Definition of unbound: not tied up, not held together by a physical force

Today a friend was telling me about a tree project she and her husband were working on. Due to damage by the Derecho this past summer, they needed to replace some trees. Seeking advice at a local nursery, the arborist told them that when they got the trees home, they needed to gently unbind the root system so that the tree knows it is planted and free, not still bound up in the pot.

That got me thinking about what I had been reading in the book of Daniel regarding the Babylonian captivity. Similar to today, God’s people were living under ungodly world authority.

However, in the midst of this turmoil and displacement, Daniel and his three friends, Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego stood out in their new service to their captor. They lived out their lives in a godly trust, knowing that God possessed the ultimate victory. In other words, they lived unbound in their faith walk.

One of my favorite Bible stories as a child now takes on new meaning to the adult “me”. Reading Daniel 3 as the story unfolds, Nebuchadnezzar made a huge idol of himself for all to worship. Those who did not fall on their faces in worship to him would be cast in a fiery furnace.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to worship anyone other than the One True God. They were living unbound in a captive world. They knew who they served and they knew the punishment for disobedience to the worldly authority.

Standing up for truth in righteousness and obedience to God, these men were arrested and then bound, being thrown into a fiery furnace. While Nebuchadnezzar watched from the sidelines, he suddenly became alarmed by what he saw! “Didn’t we throw three men, bound, into the fire?” he asked the men serving him.

“Yes…” they replied. “Look! I see four men, not tied (unbound), walking around in the fire unharmed; and the fourth looks like the Son of God.” Nebuchadnezzar was astonished by what he saw (v. 25). God was proving Himself as the Ultimate Authority to the Babylonian King. God protected these men for their faithfulness to HIm. This unbound faith saved them from being burned alive.

In our faith and devotion to God as our ultimate authority, we too can walk unbound in freedom. Romans 8:2 says, “Because the Spirit’s law of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.” Christ loosens the chains of sin that binds us, offering us freedom in Him. As our roots become unbound, we can firmly root ourselves in Him and live freely.

What a wonderful picture of God’s grace to us…to live unbound and free!

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