Heroes, Pt. 4: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego

Never has the need in the Church for revitalizing leaders been more acute. Although hard data is still being collected, every indication is that the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated dramatically the situation. Churches that were before COVID-19 plateaued now find their pews decimated, and congregations that were in visible decline are now clinging to life. In fact, even churches that were healthy pre-COVID need revitalizing leaders to help them draft effective strategies for the post-pandemic world. How do we identify these leaders? Perhaps more importantly, how do we become these leaders?

Fortunately, the Old Testament’s record of Israel’s downward spiral from God’s chosen nation to exile and back again produced a parade of men and women which we can examine to find the essential traits of a revitalizing leader, including Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. We first meet this trio in Daniel 1, where we learn that they were taken captive with Daniel by the Babylonians about five years before the final fall of Jerusalem and indoctrinated with Babylonian culture so that they could serve in the king’s palace. Although many in Jerusalem continued to live in denial, from Shadrach’s, Meshach’s, and Abednego’s vantage point, Israel’s need for revitalization was clear. Moreover, their positions in the palace afforded them a unique opportunity to influence both the faithful remnant among the exiles and the thoroughly secular Babylonian realm. These heroes, then, were clearly revitalizing leaders, and there were at least three things that made them ideal for their role.

Revitalizing leaders are committed to the essentials.

In the opening verses of Daniel 3, Nebuchadnezzar built a gold statue and ordered his various officials to “fall facedown and worship” (vs 5) before it. Almost everyone complied, but in verse 8, “some Chaldeans took this occasion to come forward and maliciously accuse the Jews.” In particular, they pointed out that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego declined to worship the king’s statue, and they incited the king to punish them accordingly. They said in verse 12, “There are some Jews you have appointed to manage the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men have ignored you, the king; they do not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.” In the thoroughly polytheistic culture of Babylon, this was an outrageous affront. Every other person from every other nation accepted Nebuchadnezzar’s statue into the panoply of their gods, but these three men refused to compromise. Instead, they remained steadfast in their commitment to the God of Israel alone, and in so doing, they revealed a key trait of a revitalizing leader: Revitalizing leaders are committed to the essentials.

Do not overlook the qualifier in that statement. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were committed to worshiping God and only God. Yet, even their opponents recognized that they were appointed to manage the capital province. One did not claim such a prominent post by being universally obstinate, and indeed, a look back at Daniel 1 shows that these men accepted education concerning Chaldean language and literature, positions attending the pagan king, and even Babylonian names. In fact, they resisted only the diet because it would defile them. That is, they accommodated in many ways, and revitalizing leaders must do the same. Simply put, not every hill is worth dying on, and so revitalizing leaders will accommodate in the non-essentials. What color does the bathroom need to be? Do we play traditional or contemporary music? Will we have Sunday School or small groups? The revitalizing leader sees these things as means to the end of making more and better disciples of Jesus and so is willing to flex, even if it is not his/her preference.

When it came to the essentials, though, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were absolutely unwavering. They would not eat food that would defile them in chapter 1, and they would not bow in worship before Nebuchadnezzar’s idol in chapter 3. Put another way, they insisted that God be central for them as the people of God, and they would not knowingly violate his character or command. The importance of this to the revitalizing leader cannot be overstated. Too many churches, in the name of revitalization, focus on various events and outreach activities to the exclusion of God. They dilute the gospel for the sake of getting more people in the door. So also, too many churches invite people to follow Jesus but overlook sin among leaders and toxicity within the congregation. Real revitalizing leaders recognize that all of their work is for naught if they are not actually producing more and better followers of Jesus. Therefore, they are quick to accommodate in things that may help that mission, and they utterly refuse to waver in things that would detract from it.

Revitalizing leaders do not make excuses.

Of course, when Nebuchadnezzar heard that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had not bowed to his statue, he was livid. Verse 13 describes his mood as “a furious rage” as he called the trio onto the proverbial carpet, and one can imagine the king barely containing himself as he threatened in verse 15, “Now if you’re ready… fall down and worship the statue I made. But if you don’t worship it, you will immediately be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire – and who is the god who can rescue you from my power?” Yet, starting in verse 16, the three men replied, “Nebuchadnezzar, we don’t need to give you an answer to this question. If the God we serve exists, then he can rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire, and he can rescue us from the power of you, the king. But even if he does not rescue us, we want you as king to know that we will not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up.” Talk about guts! These three men knew what they would and would not do. They were not going to waste time making excuses either way, and like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, revitalizing leaders do not make excuses. Let us, however, be clear about what that means.

As we have seen, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were absolutely committed to the essentials. Indeed, they had heard the order. They knew the consequences for defying the order. They believed that God could save them, but they had no guarantee that he would save them. Neither were they going to tell God what he needed to do for them. Rather, they were committed to doing the right thing, regardless of whether it resulted in their salvation or martyrdom. So also, revitalizing leaders do the right thing, regardless. They commit themselves to the essentials with their eyes wide open. They may take heat from the church boss. They may run afoul of the budget committee. They may find themselves on the outs with their supervisors. They may even find themselves out of a job. They trust that God can save them from all of these things, but they dare not tell him what he needs to do. Instead, they pray earnestly, “Thy will be done,” and then get to work on what they know to be his will.

