ON THE VANGUARD

NOT GONNA BOW
“Then the herald loudly proclaimed, ‘This is what you are commanded to do, O peoples, nations and men of every language: As soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. Whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace.’”
Daniel 3:4-6

When I was but just a youth of twelve or so, I remember going to my first youth camp. In was in February, and I remember that the church bus was grounded because of snow. Living in southern California growing up, snow was something we drove to see, not something we saw touching the ground where I was. As this camp was in the mountains, and snow had just fallen, only those with 4x4 or chains were allowed to take the kids. So as such, I piled into my friend’s dad’s jeep and we headed up to camp. Since we all took different rides, my ride was one of the first to arrive. We unloaded our things from the jeep and went into the chapel to await our fearless youth leader. But while waiting, another youth group was practicing their dance routine for the evening service. I remember thinking the dancing was fair, but the song caught my attention. They were dancing to Russ Taff’s, Not Gonna Bow.
I woke with this song in my head this morning, and soon found myself on youtube trying to find the video. As I listened to it, I was taken back in time to not only this memory, but in my mind’s eye I landed in the time of the three Hebrew boys, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. The faith of these three men was tested. Measuring ninety feet tall and stretching nine feet wide, King Nebuchadnezzar erected a statue of himself and positioned it on the plain of Dura. Then summoning all his royal officials, the king declared a day of dedication for the newly constructed image. It was at this grand ceremony that the decree was made concerning the allegiance and punishment related to the icon. The stage was set, the rules and punishment had been laid down, and now the first examination of all of Babylon was being undertaken. As soon as the sound of music was heard, all the peoples, nations and men of every language fell prostrate in honor of the king, and in fear of the consequence. All, that is, except for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
Seeing a lack of obedience from these men, those serving the king approached Nebuchadnezzar to point it out. They advised him that even though the sounds of music were heard, not all the people were obeying. And not only were some not obeying, but the one’s in disobedience were Jews. Nebuchadnezzar was angry with these men and had them summoned to stand judgment. The king wanted to make sure these men had heard the instruction, so he repeated it. He again told the men that when they heard the music they were required to bow down and worship the image or face the judgment for their actions. However, he added one little comment, a challenge so to say, when speaking alone with these men. He added, “’Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?’”(Dan 3:15).
Being obedient to the Law of Moses as we read in Exodus 20:5, these men would not bow down to an idol, even with the furnace being their fate. Enraged that they would not bow, the king cranked up the furnace seven times hotter and threw the three Hebrew men inside. The fire was so intense that it burned the soldiers standing guard. Yet, when Nebuchadnezzar and his advisers looked into the flame, they saw not three, but rather four men walking around in the fire. In shock and awe, the king shouted out to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to come out of the furnace. As the men were inspected, it was seen that God had protected them. No hair was seared, no smell of smoke lay on their clothes, and no burns appeared on their bodies. The fire was so hot that it burned the king’s guards, yet did not even leave a sight or smell of these men of God. God rocked the kingdom of Babylon that day as these men stood tenacious, risking everything for God. They believed God would come through. As such, the king ordered a decree that if anyone spoke ill of the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they would pay a dear price.
So where does this account leave us? It leaves us being questioned as to what we may be bowing down to. Are we of those who hear the king’s decree and obey man over God? Do we fear the furnace and therefore bow down? Or are we of those who hear God’s command concerning the bowing to other gods and declare, “Come hell or high water, I will not bow!” I am tired of bowing down to the king, to man, and to the enemy, and fearing them more than my God. This account proves that when we put God first and obey Him we are the victors. Hear this, and hear it well devil, “I am NOT GONNA BOW!”