1. The parent’s responsibility is to “Train up a child in the way he should go,” (Prov. 22:6) and “bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord” (Eph 6:4).

Despite his amazing personal journey with God, it appears Nebuchadnezzar failed in this department. Consider in contrast King David raising Solomon to love and worship God and setting him up for success by providing all the materials for him to build the temple. And, like Proverbs 22:6 (Written by Solomon and possibly with his first-hand experience in mind!) concludes, “…even when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

2. The child’s choice is ultimately their own.

God, what an incredible opportunity and responsibility you’ve entrusted to us as parents! Please give us wisdom to know how to train our children in the way they should go. May our example in following you be one worth imitating. Yet, we recognize that ultimately they will have to choose. Holy Spirit, have mercy and grant that their hearts would be turned toward you. Bless our children to know and rejoice in your salvation all the days of their lives. Amen.

 

– Levi Thompson

 

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Scripture

Daniel 3:28

“Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent his angel to rescue his servants who trusted in him. They defied the king’s command and were willing to die rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.”

‭‭Observation-What does it say?

King Nebuchadnezzar had built a gold statue 90 feet tall and 9 feet wide. The king invited everyone in the land of Babylon to come see the statue he had made. King Nebuchadnezzar declared that when everyone hears the sound of musical instruments playing, they are to all bow to the ground and worship the king’s gold statue. Anyone not in compliance to the king’s command would be immediately thrown into a blazing furnace.

Enter Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These three Jewish men refused to bow down and worship any other God but their own (the one true God). King Nebuchadnezzar even called them in to give them one more chance. They still refused to bow down and worship the gold statue.  I love what they tell the king in verses 17-18, “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.” Wow!!! Talk about standing your ground and sticking to what you believe in!

This infuriates the king, and he orders the furnace to be heated seven times hotter, and for them to be thrown into the blazing furnace immediately. The furnace was so hot that the soldiers throwing them into the furnace were killed! As Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were in the furnace, the king saw a fourth who was in there with them. To the king’s surprise they were all unharmed! The king knew that the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego rescued them from the blazing furnace. The king called the three men to step out of the furnace. To everyone’s surprise, not a hair on them was singed, their clothes were not even scorched, and they didn’t even smell like smoke! These turn of events caused King Nebuchadnezzar to not only back these three Jewish men, (he promoted them to even higher positions in Babylon), but also he backed their God as the one true God!

Understanding-What does it mean?

Choosing to obey and follow God can lead you into some difficult situations in life, but if you stay true to your faith and your beliefs, you just never know who it may end up saving.

“You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.” Matthew‬ ‭10:22‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had a very difficult decision to make. Either bow down and worship the king’s gold statue, or be thrown into a burning furnace and die an excruciating death. The choice was easy for the three of them. They chose to please the one true God who they knew and loved. They knew what fate awaited them by the choice they made. But they would rather die than offend and displease their God. They knew that their God had the power to save them. They also knew the fate that awaited them if they chose to bow down and worship Nebuchadnezzar’s gold statue… and this one also ended up in a burning furnace, but this fiery death would be an eternal one. 

“Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matthew‬ ‭10:28‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Little did they know that their decision to stand their ground, stay strong in their faith, would affect thousands of people! Not only did God rescue them from the burning furnace, but in the process, the thousands of people who witnessed the miracle that day would also believe in their God, and that included King Nebuchadnezzar!

Life Application

As a Christ-follower I must lead a life that would encourage others to follow Jesus.

I know as a Christian my behavior and actions are under a public microscope. The world is just waiting for that very second for me to slip up so that they can say “You hypocrite!” I also understand that being a Christian doesn’t exclude me from life’s difficult circumstances. If anything, it increases my possibilities of heading into them. The key is how I respond to them. Or should I say how God calls me to respond to them. Living a life of faith even when life’s storms are in my way can be difficult, but reading today’s passage is encouraging. You never know how God is planning on using these parts of your life for His glory. All I do know is He is. Whether it’s using them to encourage others how a man of God responds to life’s difficulties, or even using them to perform a miracle in life so God’s power can be revealed. You just never know. All I can do is my part…trust and obey in Him. Look what it did for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. It led King Nebuchadnezzar and the thousands of people of Babylon that day to believe in the one true God of Israel!

