Not Gonna Bow

It was a simple choice for three young men who were living in exiles in a far-away land. Bow down to the giant idol in the image of the king and you keep your lives and your jobs. Hold on to your conviction and fail to bow and we throw you into a burning furnace and you die an agonizing death. It would have been easy for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (great names, eh?) to rationalize a quick kneel before the 90 foot high and 9 foot wide statue. Everyone else was doing it, and nobody would even notice them. It would be better for them to stay alive and find a way to change the world for the better than to die as young guys. And, bowing the knee doesn't necessarily mean we are bowing our hearts. But, these men made a radically different choice. The book of Daniel is all about God's people living in exile, and living with a different King. May we be as bold as these three men when faced with a furnace of death, and may we too find a fourth person in the midst of the flames.