Heaven’s Heartbeat - When the Pressure Comes

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are like prophets that speak to Christians and churches today. Their dramatic story unfolds in the third chapter of Daniel.

The unwavering faith and courage of these three young men, taken as captives to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar, were faced with a dreadfully difficult decision when the king commanded everyone to worship the golden statue he had erected in the plain of Dura. The king had threatened to throw anyone who refused to worship the statue into a furnace of fire.

King Nebuchadnezzar built a polished gold statue, 90 feet high and 9 feet thick at its base. The sight of the enormous eight-story idol must have been jaw dropping as it was being erected on the plain Dura, near the capitol of Babylon.

This is a harsh, hot climate that dazzled the idol in sunlight, giving it an even more ominous appearance. When it was finished, everyone from government officials to families going about their daily routines were commanded to drop and worship the image. People gathered as commanded, until the crowd pushed and heaved, struggling for position. Large crowds can change in an instant, quickly becoming restless, pressed, and anxious, especially in an atmosphere such as this one.

Then a man, a herald for the king, stepped up and loudly announced to the crowd standing before the idol, “People from all nations and languages, when you hear the sound of the musical instruments, bow to the ground to worship the statue that King Nebuchadnezzar has built.”

A deafening silence gripped the people as they heard three simultaneous sounds:

• The king’s demonic command (“Bow down and worship”)

• The roaring furnace, and

• The band tuning up for a great crescendo

As an expression of affection, it was common in recent years for people to say, “I am mad about you!” There is no doubt that King Nebuchadnezzar was mad, but he was only mad about himself. The size of his idol was only out rivaled by the size of his ego.

At the first note from the mighty Babylon ensemble, the gathered hordes dropped in submission like dominoes.

All except Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

There wasn’t even the slightest hint of a bend at their knees. These young men had grit and substance, while everyone around them were like shadows.

What flies through the mind of a believer pressured to compromise their faith or give in to threats and intimidation?

When you think about it, these youths might have easily justified taking a knee in that dreadful moment. They might have thought, “I’ll bow down—but I will be standing up on the inside!” Or, “If I bow down just this once, God will understand.” Then again, then might have reasoned, “Look, the King has absolute power, and we must obey him. After all, this is Babylon, and everyone is doing this.”

Excuses like that sound reasonable, but they are subtly dangerous. They are based in human reason and rationale.  

Their refusal to bow down to the king’s statue was rooted in their deep faith in God and their unwavering commitment to obeying His commandments. The first of the Ten Commandments is “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3), and the three Hebrew boys knew that bowing down to the statue would be a violation of this commandment.

Like any tyrant, this weenie king had spies watching to see if anyone dared disobey his edict. And sure enough, the whistle-blowers were quick to report that the three young Hebrews had refused to comply. “They do not pay attention to your order, they do not serve your gods, they do not worship the gold statue.”

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego saw the king’s command as an attempt to force them to worship a false god, which was unthinkable to them. Despite the deadly serious consequences they faced for their refusal to comply, they were not afraid.

In fact, they boldly proclaimed their faith when confronted by the king, saying:

“Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods, nor worship the golden image which you have set up.”

(Daniel 3:17-18)

They spoke respectfully, clearly, and firmly, even under immense pressure to conform. It was an overpowering scene, with external force from the government, co-workers, neighbors, and friends to do one thing and one thing only: When the trumpet sounded, to hit the deck in worship.

What do Christians do when they are bullied and pressured to compromise their faith and allegiance to Christ Jesus?

Stand and stick together shoulder to shoulder as the body of Jesus Christ.

What do evil rulers do when not obeyed? They rage. So, the king raged, “What god will be able to rescue you from my power or my hand?”

These are the words of an insecure man who was filled with fear over someone or something he could not intimidate or control. Fear and insecurity are almost always manifested in rage and threats and clenched fists.

These are fiery days, and global geo-political fires are burning. Make no mistake, it’s going to get hotter and the temptation to compromise will be breathtaking. Yet, I see and sense a growing fire of the Holy Spirit in the Church that Jesus calls His own. And even if we walk through the flames, He will be with us, and never leave us with even a residue of smoke on our lives. We can all proclaim,

“Jesus is our King!”

- Micah