Daniel 3:7 Therefore, as soon as they heard the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp and all kinds of music, all the nations and peoples of every language fell down and worshiped the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
“Sore Thumb sticks out.”
A 13 years old Christian girl was demanded to remove the cross on her necklace in the UK as it would adversely affect other diverse religious beliefs. However, Muslim and Sikh pupils were allowed to wear the symbols of their religion. The power of the cross from a tiny crucifix in the chain of a teenager stood out as a sore thumb to the education system.
King Nebuchadnezzar had a horrendous idea – he fashioned a golden image which was about 27 meters tall and 2.7 meters wide. An orchestra of horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music were set up and at the sound of the loud music everyone in the kingdom had to fall down and worship the idol. The Bible does not give us details of the image but scholars believe that it was most likely the figure of a Babylonian god, Marduk. Those who refused to bow down were thrown into a fiery furnace.
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, the Jewish exiles in Babylon made a resolute decision not to bow down to any deity or man-made gods. So, at the sound of the mega orchestra, every human around them was flat on their face but these three men stood straight up and stood out like a sore thumb!
While it is important to submit to authority, we are not bound by any law that is contrary to the Word of God. Just because the law of a nation legalizes abortion, prostitution and inclusion of LGBTQ, it does not make it ‘right’/‘righteous’.
Stand Up:
1. Separate: We might be ostracized or mistreated but we must separate ourselves from compromisers. “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world” (John 17:16).
2. Synchronize: Synchronizing with the world will sink us into ungodliness. Don’t sync, stand out.
3. Sanctify: Separating ourselves will sanctify us from all worldliness.
Standing on God’s Word will make us stand out like sore thumbs.
Prayer: Father God, give me the courage to stand up and refuse to conform or to compromise on Biblical principles and truth. Amen.
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