What is a B.I.N. (but if not) kind of faith?
It is obviously not the failure to exercise faith, have no faith (Mk 4:40) or having only little faith (Mt 8:26). But if not faith is a quantum leap
from that; it is an expression of great faith
(Mt 8:10). Recall that the centurion in this last verse
recognized the authority of Jesus, “But only
speak a word, and my servant will be healed (Mt 8:8b). Jesus
marveled at the faith of this
Gentile among the Jews claiming to have faith! Incidentally, this is only one
of two times Jesus is said to have marveled, Mk 6:6).
This is a familiar Bible story concerning
the three Hebrew men refusing to serve the gods of the king of Babylon or bow
to the golden image he had erected in the
plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. Hananiah,
Mishael, and Azariah were given the option by King Nebuchadnezzar to bow before
the image or burn in the fiery furnace! In an isolated context, it would have
only required a “duh” answer.
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Nabu-Lawrie-Highsmith
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It makes you wonder if Nebuchadnezzar
came up with this idea of the golden image on his own or someone planted the
seed-thought to erect a great image of Nabu in order to test the trustworthiness
of the leaders within his empire. The false premise was if your servants do
not worship Nabu, they cannot be trusted? Apparently, the king bought into it. It
made sense to him; allegiance to Nabu was tantamount to loyalty to the king.
The enemies of Daniel & Associates
knew that bowing before other gods would cut against the grain of the law of
their God, exposing their disloyalty in the mind of the king by refusing to bow.
Their enemies would rid themselves of Daniel & Associates by forcing the king’s
hand. It may have been motivated by their rejection of Daniel’s God as chief
administrator of the wise men (Dan 2:48), petty jealousy or dislike of
policies, mistrust of foreigners in government, etc. It is very likely his
enemies were coming from the wise men of Babylon which included the astrologers, the magicians, and the soothsayer. Ironically, this whole group
owed their very lives to Daniel when they could not tell the king’s dream (Dan
2:12, 27, 28).
I am of the opinion that Daniel was the
primary target by his enemies embedded in the wise men division; sever the head of the
snake to keep the body from growing. They didn’t count on Belteshazzar (Daniel)
not being present on “Bowing on Nabu Day” (BOND), but his assistant administrators,
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego would be in attendance. Daniel of all people was
expected to be there, but the Scriptures are silent as to the reason for his
absence. A funny thing happened, the body (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego) grew
after BOND was over (cf. Dan 3:30)! For being wise men of the Babylonian empire, these Chaldeans surely were stupid!
There was no doubt that palace intrigue
was afoot continually; it made kings paranoid. Ironically, Belteshazzar
(Daniel), Shadrach (Hananiah), Meshach (Mishael), and Abednego (Azariah) were
the most faithful servants to Nebuchadnezzar in his empire. Their enemies
resented their uncorrupted loyalty to the king; they made them look bad. Did
Neb get it after it was all said and done like Darius did with Daniel? There is
no record in Scripture of any deep state bad Babylonian actors held
accountable. There were no fingerprints.
Yahweh did not prevent Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah from being cast into the furnace (Dan 3:20), and Daniel was allowed to be cast into
the den of lions later on under Darius (Dan 6:16). The same forcible verb was used for throwing them into a sphere of fury (Aramaic, remah, cast).
It is my contention that
true believers in Yahweh make the best citizens of any country. Nonetheless, the tension between light and darkness never abates; we can be sure of that, but
we also can be certain of the sovereignty of God Almighty! He was still on the
throne in their time, and He is still on the throne in our time. Hallelujah!
What empowers a B.I.N. kind of faith? Is
it a bunch of religious rules or something deeper than regulations? No, it is the love
(agape) for God (Deut 6:5). These three Hebrew men spoke in Aramaic and
probably did not know the Greek language, but they were acting it out as if they did; a love (agape)
that sacrifices for someone else without question. For refusing to bow or
worship Nebuchadnezzar’s golden image of Nabu, they were thrown into the exceedingly hot furnace (Dan 3:22).