Further, when the heat came, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did not flinch. They did not waver, apologize, or plead for their lives. In fact, they did not even waste their time trying to answer Nebuchadnezzar’s question. Rather, they knew that they were acting in accordance with God’s will, and they let him make their defense. Today, too many revitalizing leaders spend too much time defending themselves and their actions. Now, that is not to say that he/she should not do everything possible to bring early, middle, and even late adopters along on the journey. Neither is it to say that he/she should not immediately repent of any mistakes or sin. Rather, it is to say that, once the decision is made and the plan is in motion, the revitalizing leader can – no, must – allow God to make his/her defense. One way or the other, they must trust that God will vindicate them. Perhaps he will do that by delivering them from the wrath of the angry parishioner. Perhaps he will do it by walking with the revitalizing leader through the furnace or even strengthening him/her to endure martyrdom.

This last bit is crucial because, sooner or later, the revitalizing leader will take pot shots from the disgruntled parishioner and/or irritable neighbor. They will make comments after the service and insinuations throughout the week. They will question motives. They will dismiss results. They will malign character. In nearly twenty years of leading revitalization at our church, I have experienced these things more times than I care to recount. Each time, it hurts. Yet, if the revitalizing leader worried about defending him/herself against all of these things, he/she would never get any real ministry done, and that plays right into the hand of our enemy, the devil.

Revitalizing leaders expect God to change things.

Of course, Shadrach’s, Meshach’s, and Abednego’s response did not sit well with Nebuchadnezzar. The king, we read in verse 19, “was filled with rage,” and he ordered the furnace stoked as hot as possible and our heroes thrown in. Thus, in verse 23, we find an ominous declaration: “And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego fell, bound, into the furnace of blazing fire.” Sometimes, like our heroes, revitalizing leaders fall into the fire. The challenges of revitalization are real. Yet, if God saved them, it would be a spectacular rebuke to the king’s narcissism. Conversely, if he allowed them to die, then it would be a clarion call for Jews to resist the compromises of secular paganism. Either way, the trio expected that God was going to use this moment and their experience – however it turned out – to change things, and revitalizing leaders have the same expectation. Whether he enables them to restore the congregation to effective ministry or he establishes them as a clear warning for other congregations headed down the same path, their efforts will not be in vain because revitalizing leaders expect God to change things, and in the following verses, we see some clues for how he will do that.

In verses 24 and 25, we discover that God was present with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fire. This, no doubt, came as a great comfort to our heroes, and it stands as a tremendous promise to revitalizing leaders going through their own fiery trials: they can expect God’s presence. As hot as things may be, he will be there with them in the midst of it. It is, however, interesting that the author chose to record this fact from the perspective of Nebuchadnezzar. Rather than sharing what God said to the trio when they landed, loosed their bonds, or invited them for a stroll, the author instead wrote that “Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in alarm” (vs 24) and pronounced, “I see four men, not tied, walking around in the fire unharmed; and the fourth looks like a son of the gods” (vs 25). This had such a profound effect on the king that, in verse 26, he called, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, you servants of the Most High God – come out!” Suddenly, we realize that God’s presence in the fire was not just for the benefit of our heroes, but that it actually had a profound impact on those who were watching from the sidelines. Indeed, the critics and resisters in the church who see the revitalizing leader navigate hardships and trials with the grace and peace that come only from the presence of the Lord will take notice, and those outside the church will recognize the authenticity of the leader’s faith and work as well. Perhaps, like Nebuchadnezzar, they will even turn completely around (i.e., repent).

Notice, though, that extracting Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from the flames was not the only thing that God changed. Starting in verse 28, after seeing that our heroes were utterly unaffected by the flames – “there was no smell of fire on them” – Nebuchadnezzar praised the Lord and decreed that everyone in the kingdom had to respect him “for there is no other god who is able to deliver like this.” Sadly, in Nebuchadnezzar’s case, this did not amount to a faith decision, but it did reveal a profound change, nonetheless. Before God’s appearance in the furnace, the Jewish God was just another impotent deity conquered by Babylon. Now, he was the singular God who was able to deliver. Before God’s appearance in the furnace, Nebuchadnezzar demanded that everyone worship his statue. Now, he commanded that they at least respect God. Before God’s appearance in the furnace, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were condemned for their defiance of the king. Now, they were rewarded in the capital province. When God appeared, he made an impact, and the same remains true for revitalizing leaders today. When God appears, he makes an impact. Circumstances, hearts, minds, and lives all change. Mountains are moved. Souls are saved. Churches are revived. Communities are renewed.

Conclusion

Because Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego committed themselves unswervingly to God and his command, refused to make excuses for what they would or would not do, and expected God to show up and change things, the posture of Nebuchadnezzar was changed and the Jews were given three powerful examples to follow. This moment did not result in the immediate restoration of the nation of Israel, but I would submit that it was a watershed moment for those living in exile. As news spread, the Jews could not help but be encouraged: this is what real faith looks like, and this is what real faith can do. It started the revival that would eventually open the door for God to restore the nation.

Revitalizing leaders will commit themselves unswervingly to the essentials of being and making more and better followers of Jesus. They will refuse to make excuses for anything else. And they will expect God to show up and change things. They may not see instantaneous results, but if they persevere in these things, they will see results.