Hidden (Krypto) Treasures

To get pearls, one must dive deep!

Tag: God in the fire

Lessons from the 3 Hebrew men :: In Fire

By

On September 23, 2010

In 3 Hebrew Men, Christian

When the 3 Hebrew men, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, chose to follow God’s command of not worshipping any other god or idol and refused to follow the king’s command that required them to worship the image of the king, they were thrown into a blazing furnace. However, miraculously God shows up in the fire and delivers them from their bondage.

The Holy Spirit of God is often likened to Fire. In the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit symbolically appeared as tongues of fire (Act 2:3). When God was pleased with a sacrifice, Fire descended from heaven as a means to demonstrate God’s acceptance of man’s sacrifice (1 Chronicles 21:26). Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego offered their bodies as a living sacrifice and God was pleased with their offering and accepted their willingness to sacrifice themselves, by showing up in the fire.

Point(s) to ponder:
Have you and I offered our lives as a living sacrifice to God? When we believe in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit is poured into us and God shows up in our life. And when one is filled with the Fire of God (Holy Spirit), then the external fiery trials of life can’t consume us. Are you and I filled with the Fire of God? In other words, have you and I accepted Jesus Christ to be our Lord and Master?

Jesus in the OT :: Daniel

By

On December 22, 2009

In Christian, Jesus in the O.T.

The book of Daniel gives us a glimpse of who Jesus is in the Old Testament (O.T).

The book can be divided into two major sections. The first half is about the Personal life of Daniel (Chapter 1-6) while the second half  is about the Prophetic life of Daniel (Chapter 7-12), about the visions/revelation to Daniel. Rightfully so, Daniel can be said to be the Revelation of the end times in the O.T.

From the first half of the book, you can see how God is with Daniel and his friends who are faithful, in the midst of fire and fierce lions. God is their judge and the justice of God prevails. The very name Daniel means God is my Judge and you see this character of God being evident in the life of Daniel and his faithful friends. In the story of the 3 Hebrew boys, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, whom we commonly known by their Babylonian names as Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, when these boys were thrown into the consuming fire, not only was God’s PROTECTION with them because they came out unscathed, but God’s PRESENCE was with them as well.

The fascinating account is recorded in Daniel 3 and the synopsis of that account is as follows

  1. The boys were cast into the fire bound by the mighty men of the land; They however came out of the fire loosed by the Almighty God of all men
  2. The king saw someone else in the fire whom he identified as the Son of God (Jesus Christ – the Only begotten and beloved Son of God)

Today, irrespective of what your situation is, if you earnestly seek to be free of bondage and the fire around you to be quenched, all you have to do is just open the eyes of your heart and look to Jesus, the Son of God, in the midst of the fire, protecting and freeing you. Pay attention and heed to what He is telling you, for He is the beloved Son of God, in whom God is well pleased.

From the second half of the book, as we continue to explore Christ in the scriptures, lets look at Daniel 7:9 which is recorded as

9 I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: [on] his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.

Remember Jesus said , Before Abraham was, I am (John 8:58). He indeed is the Ancient of days, from before the time of Abraham or even creation (Psalm 90:2).
Jesus also said that He saw Satan [star] fall from heaven  (Luke 10:18; Rev 9:1). The throne of Satan cast down.

In Daniel, Jesus is the Ancient of days and He is not only the protecting Son of God but He is also the PRESENT Son of God, in the midst of the fire.

No matter what – I will not bow

By

On October 14, 2009

In Christian, No matter what

Many decisions that ought to be taken are not taken due to one of the following reasons:
1. we try to rationalize the situation assuming that our finite and limited human minds has infinite comprehension and abilities or
2. we think of the consequences of the decision and are paralyzed for fear of life or fear of being ridiculed.

In today’s text, taken from Daniel 3, we will look at the three Hebrew men Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah known more familiarly as Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who chose not to bow to any idol and worship NO MATTER WHAT.

As a backdrop to these characters, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had erected a statue (idol) of himself and decreed that all should fall down and worship it and those who failed to obey would be cast into a fiery furnace that very hour. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who were appointed administrators serving the king, chose to stand their ground and not succumb to this edict, knowing that in doing so, they would violate God’s commandments. When questioned by the king, they responded that their resolve in deed was, that they would not bow to his idol or worship him, irrespective of whether they are delivered or not. This infuriated the king who commands that the fire be heated seven times more and they are bound and cast in. Soon after the king witnesses that the three are loose, walking, not hurt and with them he see another whose appearance resembled that of the Son of God. The three are asked to come out of the fire by the king and they do. Seeing that they are free (who were bound) and who had quenched the thirst of the fiery furnace coming out unscathed and without a single singe, the king promulgates that there should be no longer any defiance against the God whom Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego worship, the one true God.

These men chose not to bow and worship any idol or image, NO MATTER WHAT. If Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego  had rationalized or thought of the consequences, they may have succumbed to the edict of the king. Of course the rational thought would have been that we are appointed to serve him, why not worship his image as well. The consequences of not following the king’s order meant immediate (within an hour) certain death by fire. However, their act of faithfulness to God not only did it deliver them from the fiery furnace, but also proved to the heathen king, that the God whom they served and solely worshiped had the power to meet his faithful ones, in the midst of the fiery situation they are in, and can break the bonds that bind them, and deliver them. These three chose not to bow to anyone or anything else, other than Jehovah God, NO MATTER WHAT and this meant that they were unwilling to violate God’s first and second commandments – You shall have no other gods before me and You shall not make any idols, even if such a decision meant the price to pay is your life. They knew that succumbing to the first death by fire was infinitesimally insignificant when compared to  the second death in the fiery lake of hell and so chose not to bow and worship the king’s image, NO MATTER WHAT.

Points to ponder:

  1. What are the idols/images that you and I succumb to (bow down) and worship (give preeminence) before God?
  2. Can we take the step to not bow and worship anyone or anything else, other than God, without rationalizing or thinking of the consequences, NO MATTER WHAT?

Powered by WordPress & Theme by Anders Norén