|
by
Doug Ward |
The third chapter of the book of Daniel tells the story of Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego, three Jewish men in exile in Babylon in the sixth century BC.
When the three refuse to worship a golden image erected by Babylonian King
Nebuchadnezzar, he threatens to throw them into a furnace.
Refusing
to yield to the king's demands, the three reply, "If this be so, the God
whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will
deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king,
that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set
up" (verses 17-18).
The
faith expressed here by Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego is unwavering. They are
confident that God will rescue them from the furnace, but even if God decides
not to do so, they will maintain their loyalty to him. As it turns out, God
does protect them from harm in the furnace.
The
declaration of faith in Daniel 3:16-18 is an example of a special literary form
called a pseudosorites (pronounced SU-do-suh-RYE-tees).
In a pseudosorites, a speaker says that a statement A is true, then adds that
even if A is not true, it doesn't matter because of B. In this case, A is the
conviction that God can rescue them, and B is the fact that they refuse to
worship other gods.
There
is a similar pseudosorites in 1 Peter 3:13-14, where Peter urges Christians to
have the kind of steadfast faith shown by Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
"Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good?"
Peter asks. He adds, "But even if you should suffer for righteousness'
sake, you will be blessed."
Here
Peter says that generally we will not be harmed for doing good. However, if we
are, God ultimately will bless us for walking in the footsteps of his Son (see
1 Peter 2:19-25). According to Christian tradition, Peter himself went on to
die for the sake of Christ, looking forward to a future reward.
The
pseudosorites is one of the types of literary artistry used by the biblical
writers to convey their message in a striking way. A number of additional
examples of pseudosorites are discussed by biblical scholar Richard Patterson
in a 2010 paper (to find it, just search on "pseudosorites").
One
of these examples comes from Isaiah 49:15, where God says, "Can a woman
forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her
womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you." This
pseudosorites states that God's love surpasses even that of a mother for her
child. It is God's perfect love and faithfulness that prompted the strong faith
held by Shadrach, Meshech, Abednego, and Peter, and still inspires the faith of
many believers today.
File
translated from TEX by TTH,
version 3.66.
On 03 Feb 2025, 15:05.
