Friday – Prophets

Reading – Daniel 3-4

Highlight Verse:

“But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.”
‭‭Daniel‬ ‭3‬:‭18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

At first reading, this verse sounds like they are bravely hedging their bets.

I think they are just trying to make their stand perfectly clear so there would be no doubt in the king’s mind about their commitment to God.

What really stood out to me from this verse is how respectful they were to the king.

They used the polite term “your majesty” (or “Oh king” depending on the translation). While they refused to worship the image of the king, they still showed proper respect for him.

And the king got royally ticked off.

That begs the question whether we should couch our statements of faith with respect or not. If it ticks people off all the more, is it worth it?

I say look at the results.

While we can’t say what would have happened if they had not shown respect, I am sure that it was the truth that caused the king to crank up the heat. It was the miraculous deliverance that opened the king’s eyes to the truth.

It’s quite possible that it was the respect that caused the king to honor Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego after they stepped out of the furnace.

When you speak truth to someone, do you water down the truth to make it less likely to cause offense?
Or do you speak the truth bluntly?
Or do you surround it with respect?