean to trust him. He wants us to learn that trusting him means he's in control, not us. That kind of faith has to be tested.
But when it is tested, and we come out on the other side, the marvelous lessons we've learned and the growth we've made are very valuable. Those are the things you never forget. Those are the moments in your Christian walk where you look back and say, "It was at that point that I took a giant step forward in my faith."
You may be facing a situation where your trust in God almost seems misplaced, because your furnace is heating up instead of getting better. Remember Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and hang in there. Read Daniel 3 and ask God to give you that kind of sticking ability, so that you will not shrink from the test which faces you, but you will come out as gold that has been refined.
I find the king's behavior and attitude interesting in this story. Obviously he was an ego-maniac, demanding total worship and obedience and going a little berserk when he is defied. I always wonder why he thought that heating up the furnace was going to make things worse for these three men. I mean, fire is fire and they would have burned up regardless. We read in Daniel 3 that "The king's command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace."
Nebuchadnezzar is so consumed by himself that he loses some good soldiers unnecessarily by heating the furnace so hot. Have you noticed how an inflated ego can drive people to this kind of illogical and stupid behavior? Maybe you can think of people you know who demand attention and obedience and homage. They cannot tolerate anyone disagreeing with them or not having total control. Of course, when self is on the throne of our lives, this kind of ego problem can easily develop.
It's interesting to note the king's attitude once he sees that God has delivered these three young men and they come out of the furnace without any harm to their bodies, not even a smell of fire on them.
Now the king says, "Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego...They trusted in him and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God." And he orders that no one is to ever say anything against their God.
Had they not gone through the furnace, God's power could not have been displayed. Had God done it their way and delivered them before being thrown into the furnace, the king would not have had this vivid lesson of who God is. This terrible test, which must have looked to them like total disaster as they were being thrown into the fire, turns into a service of praise, as God is recognized by even the ungodly.
It's a good lesson for us to remember when we're in the furnace. Sometimes that's the only way we can have any effect on others, and if we come out refined as gold, they must recognize God's power in our life.
Have you ever had a manager who seemed to be testing you, seeing just how far he or she could go before you break, or perhaps making things tougher for you because you took a Christian stance at work?
King Nebuchadnezzar was Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego's boss, did you realize that? They were government employees, having been thoroughly trained for their jobs for three years and hand picked by the king for special service. They were recognized to be men of great integrity and wisdom, and their performance was excellent.
But they were not willing to abandon their commitment to their God, the true God, and their refusal to worship the king's golden image got them into some serious trouble with their boss.
Jesus said to render unto Caesar what is Caesar's and unto God what is God's. These three men knew that truth. They gave their employer everything they could and should—hard work, excellent performance, obedience in all areas except where that obedience would cause them to disobey God. There they stood their ground, willing to pay the price if necessary.
These men are good role models for us in the business world. It is not uncommon to be faced with a situation where we must refuse to do something that would compromise our commitment to Christ. Are we willing to take those tough stands, even if it means suffering unfavorable consequences? Or do we fold under the pressure?
Note what the king says after God has delivered these employees from the burning furnace. "They trusted in 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." He fully recognized the courage of their position and he obviously admired them. But he didn't say that to them before throwing them in the furnace did he?
We need to remember when we're in the midst of this kind of situation that people are watching us to see how we perform. They are testing us to see if we really are committed to God when things get hot. They are often on a search for the truth about God, and they may even put us through some furnaces to see if it's real. Don't blow those opportunities. Pray much and ask God to bring you through as gold, so that he will be praised and others will know he is the true God.
Would you like to have a promotion at work? How badly do you want it? Well, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego got a promotion.
We saw that these three guys defied their boss, King Nebuchadnezzar, when he required them to worship a false god. They were not willing to betray their God in order to please their boss, regardless of the consequences. And they paid a price for taking that stand—they were thrown into the burning furnace to be killed. But, as we know, God miraculously delivered them.
As a result of this incredible testimony, their boss actually admired them and commended their courage, and he recognized that their God was real. Furthermore, he proceeded to give them a promotion in his kingdom. If you thought promotions came hard where you work, think about what they went through for a promotion.
But, of course, they didn't go through the furnace to get a promotion. They did it out of obedience to God, simply that and nothing more. They weren't trying to be heroes or martyrs. They weren't looking to pick a fight or cause a spectacle. This came to them without their choosing, but when the rubber met the road, they stood true.
Notice also that they were as loyal and conscientious about their jobs as they possibly could be. Their performance was excellent and they were anything but troublemakers.
I think we need to recognize that God may call us to take a stand on our jobs against those in higher authority, and when that call comes, we should be prepared to stand. But it should never be a situation that we've antagonized in any way, and we should be certain we've done everything we can as an employee to serve our employer properly. We'll not have a testimony for Christ in these testing situations if we haven't earned our right by demonstrating hard, honest work and a good attitude toward our job and our employer.
With that kind of reputation, should God put us through such a test, we can be assured it will be to bring glory to his name, as was the case with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. And even if we don't get an earthly promotion for it as they did, our heavenly reward will be waiting when we stay true to God and allow nothing or no one to cause us to compromise.
