Do you know what a holocaust is?
Recently, the anniversary of the liberation of the German execution camp, Auschwitz, was remembered. It was liberated on January 27, 1945, by the Red Army as it worked its way across Poland.
Seven thousand Jewish prisoners were left behind as the Nazi’s forced another 60,000 men, women, and children to march to other death camps inside Germany.
Those left behind included mostly middle-aged adults and children under the age of 15, too sick to march. There were also 600 corpses.
The Holocaust is the story of the nightmare perpetrated during the Second World War by the Nazi’s to exterminate Slavs, Soviets, people with disabilities, political and religious dissidents, Gypsies, Gay men and six million Jews, two-thirds of all the Jews in Europe.
It is a stain on human history that if forgotten will be repeated, and has been repeated, again and again around the globe.
Now the term “holocaust” while well used for the destruction in Europe, comes from a biblical source. It comes from the Hebrew word “olah” and refers to the smoke rising from the sacrifice to God.
It is the complete consumption by fire of a sacrifice burnt on an altar of a bull, goat, sheep, turtle dove, or pigeon, depending on the reason for the sacrifice.
A sacrifice by fire is a theme often repeated in scripture as our God is presented as a consuming fire, into whose presence you would die as you are consumed by God’s holiness, like the fire in the burning bush with Moses, and the pillar of fire that traveled at night before the children of Israel as they fled Egypt.
It is also evident in the many presentations of the Holy Spirit, appearing as flames of fire above the heads of the disciples in the upper room on Pentecost. And in depictions of God’s holiness in much of apocalyptic literature, as we will see later in Daniel.
Holocaust can be a glimpse into the holiness of God.
But it can also be a glimpse into the nightmare of human nature, like in the furnaces of the Nazi’s, or the horrors of nuclear war, or the long history of burning witches and heretics by religious zealots.
And for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, the three faith friends of Daniel, it was to be their fate, because to the golden statue, they would not offer worship.
Last week we talked about Daniel’s interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. The statue of gold, silver, bronze, and iron mixed at the toes with clay. Nebuchadnezzar heard Daniel tell of the dream and its interpretation and honored Daniel for his ability to see the picture God had painted.
But, as I said then, he didn’t understand it.
He worshiped Daniel for a moment, but didn’t see the hand of God cutting out of the mountain a stone that could destroy kingdoms, his kingdom, did not see the implicit call for Nebuchadnezzar to worship the God of Daniel, did not understand how his choice of building an almost identical statue of all gold of himself, could result in God destroying him.
He saw only what he wanted to see, that he was the most important of all kings in all the kingdoms, and that everyone should worship him. And he decided to destroy his opponents by fire.
One of the most obvious marks historically of a despot, be it Hitler, or Stalin, or Pol Pot, or Idi Amin, is the deep desire to destroy opponents. It has been so throughout history. Defeating them is not enough. Destroying them becomes an obsession.
It is why George R.R. Martin in the Game of Thrones TV series has the character played by Emilia Clarke send her dragons to burn the city she has already defeated. Destruction has become an obsession.
And for Nebuchadnezzar, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego’s, unwillingness to worship him lights the fire.
But they are unmoved! And as Joe and Jim and Mike and Phil and Bob and Mike reminded us last Sunday, the three friends will not bend, they will not bow, and they will not burn!
Their faithfulness is the vehicle by which God makes it clear to Nebuchadnezzar that there is a King above all Kings who can stand in the fire and not be destroyed. Praise God.
But this story of a miracle of grace even has another gift for us beyond God’s protection of his people. Did you hear it?
It’s not just that they do not burn, though that is certainly miraculous. Nor is it that God himself becomes present with them in the fiery furnace though that is worthy of praise and worship.
The best part is what Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego say to the king before they become the day’s burnt offering, “but even if he doesn’t”.
They are remarkably powerful words of faith.
You heard as the scripture was read earlier when they said the king, “Your Majesty, we don’t need to defend ourselves. The God we worship can save us from you and your flaming furnace. But even if he doesn’t, we still won’t worship your gods and the gold statue you have set up.”
Oh, for that kind of faith, where no matter what we face, we will not be moved.
As we come to the table of the Lord, be sure to ask God for growing faith, that no matter what is ahead, you will remain strong and committed to the God of grace and the God of glory.
Amen!
Holocaust can be a glimpse into the holiness of God.
But it can also be a glimpse into the nightmare of human nature, like in the furnaces of the Nazi’s, or the horrors of nuclear war, or the long history of burning witches and heretics by religious zealots.
And for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, the three faith friends of Daniel, it was to be their fate, because to the golden statue, they would not offer worship.
Last week we talked about Daniel’s interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. The statue of gold, silver, bronze, and iron mixed at the toes with clay. Nebuchadnezzar heard Daniel tell of the dream and its interpretation and honored Daniel for his ability to see the picture God had painted.
But, as I said then, he didn’t understand it.
He worshiped Daniel for a moment, but didn’t see the hand of God cutting out of the mountain a stone that could destroy kingdoms, his kingdom, did not see the implicit call for Nebuchadnezzar to worship the God of Daniel, did not understand how his choice of building an almost identical statue of all gold of himself, could result in God destroying him.
He saw only what he wanted to see, that he was the most important of all kings in all the kingdoms, and that everyone should worship him. And he decided to destroy his opponents by fire.
One of the most obvious marks historically of a despot, be it Hitler, or Stalin, or Pol Pot, or Idi Amin, is the deep desire to destroy opponents. It has been so throughout history. Defeating them is not enough. Destroying them becomes an obsession.
It is why George R.R. Martin in the Game of Thrones TV series has the character played by Emilia Clarke send her dragons to burn the city she has already defeated. Destruction has become an obsession.
And for Nebuchadnezzar, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego’s, unwillingness to worship him lights the fire.
But they are unmoved! And as Joe and Jim and Mike and Phil and Bob and Mike reminded us last Sunday, the three friends will not bend, they will not bow, and they will not burn!
Their faithfulness is the vehicle by which God makes it clear to Nebuchadnezzar that there is a King above all Kings who can stand in the fire and not be destroyed. Praise God.
But this story of a miracle of grace even has another gift for us beyond God’s protection of his people. Did you hear it?
It’s not just that they do not burn, though that is certainly miraculous. Nor is it that God himself becomes present with them in the fiery furnace though that is worthy of praise and worship.
The best part is what Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego say to the king before they become the day’s burnt offering, “but even if he doesn’t”.
They are remarkably powerful words of faith.
You heard as the scripture was read earlier when they said the king, “Your Majesty, we don’t need to defend ourselves. The God we worship can save us from you and your flaming furnace. But even if he doesn’t, we still won’t worship your gods and the gold statue you have set up.”
Oh, for that kind of faith, where no matter what we face, we will not be moved.
As we come to the table of the Lord, be sure to ask God for growing faith, that no matter what is ahead, you will remain strong and committed to the God of grace and the God of glory.
Amen!
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