In a recent devotional reflecting on Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego a writer pointed to the attitude of their hearts, submitted to the will of the King, even to death, in order to remain true to God. She quoted another writer on the difference between bold defiance and true honest humble dependence on God. These three men seemed deeply secure in God’s vast love for them. This level of security enables true humility.
Who can drink the cup of Christ? The writer said that she did not believe it is done with “Bold Defiance”. People do not listen to bold defiance. In the end King Nebuchadnezzar clearly understood there is only one Living God and he bowed down before Him and worshipped Him.
She asked, “Is this how it will play out before us in our last day? Does the Bible not say that all bow before Him? Who is really going to bow from a posture of bold defiance?
God is infinite, vast and unimaginable. And frighteningly terrible and all powerful, too. Many read all the promises and refuse the warnings.
“Then Job replied to the Lord: I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted. You asked who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge? Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. “ (Job 42:1-3)
“Martha Martha, the Lord answered, you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed or indeed only ONE. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken from her. “(Luke 10: 41-42.)”((
J D Walt in Seedbed.com has written that we are to look at the center, at Jesus, and not at the circumference. Having all the answers is not what is necessary. Knowing His deep vast love for us is.
There is a time and a place for both bold defiance and humble dependence on God… Jesus showed bold defiance before Caiaphas, Pilate and Herod. It does not require violence or disrespectful action. Peter and other apostles showed bold defiance in continuing to preach under threat of imprisonment. Over and over in Acts and in Paul’s epistles we see evidence of the Holy Spirit enabling bold defiance in defense of the Gospel. If we are not prepared to do that in defense of our faith, the church militant has become milquetoast.
I did a word study on “bold” and “boldness” in the Bible several years ago to discover when and how boldness is manifested through the work of the Holy Spirit as opposed to being from the spirit of man. Like many things, there may be a fine line between the two… the only thing that may restrain another’s judgement by us of which is being exhibited by a person, at times, is the knowledge that God alone knows a person’s heart….so be careful. One’s own condemnation of another’s boldness may actually be judged by God as righteousness. I think of David dancing before the ARK of God as he returns it to the Temple and Michael’s criticism of his unseemly and immodest conduct…. I think of Tamar’s bold defiance in sitting in the posture of a prostitute to humble her father in law, Judah, for his own defiance of God’s provision for widows.
Elijah was boldly defiant, even mocking and disrespectful to the prophets of Baal and Asherah….. in their own country, not his, to bring God’s own back to repentance. I think God observed that Elijah was pursuing more than what he was sent there for when he seemed to expect Ahab and Jezebel to be impressed by God’s ( and his own) show, but when Jebezel failed to be turned by this victory he ran like a coward, just as Obadiah and God’s other prophets in Samaria had… making him realize that he, too, was just like all before him…. and he lapsed into a fugue. But God nourished him, allowed him to rest, forced him to look at himself with the simple question, “Why are you here?”, assured him that he was not the last and only prophet of God, then anointed for him a helper, and sent him back to work. Bold defiance, maybe a tad over the top, but God knew his heart and gave him grace and healing and continued power in ministry.
Don’t you just love all the character studies the Scripture offers that give examples of why God’s principles offer a different and better way to think about life? Like Abigail and Nabal, Esther’s boldness before King Ahasueras, Rachel’s enabling of Jacob’s deceit of his father, so many dysfunctional families and individuals….. and yet, God loved them and uses their stories to guide us in considering our own decisions.
Bold defiance on behalf of the Gospel and humble dependence on God are not mutually exclusive, but humble dependence gives support to being used by God to demonstrate appropriate boldness in pursuit of God’s will and the Kingdom, often in a prophetic and world-altering way.