The Man Who Stands

 

Daily Reading:  Daniel 3:13 - 18

…Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye.

                                                                           Acts 4:19

               Make no mistake, men in power despise defiance by men who simply do not fall in line. They spurn those who would dare to stand up, to speak up, to speak out, or to ask questions.  They hold in contempt any man who would dare to take a stand. That contempt will manifest itself in various ways.  They will attempt character assassination, painting you as the problem or aggressor while they play the martyr.  They might force you out. They might lie to or about you. They may yell, scream, and create a scene in front of others. All are viable options for weak men to appear strong. That last method is the approach Nebuchadnezzar chose.

               The King was enraged by this betrayal of men under his power and demanded the offenders appear before him for questioning. This is an oft repeated process.  A man takes a stand. Leadership is offended.  A meeting is called to rehearse what they have heard and to execute severe punishment to ensure that no one would ever be so foolish as to stand up again. It is the way of the institution to retain power and control.  Have you ever witnessed this in the workplace or in politics? Has anyone ever heard of the Diet of Worms?  Whether you agree with the details of that event is irrelevant.  The pattern is clear and repeated throughout history. We should never be surprised when history repeats itself.

               What happens next in these moments is not about character, but about whether or not a man understands his identity?  So often in these moments, men back down.  They decide it is in their best interests or in the best interest of those they love to back down.  They decide the juice is not worth the squeeze, so they just sit down, shut up, and seek to be left alone. Sadly, this action will just embolden the institution against which the stand was taken. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stood with boldness, knowing their lives were on the line and began by telling the king, “…we are not careful to answer thee in this matter”. They understood fully whom they served faithfully and did not concern themselves with the details.

               The world and sadly, in many instances, the church will never understand godly men and will continuously seek to break their will, but the church and the world need godly men.  Men who know their identity in Christ and therefore stand up, speak out, and ask questions. Be that man!