Note:  Thanks to Brother John Fisher of Fortuna, California for this well-written article that
deals with a situation that many a Christian have gone through, are going through, and
will go through...


“Let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the
gold image which you have set up." ( Dan 3:18 )

How should we respond when an employer would have us miss worship in order to work
on the Lord’s Day? I believe we can learn a great deal from the words and spirit of three
young Hebrew men who found themselves working for Nebuchadnezzar, the king of
Babylon himself.

Somehow I doubt that it was the life dream of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to work
for a proud, pagan king. Nor do our lives always work out just the way we had planned.
(Do they ever?) But God is always in control, no matter what our circumstances. These
young men accepted this truth in faith, and eventually experienced God’s power in ways
that would never be forgotten.

So, how did they end up in the service of King Nebuchadnezzar? Some six hundred years
before the birth of our Lord, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and all of Judah found
themselves conquered by Babylon. Just imagine the upheaval in the lives of God’s
people--loved ones were slain; survivors were forcibly removed from their homes;
captured, kidnapped, enslaved, hauled off into a foreign country where they spoke a
foreign language.

Added to these traumas was the fact that they no longer had access to God’s temple in
Jerusalem, the proper place of worship. Listen to the sorrow and rage in the voice of this
anonymous psalmist:

By the rivers of Babylon,
There we sat down and wept,
When we remembered Zion.

Upon the willows in the midst of it
We hung our harps.
For there our captors demanded of us songs,
And our tormentors mirth, saying,
"Sing us one of the songs of Zion."

How can we sing the LORD'S song
In a foreign land?
If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
May my right hand forget her skill.

May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth
If I do not remember you,
If I do not exalt Jerusalem
Above my chief joy.

Remember, O LORD, against the sons of Edom
The day of Jerusalem,
Who said, "Raze it, raze it
To its very foundation."

O daughter of Babylon, you devastated one,
How blessed will be the one who repays you
With the recompense with which you have repaid us.

How blessed will be the one who seizes and dashes your little ones
Against the rock (Psalm 137) .

Despite being surrounded by such deprivation and humiliation, the three young men
remained faithful to God’s laws and he caused their lives to prosper (Dan 1:6-16). They
rose to prominence in the king’s court, working under Daniel: “To these four young men
God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning...In every
matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found
them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom” (Dan
1:17, 20) . Eventually, “the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
administrators over the province of Babylon” (Dan 2:49) .

Sometimes prosperity can test the faith more than poverty. It can lead us to pursue riches
more than God; to ignore business ethics; to serve “the company” in ways that
shortchange God; to neglect our families, our congregations, our convictions; it can tempt
us to forsake the Lord’s commandments. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego certainly
were prone to such temptations. Just look at where their careers took them! They were
probably famous among all the Jews living in Babylon. If there had been news
magazines in that day, no doubt their handsome faces (Dan 1:4) would have graced the
covers often. But never do we find that these three men gave in to such temptations.

The greatest trial of these men’s lives happened when the king demanded worship that
belonged only to God. Their example informs us how to handle similar demands with
grace and conviction.

The Demand
The story takes place in Daniel 3.The king had erected a huge golden image,
representing himself, before which all his subjects were to bow on a national holiday.
The penalty for those who refused: death in a furnace. If ever a trial could cause men to
waver, this one would be it. We can guess the reasons for bowing down: “I wouldn’t really
be worshipping it, because I know better. And if I don’t, I might lose my job with the king--
or even die! And after all, I’ve got to support my family. Would they be better off if I were
dead? I don’t think so!”

It truly was a terrible choice. Other good men had faced similar dilemmas and wavered.
Naaman, for example, after confessing “Behold now, I know that there is no God in all the
earth, but in Israel” (2 Kings 5:15), made this request of Elisha: “In this matter may the
LORD pardon your servant: when my master goes into the house of Rimmon to worship
there, and he leans on my hand and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon--when I bow
myself in the house of Rimmon, the LORD pardon your servant in this matter.” (2 Kings 5:
18 )

It may seem extreme to compare this sort of idolatry to missing the Lord’s Day worship
for work, but the two practices have a lot in common. They involve coercion by unbelieving
employers who simply do not understand. “But I really need you this Sunday.” “You’ll be
off in time for church Sunday night.” “Surely it’s OK to miss every once in a while!” “I’ll pay
you double-time!” And, ultimately, the threat: “If you don’t show up, you’re fired!” And if
Nebuchadnezzar said, “You’ll be fired!” he had more in mind than cutting a final check!

The Response
Despite the threat of death, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego did not participate in the
pagan worship service. When word of their disobedience reached the king, he was
furious. “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or
worship the image of gold I have set up? Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute,
zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship
the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately
into a blazing furnace.” And he added this taunt: “Then what god will be able to rescue
you from my hand?" (Dan 3:14-15)

As the king bullied and threatened, sneered and commanded, these young men showed
no hint of backing away from their convictions. Just listen to their thoughtful, faithful
response: "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this
matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from
it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to
know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set
up." ( Dan 3:16-18 )

“We do not need to defend ourselves.” When God’s people know what they believe and
why they believe it, there will be no need to be defensive. Defensiveness sometimes
betrays a lack of conviction in a matter, a feeling of discomfort, a need to prove something
to oneself. These three men felt no such need.

“The God we serve is able to save us.” What faith they had in the all-powerful, ever-
present God Almighty! They certainly believed in what we sometimes call Providence--
that God is really active within our lives and circumstances, that he cares about us, and
that he moves to protect and guide us in unseen ways, if we but commit ourselves to him.