Some would question the love of God for exposing His people to traumatic trials. Some would see a love for God
but a love not returned in kind, but that, my friends, is what the citizens of
the world do; they always question the love of God to create doubt and desires for you and me who are in the world but not of the world to think and feel just like
they do!
“How could a God of love allow good
people to ...?” Fill in the blank; it’s endless. Contextually, we see that this
is not even an issue with a but if not faith (cf. Job 13:15a), and that is the extraordinary feature of
a B.I.N. faith, a great faith where outcomes do not matter. That is not a
heartless statement but God having the preeminence in our life. Love (agape)
is what drives that rightful priority (cf. Mk 12:30). It is the prime directive
in all of Scripture. Natural love is one of the great mistakes of today in Christendom;
agape is being equated with human affection, but this redefining does not square with Scripture.
This B.I.N. faith is not about drawing
lines in the sand at the drop of a hat in some kind of superficial
sanctimoniousness. A B.I.N. kind of faith is another way of saying, faithful until death (Rev 2:10),
or in Jesus’ words, O My Father, if this cup
cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done (Mt 26:42, emphasis mine). We read of B.I.N. faith in the
gallery of faith (Hebrews 11:1-40).
All of the Apostles were martyred,
except for John. Sometimes a living sacrifice (Rom 12:1; cf. Mk 8:34, cross-bearing
of the patibulum or the crossbeam in obedience to God’s will in total
commitment as revealed in His Word for Jesus’ sake and the Gospel, Mk 8:35)
dies for the cause of Christ. The imagery of the cross was a violent and degrading death. There is a big difference between wearing a cross and carrying your cross. The symbol of the cross in NT times was not revered but feared.
Daniel and associates had witnessed the egregious
sin of idolatry and the serious repercussions that it brought to Judah. They were not
guilty of such a grievous sin but were carted off to Babylon anyway by the will
of God. A fascinating component of a B.I.N. kind of faith was not knowing God’s
response to their decision. Based on the Word, they already knew what they
were supposed to do. It was crystal clear,
You shall not bow down to them nor serve
them (Ex 20:5a).
What God’s response to our obedience is
unclear. Normally, obedience brings blessings, and disobedience brings burdens,
but Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were being obedient which led to a
confrontation with the king. While walking toward the furnace there was no
uttering,
“God, how could you do this to me? I have honored your Word? Nothing
is happening to the other sons of Judah bowing to the king’s image. It’s
unfair!”
A B.I.N. kind of faith is focused on obedience to the Word for the
Word represents God’s will in the matter. Recall what Yahweh spoke to Joshua
before going into the Promised Land,
(Jos 1:7) Only
be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the
law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand
or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.
(Jos 1:8) This
Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it
day and night, that you may observe to do (be
careful to do, NASB) according to all that is
written in it. For then you will make
your way prosperous, and then you will have good success (emphasis mine).
So, an element of a B.I.N. kind of faith
is being careful to do according to the Scriptures. The object is not to select
the path of positive outcomes; that is okay in salvation. B.I.N. faith is
concerning obedience over any outcomes, positive or negative. Does this come as a surprise that a B.I.N.
kind of faith is not some extreme, exotic, esoteric faith that is unattainable
or beyond the reach of the vast majority of born again believers around the
world? Actually, it is the kind of faith that is expected from Yahweh for all
of His followers!
It is only out of reach from those believers
who are willfully ignorant of the Word! But if not is an expression of a great faith that recognizes the authority
of God’s Word and submits to that authority as the supreme and final
authority in all matters of faith and practice (2 Tim 3:16-17). The Word of God
transcends all other authorities. Let me add one other dynamic to B.I.N. faith,
but if not. Obedience is the primary thing; outcomes are always secondary. Wisdom knows the difference. <><
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| To Part 2 |
