Gtcotr/ss072918
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
