Bowing The Knees

A couple days ago I was reflecting on the account of Daniel's friends - Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego - before King Nebuchadnezzar as recorded in Daniel 3. Those familiar with the passage will recall that the king made an image of gold, and amidst much pomp and ceremony at the image's dedication, the announcement went out: "To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages, That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up: whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace" (vv. 4-6). The people did as commanded, but not all of them. Three Jewish boys remained standing, much to the chagrin of some of the king's men. They quickly went to the king and reported, "These men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up" (v. 12b), and after ordering the boys appear before him, the king reiterated the command to the boys - fall down and worship the image or be thrown in the furnace.

As I read the text, I greatly admired the boys' convictions and their response to Nebuchadnezzar: "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" (vv. 16-18). I camped on those verses for a while, after which certain words literally jumped out at me: "...our God whom we serve is able to...and he will". There was absolutely no doubt in their minds as to what their God could and would do, but even if He didn't do it, they would not serve the other gods. In the face of possible death, what steadfastness! What conviction!

It occurred to me then that we are faced with the same choices today, albeit of a different nature. As the world system builds its gods - those of self, pleasure, money, hedonism, to name a few - and as everyone dances to the music in celebration of those gods, how do you respond as child of God? Have you bowed the knees, or are you still standing? Standing for Christ in the face of adversity, especially when the consequences could include losing a job, one's life, friends, or whatever else, is not easy. But the child of God, firm in conviction as to what God can and could do, speaks with conviction: "our God whom we serve is able to deliver us ... and he will deliver us ... But if not, be it known ... that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image." That kind of conviction doesn't come without a cost. In an age of self-preservation and looking our for number one, are you willing to pay the price? That really is the cost of discipleship.