September 28 - Standing Alone
September 28
Standing Alone
Bible Reading: Daniel 3:1-12
1Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits and its width six cubits. He set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. 2And King Nebuchadnezzar sent word to gather together the satraps, the administrators, the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 3So the satraps, the administrators, the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces gathered together for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 4Then a herald cried aloud: “To you it is commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, 5that at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, you shall fall down and worship the gold image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up; 6and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.” 7So at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the horn, flute, harp, and lyre, in symphony with all kinds of music, all the people, nations, and languages fell down and worshiped the gold image which King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 8Therefore at that time certain Chaldeans came forward and accused the Jews. 9They spoke and said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, live forever! 10You, O king, have made a decree that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, shall fall down and worship the gold image; 11and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. 12There are certain Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego; these men, O king, have not paid due regard to you. They do not serve your gods or worship the gold image which you have set up.”
AN OLD FOLKTALE from Africa offers a fanciful explanation for why the thumb stands apart from the other four fingers on the human hand.
It seems that one day the five fingers were lying on a table together, when they noticed a fine gold ring across the table.
"Hey," one of the fingers said, "let's take it!"
"Yeah," said the ring finger, "that sure would look good on me."
They started to reach for the ring when the thumb protested. "Wait a minute, you can't do that," the thumb said.
"Why not?" the fingers shouted, almost in unison.
“Because it would be wrong."
"Oh, come on," said one of the fingers. "No one will see us."
"It would be stealing," insisted the thumb.
"You're nothing but a goody-goody," said the index finger.
"Yeah, you're a party pooper!" added the pinkie.
"Yeah, if you're going to be that way," added another finger, "you can't be a part of our group!"
"Right!" said the other fingers. "Go away! We don't need you anymore."
So the four fingers went off in their own little group and left the thumb standing alone. They thought he would give in and join them in what they wanted to do, but to this day the thumb has stood alone and refused to do what was wrong.
That's what God wants us to do when others try to get us to do something wrong. It may not be easy to stand alone, but it's better to resist our friends than to disappoint God.
REFLECT: Have you ever acted like the fingers and tried to get a friend to do something wrong with you? Have you ever felt like the thumb in that story? What did you do? How is today's Bible reading like the story of the thumb and four fingers? How can you be more like the thumb the next time someone tempts you to do something wrong?
ACT: Keep your thumb with you all day long today (!) to remind you of the importance of standing against people who want you to do wrong.
PRAY: "God, it's hard to do the right thing when everyone's tempting me to do wrong. Please help me to be strong the next time someone tempts me to do wrong, even if I have to stand alone."