June 7: UNGOVERNABLE!

Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury, and the expression on his face changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. He spoke and commanded that they heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated. Daniel 3:19

In an instant, the king’s ego pushed his calm demeanor over the cliff. Though the young men were respectful in the tone of their response to the king’s offer of a second chance, the decline to comply--especially within earshot of others—was perceived as despising the king’s authority. But the allegiance of the Hebrews to the God of heaven did not waver. Even the threat of the burning fiery furnace had no effect.

In an instant, the king forgot the years (around 15) of exemplary service by these young men in his court, as indicated by the expression on his face. The Chaldean accusers of these men had, for the moment, succeeded in painting the Hebrews as ingrates. Ironically, in believing them to lack gratitude for their positions, the king totally lost his own sense of gratitude for the excellent service they had been providing for years.

A common folly among monarchs is the sense of their own power as absolute (see 1 Samuel 8:10-18). In actuality, this is a terrible weakness. For Nebuchadnezzar’s expressed authority to be resisted, even on good grounds which he had previously acknowledged (Daniel 2:47), called for capital punishment. Though he was the ruler of the known world, no amount of military genius, statesmanship, or intellect made him equal to the difficult task of ruling his own person. His calm and dignified demeanor, which he had regained before the three men were brought in, was utterly undone when the calm and dignified answer of the Hebrews (3:16-18) caused him to fly into a rage, revealing himself as a slave of his own ungovernable passion.

The king’s command to heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated actually meant heating it to full capacity. And he commanded certain mighty men of valor who were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, and cast them into the burning fiery furnace. Then these men were bound in their coats, their trousers, their turbans, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. (vv.20-21)

Every follower of Christ is tasked with learning to govern themselves, which even includes bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5). We are given a perfect standard in the written word. We are given a perfect Savior who took upon Himself all of our failures. And we are given His Spirit — oh, how we need the infilling of His Spirit every day! — to carry out the impossible task of overcoming ourselves…. for with God all things are possible (Mark 10:27). Praise God for His perfect standard and His divine aid which is ready every moment to be given to each of us personally! Beloved, are you in the midst of a fiery trial or test? Believe that it has been allowed for your refinement, and it is much to your advantage to go through it with God.

He knows the way that I take; When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold. Job 23:10