Good morning, and thank you for tuning in to Help for Today. We are in the book of Daniel chapter 3. Yesterday, we looked at the stand of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and how their lives stood out from the rest of the crowd and what they were doing. In verse number 14, where we pick up today, Nebuchadnezzar then brings Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to himself, and he begins to question them. In verse number 14, he says, “Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not ye serve my gods nor worship the golden image which I have set up? Now, if ye be ready that at that time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well. But if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace, and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?” Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.”

It’s an amazing thing, King Nebuchadnezzar gave them a second chance. He brought them in and said, “I know you didn’t bow the first time, but let me give you another opportunity. Maybe you didn’t hear the music. Maybe my command wasn’t clear. So let’s do this again and let’s have you bow.” But I love the response of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They answered and said, “O king, we are not careful to answer thee. We don’t have to give it another thought. We don’t have to reconsider it. We don’t have to spend more time dwelling upon it.” I find in this passage that they stood firm in their belief.

You know, it’s an amazing thing. This world wants you to compromise on your beliefs, on your values, on the Word of God, on the things that matter, and they want you just to bow. I imagine Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego probably could have justified it in their mind. “Well, you know, when in Babylon, do as the Babylonians.” You know, maybe they thought, “Well, the end justifies the means, that we are better alive than we are dead,” but I found that no matter what, no matter what King Nebuchadnezzar had said, they stood firm and they were resolute. They knew what they believed in and they weren’t going to waver. Christian, can I encourage you today? No matter what the philosophy of the world may be, no matter what the popular opinion may be, stand firm. Don’t waver, don’t compromise, stand firm.

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Chris Fanara

Chris Fanara, Christian School Principal

Bro. Fanara serves as the Principal of North Valley Baptist Schools. He and his wife, Tabitha, are graduates of NVBS and have been faithfully working in the school for thirteen years.