20 February 2004 01:36
Danielchapter 3
verse twelve now, [they, the Jews,] pay no attention to you, O king. interesting concept. someone tells you do go against your principles... you pay no attention to them. interesting because it is a passive concept. noneresistance. they didn't try and bomb the statue, they didn't try and bomb the furnace, they didn't try and assasinate the king. at least not that's recorded anyway..
of course, then there's verses sixteen to eighteen. they weren't so passive verbally. we want you to know, O king. they wanted to get the last word in.
verse twenty-two.. 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. i'm still curious about these soldiers. see, my life is too valuable to me to be throwing it away while trying to kill someone... especially when it's just for my boss, it's not even someone i have an issue with. there are indeed things i would die for, i am even willing to die for a stranger on the street--but to save their life, not remove it. these soldiers spent 20 years growing up, then they throw it all away on the king's whim. and the king didn't even learn too much from it, he was back to his old ways in a couple days.
so did they make it up to the furnace on the first try? or did they get within thirty feet, give it up and go back? then the king ordered them to do it or else. rolling their eyes at each other, they grab the hebrews and make a run for it. their lives were nothing to the king.. that's a huge difference from God's kingdom. what's the point of ruling anyway? to a pagan king, it's about power, right? but to a Christain leader, it's truly about the benefit of those he leads. should be anyway...
on to chapter six. verse twenty-three: When Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God. whoa. that's a tough one to swallow. not the no wounding part, i believe that without an issue. it's the "becuase he trusted in God" part. i like to think that i have excellent faith in God, that i trust him implicitly. if i were to fall deathly ill, i would have faith in God. But if i was tossed into a den of starving lions? it would be interesting :). ...could you imagine how boring that would be after the first hour or so? i'd be starving to death by morning. i wonder what lion meat tastes like...
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