“But even if he does not...” These words stir us even more than the others. Trusting in
God means trusting that he knows best. Perhaps it was in the will of God that these men
should die for their faith, in order to serve a greater good. Such was the case with
Stephen, and Paul, and Peter, and James, and a host of other believers throughout
history. The three men were not naive enough to predict how God would end this
standoff. They were faithful enough to accept that it was in his hands.

Certainly you and I can think of many examples of such faith among our families and
loved ones today within the church. Men who have accepted prison rather than violate the
command to love our enemies. Women who follow the Lord even when their families fall
away. Children who dress modestly when all around them others follow the sensual
fashions of the day.

But let us think about the problem of working on the Lord’s Day. Specifically, let us think
about the young believer who goes looking for the first job outside the home. In the
United States, this will often involve a service-sector job--for example, working in a
restaurant or a store. Before ever stepping foot inside the workplace, the Christian must
know how he will address his unavailability on Sunday mornings. Following the example
of the three Hebrews, he must be faithful, clear, and not defensive. He must put it in
writing and say it in the job interview. If that is unacceptable to the employer, then it wasn’t
the right job anyway. If he has no problem with it, and the Christian gets the job, the next
test will be holding him to his word when he schedules him for Lord’s Day anyway
because he forgot! (Sometimes this forgetfulness will occur for the duration of
employment.)

Usually the employer will try to negotiate. “Well, maybe you can work every other Sunday
morning...” This is why the job-seeker will need to have been resolute and honest to
himself about his restrictions before beginning the interview. Some Christians work “split
shifts” on the Lord’s Day, beginning early in the morning and continuing after worship. Is
that possible, or even acceptable, in this case? He will need to know.

The point is that the employer must understand that one’s presence in the assembly
takes priority over the job. Sometimes this will mean not getting a job we want. In other
cases, it may mean getting the job but never being eligible for promotion down the road.
We need to “count the cost,” as Jesus taught, and seek God’s kingdom as the first priority
in our lives, and “all these things shall be added” to us (Luke 14:28; Matt 6:33) .

God is Faithful
Let us finish with the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Their calm, resolute
decision to worship Jehovah alone only served to enrage the king all the more.

Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury, and the expression on his face changed toward
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He spoke and commanded that they heat the
furnace seven times more than it was usually heated. And he commanded certain mighty
men of valor who were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and cast
them into the burning fiery furnace. Then these men were bound in their coats, their
trousers, their turbans, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the
burning fiery furnace. Therefore, because the king's command was urgent, and the
furnace exceedingly hot, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell
down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. (Dan 3:19-23)

Then, as the king gazed into the fire, he saw something which defied explanation: "Look!"
he answered, "I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt,
and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God" (Dan 3:25). In a moment, the king
realized both his own sin and the Hebrews’ righteousness, and he shouted to them:

‘Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come
here.’ Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came from the midst of the fire. And the
satraps, administrators, governors, and the king's counselors gathered together, and
they saw these men on whose bodies the fire had no power; the hair of their head was
not singed nor were their garments affected, and the smell of fire was not on them.
Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying, ‘Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego, who sent His Angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and they
have frustrated the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they should not serve nor
worship any god except their own God!’ (Dan 3:26-28.)

Not only did these men survive the fiery furnace, they actually got a job promotion! “Then
the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon” (Dan 3:
30) .

Our God is a faithful God. Perhaps our refusal to miss the worship service for work will
not lead us into a “fiery furnace”; perhaps it will not lead to a job promotion either. But God
does continue to work in mysterious ways.

A young brother I know was being interviewed for a new job. He had wanted to work for
that company for quite some time. As the interview progressed, it was revealed that he
and the employer had a certain kind of job history in common. “I tried doing that once!” the
employer laughed to his co-interviewer, “but, oh, that was hard work!” He turned back to
the job-seeker and said, “My hat‘s off to you for sticking with it!” The interview was going
wonderfully, the young man thought. The employer seemed pleased with everything.
Soon it would be time to bring up his need to be at church on the Lord’s Day.

“Well,” the employer asked, “Can you work the night shift?”

The Christian had rehearsed his answer. “I can work any hour, of any shift, of any day of
the week-- except for four hours on Sunday morning,” he said. “I’ve got a commitment to
be with my family at church during that time. I can work before 9 AM, and I can work after 1
PM, but not between those hours.”

The manager’s face fell. “Oh,” he said, “that’s a problem. Our plant is open 24 hours a
day, 7 days a week, and we need our new hires to be available to work anytime.”

“I can understand that,” the young brother said. “I knew it could be an important issue,
and that’s why I wanted to bring it up now.”

The manager sighed. “That’s a real problem. That could be a real problem...” He trailed
off into silence. The young man stayed silent as well. And the three of them sat there,
each alone in his own thoughts.

Suddenly the manager said, “What am I thinking? Sunday morning is the day shift! We
don’t hire anyone on to the day shift! You’d be working the night shift, and you’d get off
work by 8:30 in the morning!

“Well, I’ll tell you,” he continued, “your Sunday situation could be a real problem for
another manager, but it wouldn’t be a problem as long as I was in charge here. A
churchgoing man is a committed man. We need more of that kind of dedication in our
workplace. Congratulations on a good interview. You’ll hear from us after we make our
decision.”

He got the job.

When They Want You to Work on the Lord's Day