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Loyal to God or to Men?, May 22
We ought to obey God rather than men.
Acts 5:29
.
Daniel and his companions had a conscience void of offense toward
God. But this is not preserved without a struggle. What a test was brought
on the three associates of Daniel when they were required to worship the
great image set up by the King Nebuchadnezzar in the plains of Dura!
Their principles forbade them to pay homage to the idol, for it was a rival
to the God of heaven. They knew that they owed to God every faculty
they possessed, and while their hearts were full of generous sympathy
toward all men, they had a lofty aspiration to prove themselves entirely
loyal to their God....
The king declared to the three Hebrew youth, if “ye fall down and
worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye
shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and
who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?” The youth said
to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this
matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the
burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But
if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor
worship the golden image which thou hast set up....” (
Daniel 3:15-19
)....
Those faithful youth were cast into the fire, but God manifested His power
for the deliverance of His servants. One like unto the Son of God walked
with them in the midst of the flame, and when they were brought forth,
not even the smell of fire had passed on them....
Thus these youth, imbued with the Holy Spirit, declared to the whole
nation their faith, that He whom they worshiped was the only true and
living God. This demonstration of their own faith was the most eloquent
presentation of their principles. In order to impress idolaters with the
power and greatness of the living God, His servants must reveal their
own reverence for God. They must make it manifest that He is the only
object of their honor and worship, and that no consideration, not even the
preservation of life itself, can induce them to make the least concession to
idolatry. These lessons have a direct and vital bearing upon our experience
in these last days.
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