Article May 2, 1994 Issue

Obedience to divine law—not golden images

Original in German

Jeanne Maschke

All of us are exposed to law—in our cities and towns, in our countries. Most of the these laws are good and helpful, but what would we do if they were not?

The Bible tells of a case when three Hebrew men had to face such a situation (see Dan. 3:1–28). King Nebuchadnezzar had a golden image set up as a token of his power and decreed that all people in his kingdom, without exception, were to worship it. Anyone who did not obey was to suffer death in a fiery furnace.

At that time there were Hebrews living in Babylon, among them Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who enjoyed the king's favor and held high offices. Instead of obeying the king's command, they continued to pray to the one God whom they worshiped. They were informed on and thrown into the fire. Yet through their trust in God, they survived the ordeal so well that not even "the smell of fire had passed on them."

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