| The Christian Life | August 1943 |
Three Hebrews Proved It
God Is Able
“Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us.”—Daniel 3:17
FROM the time the Lord said to the serpent, “I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed,” His true people have been subject to attack by those under the leadership and selfish influence of the devil. (Gen. 3:15) God has not prevented these attacks but has always been a “very present help” to enable His faithful servants to bear them.—Psalm 46:1; I Corinthians 10:13
It was so in the case of the three Hebrews, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They were called upon to decide between worshiping the true God and doing homage to the image set up by Nebuchadnezzar. The penalty for disobeying the king’s decree was death in a fiery furnace. These three stalwarts of the Lord knew that God was able to deliver them if it were His will.
“Our God,” they said, “is able to deliver us.” On this great fact their faith rested. Whether He would or not was something they were willing to leave in His hands. The important thing with them was that their God was “able.” They knew Him so well, and had such boundless confidence in Him that they were satisfied whatever He decided to do would be for their best, eternal welfare.
The example of the three Hebrew children will mean much to us if we, like they, have full confidence in “our God.” Today, even as then, there are many gods, or idols, which demand our time, attention, and worship.
It may be possible to escape the very trials which envelop those who are led by the Spirit of the true God—for His Spirit leads in the way of sacrifice and death. But, if we know “our God” as we should, we will not be tempted to draw aside from the path of sacrifice, but will continue on, regardless of what the cost may be.
Like the three Hebrews, we, too, can say that our God is “able.” He is able to deliver, and will deliver, even though the deliverance is by way of the fiery furnace. There is, of course, to be a final deliverance when the rebuke of God’s people will be taken away from off the face of the whole earth forever. (Isa. 25:8) Deliverance that now comes in every time of need, however, is not necessarily escape from trials, but divine help to bear them.
The three Hebrews were cast into the fiery furnace. Their God did not prevent that, but the fire didn’t hurt them. A divine messenger—like unto the son of—God—appeared in the furnace with them, and they were not burned by the flames. God is dealing with us as “new creatures” in Christ. The fiery trials which try us may burn the flesh, but “our God” will help us bear the pain, and as new creatures we will be strengthened by trial, and eventually perfected and delivered, if we remain faithful unto death.—Revelation 2:10