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A very good dayWednesday, March 12, 2008
Daniel 3:24-28 They replied, "Certainly, O king." He said, "Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods." Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, "Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!" So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.
Then Nebuchadnezzar said, "Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king's command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God."
This experience with the boys in the fire seared itself in his memory. He had been so angry with them for not following his royal decree, but they submitted neither to his rules nor his wrath. They quietly consigned their lives to the mercy of God, knowing it was more real and powerful than anything Nebuchadnezzar could throw at them. His memory of their resolve must have reminded Nebuchadnezzar of God's presence in his madness. The fire they withstood physically burned inside his brain, and God's angel protected him just as he protected them. It took awhile. His humility was a slow train comin'. But the day God's love dawned on him and calmed his frenzy was the best day of his life. As I'm pretty sure this day in the fire was the best day in the lives of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Every day your love pours over me like nectar, Lord. I absorb such a small bit of it. But you never stop pouring. You are so good. |
God and Nebuchadnezzar had some battles. Later in his life the great king went insane. He spent years naked in the desert scratching his sores. Eventually he humbled himself and gave up the idea that he was god on earth. He submitted to his Maker.