“Even if God does not deliver us”

Some Babylonians told King Nebuchadnezzar that Daniel's three friends—

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—had disobeyed the king's command

by not serving the king's gods and not bowing to the golden statue he had set up.

The king became furious and ordered

that the three men be brought before him immediately.

King Nebuchadnezzar then gave them a second chance

to obey his command to bow down to the golden statue.

He said to them, 'If you do not bow down this time,

you will be thrown into the fiery furnace.

Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?'

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied to the king:

“O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you

an answer concerning this matter.

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.

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”

(Daniel 3:12-18).

(1) As I reflect on King Nebuchadnezzar giving

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego a second chance to obey his command,

I am reminded of how God gave the prophet Jonah

a second chance to fulfill His command (Jonah 3:1-2).

When Jonah was given a second chance, he obeyed God's command (v. 3).

However, in the case of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,

even though they were given a second chance to bow

to the golden statue as commanded by King Nebuchadnezzar,

they were rightfully expected to remain disobedient.

When given a second chance in our lives,

if it involves obeying God's command, we should obey.

But if it involves commands that conflict with God's commands from a ruler,

we must consistently remain disobedient.

(2) Another point I reflected on is that

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego told King Nebuchadnezzar,

"We do not feel the need to defend ourselves concerning this matter”

(the issue of bowing to the golden statue).

As I meditate on this, I learn that

when it comes to commands from authorities that conflict with God's commands,

we should not feel the need to defend our position.

In this world, when accused, we usually hire a lawyer to defend us.

However, if the accusation pertains to our faith in God,

we should not even feel the need to defend our position to those who accuse us.

(3) The third point I reflected on is that

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had a firm assurance of God's salvation.

In other words, they had the conviction that

even if they were thrown into the fiery furnace,

the God we serve is able to deliver us from it (Daniel 3:17).

They firmly believed that God would surely rescue us from the king's hand (v. 17).

This teaches us that our faith life should be conducted

with such assurance of salvation and steadfast faith.

(4) The fourth point I reflected on is that

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego boldly told King Nebuchadnezzar

that even if God does not deliver us, they would not serve the king's gods

or bow down to the golden image (v. 18).

When I reflect on this passage, I believe that

not only did they trust in God as the God of salvation,

but they also had a firm belief in God's saving power.

However, they also acknowledged and accepted that

whether God would rescue them from the fiery furnace

was subject to God's sovereign will.

Typically, when we face such crises,

we believe that God is indeed the God of salvation

and also trust in His saving power.

However, we tend to earnestly pray for deliverance

from the crisis while struggling to humbly accept God's sovereign will,

often placing our own desires and fervent wishes above God's will.

The lesson here is that, like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,

we should have faith that says, “Even if God does not deliver us.”

We must remember that God who cannot save is inconceivable!