Today's Scripture: Daniel 3:8-30, Exodus 20:4-6, Exodus 20:1-17, and Philippians 2:14-16
Today's study really focuses on staying true to yourself, your beliefs and Gods word. We have all faced peer pressure as teens when outside influences are bearing down on us and we have the conflict of standing up for what we know to be the right thing or going along with the crowd. This pressure from outside influences is often felt throughout our lives and was definitely felt by Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.
Daniel and the three other men were taken from Jerusalem to a strange place with a strange culture. The Babylonians made sure to make all the people taken from Jerusalem feel comfortable and at home, to convert them to the language, culture and religion of Babylon. The men's faith was tested the very first night when the king ordered that the men eat the food and drink the wine that was sacrificed to the golden idol, which the men knew God. The young men withstood this temptation and asked that the guard to serve them only vegetables and water as a test for 10 days after the test was over and the guard saw that they looked better than the other men (who had drank and eaten the sacrificial food and wine) the guard decided that the vegetarian meal would continue.
The next test of the men's faith came when the king built a ninety foot high golden idol and expected everyone to bow down to worship this idol. But the three men stood tall and while a see of people bowed down to this idol they stayed standing.This is exactly what God wants, He wants us to standout in a way that shows other that we follow His word. He wants us to act in these ways so that others can clearly see and take notice that our actions that are inspired by God. When the King demanded they bow down or be thrown into the blazing fire, the men refused and said their God will protect them from the fire as a reward for their loyalty and even if they did burn they would not bow down except to their own God.
The King ordered the men bound and thrown into the fire, but what did they see? Four men walking around in the fire unharmed, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, Azariah and a fourth that "looks like a son of gods." God stayed right by the young men's side and went with them through the punishment. God will always be by our side through thick and thin, good times and bad ones. When we stand for God we will never stand alone.
The king then ordered that anyone who did not worship the God of Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah they would be killed, for no other God can save in this way. We should always stand up for God even when the whole world is bowing down to something else.
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