3 servants
There is a story in the Bible that has become one of my favorites over the past years. It is the story of three men who chose to not just worship God, but to serve Him.
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were 3 exiles that were brought to Egypt when they were boys. They were a part of the king’s plan to bring the best of wisdom and understanding from another culture into his land. This king who was known as prideful and arrogant, would undergo many different situations that would test him and refine him to the point where he understood that there was only One True God, and He alone reigns.
In this story of three young men who were thrown into a fire there are two grounding truths that I want to point out. The first being their response, when it cost them their control over a situation, and the second being the King's response when he had lost all control.
These three young men were faced with a very difficult choice. The King had commanded them to bow down to an idol that he had made. This idol was to be worshipped by everyone in the land. There was an order that was sent out, that at a certain time, everyone would bow down. Now, the three young men refused to do so because it was against their beliefs. So, on one hand it appears as if they were not willing to submit to authority, but the reality is that the king who was their earthly authority was commanding them to go against a command of God (their ultimate authority) namely, To worship the Lord your God alone. Therefore they were not bound to obey the king’s order in this one thing.
Even though these young men had a good standing in the kingdom, the king did not like their response. So, he called them to himself and told them this was their last chance and that they must bow down to the image. Their response:
“O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter. 17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. 18 But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”(NASB)
The key word here is ‘Our God whom we SERVE’. And then following this they tell the king that they won’t serve his gods or worship the golden image.
The king’s command only required someone to bow down. Similar to when Satan told Jesus to bow down to him so that Jesus could receive all authority on the earth. However, when the men came to accuse the three young men, they told the king that ‘they neither bow down or serve his gods.’ What the accusers were trying to do was make the king believe that these men were usurping his authority. But in all reality they were obeying a higher authority, that a lower authority was attempting to go against.
The king was only looking for an outward sign. In this they could have humanly justified, saving their lives. But for the chosen ones who are called to be wholly given to God, they knew that there existed no possibility of separating their hearts from their outward actions.
And so with a declaration of the supernatural power of God and His ability to save them if He chose to do so, they tied their own noose.
What is interesting is that they did not dishonor the king’s authority, they simply made a choice that was theirs to choose. The king was trying to manipulate and control them into the path he wanted them to go, but they were given two options to choose from. Another interesting point is that the king gave them the two options, and they gave him back their two options. It wasn’t an option for them to bow down to the image. Their options were simple, either God would deliver them or they would die in honor of His Name.
For these young men to throw away their lives like this was absolute foolishness to the king. I’m sure in his mind he was thinking, ‘how difficult is it to just bow down?’ And the fact that they somehow came up with a third option, of their deliverance just infuriated him even more. But for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who understood the power of God, this was an obvious and acceptable third option.
And so the story continues. The king is outraged and orders the furnace to burn hotter. The three young men are thrown into the furnace and the miracle continues. Now understand, the miracle began the moment they determined in their hearts to choose to follow God even if it cost them their own lives. The furnace being turned up was a part of the plan for God to do even more. It’s intriguing to me that the king’s men died when they got too close to try and throw in Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. It’s as if in that moment, God took over the power of the flames, and the guards were simply not protected.
So, there is this transition moment where all of a sudden the people watching can see the three young men as well as a fourth walking around in the furnace. And this is the pivotal moment.
The king tells them to come out. He no longer had the authority to do anything. He couldn’t send people in to get them or demand them to obey him any longer. All the authority that he thought was his, had dissipated and he was left standing there at the mercy of these three and whoever this fourth man was. Now, what is interesting is that they come out right away. They don’t stay in there longer and mock him and say, ‘well why don’t you come in and get us yourself?’ They submit to and honor the king and come out when he asks them to.
These three young men never fought for position, they didn’t try to weasel out of discomfort, pain or the path that God had laid out in the beginning. They simply surrendered, and what came out of this was a story that seems so impossible to us it begs us to read it again.
Brothers and sisters. If you’re gonna live a miracle the fire must be walked through!
You must be willing to follow God if you are going to be able to see Him work in mysterious ways. They didn’t tell the king he was wrong, or try to run away from the situation. They didn’t fight and start a revolt. They didn’t sneak around the chamber and try to get people on their side. They simply made a choice that was given to them. It wasn’t the choice that everyone wanted them to make, but they weren’t rebelling against authority in making that choice, they were rebelling against the deceiver’s attempt to get them to divide their heart from God. And because they were unwilling to do this, you and I have a testimony of a God who reveals once again, who is really in charge! Again I say, submit to the authority God has placed you under, and you will see God work miracles all around you. Please don’t read this story as a story of rebellion, for it is not. It is an incredible picture of honoring authority no matter the situation, and seeing God work out the details.
It is our desire to be known not just as those who worship Him, but as those who SERVE HIM! Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego show us an amazing picture of those who submitted to earthly authority as well as those whose lives were truly given to God.
I want you to carry this picture in your mind this week.
Picture yourself bowing before His throne with a towel across your arm and a basin at your side. I would like you to imagine washing His feet. Let this be a reverent time as you ask Him to put your heart back in its right place. The starting place and foundation for all of our life, is servant first. We will talk about what else it looks like at another time, but we must be a people who are able to embrace and rest in this truth of servitude before moving on to anywhere else in our relationship to Him.
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