Daily Dose of the Word of God - Daniel 3: 8-18

Kyle Olson, Technical Director

Transcript

Kyle Olson  0:07  

Welcome to Elmhurst CRC's Daily Dose of the Word of God. It's Wednesday, November 26 (Thanksgiving Eve) and today's reading is from Daniel chapter 3 verses 8 through 18. So let's get going.

Kyle Olson 0:26  

Meanwhile, certain Chaldean leaders stepped forward to make accusations against the Jews. Chaldeans: Long live the king! You, good king, have made a decree that every person who hears the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, lute, harp, pipe, and all the other musical instruments is supposed to bow down and worship the golden statue you erected. You have also decreed that anyone who does not obey the king’s command and refuses to bow and worship will be taken immediately and thrown into a furnace of blazing fire. It has come to our attention that certain Jews whom you appointed to govern in the province of Babylon are ignoring your order, O king. They refuse to serve your gods, our gods, and they do not fall and worship the golden statue you erected. Their names: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. When Nebuchadnezzar heard this, he flew into a rage and ordered that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego be brought in for questioning; so his officials went out, found them, and brought these men before the king. Nebuchadnezzar: It is reported to me that you, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, refuse to serve my gods and do not bow and worship the golden statue I had set up. Is that true?  Before they have a chance to answer, Nebuchadnezzar decides to see for himself what they will do. If you are ready to comply with my order and fall down and worship the statue I have made when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, lute, harp, pipe, and all the other musical instruments, then things will go well for you from here. But if you refuse to worship, you will be taken immediately and thrown in a furnace of blazing fire. What god could possibly rescue you from my hands then?  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego: Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to defend our actions in this matter. We are ready for the test. If you throw us into the blazing furnace, then the God we serve is able to rescue us from a furnace of blazing fire and release us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if He does not, O king, you can be sure that we still will not serve your gods and we will not worship the golden statue you erected.

Kyle Olson  3:06  

Let's pray. Lord, thank you for your word. Thank you for this library of stories told from so many different perspectives, where we meet believers of all walks of life. Where we see challenges, to look away from you, to not honor You and to honor others before you. Lord, it's crazy, because we often don't even need people in power to force us, to tell us to worship these things - the music, the crowd, society, so often naturally point to these shiny, golden, glittery objects that make us feel special, connected, and it's hard to realize that these things are turning us away from you, turning us away from our friends and families. Turning us from the real connections that you've put here on earth with us. So Lord, boost our faith and our trust in you so that as we serve our friends, neighbors and family, we honor and worship you, our true king, bringing about the Kingdom of God on Earth as it is in heaven. In your name, Amen.