FW: Where was the 4th man?…A Lesson From The Amish

This one came to me from my lovely sister:

Dan 3:13-30

13 Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, 14 and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up? 15 Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?”

16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual 20 and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. 21 So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace. 22 The king’s command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, 23 and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace.

24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?” They replied, “Certainly, O king.”

25 He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.”

26 Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!” So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, 27 and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.

28 Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. 29 Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way.”

30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the province of Babylon.

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In the last couple of days I have been very saddened to watch the news coverage of the slayings in the schools across our country. Specifically this week my heart has wept as I watched the news about what happened in Pennsylvania. Perhaps because of the pacifism of the Amish but more than that it was because of the conviction of the people. These people didn’t decide to step aside for an emergency meeting to try and get on the same emotional page and present a formal statement. Their decision, their “lifestyle”, their faith in God was decided long before the crisis hit. No amount of discussion or speculation or goading from reporters can change one simple fact: they will not bow to the god of unforgivness no matter what.

I watched this morning as one of the reporters talked to the grandfather of two of the sisters that were murdered. They asked him how he was going to handle this and he said, “I have forgiven in my heart.” The reporter asked , “How is that possible?” and he replied, “With the help of God.”

In my Bible study today we talked about what loyalty meant. If you read 1 Chron 29:18

8 O LORD, God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac and Israel, keep this desire in the hearts of your people forever, and keep their hearts loyal to you.

“The original Hebrew word means, to be firm, be established, be steadfast, be faithful, be sure, be reliable, be fixed, be certain; to be ready, be prepared; to be determined…signifies initial preparation or formation, actual preparation for a future event.”

The part of this definition that resonated with me when I consider the reaction of the Amish community was the element of preparation. Think about this for a moment; loyal was not something we suddenly are at the flash-moment of testing. It is something that surfaces in the test. Loyalty means the question has already been answered. When sudden temptation poses a character question we do not have to consider how we will answer it.

The faith of the Amish is what amazed me. I think about the children, the little girls as they were executed and the fear and terror that they must have felt. I ask myself, if that was my child, my niece, how would I have reacted? Do I have a predetermined loyalty to Christ? Have I already answered the question in my heart and mind about whether anything could make me turn away from Him?

When you read the story above about the three men in the fire it is awesome in that God delivered them from the fire. As I pondered it this morning I found myself asking where was the 4th man in Colorado? Where was the 4th man in that one room school house? And then I felt the gentle whisper that said, “I was right there with them.” And I thought sometimes God delivers us from and sometimes He delivers us through and sometimes He delivers us home….

Think of how the faith of the Amish is effecting people as they watch this story unfold each day. Think about the fact that last night on national television 3 mothers were talking about how they get together with women across the nation with “Mom’s in Touch” and pray for our children and our schools each week, each day…when would that have ever gotten air time in our day to day reality. Think about how differently you looked at your kids today and how you counted your blessings to kiss them on the forehead as you tucked them in last night. God was there…and in the end my prayer is that as a nation we will all proclaim honor for the God of the Amish people…the 4th man in the fire.

Believing God,

Susan