Daniel 3:28a. Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him,
So we’ve finally come to our lazy-day Saturday friends, where we can do as much or as little as we please! (smile) And the weather outside is just the type that calls for us to lay in bed for much of the day and simply rest after a hard week’s work, or pick up a good book and sit in a cozy corner and lose ourselves in it. Yes, it’s wet and cloudy, so unless there’s real need to go out, we shouldn’t. And to put it all into proper perspective, let’s offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, in all sincerity and truth.
As one voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
And on a dreary day like this, if we cannot come up with some sincerity in our prayers, then things certainly bad with us mih people! For if our prayer was sincere, we would be assured of soon receiving that calming, restful, uplifting peace we can’t understand, that comes only from God, to those who ask with right motives. And on top of that, the Lord has seen fit to allow the breath of life to continue in our mortal bodies today, so there’s another reason to give Him thanks and praise.
Now, as we promised yesterday, let’s continue looking at that marvellous story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that highlights the omnipotence of our great God. So far, we’ve seen where the three Hebrew men were thrown into the furnace that was heated seven times more than normal, and it killed those who threw them in. Then the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar claims to have seen four men walking around loose in the fire and one appeared to be the son of God (a son of the gods). But the best part of the story is still to come.
The Bible says: ‘Then Nebuchadnezzar came near the mouth (door) of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire. And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king’s counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed (garments affected), nor the smell of fire had passed on them.’ (Dan. 3: 26-27)I like that, not even the smell of smoke lingered on them!
And that miraculous moment made such an impact on the king, that he then declared: ‘Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed (frustrated) the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God. Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill (an ash heap): because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort (like this). Then the king promoted (caused to prosper) Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon.’ (Dan. 3:28-30)
What a marvellous story of faith my people, and the amazing way our God moves to prove His awesome power. One important note though from the scholars. They say: ‘Neb’s recognition of the God of the three men does not mean that he converted to their religion. It was simply an acknowledgement of their God’s power.’ But we’ll take that, for it’s a beginning on the road to faith! (smile) And it just shows how the Lord uses all types and sorts of people, even pagans kings to show forth His majesty and power, particularly Nebuchadnezzar, as we’d see if we read the fourth chapter of Daniel.
There, he has a dream which Daniel interprets as one in which he’s all powerful, but the Lord would eventually cut him down to size. Then later on he boasts of his power and majesty, and soon thereafter the consequences of the dream come to pass. He is driven mad for seven years, looking and living like a wild animal, and ox in particular. But in our God’s great mercy, He did not allow Neb’s kingdom to pass from him. For as the Bible says, ‘until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it whomsoever he will.’ (Dan. 4:32b)
And I guess it took seven years for Neb to learn that truth, (smile) for he says: ‘And at the end of the days (time) I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation. And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed (considered) as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay (restrain) his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?’ (Dan. 4:34-35)
Now friends, there’s a great lesson in that for all of us who refuse to recognize God’s power and sovereignty over all the earth, right down to our individual lives. And if we insist on boasting in our own might and power, He is liable to bring us down like He did to the Babylonian king, for foolish pride is one of the things He very much dislikes.
And the scholars ask two very interesting and important questions re Neb’s situation. ‘Could it happen to a man, and could it have happened to Neb? The answer to both questions is YES. There is a mental illness known as zoanthropy in which a man thinks and acts like an animal. It is also called boanthropy, more specifically when a man thinks of himself as an ox, (like Neb did – Dan. 3:32) In answer to the second question, this illness is not mentioned in Neb’s annals, but one would not expect such a humiliating experience to be chronicled. On the other hand, his long reign of 43 years (605-562 B.C) is more than long enough to include the length sickness.’
So, seven years later through God’s grace and mercy, Neb was restored to sanity and regained his throne. And it’s obvious that he had learned his lesson, as he later spoke these words. ‘Now, I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgement (justice): and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.’ (Dan. 4:37)
Wow! What insight Neb gained from his trials and tribulations! And what a blessed thing it would be if many more of us could learn from His prideful consequences, because pride is one of the biggest sins in our current world order. So please, let’s spend some time on this dreary lazy-day Saturday, pondering our own pride situation nuh, and, with God’s help, do our best to lessen it, for if we don’t we’re certainly riding for an eventual fall! Much LOVE!
…the greatest pride…usually leads to the greatest fall…
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