“Here’s Your Sign”

    A short time ago a friend of mine asked me “Why can’t God just come down and give us a sign?”  What he really wanted was for God to personally show him that He existed.  Another way to put it was that he wanted the Lord to give him a personal experience, one that would warrant worship and praise.  In defense of this friend, at one point or another, we have all most likely had a similar thought or desire. Many of the Biblical “pillars” in Scripture longed to have communication and personal relationship with God.  This desire appears to be part of our human nature; however, despite God repeatedly giving man “signs” and instruction, we soon forget or neglect what we are told by our Creator.  One example of this forgetfulness is seen from the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar in the book of Daniel.

            King Nebuchadnezzar first came to see the great power of God when Daniel was the only one to interpret his dream (Daniel 2).  Sadly, it wasn’t long after this that he made an enormous golden image and commanded all to worship the image.  This is where we see in chapter 3 of Daniel’s writing, that three of Daniel’s friends were to be put to death in a fiery furnace for not obeying this command (Daniel 3:15-19).  After being thrown in the furnace, the three were protected by God, and suffered no bodily injury.  After witnessing these things, Nebuchadnezzar goes so far as to make a “decree” (law) that anyone who spoke against the God of Daniel and his friends was to be put to death, and their homes destroyed (3:29).  The King even goes so far as to say that He who delivered the three from harm is the “Most High God,” and continues with words of praise (4:1-3).  Despite seeing firsthand the many wonders that God had done, which included the miracle in the furnace as well as others, Nebuchadnezzar still let his pride and desire for power be the driving force behind his decision making.  As a result, King Nebuchadnezzar did not prosper as he could have, and he actually ended up becoming mentally ill.

            The lesson that we can take from Nebuchadnezzar is to not forget what God has done.  Not only what He has done through nature and His power, but also what He has done for us.  We must always remember that God has given us redemption through His Son Jesus Christ.  His life and the many miraculous things He did, along with His death, burial, and resurrection, should be all the “signs” we need. Such wonders can be known because God has given us proof of these “signs” which we can each personally see every day. Those proofs come to us through His holy and inspired Word, which the men who witnessed God’s amazing power wrote down, in order that others might know the truth about the All Mighty Creator of the universe.

Jesse LeMay