Give Me Something.

Those moments come...Moments when we feel like we're holding onto hope by our fingernails...Do you pray or even cry to God out loud, "Just give me something...Give me something - ANY -THING - to assure my hope...right. now," ? Uh-huh... I know that prayer. I know that ache. I hate it. But in those moments - in that prayer - God has been so faithful. He can't not be faithful.

Our God keeps giving me some. thing. - a powerful truth - that  I could not imagine or conjure up -  in the midst of my circumstances - A truth to believe in - to secure me - to stand on.  Check this out if you have time. I hope this truth will encourage you and fortify you in your faith journey today as it has encouraged me.

Love this Jesus Life we share!

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT
THE WHEREABOUTS OF THE FOURTH MAN

One of the most famous events in the entire Old Testament is recorded in Daniel, chapter 3.  It all began when three courageous Hebrew men refused to bow down and give homage to a golden idol as commanded by the King of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar himself.  The penalty for disobeying was serious indeed.  All not doing this would be instantly thrown into a red-hot furnace of fire!  Thus the command was to bow down, or burn up!  It was quite a persuasive altar call, to say the least.  Upon learning of their refusal, the king experienced conflicting emotions—both anger and sorrow. 

Anger, over the gross insubordination, and sorrow, for the three offenders were actually rising stars in his administrative government.  True, they worshipped that weird and invisible God known as Jehovah, but they were honest, faithful, talented, and hardworking young assistants.  What to do?  So then, before the terrible sentence could be imposed, they were summoned to a private meeting during which he offered them a second chance. The advice:  “Just obey and you’ll be okay.” The answer:  “No way, O king, no way!”

“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.  If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king.  But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up,’” (Dan. 3:16-18).

Enter now the fourth man: “Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace.

So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace. The king’s command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace. 

Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire”? They replied, “Certainly, Your Majesty.” He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.”

Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!” So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out of the fire,” (Dan. 3:19-26).

Wow!  At this point can you entertain some theological math? 

• Question: How many men did the king order into the furnace? Answer: Three.
• Question: How many men did the king see in the furnace? Answer: Four.
• Question: How many men came out of the furnace? Answer: Three.
• Question: What happened to the fourth man? Answer: He’s still in the furnace waiting for you!

One of the most beloved songs always sung at Easter time is entitled, In the Garden. 

                                               Note the lyrics:

I come to the garden alone
While the dew is still on the roses
And the voice I hear falling on my ear
The Son of God discloses.
And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own;
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.
He speaks, and the sound of His voice,
Is so sweet the birds hush their singing,
And the melody that He gave to me
Within my heart is ringing.
I’d stay in the garden with Him
Though the night around me be falling,
But He bids me go; through the voice of woe
His voice to me is calling.

What a glorious scene is described for us:

• We are transported to a beautiful park-like garden, similar to the one Adam and Eve had enjoyed during their days of innocence.
• The morning sun has just risen, its golden beams dispelling the darkness.    
• The sky is blue.
• The birds are singing.
• The flowers are blooming.
• A heavenly hush seems to permeate the entire landscape.
• Not a trace of trouble, not a hint of heartache.

Question:  What’s wrong with this picture?  Answer:  Actually, nothing at all — except for the fact it is rarely the case!  The brutal truth is for every trouble-free day there seems to be three troubled-filled days.  Because of this, the fourth man spends far more of His time in the furnace than among the flowers.  Also, it’s where He does His most productive work. 

By the way, most evangelical theologians believe this mysterious man was actually a Christophany – that is, a pre-Bethlehem appearance of Jesus Christ Himself. 

There are several of these Christophanies in the Old Testament.  Miracle of miracles, in the opening pages of the New Testament, the fourth man takes upon Himself a human, flesh and blood body.  Now He is able to fulfill the three new and final offices assigned to him by the Father. The Old Testament fourth man will now function as a (1) prophet, (2) priest, and (3) king.

So to recap the ministry of the fourth man:

• In the past He once came speaking to us.
• At the present He now is seen praying for us.
• In the future He will eventually be ruling over us.

Great, grand, and glorious works indeed!  But in my mind, it would seem the most blessed of all is the very first where the fourth man is seen fellowshipping with us in the furnace.

Furthermore, this furnace ministry transcends time, having been in play since the days of Adam and will continue in full force until the last of God’s blood-washed sons and daughters have been safely gathered in that shining city among the stars, the New Jerusalem!  Then, and only then, will the fourth man depart from the furnace to ascend His everlasting throne!

I close with a personal question:  Are you – right now – in the furnace of affliction?  If this be the case, please carefully read the following, for each word here has been written especially for you!  They came from the pens of a king, a prophet, and a song writer:

“The fining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold: but the LORD trieth the hearts,” (Prov. 17:3).

“Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction,” (Isa. 48:10).

How Firm a Foundation

How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said,
To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?
Fear not, I am with thee; O be not dismayed,
For I am thy God, and will still give thee aid;
I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
Upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand.
When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,
My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply:
The flames shall not hurt thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine.
The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose
I will not, I will not desert to its foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no, never, no, never forsake!

Dr. H. L. Willmington
Founder & Dean
Willmington School of the Bible