Turning Up The Heat

When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refuse to bow down to Nebuchadnezzar’s golden image, the king decides to give them a second chance to change their ways. They however tell him they don’t need it. It wasn’t a mistake or oversight, they knew what they were doing and are ready to accept the consequences of their actions, no matter what they are (Daniel 3:12-18).

This sends the already upset king into a fury. He then orders the furnace to be heated up seven times hotter than usual. This bit of overkill will burn them to ashes. It isn’t a good idea. The fire is so hot that it ends up costing him some of his best warriors that are sent to escort the trio to the flame.

So why was he so mad? Well, the easy answer is pride. He made the image as a way to give him homage. We know from the next chapter pride was an issue for Nebuchadnezzar. Someone that is deifying his creation is defiling him. How dare these men think they have a God that can deliver them from his hands (Daniel 3:17)! They had wounded his pride.

While that is completely valid, let me also ask you to consider that anytime you are doing something you know is wrong those that don’t go along are reminders of that. They become tangible examples against you and we want to destroy them as completely as we can.

Now think about the persecution we see in the world against the faithful. Why do they feel the need to attack those that don’t do what they are doing? Why do they want to force us to bow down?

For the same reason as Nebuchadnezzar. Their pride assures them of their rightness but when the faithful stand up, they are forced to confront that they may not be. Rather than look at themselves, they would rather go all out to destroy those that they see as threats.

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.

1^st Peter 4:12

Don’t think that because the world rails against you, you have done something wrong. It may just be that in doing right they now see what is truly wrong!

Comments

Why Does A Lion Tamer Use a Chair?

Ok, I know you have seen the image. A lion tamer enters in the cage of the beast and forces it to obey his commands using a whip, a gun and a chair. Now you can see how the whip and gun could come in handy but you might be wondering why a chair would intimidate an animal as powerful as a lion? Clyde Beatty taming a lion with a chair It's not that the lion is afraid of the chair -- it's that the lion is confused by the chair. Cats are single-minded, and the points of the chair's four legs bobbing around confuse the lion enough that it loses its train of thought. Casually put, the chair distracts the lion from wanting to claw the lion tamer's face off. The powerful creature could destroy the chair in moment’s notice but instead it is distracted into submission. It’s not too much different than how Satan controls us today. By the power of God we could overcome anything that he would use to subdue us. We can overcome the evil one (1 st John 2:13-14). ...

The Right to Arm Bears

In the book of 2 nd Kings 2, we have one of the most unusual, violent and curious passages in scripture. It involves the prophet Elisha siccing a couple of bears on some kids that were mocking his bald head. As a guy that is a little light on top that has been around some surly kids, I can feel for the guy. But seriously a bear attack? On kids? What is going on? ….young lads came out from the city and mocked him and said to him, "Go up, you baldhead; go up, you baldhead!" When he looked behind him and saw them, he cursed them in the name of the LORD. Then two female bears came out of the woods and tore up forty-two lads of their number. 2 nd Kings 2:23-25 It might help to explore the passage a bit more. The baldhead statement: This was an identifying mark of the prophet as opposed to Elijah who was hairy (1st Kings 1:8) a jab to say you are not him. The taunt to go up: Elijah has just been taken into heaven by the Lord a sight seen by ...

The Mighty Gulf

It is hard to get people on two sides of an issue to come together. Each has their own viewpoint, their perceptive, their own foibles, their own understanding. To gain any common ground there must be something in common. Something or someone that can bridge the gulf between the two. Could there be a greater gulf than there was between God and man? How could a holy perfect God find a way to connect to the fallen, imperfect mankind? How can one without temptation connect to those who are beset by it? How could limited mortal beings understand an omnipotent eternal God? In 1 Timothy 2:5, we read, “ For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus .” The phrase mediator here describes a person that bridges the gap, a go-between. Jesus was one who could stand in both worlds. A perfect holy one who can understand our temptations, a man who would die yet live eternally, One who was God yet became flesh and dwelt among us. ...

Ecclesiastes 12:10

Search This Blog