Nougat 9

I recently stumbled on a conversation about the Pledge of Allegiance and what it means for a person of color. As a noncitizen it was not my debate; but it got me thinking about pledges, promises and accountability. Consider today’s Holy Nougat

“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you.”

‭‭Daniel‬ ‭3:16‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This response of the Hebrew young men may seem rude; but they were explaining where their allegiance lay – not to the king of Babylon or his statue.

To whom are we accountable? We actually have different levels of accountability for different situations.

Some would argue that the three young men were accountable to Nebuchadnezzar – and to some extent, they were. He was king, they were living in his country, albeit as exiles. As sovereign of Babylon, working in the public sector, they WERE accountable to him. (It’s like Puerto Rico being under US; or being a British, French or Dutch territory in the Caribbean – not quite independent; but having some national sovereignty. Then being assigned to serve under the The political leader of the colonial empire. The major difference is – these guys had no choice in being conscripted).

As foreigners; it is very likely that there was a chain of command. And they would be accountable to their immediate boss; and perhaps to others further up on the management line, and eventually to the king. Whether they understood line management or office protocol prior to their arrival in Babylon; they would have grasped the nuances within the palace. It would not have taken them long to realize they were NOT liked.

This was another level of dislike however, for it came with the death penalty. And whether it was that they disrespected the chain of command or not; it was quickly apparent when they got ushered into the king’s meeting chambers that this was not about promotion possibilities. Nope. Not. No.

Someone had snitched. And the king was having none of their flagrant insubordination. For, if those young, foreign upstarts were allowed to disrespect his authority; that had only one recourse – death. To disobey the king, especially as foreigners, was (and perhaps still is) anarchy.

He tried reasoning with them – okay; some might say it was a trial. But the king gave them a chance to understand the consequences of their offense AND offered them a final opportunity to recant. They KNEW what was at stake.

But, ultimately, they knew that they were accountable to God.

And that’s what we each have to determine. Every day. Whether we are framing a response to someone who annoys us; determining what to do on the job or at Uni when we want a day off; or someone (like a supervisor or so) asks us to do do something that goes against God’s purpose and plans for us; we have to decide whether we are accountable to them or God. (Of course, this assumes our having more than just a cursory relationship with Jesus Christ and the Word).

In all our doings today and beyond, I pray that we choose to be accountable first to God, then to ourselves and others. It’s the best way to be.

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May all we seek be found in Christ