July 15, 2019 -- Daniel 3:1, 4-6 -- Who is God?

King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits and its breadth six cubits…And the herald proclaimed aloud, “You are commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, that when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. And whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace.

Daniel 3:1,4-6 ESV

Yesterday our preacher at Mt. Zion here in Moncton, NB, was a divinity student named: Tim Collins. He did an awesome job explaining this text. What really stood out for me, among other things, was this statement he made: “I am not sure how one commissions a god”. We might chuckle at foolishness of the ancients. A king who sets up a god and people who are naïve enough to bow down. Collins made a great point that shows the relevance for us today.

Consider the idol our own government has set up. While purporting to be a federal government, ruling all the people and respecting all kinds of people and their practices, yet the requirement to apply for federal funding has this despicable basis:

Employers from the not-for-profit, public and private sector may apply for wage contributions under the Canada Summer Jobs initiative.

Private sector employers must have 50 or fewer full-time employees across Canada to be eligible. Full-time employees are those working 30 hours or more per week.

To be eligible, the core mandate of the organization must respect individual human rights in Canada, including the values underlying the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (Charter) as well as other rights. These include reproductive rights and the right to be free from discrimination on the basis of sex, religion, race, national or ethnic origin, colour, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation or gender identity or expression.

The attestation is required for the application to be considered complete and eligible for assessment.

Note: That an organization is affiliated with a religion does not itself constitute ineligibility for this program.

https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/services/funding/canada-summer-jobs/eligibility.html

This is reprehensible. Believers in our Lord Jesus Christ, who are faithful to the Word of God cannot apply for federal funding where the requirement is to endorse the murder of children, let alone the other stipulations which elevate disordered sexuality to the point where even Christian values are required to be subservient to it. If you spend a bit of time thinking about it, you realize, this is how a government today commissions a god. The Canadian government has set up a god by mandating a belief system contrary to the rule of God—the very rule of God which once governed our land. For the Christian the Word of God and allegiance to Jesus Christ supersedes all these false gods.

How then shall we live as Christians?

Pray for our government—that Christian MP’s and MPP’s will be heard. Pray for bold Christian advisors to our government who will speak against the errors of commissioning these false gods. The glorious highlight of Daniel 3 is the confession of Nebuchadnezzar that God is true.

Pray for fellow believers and for yourselves, that we will be able to stand against these draconian regulations. In Daniel 3, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego defied Nebuchadnezzar’s decree. They were thrown into a fiery furnace, but God spared them. Yet before they knew whether or not the LORD would spare they, they made this declaration to the king: “…our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image you have set up” (Daniel 3:17-18).

Live in obedience to Jesus Christ. This is the most potent witness to the world around us. When a non-Christian sees the follower of Jesus Christ living joyfully, boldly, and thankfully in a world that is in rebellion against God, it is such a powerful witness to Christ our King. Remember the words of Daniel 3:17, “we serve” it is an on-going action, faithful service to the Living God, day in and day out, week in and week out.

God of Glory, You spoke through the prophet Isaiah, witnessing to Your majesty when You declared:

“To whom then will you liken God,

or what likeness compare with him?

An idol! A craftsman casts it,

and a goldsmith overlays it with gold

and casts silver for its chains.

He who is too impoverished for an offering

chooses wood that will not rot;

he seeks out a skilled craftsman

to set up an idol that will not move.

To whom will you compare me,

that I should be like him? says the Holy One.

Lift up your eyes on high and see:

who created these?

He who brings out the their hosts by number,

calling them all by name,

by the greatness of His might,

and because he is strong in power

not one of them is missing.

There is no power, no authority, no might, no dominion that is anywhere that is in Your league or even comes close to Your greatness. Sovereign of Heaven and Earth thank You for the men and women who serve in government here in Canada who acknowledge You alone as Lord. Thank You for their dedicated service. Everlasting God, You Who give power to the weak, strengthen us to live as faithful servants of Jesus Christ in this difficult day and age. Rule us by Your Word and Spirit. Amen.

quotation: Isaiah 40:18-20; 25-26 ESV