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-Moses Gaddi

As wondrous as is the truth of Immanuel, perhaps even more incomprehensible is the miracle that the Spirit of God does not merely dwell with humans, but dwells within me to guide me into all truth, to convict me concerning sin and righteousness and to give me insight into the Word of God that is not available to the natural mind. Thank you, Holy Spirit, my counselor, comforter and teacher, for condescending to live within the heart and mind of a sinner like me and to lead me along the journey of transformation and sanctification. Help me to live a life of surrender to all that you desire to do in and through my life so that it may be with me as it was with Daniel – that kings may give you glory as they see your power displayed through my faith, trust and obedience.

 

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-Gary Parker 

 

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Scripture

• Hebrews 11:27  By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured, as seeing Him who is unseen.

Observation

The first time he left Egypt, Moses was fleeing from the pharaoh, who wanted to kill him for slaying the Egyptian slavemaster (Ex. 2:15). The second time he left Egypt, another pharaoh wanted to keep Moses from taking the children of Israel with him. In both cases he was in trouble.

In addition to his problems with the kings, Moses faced other pressures. For one thing, he was under pressure to preserve the prestige, pleasure, and plenty that have already been discussed. The prospects of desert living could not have been very appealing. When he fled for his life, he had no idea that he would marry a shepherdess and tend her father’s sheep for the next forty years in Midian. But at best, he knew life in the desert could not begin to compare with life in Egypt’s royal court.

The greatest pressure Moses faced, however, was fear, because of the wrath of the king. It is the same fear, though perhaps of a different sort and source, that believers may face on occasion. Fear is one of Satan’s most effective, and therefore most used, weapons. We are afraid of being thought different, or of losing our job, reputation, or popularity. We are afraid of criticism, often from people that we do not even respect.

Moses was doubtlessly tempted to fear, but he did not. He left Egypt with full determination to follow a better way.  He did more than simply leave; he turned his back on Egypt and all that it represented. He renounced it permanently. Moses forsook everything to follow the Lord. He was not thwarted or delayed or intimidated by Satan’s fear.

Fear is a great pressure, and all of us are tempted at times to bend when standing for the Lord requires us to say or do something that is unpopular or dangerous. But true faith does not fold under the world’s pressure.

Fear did not work on Moses, at least not when God called him out of Egypt. He knew he had an invisible but powerful means of support, as seeing Him who is unseen. He knew that, no matter what happened, whatever he had to face, he would be held up and strengthened and rewarded. He believed with David,

• “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the defense of my life; whom shall I dread?” (Ps. 27:1).

When Moses wanted to leave Egypt the second time and take all the people of Israel with him, he not only met the resistance of the king but of his own people. When he first told them of God’s plan of deliverance, they were thankful (Ex. 4:31). But when Pharaoh made things worse on them every time Moses made a demand, they lost heart and turned against Moses’ leadership (6:9; 14:11-12). Now he had both the king and his own people against him. But he was afraid of neither. He continued to say what God wanted him to say and do what God wanted him to do.

Moses was the kind of man he was because he chose to focus his sights on God rather than on a monarch in Egypt. Yet how many times do we fall apart or back down in face of a much lesser threat. When we are afraid of the world, when we are afraid of what people will say or do, we are exposing ourselves to God’s displeasure and discipline for lack of faith. Faith rejects the world’s pressure, whatever it may be.

Understanding

What is God saying to me?

• Hebrews 4:1-2 (NASB) ¹  Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it. ²  For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard.

If we are going to fear anything let us fear that we will fall short of God’s promises for us and to us.  If we must live fearfully then live in the fearful wonder that God will accomplish His Word to us if we will couple His Word with our faith.

Life Application

What will I do about it?

The Word + Belief + Action = Profit to us

 

 – Pastor Gary

 

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• Hebrews 11:26 Considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward.

Observation

Living in Pharaoh’s palace, Moses had everything material he could have wanted. He had more than enough food, possessions, and money. Discoveries such as the tomb of King Tutankhamen, who lived only a hundred or so years after Moses, have shown us how vastly rich Egypt was at its peak. Moses had access to a great deal of wealth, and likely had much in his own possession. He had all the things the world holds dear. He must have been strongly tempted to hold on to them; but he did not.

Considering involves careful thought, not quick decision. Moses thought through his decision, weighing the pros and cons. He weighed what Egypt had to offer against what God offered. When he reached a conclusion it was well-founded and certain. God’s offer was infinitely superior in every way. In the eyes of the world no reproach (being ridiculed and persecuted) would be worth sacrificing riches for. Yet Moses believed that the worst he could endure for Christ would be more valuable than the best of the world.

