Challenges to our Faith

In today's first reading, Daniel 3: 14-20, 91-92, 95,  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are asked to sacrifice to a golden statue that the king set up:  "Be ready now to fall down and worship the statue I have made.....[If you don't", he says to them,] "you shall be instantly cast into the white-hot furnace;and who is the God who can deliver you out of my hands?"  When the three men refuse, the king has the furnace "heated seven times more than usual and had some of the strongest men in his army bind" them and throw them into the furnace.  The King is amazed as he peers into the furnace and sees four men unbound walking around in the furnace.  He asks his nobles:   "'Did we not cast three men bound  into the fire?' 'Assuredly, O king,' they answered. 'But,' he replied, 'I see four men unfettered and unhurt, walking in the fire, and the fourth looks like a son of God.'"  The king then praises God!

I can imagine the king raging against these three men. "How dare they refuse what I ask of them?" As his anger mounted, he increased the heat of the furnace and called forth his strongest men to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.  Is that not what our egos do when someone refuses to "worship" us and do what we ask of them? Does not our ego, at that point, become like this furnace heated 7xs greater than usual?  In some cases does not the rage lead to violence of some kind, even murder?

This passage also challenges us to look at the faith of the three men who stand up against the king and do not flinch in the face of death, a horrible death in fact! "There is no need for us to defend ourselves before you in this matter.  If our God, whom we serve, can save us from the white-hot furnace and from your hands, O king, may he save us! But even if he will not, know, O king, that we will not serve your god or worship the golden statue that you set up."

How strong is our faith in the face of danger? temptation? bullies? wickedness? Do we stand  so firm in our faith that all we need to do is calmly state our position; or do we need to loudly defend ourselves?