These three may not be among the first that come to our minds when we think of the great worshippers in the Bible, but I think when you see where I am going with this, you just might change your mind. (Daniel 3)

The world today is full of worshipping Christians who resemble Solomon in a lot of ways.  Sure, they worship at the temple of the one true God – but because of their worldly relationships they also find themselves at the altars of many detestable idols as well.

This is not the case for the three Hebrew boys who were taken in to captivity in Babylon.  Unlike the story of Daniel, who was forbidden to pray to Yahweh, these young men were simply told to be a part of the crowd.  They could have done like Solomon and so many people today, worshipping God on Sunday and idols the rest of the week.  It would have helped them fit and kept them clear of the fiery furnace, but it was not the path they chose.  

Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego instead pursued purity in their worship.  They would not defile themselves with the king’s food and they were not going to pay homage to the god of the hour.  We would do well to practice such purity in our own worship.

Two down and eight to go.  Check back next week for part 2.