Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego

As we obey the truth, God may allow us to be placed in precarious situations and locales — only to deliver us and reveal His glorious nature. Why does He do this? — so we can see the vast difference between Almighty God and un-mighty man. Here, watch one such occasion:

“And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell bound into the burning fiery furnace. Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.” Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the burning fiery furnace; he declared, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here!” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the fire. And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together and saw that the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men. The hair of their heads was not singed, their cloaks were not harmed, and no smell of fire had come upon them.”  Daniel 3:23-27

God’s ways are not our ways. Duh?

So the question goes: in our planning, do we include God’s ways, God’s assurance, and God’s deliverance? Most likely we think only in terms of man’s abilities and shortcomings. So we must pray:

 “Shew me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths.”  Psalm_25:4

 “Hold up my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps slip not.” Psalm 17:5

We have an assuring Word:

“He restores my soul: he leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” Psalm 23:3

“All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.” Psalm_25:10

“… thy paths drop fatness.”Psalm 65:11

He keeps the paths of judgment, and preserves the way of his saints. Proverbs_2:8

“… I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer.” Psalm_17:4

God’s paths have a preserving effect:

• Noah builds an ark
• Moses parts a path through the Red Sea.
• Daniel escapes hungry lions.

These three considered God’s ways, His assurance, and His deliverance — So also The three Hebrew Boys as they answer the king:

“O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.”

“But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.” O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.” Dan 3: 17-18

Notice this: if the boys died in the fire, it was also considered a deliverance — a secret to understanding the ways of God?

Yes, physical death, for a blood bought Christian, is a mere pathway to continued living — on a higher plane.

Paul said, “for me to live is Christ, to die is gain.” Philippians 1:21

Finally,

In Genesis 22, Abraham was asked by God to sacrifice his son Isaac on the mountain. Obeying God, Abe considers God’s ways, His assurance, and His deliverance — Abe is not afraid.

He pauses, on the journey, with Isaac, to worship his God. He is assured that God will provide a sacrifice. At the last minute God pulls the plug on the sacrifice of Isaac, substituting a ram caught in the thicket. So he delivers Abraham and Isaac.

Finally,  the ram in the thicket represents Christ. His sacrificial death provided all the sacrifice God would ever need, making the path clear for resurrected living, and in this path, we have already passed from death to life.

Friends, we can count on God’s path, His assurance and deliverance — it’s a done deal. love ya