Old Testament Lesson 45: "If I Perish, I Perish"

In the scriptures and in modern life we occasionally encounter people whose commitment to principle is so remarkable that they cannot be coerced, frightened, or bribed into doing something they believe is wrong. For example:

Old Testament Lesson #45 is about several such people—people who did the right thing without consulting the consequences of their actions. As Elder Sill said, “Just think what would happen to the Church if every one of us had that kind of integrity and self-control.”

Chapter 1 of Daniel sets the stage for the two great tests of covenants to follow. I believe we are supposed to see in this simple account of young men resisting royal pressure in the matter of their food a pattern that will sustain them in the greater tests to follow. The four Hebrew youths who determined that they “would not defile” themselves “with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank,” had sufficient encouragement to choose otherwise. But these young men did not keep their covenants because their parents were watching nor because they would be embarrassed if caught doing otherwise. They kept their covenants because they had agreed to, and their covenants were not conditional. They were not worried about what a king might do to them but about what God had promised to do for them.

This is, by comparison to the furnace and the lion’s den, a small matter. But people who are not faithful in the little things will never be faithful in the large ones. People who capitulate because of pressure to eat forbidden foods will almost certainly surrender in the presence of the fiery furnace. If we are not obedient in the matters of prayer and scripture study and family home evening, we will never remain faithful when the lion’s den is opened.

The record makes it clear how Daniel and his three friends would respond today to invitations to view unworthy media or participate in unworthy activities.

When Daniel interpreted the King’s dream in Daniel 2,

Daniel then spoke on behalf of his friends.

Their new responsibilities insured that they would be expected at the dedication of Neubchadnezzar’s new, 90-foot, gold-plated god. The king

Attending such a gathering would not be a violation of covenant, of course. The three leaders went. But then they heard this announcement:

This requirement was a violation of covenant. The three were familiar enough with the 10 commandments to know that falling and worshiping would violate at least two of them. But the penalty for non-compliance was a painful, fiery death. I wonder what thoughts they had as they waited for the first notes of music to sound.

How grateful they must have been for each other. I am confident that their courage increased because they stood together while everyone else bowed. What a blessing it is to have faithful friends when the pressure comes. My faithfulness during my first experience in the army was made easier because, in a group of thousands, the Lord placed a former missionary companion in the same bunk. He was in the top bed, I was in the bottom. When it became necessary to take a stand, as it sometimes did, neither of us ever had to stand alone.

Can you envision that multitude on the Plain of Dura (see Daniel 3:1) falling in waves at the sound of the cornet and sackbut? And can you see those three young men standing calmly? This church needs more people—young and old—like that—people who refuse to worship with the rest of the world in Babylon.

We know from our perspective that this story has a happy ending, but those three young men facing the king did not know how it would end. All they knew was that they had made covenants to behave in certain ways.

The phrase, “we are not careful to answer thee in this matter” has intrigued me. I know that many times in my life when I have been called to answer for conduct that was unsatisfactory, I have weighed my words most carefully, determined not to say anything that might make things worse. But these men were not playing games with words to avoid the furnace. They told the king the truth. Light the flames. Put us in the furnace. You cannot frighten us into turning away from our covenants. If God wants to save us, He will, but if not, we still will not bow to your god.

Notice the effect of this event on the King of Babylon:

Daniel 6 is an encore to Daniel 3. The beginning verses of Daniel 6 are a powerful witness of the goodness of Daniel. One hundred and twenty princes, with all the resources at their command,

How would your life stand up to that kind of scrutiny? They would find stuff enough on me in about the first three minutes. But not Daniel.

And so they conspired to use the ego of the King against his favorite servant. A law was passed making it a capital offense to ask anything of any man or God but King Darius for 30 days. How did they know it would work? How did they know that Daniel would not stop praying? Do people who watch you have that kind of certainty about the condition of your character and commitment?

Why do you suppose Daniel continued to pray the way he did?

Why not close the window? Why not first make sure no one was watching? How about a silent prayer while hiding in a closet? Think of the previous story. Why didn’t the three Hebrews kneel at the sound of the music but then pray to Jehovah in Hebrew? No one would have known the difference and the entire episode of the fiery furnace could have been avoided. Or, to put the question in context, why won’t Daniel and his friends let their enemies decide how they will keep their covenants and obey the commandments?

Notice what happened as a result of the faith of Daniel.

Again in Esther we see people determined to do what is right regardless of the jeopardy to their personal comfort and safety. The quote below has been used before in these lessons, but it is appropriate here and worth another look.

Let’s take a look at three people from Esther:

1. Queen Vashti: King Ahasuerus made a seven-day feast for the people of his palace. On the seventh day, when he was somewhat removed from a state of soberness, he sent for his wife, the queen, “to shew the people and the princes her beauty: for she was fair to look on” (Esther 1:11). The Queen refused to come and parade for the inebriated king and his drunken courtiers (see Esther 1:1-12). Her decision cost her the crown, but how could we criticize her for her determination in this matter? She seems to have done what she felt was right, regardless of the personal hazard or sacrifice involved.

2. Mordecai: I like this man! He is both a patriot and a disciple. When Mordecai learned of an attempt to be made on the King’s life, he sent a warning through Esther and protected his monarch. But, like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, he refused to bow when it was contrary to his covenants of obedience (see Esther 3:1-6). Haman, the king’s most trusted servant, was so angry at this lack of respect in Mordecai that he decided to destroy every Jew in the whole kingdom.

3. Esther: When the king deposed Vashti, he selected a new queen. Esther was the niece of Mordecai and a faithful Israelite. When Haman’s plan to destroy the Jews became known, Mordecai appealed to Esther to go to the King and beg him for intervention. This was a problem for Esther. She knew that if she approached the King uninvited, it might cost her her life. But failure to act might cost the lives of thousands of Jews (see Esther 4:11). She sent word to Mordecai:

I wish we had time to explore this entire story. I love the book of Esther. I hope you will read it through if you have not already done so.

We have looked at men and women who could not be turned out of the path defined by their covenants or by their sense of right and wrong. They are people worth emulating. I am delighted to know of people who cannot be terrorized nor paid to abandon their covenants and sense of duty.

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