The Fourth One Is Real Shiney

Over the past several years, I've seen a lot of Veggie Tales.  Then we had kids and I watched them even more often (he-he-he).  For the uninitiated, Veggie Tales is a series of videos that tell Bible stories and Biblical moral lessons using animated vegetables.  That may sound wierd, but they're actually really well done.  In fact, I just realized that 2013 marks twenty years of Veggie Tales.  Okay, that makes me feel a little older than I felt a few minutes ago.

Anyway, one of the classics is called Rack, Shack and Benny, which is the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and the firey furnace from Daniel chapter 3.  The scene is transplanted to Nebby K. Nezzer's chocolate factory where Rack, Shack and Benny work making chocolate bunnies.  Mr. Nezzer decides to erect a giant statue of the bunny and, when he says so, everyone will bow down and sing "The Bunny Song," which is filled with lyrics that the boys know are wrong.  Well, as you probably guessed, the boys don't sing and are thrown into the firey furnace.  Mr. Lunt, the foreman then remarks, "Hey, there are four guys in there, and one of them's reeeeeaal shiney."

So, fun stuff and a memorable way to remember the story and the lesson it teaches about faithfulness to God.  But today, as I was thinking about the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego as told in Daniel 3, I realized something was missing.  I hadn't thought about it before, but there is something very conspicuous by its absence.  Where's Daniel?  He is in every other chapter of the book, but is not mentioned once in chapter 3.  Why is that?  There are a couple different possibilities.  This particular story could have taken place in a different part of Babylon; Daniel could have been away on an envoy to another nation.  The most disturbing possibility is that he was not only present when this happenned, but was one of those who bowed to the giant image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar had constructed.

Whether or not this was the case, we don't know, but imagine for a moment that it was.  Why would he do it?  Well, I know if I was there, there would be a certain amount of something called, I don't know, fear that might grip my soul.  Remember, no one knew the end of the story at that time.  Daniel may have thought "what good would it do me to serve God in this country if I'm dead, burnt to a crisp?  I won't really be bowing in my heart and God will know that."  I can also imagine that after the end of the story (if this is in fact what happenned) the immense guilt Daniel would have felt for compromising when he knew he should have stood with his friends. 

It's an interesting speculation. Whether Daniel bowed the first time or not, we can learn from the idea that he may have. I can certainly say that there have been times that I have compromised, that I have bowed to other gods. Over the years, my idols have had various names: music, popularity, girls, money, career...etc., etc., etc. You can probably name some of the same and perhaps others.

Now, compare Daniel 3 with Daniel chapter 6, usually known as "Daniel and the Lion's Den."  The two chapters are strikingly similar.  There is a new king who doesn't know about previous events and orders that he is to be worshipped as god.  Anyone who worships another god will be torn apart by lions.  Well, this time, Daniel does what he knows is right and worships God alone "as was his custom since early days."  He then faces a "firey furnace" of his own and is thrown into the lion's den, but is unharmed.

Praise God that He is forgiving.  He is the God of the second chance.  Think of the Biblical examples of this:  Cain, Abraham, Jacob, Moses, David, Jonah, Peter, Mary Magdelene, Zaccheas, etc. and etc. and etc.  When we fall, He helps us back up.  If we learn from our mistakes, the next time the opportunity to bow comes along, we would rather face a horde of lions than do it.