Shadrach,
Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do
not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are
thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver
us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But
even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will
not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up”
(Daniel 3:16-18 NIV).
In
what ways do you identify, or not identify, with the… ego of the
near-martyrs [found here in the book of Daniel]? (Serendipity
Bible 10th Anniversary Edition, page 1226).
All
my life I have suffered from a weak, intimidated ego. I have felt
reluctant, even embarrassed, to assert myself. This has been the
case not only in the company of those with power and authority over
me—but even among casual strangers. I enviously reread the account
of Shadrach’s, Meshach’s and Abednego’s gutsy, candid rebuke of
powerful King Nebuchadnezzar. After throwing down the gauntlet under
the King’s very nose, the three were subject to the readily
predictable rage and retaliation of the powerful King.
Bottom
line, in the last analysis the three were immune from intimidation
not by the absence of fear of Nebuchadnezzar’s highly volatile ego
and absolute power, but by their unwavering refusal to fear the
ultimate threat of death's worst case. Death or violent physical
harm is the old reliable persuader of last resort. It will always
work in every case…so long as there is a strong fear of death. But
have that thoroughly taken away, and the tables are turned—a whole
new game now comes to town. We can see this new transformational
reality played out in the lives of Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr.,
and others. Thus to effectively avoid all shades of intimidation, we
must cut to the chase and bypass lesser fears and go after the final
fear of death itself.
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