The Core of Our Humanity Overcomes the Fires of Life
Scripture
Daniel 3
King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, sixty cubits high and six cubits wide, and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. He then summoned the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates and all the other provincial officials to come to the dedication of the image he had set up. So the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates and all the other provincial officials assembled for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up, and they stood before it.
Then the herald loudly proclaimed, “Nations and peoples of every language, this is what you are commanded to do: As soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. Whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace.”
Therefore, as soon as they heard the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp and all kinds of music, all the nations and peoples of every language fell down and worshiped the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
At this time some astrologers came forward and denounced the Jews. They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “May the king live forever! Your Majesty has issued a decree that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music must fall down and worship the image of gold, and that whoever does not fall down and worship will be thrown into a blazing furnace. But there are some Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon—Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego—who pay no attention to you, Your Majesty. They neither serve your gods nor worship the image of gold you have set up.”
Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up? Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?”
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”
Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace. The king’s command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace.
Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?”
They replied, “Certainly, Your Majesty.”
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. Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way.”
Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the province of Babylon.
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The Core of Our Humanity Overcomes the Fires of Life
by Rev. Cory Bradford-Watts
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Throughout time there have been many persecuted due to their loyalty to their cultural heritage and personal convictions, and unfortunately, religion has often been the instrument used to do this. Instead of inviting openness and cultural diversity, like Babylon in today’s story we often set up a graven image in the place of a loving God and then persecute others for being different – resigning them to the fire of our judgment if not the fire of outright persecution when we can get away with it. Strangely enough, we personally often consign our own innocent and spiritual side to just such a fire, and yet even so, even with such hate in our world, I believe today’s scripture shines light on the resiliency and fortitude of the spirit of Divinity within and within all other beings in their diversity.
I think that we can often feel like we’re in the midst of a fire, just like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. It can be one of our own rage and judgment, one of perceived or real persecution, one of physical or spiritual hardship, or due to our anxious attachments and fears. These tend to intermix, and so we often feel quite justified within these fires to set others ablaze, as well as to dominate and dismiss instead of compassionately uplift and hold. The culture war is often like this, using the faults of the other side to justify our own use of hurtful and petty methods.
Like the guards in our story, when we blindly serve this destructive system, we become consumed by the very fire we feed.
But I also believe that there’s an aspect, the core of each of us that is the Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego of our personal story. A core that no matter the fire, will always remain untouched and in the presence of God. Unfortunately, there’s no telling how long or if we ever become highly attuned to this Divine Spirit of Grace within, which is why Daniel 3 should give all of us hope: even in the worse of circumstances, this sometimes seemingly small part of us is unharmed and eventually, if we allow it, raised to prominence. Indeed, as the meaning of the names Shadrach (royal), Meshach (one like God), and Abednego (servant of the prophet) illustrate – this process allows our true royalty as humans, serving in the likeness of the Divine Prophet, to shine and finally rise up.
To recap, let’s remember that this story began when the ruler of the land became set on worshipping a 2-dimensional golden image, 60 cubits by 60, threatening death to all non-worshippers. How eerily familiar! Within religion and even within science or our personal professions and cultures we can take a similar tact of condemning others’ healthy ideas and approaches, dismissing even their life’s work or their life when they don’t worship at the same 2-dimensional idea. And so perhaps even the symbolism of 60 in the dimensions of this image, or the popular 666 from the book of Revelation, has something to do with this type of arrogant and murderous approach to culture and religiosity?
Our story goes on to describe how some of the trapped Israelites in this land of Babylon refuse to worship this image, and thus our three are forced into a blazing fire strong enough to kill the guards who push them in. But after a while, to the amazement of the King and others, these three are seen untouched in the fire with someone else who “looks like a son of the gods.”
Even amidst the storm of judgment, dismissal, and persecution, there’s a resilient part of our hearts that stays true. The more we connect with this part, the more we find that we can more fully weather the storm. Indeed, in our story these three are raised up and put in places of authority after the King becomes aware of their strength and connection to Divinity. So, let us each look within and find that core strength, that peaceful loyalty and resilience, centered on a God that’s ultimately human-like and humane, “like a son of the gods,” and not something two-dimensional and soulless.
There’s clearly a connection here with the “Son of God,” Jesus Christ (meaning, “God with us, the one who saves”), and the fact that Lord came down to lift us up in both this story, in our lives, and the Christian gospel - as well as in many other traditions in various ways, from Buddhism to Islam. There’s something empowering when we realize that in the midst of our frustrations and pain, there’s a Divine Being that stands with us, as peaceful, caring, and compassionate and engaged with our lives as we can imagine, keeping these healthy aspects of our spirit safe from the flames of life even when parts of us seem to give into them and are tortured by them.
If we are to transform our personal and cultural Babylon’s, we have to be willing to change and learn like the King in our story. For us to eventually make it back to a diverse kingdom of God, an Israel, we must let our healthy influences grow and our tendencies for humanity-oriented spirituality flourish, while letting go of our demands for worship at the foot of our shallow images.
That’s what we’re doing when we let go of our need for others’ agreement. When we let go of our tendency to lash out in spirit and in act. When we allow the thoughts of rejection and judgment and hate to fade, and instead center on a spirituality and a culture of Sabbath and interconnection. And it’s also what we do when we let go of bigotry and cultural institutions that don’t empower the downtrodden, the poor, the troubled, and the helpless – turning instead toward unrehabilitative incarceration, disempowering economics, and abusive politics.
God is with us in the fire. Our spirits are sourced and deeply connected with the Divinity that shines through all healthy living and spiritualities, all-loving religiosity and traditions, as well as all science and rational thinking. She stands amidst us in our hardest moments, empowering us in the most abusive circumstances even if we seem to meet our demise – furthering our spirits over the eons, we’re told. And eventually, as we become aware of this holy truth, our lives and our societies can be transformed – raising up the inner Israel, and letting go of our need to use our power to dominate and control, burn and condemn. Thus, may we each be empowered by our true royalty (Shadrach), our likeness of God (Meshach), and our inner servanthood of the Divine Prophet of Peace (Abednego). Amen.
Peace and blessings to you,
Rev. Cory