Moses suffered reproach for the sake of Jesus Christ, the true Messiah, because he identified with Messiah’s people and purpose. Every believer since Adam’s fall has been saved by the blood of Jesus Christ, no matter in what age he has lived. It is also true, therefore, that any believer at any time who has suffered for God’s sake has suffered for Christ’s sake.

God’s reward is always greater than the world’s.

• “God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:19).

He supplies according to His riches, not just out of them. A millionaire who gives ten dollars to help someone in need is giving out of his riches but not according to them. If he gave a hundred thousand dollars, however, he would be giving according to his riches. Moses surely saw the reward of a blessed life, but the emphasis is best seen as being on the eternal reward.

• “Better is the little of the righteous than the abundance of many wicked” (Ps. 37:16).

If we work hard and honestly and to God’s glory, and become wealthy in the process, fine. But if we set our minds on getting rich, we have the wrong motivation. If along the way God happens to make us rich, wonderful. If in His wisdom he keeps us poor, also wonderful. It should make us no difference, as long as we are in His will. It made no difference to Moses. For forty years he enjoyed the riches of Egypt. For the rest of his life, he forsook them, because they interfered with his obedience to God and would have prevented his receiving immeasurably greater riches when it came time for eternal rewards.

Understanding

What is God saying to me?

Remembering the words of an old hymn I used to sing as a kid. It was written by a Swedish royal named Prince Oscar who relinquished his title to marry a woman who had influenced his belief in God. After his abdication he gave his energy to serving Christ. Here are the words of the hymn…

I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold;
I’d rather be His than have riches untold;
I’d rather have Jesus than houses or lands;
I’d rather be led by His nail-pierced hand

Refrain:
Than to be the king of a vast domain
Or be held in sin’s dread sway;
I’d rather have Jesus than anything
This world affords today.

I’d rather have Jesus than men’s applause;
I’d rather be faithful to His dear cause;
I’d rather have Jesus than worldwide fame;
I’d rather be true to His holy name

He’s fairer than lilies of rarest bloom;
He’s sweeter than honey from out the comb;
He’s all that my hungering spirit needs;
I’d rather have Jesus and let Him lead

Life Application

What will I do about it?

God I will pursue you more than the things of this world. Help me to keep my eyes on you because as I stay focused on you the things of this world begin to dim in comparison to your glory.

-Pastor Gary

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Supplemental Reading: Psalm 147

• Hebrews 11:25 Choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God, than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin.

Observation

No one needs to be convinced that sin is often fun. It can feed our pride, satisfy physical desires and appetites, and offer many other pleasures. But it has two characteristics that the world does not notice: it is always evil and it is always passing. And, no matter how temporarily satisfying it may be, its satisfaction is destined to fade. It has no good in it and it can bring no good to us, to anyone else, or to God. Any seeming good is both deceptive and fleeting.

Sometimes we wonder why unbelievers, worldly people, the grossly immoral, and sometimes even criminals seem to get along so well. They are successful, famous, wealthy, healthy-well-off in practically every way. On the other hand, many of God’s most faithful saints are poor, sickly, unsuccessful in business, and ridiculed. We want to ask with Job,

• “Why do the wicked still live, continue on, also become very powerful? Their descendants are established with them in their sight, and their offspring before their eyes, their houses are safe from fear, neither is the rod of God on them” (Job 21:7-9)

We want to plead with Jeremiah,

• “Why has the way of the wicked prospered? Why are all those who deal in treachery at ease?” (Jer. 12:1).

Job answers the question when he says, “And suddenly they go down to Sheol” (21:13). They die and it is all over, except for judgment. They enjoy and get by with sin for a while, but only for a while. If we take James seriously, we will not envy the wicked, of whom he writes,

• “You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned and put to death the righteous man; he does not resist you” (James 5:5-6).

But he precedes these comments with,

• “Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure!” (5:1-3).

The wicked are going to inherit a “treasure” of judgment they do not expect. As Paul says in Romans 2:5-6, they are piling up wrath that will break loose in the day of divine judgment.

