May the fourth be with you.

Where We Left Off

We last left Shadrach Meshach and Abednego defiantly telling Nebuchadnezzar that their God is able to deliver them from his hand and even if he doesn’t we will never bow to your gods or serve them. Facing the fire where is your faith? When challenges come where do you find God at work, in the middle of the flames?

May 4 every year is known as Star Wars day. With people extending the greeting “May the fourth be with you.” A play on the catchy Star Wars greeting may the force be with you. Today let’s think about that greeting and day a little differently. The lives of Shadrach, Meschach, Abednego and even Nebuchadnezzar were saved and transformed because the fourth was with them.

Today as we go through the firery furnace, lets remember our faith isn’t in the furnace. It isn’t in the storm, our faith is in God who meets us in the fire.

May the fourth be with!

The Fourth = The LORD

Anger and Fire

Nebuchadnezzar did not like the response of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Their response angered him so much that his face became deformed, as the temperature of his temper rose so did the temperature of the fire. He commanded the furnace be heated seven times hotter than normal. This brought the furnace to its maximum temperature.

Nebuchadnezzar had his strongest men tie up Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego, fully dressed. Nebuchadnezzar was so angry that these orders were carried out with haste. We are told three times while on their way to the fiery furnace that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were tied up. Keep that in mind and notice when we find them again unbound.

The fire is so hot that Babylon’s strongest men die just carrying out the kings orders. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego securely bound completely and utterly helpless, fell into the fire.

Out of the Frying Pan and Into the Fire

Despite their great confession of faith in God. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego are tied up and thrown into the furnace. After refusing to fall for the golden image they fell into the flames. Where is the deliverance they had such faith in? Remember their faith in God was so unwavering that whether God delivered or not their faith is in God alone. Even if. What happens next transforms the story completely.

The Fourth

Daniel 3:25 “25 He replied, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the middle of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the fourth has the appearance of a god.””

Nebuchadnezzar jumps from his seat and looks at the furnace and asks a puzzling question. “Didn’t we tie up and throw three men into the fire?”

“Yes we certainly did” his advisers respond.

“Look!” Nebuchadnezzar shouted, “I see four men, unbound, walking around in the fire unharmed! And the fourth looks like a god!”

The King James version translates that looks like the Son of God. This gives us the image of Christ walking around in the fire with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Later on the fourth becomes an angel but lets go with the initial recognition for a moment. This recognition transforms the situation. Remember the great emphasis put on the binding of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego? The first thing listed after the recognition of the fourth is that they are unbound. The ministry of Christ is to unbind those who are held captive or bound under oppression. Luke 4:18–19 “18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”” The first thing done they are set free in the middle of the fire. There isn’t a chain of bondage God in Christ can’t break.

Important to remember God didn’t deliver them from going through the furnace, God steps into the furnace and leads them through it. The recognition of the Son of God walking around in the middle of the flames of life should remind us of the incarnation, God becoming human in the person of Jesus Christ.

John 1:14 “14 And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.”

Recognizing Christ is the turning point of your story and this story.

The Turnaround

Nebuchadnezzar runs to the furnace as close as he can get, and calls for Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to come out of the fire. There’s been a change he recognizes them as servants of the Most High God. What was once a small g is now a big G. They come out unbound, not a hair harmed, not any of their clothes burnt, they didn’t even smell like smoke.

Nebuchadnezzar stops to give praise to God.

Daniel 3:28 “28 Nebuchadnezzar said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants who trusted in him. They disobeyed the king’s command and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God.”

Nebuchadnezzar displays faith in God at their deliverance. Faith that allowed for even if he doesn’t, didn’t just save Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego from the fires of their life, but transformed the rage of a ruthless tyrant.

When we face fires and storms in our lives let’s have even if faith. That kind of faith transforms. Let’s remember God steps into the furnace of life with us, unbinds the ties and walks through the fire with us.

May the Fourth (The LORD) be With you

There’s an ancient greeting in the church, that reminds each other no matter what we are going through, God is with us. May the fourth be with you, of Daniel 3 has become “May the LORD be with you!” The right response isn’t silence when those words are uttered. There is one response “And also with you.”

When you hear those words a brother or sister in Christ has just reminded you that no matter what you’re going through. No matter the furnace or flames you face remember God is with you. “May the LORD be with you!”

Remember your even if faith can and will transform your life and the lives of others.

We are all going through “It” as we are going through “it” let’s have even if faith. and “May the fourth, the LORD be with you.”