As we continue in the Book of Daniel, we want to remember
the focus of our series, to Love God, to Care for others and to Communicate God’s
Word. Let’s read together Daniel chapter 3 and see what examples of Love, Care
and Communicate take place.
Daniel 2 closed with Nebuchadnezzar praising Daniel’s God:
Daniel 2:47
The king answered and
said to Daniel, “Truly, your God is God of gods and Lord of kings, and a
revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery.”
Last week, I mentioned that it was good for the king to say
this, but that we should not consider his statements here as a genuine
conversion to the one true God. Neb was a pagan king in a polytheistic society,
meaning he believed in many gods. What he identified last week is Daniel’s God
was the best of the gods, and his belief system allows him to shift between deities
as he pleases.
True conversion is different. It is a recognition that there
is only one true God and that we cannot earn our way to God but must come to
Him on His terms, not our own. God in the Old Testament gave the Law for people
to see their need for a Savior, and to trust in His promises to provide the way
for them. Today, we see that Jesus fulfilled the promises of the OT and we place
our trust in the finished work of Christ for our salvation. In both OT and NT,
genuine conversion results in a surrendered life and loving pursuit of God.
Right at the beginning of Daniel 3, we see that Nebuchadnezzar
still held on to his pagan views. Daniel’s interpretation of his dream was that
a huge statue of different materials represented Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom (the
golden head) coming to an end. Could it be that the 90 foot golden statute he
built was in defiance of the dream’s interpretation? Not only is it a statement
that his rule will not end, but he also demanded the kingdom to bow down and
worship it every time the music plays.
The Conspiracy
That’s when a certain group of wise men found a potential
opportunity to get a promotion in Nebuchadnezzar’s court. They were upset that
the Jewish boys were elevated above them in the kingdom. Therefore they were
looking for a way to bring them down. They knew that Shadrack, Meshach and
Abednego, or Rack, Shack and Benny, would not betray their belief in the one
true God by bowing down to an idol. So they told the king about them.
Rack, Shack and Benny had a reputation of loving God. They
knew the 2nd Commandment:
Exodus 20:4–6
[4] “You shall not
make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven
above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the
earth. [5] You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your
God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to
the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, [6] but showing
steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
They not only heard the Law, but they obeyed it, with fierce
obedience, even when their life was on the line. What does your reputation say
about you? If someone was conspiring against you, would your faith in Jesus be noticeable
to them?
The King’s Wrath
When Nebuchadnezzar heard that Rack, Shack and Benny did not
bow down and worship, he was furious. However, we should be surprised at his
immediate action. Instead of immediately throwing them in the fiery furnace as the
law stated, he was willing to give them a second chance. He probably didn’t do
this because he was just a nice guy, but more likely because he knew that these
three were good for his kingdom. Why? Because their God blessed them.
However, his pride drove him to continue with his ridiculous
law. When he presented them with another chance, he also put forth a challenge:
Daniel 3:15
“And who is the god
who will deliver you out of my hands?”
God Before Country
Rack, Shack and Benny stopped the king from queuing up the
music again, they didn’t need it. A, “thanks but no thanks, we don’t need it to
tell you what we are going to do.” Listen
how they declare their love for God and communicate the truth about God to the
king:
Daniel 3:16–18
“O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If
this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery
furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it
known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden
image that you have set up.”
They said, listen, you don’t need to play the music again,
we will not bow down. Our God is bigger than the fiery furnace and He can save
us. But even if he doesn’t save us, we will not betray our love for Him by
worshiping man made idols. It’s not going to happen.
Huge answer here! They know what God is capable of and trust
that He could save them if He chose to. They trusted God would do what is best to
demonstrate His glory. Nebuchadnezzar pretty much gave a personal invite to God
to save the boys when he placed his authority over any god.
The king was not used to people defying him. So he ordered
the furnace to be 7 times hotter, which could be a way of saying as hot as it could
go. And it was hot enough to kill, because the guards who threw them into the
furnace died by proximity. It was hot!
Jesus In The Midst of
The Fire
Neb is completely caught off guard. His soldiers died
throwing the boys in the fire. Then he sees the boys walking around in the fire
and they are not alone! His words are specific, “the fourth is like a son of
the gods!”
If we stop and think about it for a second, the courage of
the boys to put God before king was rewarded with the presence of the Son of
God in the midst of their trial.
James 4:8
Draw near to God, and
he will draw near to you…
Their decision gave God an opportunity to display His power
over the physical world and that His authority is far greater than Nebuchadnezzar’s.
They literally allowed their light to shine for others to see their God in
heaven and give glory to Him (Matthew 5:16).
Nebuchadnezzar saw Jesus in the fire with the boys and none
of them were being harmed. When they came out, nothing was harmed. No singed
hair. No burned clothes. Not even the smell of smoke was on them.
This event prompted Nebuchadnezzar to once again proclaim the
glories of God:
Daniel 3:26, 28–29
“Servants of the Most High
God… [28] Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who
trusted in him, and set aside the king's command, and yielded up their bodies
rather than serve and worship any god except their own God. [29] Therefore I
make a decree: Any people, nation, or language that speaks anything against the
God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb, and their
houses laid in ruins, for there is no other god who is able to rescue in this
way.”
The Faithful Rewarded
The faithful come to God on His terms and trust His ways,
even when the world is telling them something else.
Hebrews 11:6
And without faith it
is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe
that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
Rack, Shack and Benny believed their God existed, even when
the world around them denied it. The Universities and the schools taught there
were many gods and that the king was a god. The popular thing to do was to bow
down and worship the kings statue. The best rock bands played their tunes and
all of society was going in a different direction, but Rack, Shack and Benny
believed their God and sought to please Him by refusing to bow down.
Because of their faithfulness, once again Nebuchadnezzar
encountered the power of the living God and took another step in the right
direction, by giving religious freedom to those who believed in the God of
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.
He also promoted the three to higher positions, which I think
is awesome. Remember back at the beginning. The guys who reported them to the
king thought they had a good plan. That back fired and even more power and prominence
was giving to the three.
Together
Oh, we didn’t highlight Care. Did you see it? It defines the
entire chapter, as these three friends stood together, worshiped the one true
God together, told the king about their God together, were in the fire
together, met with Jesus together, and were promoted together. Together!
Think About It
Okay we are not under the kosher laws today, and typically
we don’t encounter a 90 foot statue that we are commanded to bow down to. But
what kind of temptations does our world throw at us today that are similar to
these?
How does your life look different than the world?
Where are your affections? Is your love for God strong enough
to compel you to stand when everyone else is bowing down? Or do you want to fit
in so bad that you will give in to peer pressure?
1 Peter 2:12
Keep your conduct
among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers,
they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
Evaluate your life, your passions, your decisions and ask yourself
“would the unsaved people in my life see enough Jesus to glorify God by?”
If the answer is no, go back to step one Love God (Matthew
22:37). Seek to grow in your love for Jesus today.
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