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Daniel 3:16, "Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego, answered and said unto the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful
to answer thee in this matter."
This morning, our world continues to wax worse and worse, and it would be easy
to fall victim and prey to discouragement and fear (mortal dread). Yet,
discouragement and fear are two of Satan's
biggest (and most successful) devices in his daily warfare on the people of
God. We should look at the
world honestly and say that things are getting worse, but that honest evaluation
of things should never stand in the focus of an equally honest admission that
God is still in control, on His throne, and just as full of power and might as
He has ever been. His promises are just as sure as they have ever been. His
faithfulness is just as great, and His mercies just as sure. These concepts are
those types of thoughts so embedded in our minds that they are "most familiar"
to us. This type of familiarity can be thought of as "rote memory." In
learning and study, rote memory is the type of memorization that requires less
thought due to the familiarity with the subject matter. In mathematics, rote
memorization is used for multiplication and addition tables, so that one does
not have to think of the answer to 2+2 or 2x2. The answer of 4 in both cases is
immediately recalled without analyzing or contemplation.
Just as equally great in our minds should be certain courses for our lives, that
they can be recalled by rote memory. Certain life decisions take analyzing and
prayerful consideration, but there are things we face in life that should not
require diligent evaluation. The reason that diligent evaluation is not
necessary is because we are so familiar with the right course of action that we
readily recall to mind (rote memory) what our proper course should be. It is
this area of thought that we desire to examine based on the three Hebrew
children's response to a wicked, earthly king. By understanding their course,
we can more readily arm ourselves to act similarly if faced with a like
situation.
When Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah are brought before Nebuchadnezzar, they were
already guilty of not performing the king's commandment. He had commanded all
of his subjects to bow down to the image he made when they heard all forms of
music being sounded. Since these three righteous men did not do so, they were
arraigned before the king for their civil disobedience. In our lives, we may,
now or in the future, be arraigned for not being obedient to civil magistrates.
Now, it should be our just course and lawful duty to obey them that have the
rule over us (Hebrews 13:17), but that lawful obligation extends only to the
point of our just course and lawful duty to our Heavenly Father and His
precepts. For example, if an unjust king exacts hard burdens and labours upon
us, we need to be found in obedience to the decree so long as it does not cause
us to go contrary to God's laws. Later in this same book, we find that Daniel
was disobedient to the decree to refrain from prayer as that infringed on his
obedience to his God. However, in other daily courses, Daniel was found in
strict obedience to civil decrees so that none could find lawful accusation
against him. (Daniel 6:4)
We may grumble about paying taxes we think unjust, but if those taxes are not
forcing us to act contrary to God's commands, we should willingly pay them and
lead a quiet and peaceable life among men as much as possible. (I Timothy 2:2)
What Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were faced with was a very different
proposition. The king's command was blatant idolatry, and their civil obedience
would have led to spiritual disobedience. Therefore, they were found being
disobedient to the king to be obedient to the King! But what of their answer?
What were they posed with? These three were given a "second chance" to be
obedient to the decree. One thing about life and its associated "power circles"
is that some have extra advantages whether merited or not. These three men were
known throughout the land (as was Daniel) to be more wise and apt to their
duties in the king's court. A quick perusal of Daniel 1 shows that the king
sought these individuals as his "best of the best" in the kingdom among his
counsellours. Therefore, they were granted an extra opportunity to obey,
whereas they probably would not have should they have been just a commoner to
the king.
However, these three disappoint their king's expectations by not submitting
themselves to his decree. From their answer and firm conviction, a dozen
opportunities to obey from the king would have yielded the same result. They
were so convinced of their decision that they did not have to think about it.
They said, "We are not careful..." What they are essentially saying is that we
are not worried about the rightness of their answer. Not to say that they were
handling their decision loosely, but rather, they were so convicted and
convinced of their proper course that they did not need extra time to think
about it, search it out, or consider it. Idolatry is wrong. Period. They knew
it, and they acted accordingly. Similarly, when we are posed with idolatry, we
should immediately know it is wrong and act accordingly. Period.
If we are confronted with the temptations of fornication, adultery, drunkenness,
or any other of the great host of moral inequities, we should not have to
"prayerfully consider" whether to engage or not. Rather, we should be ready to
answer (as these did), that we are not careful to answer this matter for we know
unequivocally that it is wrong. What if our magistrates decree that we cannot
assemble anymore to worship God? Should we consider what our course should be?
Heavens no, but rather, we should immediately seek our next best opportunity to
worship God as we have sought to do so before. Given enough time to think about
things, we have the dreadful capacity to justify anything in our own minds. We
could think up any number of a pocket full of excuses not to pray, assemble,
read our Bibles, etc if decreed otherwise by our rulers. However, our minds
should have these things so embedded and implanted that they are set in our
minds and hearts to not sin against our Lord above. (Psalm 119:11)
Decisions in life such as which job to take, where to live, for preachers which
vineyard to labour in, for churches which labourer to call into that vineyard,
etc. require much prayerful consideration and diligent meditation. But
decisions about moral uprightness should be readily utilized and acted upon so
that we do not consider for an hour, minute, or moment how to respond.
(Galatians 2:5) So, how does rote memory come into such a fashion? How does one
get a concept to the point of immediate recollection? In the case of addition
or multiplication tables, repetition after repetition with practice is needed to
get the mind to that point. In the case of spiritual fidelity, there are some
equally repetitive factors. However, in the spiritual realm, there is a
prerequisite. Something must happen first that initially teaches us of these
things. That first teaching comes from the implanting of a righteous spirit in
the new birth. (Titus 2:11-12)
Once that implanting is made, we know right from wrong inwardly, and it is our
duty to become acquainted with the full extent of these things by diligent
reading, meditation, and listening to the heralding of the glorious gospel
message of Jesus Christ. The first teaching must come from God, but the
repetition must come from earnest searching of God's word to see the full extent
of these things. Then we understand how easily we can become victim to adultery
(looking with lust), murder (hating without a cause), idolatry (covetousness),
etc. After this repetition, we then know these things without careful
consideration. Combining this moral justness with rote recollection of God's
infinite love, mercy, power, and grace, we can assuredly look at the
Nebuchadnezzars of this world and claim that deliverance is near. Whether in
life or in death, our deliverance is near, and we are ready and willing to stand
as we should in earnest contention for the faith once delivered unto the saints.
(Jude 3)
In Hope,
Bro Philip |