62 lines
3.6 KiB
Plaintext
62 lines
3.6 KiB
Plaintext
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Shall We Bow Down?
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. The story of the three children of Israel in the fiery furnace in the
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third chapter of the Old Testament book of Daniel is rightly considered a
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religious classic. It has had an enduring popularity and importance for those
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of Jewish and Christian persuasions. It's also been a favorite passage for
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exposition in pulpits as well as the inspiration for much religious art and
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music.
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. One of the major points that is often emphasized when the story is
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brought to our attention (such as in a sermon) is God's miraculous deliverance
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of those who were brave enough to be faithful to what they knew was right.
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The three men had been tied up and thrown into a furnace of fire, but God sent
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an angel to preserve and deliver them from death. A dramatic and remarkable
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event, indeed.
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. But one thing that especially impresses me each time I read this Biblical
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passage is the statement of the three men in verses 17 and 18: "Our God is
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able to deliver us ... but even if he doesn't we will not serve or worship
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your gods." Even if he doesn't. They had received no promise from God for
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deliverance. They were simply convinced about what was right and were willing
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to stand for the right rather than bow down to the Babylonian idols even if it
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meant for them a painful death. They had to buck the pressure of the crowd
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("everybody" was doing it, why not them?), the governmental authority (I made
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this image, and it's the law that you bow down to it!), and their own natural
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desire for self-preservation. Although they were delivered in the end, they
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weren't sure that they would be -- they were literally facing death, yet their
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moral values were more important to them than their own temporal lives.
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. It's easy to "stand up" for right when there's no cost involved. But
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when the whole world around us is trying to squeeze us into its mold; when
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resistance may cost us our reputation, our friends, our material goods, or
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even our lives; it's then that we see the real strength of our inner
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convictions and our commitment to act accordingly.
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. Idols exist in abundance today in our own cultural environment. There
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is the widespread worship of wealth and prosperity, the great god Mammon (it's
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even written "In God We Trust" on the face of our currency). Many worship the
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great god Nation ("It's my country, right or wrong."). And many desperately
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crave the acceptance and respect of some "in" group, the great god Party.
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. The reverence and respect of the majority for the idols of today creates
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an intense pressure on us to conform to the common worship. For those who
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resist such worship, the cost can be high. For those who develop a simple,
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non-materialistic life-style; for those who take a critical stance toward the
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wrongs and injustices they see in their government, their society, their
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world; for those who realize that the acceptance and respect of the "in" group
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is not worth seeking. But the one who wishes to live completely from God's
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perspective should be prepared to pay the price, for "all who wish to live
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godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." (II Timothy 3:12)
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. It's not easy to stand against the idols of our society, especially when
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so many Christians are bowing down around us. But how else will the idols be
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seen for what they really are? God doesn't promise to always deliver us from
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the cost, but to always give us the strength (if we really want it) to stand
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up for the right rather than to bow down to false values and priorities.
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Charles Shelton
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Computers for Christ - Chicago
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