For Big Three, Quality Was Job 1

Daniel 3:8-18
From November 28, 2005

When one speaks of The Big Three, he usually means General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler, or Daimler Chrysler, or whatever they are called now. In the book of Daniel, there is another significant Big Three who were friends of Daniel: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. (So why don’t we call Daniel “Belteshazzar” just to be consistent?) For those of us familiar with VeggieTales, you may know the three men in question as “Rack, Shack, and Benny.”

Like Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego were straight-ahead, good guys. They would have no problems with Dr. Laura’s advice to “go do the right thing.” That’s what they wanted to do. The problem arose when the king wanted them to worship the bunny. (Oops, slipped back into Veggie mode; actually, the king wanted them to go along with the crowd in worshipping the golden statue he had erected of himself.)

Of course, the boys balked. They would worship none other than the one true God. Great, that sounds like something we might even say…until someone holds our feet to the fire. Well, boys and girls, that’s where Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego found themselves. Non-compliance would not result in sensitivity training by corporate mind-control drones but would move them from the frying pan into the furnace.

Their response in verses 17 and 18 is key, I think. “…our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not…we do not serve your gods nor will we worship the gold image you have created.” (emphasis mine) One way or the other, God would deliver them from Nebuchadnezzar. Note that their faith was not in God’s will, what He would do, but in His ability. (see this also in Matthew 8:2)

Many chose to become bitter over God’s apparent failure to respond as they would like because their faith is in what they believe God should do. They superimpose their will over God’s so, of course, their parents should not die, their children should not be sick, they should never be out of work or have their heart broken, nor should they be inconvenienced in any way. Their rope should never break.

In the midst of this Bondian predicament, these three guys placed their faith in God’s ability, part of His unchanging nature, so their faith was stirred, not shaken. They would not deny truth with their words or their actions, even if it meant they would become extra crispy.

We must make sure our focus is correct and let God be in charge of the outcomes.