Moses knew God was calling him to give his life for his people. He had a choice. He could have obeyed or disobeyed. Disobeying had many attractions. Among other things, it would have been a lot easier and a lot more enjoyable in the short run. It is hard enough to stop seeking worldly things. It is even harder to give them up once we have them, and Moses had a great many of them by the time he was forty. We have no reason to believe that he was ever involved in any immoral practices, but he enjoyed the pleasures of an extremely comfortable life. He had the best food, the best living quarters, the best recreation, the best of everything that his age could provide. These were not sins in themselves. Joseph had enjoyed the same pleasures in the same place, while being perfectly obedient to God. But they would have been sin for Moses, had he decided to stay in the Egyptian court, and he forsook them for the sake of God’s call. He made a conscious choice to endure ill-treatment with the people of God, rather than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin. This was an act of faith. He believed that if He did what God wanted, he would be immeasurably better off in the end.

Understanding

What is God saying to me?

Faith, as one author puts it, is a long obedience in the same direction. We often feel that this life here on earth is long, but it needs to be compared with eternity. I know that this is difficult to do – think about eternity when the now is right here in our face – but the walk of faith requires that we have a long view.

God has called us all to holiness. He has called us to come apart from sin. We find it difficult because the world’s ways are pleasurable and fun and it seems like we are missing out. Obedience is not always easy, but in the end sin is much, much harder.

God’s way is not only for His own honor but for our own good. Satan’s way is for his honor and for our harm.

Life Application

What will I do about it?

Lord I’m keeping my eyes on You, following you. Let me not become so caught up and distracted by the prestige and pleasure of this world to the detriment of what you have for me in eternity.

1 Corinthians 2:9 (NIV) ⁹ “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him”–

-Pastor Gary

• Hebrews 11:24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.

Observation

For forty years Moses had been a prince of Egypt, the wealthiest, most cultured, and advanced society of that day. He was therefore highly educated and skilled, as well as being a part of the royal court. “And Moses was educated in all the learning of the Egyptians, and he was a man of power in words and deeds” (Acts 7:22). His formal education would have included learning to read and write hieroglyphics, hieratic, and probably some Canaanite languages. He had, of course, learned Hebrew from his mother. He could enjoy everything Egypt had to offer. But his training in Egypt never blunted his knowledge of the hope of Israel and of the promises of God.

When Moses reached the age of forty, he faced a crucial decision. He had to decide between becoming a full-fledged Egyptian, with absolute loyalty and no reservations, and joining his own people, Israel.

The deciding factor was his faith in God.

By faith Moses… refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. In all those years he had never wavered in his devotion to the Lord. Somehow God also indicated to him that he had been chosen for special service and that, from then on he would be an Israelite first and only. Moses knew he had a mission to perform for God and for his people.

In the world, fame always brings a certain amount of honor. If you are born into the right family or are a successful athlete or entertainer, the world will think of you as great, whether you are or not. If you have a lot of money, regardless of how you got it, the world will hold you in high esteem. If you have enough degrees behind your name, certain people will think you have arrived. The same is true in regard to political power and many other types of human success. Moses had most of these things, yet he gave them up.

From the worldly standpoint, he was sacrificing everything for nothing. But from the spiritual standpoint, he was sacrificing nothing for everything. He renounced the world’s power, honor, and prestige for the sake of God, and knew that for so doing he would gain immeasurably more than he would lose, for he was looking to the reward (v. 26).

The things the world counts great have nothing to do with what God considers great. He honors people on a totally different basis. He is not interested in what family we came from or how much money we have or how much education we have or what positions we hold. These are not related to His primary concerns for us.

Moses cared nothing for his Egyptian heritage or advantages. They were both pagan and worldly, and he had given himself to much greater things.

The world has little to offer compared to the riches and satisfaction of Christ. Moses gladly joined with God’s chosen people, though they were slaves, rather than take advantage of the prestige and privileges of Egypt and be unfaithful to God.

Understanding

What is God saying to me?

By faith Moses… refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.

Can you imagine what people must have thought?

To refuse to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter it meant that he gave up the right to be considered to be the next Pharaoh. People around Moses must have thought he had lost his mind. How many people must have hung their future on him and the pressure on Moses must have been great. His adopted mother was probably heart-broken and that surely put pressure on Moses as well. Yet he chose to turn his back on worldly prestige because he believed that God had called him to something else.

And Moses could have rationalized that he would have more influence as the Pharaoh – but God was calling him out of Egypt – so he left the applause of men for the rewards of heaven. He took the long view.

Life Application

What will I do about it?

When God calls you don’t be afraid to act in faith because you are not giving up anything, you are gaining everything – the pleasures of this world are for a season – the things of God are eternal.

-Pastor Gary

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