DYNAMIS!
A publication of St. George Orthodox Christian Cathedral
Wichita, KS
Sunday of the Holy Forefathers of
Christ
Fish, Wine, & Oil Tone 4 Dec.
16, 2007
Kellia: Daniel 3:24-30
Epistle: Colossians 3:4-11
Gospel: St.
Luke 14:16-24
Life in Exile: Daniel 3:24-30 LXX, especially vs. 28: “Nebuchadnezzar said, ‘Blessed be the God
of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, Who has sent His angel and delivered His
servants, who trusted in Him, and set at naught the king’s command, and
yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own
God.’” After the
armies of Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to the city of
The writings of the Prophet Daniel are helpful
to Christians living in a society in which there is continuous pressure to
conform to a dominant world-view whose assumptions oppose the given truths of
the Faith. Three youths of the
exile community of God’s People refused the command to join in pagan
worship, for it was plain to them that the idol was not the true God. They were willing, as Daniel reports, to
die rather than pretend to worship the image. They told the king frankly that they
would “not serve [his] gods or worship the golden image which [he had]
set up”(Dan. 3:18). So, “full of
fury,” the king had them thrown into a fiery furnace.
First, observe that God is present with His
faithful People in the worst of trials.
In this instance, the Lord did intervene miraculously and personally,
taking the form of a fourth Person in the furnace, walking with the three in
the fire (Dan 3:25). Thereby He
kept them safe from any effects of the flames (vs. 27). However, one should not conclude that
this deliverance of the three youths is in any way an assurance that God will
in most instances overcome the course of nature and miraculously deliver the
faithful from duress. Rather, it is
an assurance that He will be present with us whenever we stand firm for the
Faith, even to death. The faithful
witness of a host of martyrs for Christ also reveals this truth.
Second, notice that
their faithfulness effected a real change in Nebuchadnezzar. He blessed “the God of Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego, Who...sent His angel and delivered His servants, who
trusted in Him” (vs. 28).
This was not conversion to the true Faith, but the king’s
acceptance of the validity of the Faith.
He was moved to tolerate and admire their Faith. His shift in policy allowed the People
of God to practice the Faith freely.
Let us note that out of the Babylonian exile, the Jewish community
developed the institution of the synagogue with its reading and exposition of
the written word of God, practices which formed and underlie the present
structure and practice of centering the first portion of the Divine Liturgy
upon Holy Scripture.
Finally, Daniel makes
clear that only a small change was achieved in the heart and mind of the
Babylonian king by this extraordinary miracle. Was he moved to general tolerance? Not at all. Instead, he ordered that anyone who
should speak “against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego [should]
be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins” (vs. 29).
What a vivid reminder
of the complications of winning others to the true Faith, especially those who
have been raised to believe in false religions! While on the one hand, we can rejoice
that Nebuchadnezzar “promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego” (vs.
30), let us also heed what St. Nikolai of Zica tells
us: “Daniel and the Three Children lived to a great old age in Babylon,
and were beheaded with the sword for the true Faith.” The mission of the Church to disciple
the nations (Mt. 28:19) must continue until the Lord returns and brings history
to a close.
Great are the
achievements of faith! In the
fountain of flame as by the water of rest, the Three Holy Children
rejoiced. By their prayers , O Christ God, Save our souls.
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