THE KING’S BUSINESS
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up were true gods, but because they were his gods which he had set up, i. e., his wrath against them for not worshipping his gods was because they were his, not because they were divine, and he was deter mined that the gods that, he saw fit to to set up should be reverenced. He was enraged because his gods were not rever enced. It was not zeal for God, but zeal for himself that aroused his indignation. A great deal of religious zeal even among professedly Christian people is of this character. It is at the bottom zeal for ourselves and not zeal for God that leads to religious persecution. Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego now had an oppor tunity to show the mettle that they were made of (v. 15). Obedience to God meant for them disobedience to Nebuchadnezzar, and disobedience to Nebuchadnezzar meant a literal furnace of fire. They stood the test well, they never flinched nor faltered (2 Tim. 3:12; Matt. 16:24). “Who is' that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?” Nebuchadnezzar will get an answer to that question before long; the answer that he will 'get in a very practical way, will be that Jehovah is the God who can deliver even out of Nebuchadnezzar’s hands. He will learn, as many another self-sufficient monarch has learned, that defying Jehovah is not safe business (Ex. 5:2; 2 Kings 18:35; cf. 2 Kings 19:35-37). Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego replied, ■ “We have no need to answer.” Why not? Because God Himself would answer. A true child and servant of God never needs to answer the taunts and threats and slanders of his enemies. Just let him quietly wait upon God. God will answer in due time and His answer will be wonderful. It was a beautiful faith that these Hebrews displayed in their calm confidence in God that He would bring everything out all right. Notice carefully their words as recorded in verse 17. Their trust was wholly in their God. They knew perfectly well that they were no match for Nebu chadnezzar, but their God was far more
than a match for him. They calmly said, “Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us. Yes, their God was able to deliver, He has proved Himself able to deliver countless times. He always will deliver those who serve and trust Him. It was because they served God that He could be trusted to deliver them. The trouble with many who are trusting God to deliver them is that they are not serving Him, and therefore He does not deliver. God may not keep us out of the fiery furnace, but He will be with us in it and bring us tri umphant out of it, whether through the sanie door by which we entered, as in this case, or by the door on the other side, the door that opens up into eternal glory. What these three brave men added is very significant, “He will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.” They were not at all sure that they would come out of the furnace alive, but they were absolutely sure they would be delivered somehow from Nebu chadnezzar’s rage and power. While look ing this mighty king fearlessly in the face, at the same time they paid all due respect to him; wicked as he was, they addressed him as “king” twice in this, short address. The due respect which these dauntless men paid to their king, wicked as he was, is worthy of note and imitation. Contempt for those in authority even though they be wicked men, is not a mark of true faith (Jude 8 , 9; Rom, 13:1-7; 1 Kings 2:17). Verse 18 makes it evident that while they were not absolutely certain that God would save them from suffering, they were abso lutely certain that they would obey His word (v. 18). That was true loyalty. To obey God only when He shields us from the suffering involved in obedience is really not to obey Him at all, but that is the way in which many obey. The fact that these false gods, were Nebuchadnez zar’s gods and the fact that Nebuchad nezzar himself had set them Up was noth ing to them. The fact that they were false gods was decisive whoever set them up. They were not nearly so much terrified
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