Saturday, August 4, 2018

Gold Glory & Gods



Gtcotr/ss080518

Isaiah 43 KJV
1 ¶  But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and He that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art Mine.
2  When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
3  For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour …

About a century after the Prophet Isaiah penned this prophecy a young man was born to a wealthy and privileged family in Israel, the young man’s name was Daniel. Daniel together with several other young men his age was purposefully educated in the Law and the Prophets and raised together to serve in the upper echelon of Jewish society in Jerusalem.

When King Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem and defeated King Jehoiakim, he took several things from the House of God and carried away many of the young, well-educated men captive with him back to Babylon. Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego were among them.

In the first few years these men distinguished themselves in the sight of their captors, and they gained the trust of the King. He promoted them  because Daniel interpreted the King’s dreams when not one other wise men could. Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego were also given positions of leadership over the Province and Daniel sat in the gate of the King.

It came to pass that King Nebuchadnezzar commissioned a 90-foot-tall, 9-foot-wide statue made of gold to be erected as an object of worship for all his subjects. All of the King’s officials were summoned to the dedication and instructed to bow down before the image and worship it immediately when the music sounded. Of course, it was noted that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego did not follow the King’s commands.

King Nebuchadnezzar heard that he was being disobeyed by these three young Hebrew captives whom he had appointed to important positions …


Daniel 3 NKJV
13  Then Nebuchadnezzar, in rage and fury, gave the command to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. So they brought these men before the king.
14  Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the gold image which I have set up?
15  “Now if you are ready at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, and you fall down and worship the image which I have made, good! But if you do not worship, you shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you from my hands?”
16  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.
17  “If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king.
18  “But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.”

I do love the faith and the perspectives of these three guys.
·        If you threaten to kill us or follow through with your threats … we are not going to bow down or worship your god, your gold or your glory.
·        But, even if not – even if you don’t follow through with your threats or if the Lord does not rescue us from you … we still aren’t going to worship your gold, your glory or your gods.

These men were educated in the Law of Moses and familiar with the books of the Prophets of Israel. They had read Isaiah 43 and knew it by heart …
·        They knew their God and what He was capable of …
·        They just didn’t know what He was going to do …
·        But they knew what they were going to do …
·        They weren’t going to lose their faith over threats about this life …
·        They weren’t going to trade eternity for this world’s gold; for man’s glory; or false gods that cannot save.

19 ¶  Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury, and the expression on his face changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. He spoke and commanded that they heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated.
20  And he commanded certain mighty men of valor who were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, and cast them into the burning fiery furnace.
21  Then these men were bound in their coats, their trousers, their turbans, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
22  Therefore, because the king’s command was urgent, and the furnace exceedingly hot, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego.
23  And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
24  Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.”
25  “Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.”
26  Then Nebuchadnezzar went near the mouth of the burning fiery furnace and spoke, saying, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here.” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego came from the midst of the fire.
27  And the satraps, administrators, governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together, and they saw these men on whose bodies the fire had no power; the hair of their head was not singed nor were their garments affected, and the smell of fire was not on them.

Prophecy fulfilled! God will never leave you or forsake you … He may bring you home to be with Him … but He will never leave you in the fire alone!

When this world wants you to bow down to their gold; for their glory; or to their gods or else … just don’t! How can you stand your ground?

·        When you know what your God is capable of
·        And you just don’t know what He will do
·        You can still decide what you will do
·        Don’t forsake the Word
·        Don’t lose your faith over a few threats about this life