The Test + The Fire + The Sacrifice = The Promotion
Four Words, four Scriptures, and four questions just for you. Let’s start.
Colossians 1:27 –to whom God was pleased to make known how great for the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ within and among you, the Hope of (realizing the) glory. (AMP)
Although the Scripture above is from the New Testament, the story I will tell is from the Old Testament. In Daniel 3, we read about three Hebrew young men, Shadrach, Meshack, and Abednego. These names were assigned to them by their captors, but their real names were Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. If someone called you by a different name, you would still know your real name and all that it means. Names are significant and God confirms this over and over in His Word. We read about these three young men in Daniel 1 and again in Daniel 3. God gave them knowledge and skill in all literature and wisdom, ten times more than any in the kingdom. This gift from God put them in a position of influence in a land they did not know.
Then it happened. Their wisdom and skill were put to the test. In Daniel 3 they decided not to bow before the image that the king constructed. That decision was made in their hearts long before that day arrived. The very essence of who they were was partly found in their Hebrew names. Before being captured, their parents taught them the Torah and raised them to discern the things of the Hebrew God. It was etched in who they were. No doubt in the days gone by, people observed the wisdom, knowledge, and skill of Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, but on that day it came to the surface in an obvious way for all the nation to see.
So now we read in Hebrews 5:8 -…though He was a Son, He learned (active, special) obedience through what He suffered.
When Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah defied the king and did not bow down to the image, Jesus was revealed from the inside out through their obedience. Surely, natural circumstances would say, “You will burn up in the fire!” But their hearts spoke and said, “O Nebuchadnezzar, it is not necessary for us to answer you on this point. If our God whom we serve can deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up!”
They were bound, carried, and thrown into the fire, yet the men who carried them died on the outside of the furnace. Once in the fire, Jesus appeared and saved them, just like they boldly declared. Now, the Jesus on the inside of them was tangible for all to see. The young men emerged from the fire purified. Even their clothes did not smell of smoke. The ropes burned off. Clothes intact. They walked with Jesus, the fourth man in the fire. Christ in them the hope of glory! These three young men did not know the outcome. They left that up to the God they served.
This next Scripture is found in Hebrews 10:12 –Whereas this One, Christ, after He had offered a single sacrifice for our sins, (that shall avail) for all time, sat down at the right hand of God.
If there was anything questionable in the lives of the three young Hebrew men it was burned up in the fire. They walked out purified and refined in the fire with the wood, hay, and stubble consumed.
King Nebuchadnezzar provided the fire and God provided the sacrifice. It was a heavenly setup. That Gentile nation and ruler caught a glimpse of God’s ultimate plan of Christ on the cross. Heaven’s sacrifice, God’s only Son, stood in the fire to deliver three Hebrew children demonstrating that one day He would hang on a cross to offer salvation for all mankind. That decision, to suffer and obey, was made long before he struggled in the garden.
Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah did it afraid. Sometimes we have to do it afraid because we do not know the outcome. We know that God has already provided for all who will believe, the ultimate sacrifice that allows us to know Him as the One that walks in the fire with us.
Let’s look at James 1:12 -Blessed, (happy, to be envied) is the man who is patient under trial and stands up under temptation, for when he has stood the test and been approved, he will receive (the victor’s) crown of life which God has promised to those who love Him.
I don’t think Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah had a promotion in mind when they defied the king, but that is exactly what they got. They were already in positions of authority, but it looked like that was about to be over – for good. These young men used the fire as an opportunity to display their faith, their boldness, and lay down their lives for God. The persecution through the fire came first, and the promotion followed. God, on the other hand, used the fire to accomplish His purposes on earth. A promotion was coming but not in the way anyone planned except for God. Not only did promotion come to these three men who walked out of the fire, but King Nebuchadnezzar demanded the entire nation worship the God of these Hebrew young men. A nation was saved because these men were brave.
~ Are you ready to take a stand for what you believe is the truth of God’s Word? What does that mean for you where God has you right now?
~ Have you faced a situation that made it hard to obey? Was it harder than a fiery furnace? Can you trust God with the outcome?
~ Can you accept His sacrifice and embrace His love today?
~ Can you trust that Jesus will join you in the fire, bring you through it, and promote you to a place that only He can provide?
Until next time, remember the heart of the matter is the matter of the heart.
Dr. Michele Morgan
January 5, 2025
