No Need to Answer

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego answered and said to the king,
“O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.”
Daniel 3:16 (ESV)

Have you ever felt out of your element and/or under the gun? I wonder if that is how Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego felt in our verse today. Young men of Israel who had been taken captive and brought to the homeland of a pagan king, these individuals were being asked to bow down and worship an idol. When the king discovered they were disobeying his order, he raged and asked them who was going to deliver them from his hands. Our verse today was their reply.

What was the cause for such bravery? Nebuchadnezzar (the pagan king) was known for his fiery temper and extreme consequences for those who disobeyed his orders. (Daniel 1:10; 2:5; 2:13) The young men had been warned that refusal to worship the idol would mean being thrown into a fiery furnace. They had good reason to be afraid. As we look closer, we see that their bravery was not based on guarantees of their safety, but belief in their God. They would give their allegiance to no one but Him. He was the only one to whom they had to answer.

What a powerful response. How much I want to follow their example. Though I have never faced a pagan king or the threat of a fiery furnace, situations do arise in my daily life which call me to be brave. At these times, the only safe haven of confidence I have is knowing the power of the God I serve. My fears may taunt me, but I have no obligation to answer them.

What about you today? Are there fears in your heart and mind that seem to be demanding a response from you? Why not take some words from our young friends and tell your fears that you have no need to answer them? Your God is able.