Daniel 3:29 “No other god can save in this way.”

As with probably every other child in Sunday School, I have always loved the story of the three men in the furnace. Their declaration of faith and commitment in verses 16-18 is one of the finest in the whole Bible, if not in all human history, and this statement by the most powerful human monarch of the time is the result. Nebuchadnezzar’s understanding of God was faulty at best. He could not conceive of any deity outside of his polytheistic context, but what he saw happen with these young men was enough to convince him that Yahweh was the strongest of all the deities around. Theologically, most Japanese are in the same place as Nebuchadnezzar. They speak of “8 million gods,” but no one knows the exact number, and most of them are very hazy on the whole subject. Japanese Buddhism has taken on the flavor of Shinto, to which the 8 million gods belong, adding countless bodhisatvas and what have you, going so far as to make every dead ancestor an object of prayer. The end result is that most Japanese are extremely weak on the concept of God being both unique and absolute. However, if the truth be told, most Americans aren’t much better off! Everyone tends to imagine God from their own perspective, attributing to Him most of their own characteristics. That’s why God has to completely rearrange our thinking through His Spirit and His Word. (Romans 12:2, Ephesians 5:26) Sometimes He uses something as dramatic as this story in Daniel to kick-start that process, but it is a process that must be continued, or we will stop far short of a proper understanding of God. In Nebuchadnezzar’s case, the very next chapter (and tomorrow’s reading) tells what happens when we fail to continue seeking God.

Once again I am back to the incredible advantage I have of having been raised in a home that knew and served God. I never had the concept of multiple gods to trouble me. However, as I am often reminded, that didn’t keep me from wandering away in my devotion, or rather lack of it, at times. I am not to look down on people because they don’t have an accurate concept of God, but rather be patient with them, allowing God’s grace to work through me. I tend to presume far too much understanding in my hearers, glossing over things that to me go without saying, when for them, they are essentially new concepts. That has been a major hindrance to effectiveness in my evangelism. I need to let the Holy Spirit give me the necessary wisdom and give them the necessary understanding, so that God’s Word through me may take deep root and bear much fruit, for His glory.

Father, thank You for reminding me of this. This is hardly the first time You’ve pointed it out to me! Guide me in training and equipping the believers, who are at least one spiritual generation closer to those without Christ, so that they may be effective in communicating the Gospel that they have received. Help me cut Your Word into sufficiently small bites so that they may take it in, digest it, and make it part of them, to live as Your agents in the Word, for the salvation of many and for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!