Scripture Daniel 3:1-30
VIDEO Daniel 3
King Nebuchadnezzar built a gold statue, ninety feet high and nine feet thick. He set it up on the Dura plain in the province of Babylon. He then ordered all the important leaders in the province, everybody who was anybody, to the dedication ceremony of the statue. They all came for the dedication, all the important people, and took their places before the statue that Nebuchadnezzar had erected.
4 A herald then proclaimed in a loud voice: "Attention, everyone! Every race, color, and creed, listen! When you hear the band strike up — all the trumpets and trombones, the tubas and baritones, the drums and cymbals — fall to your knees and worship the gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. Anyone who does not kneel and worship shall be thrown immediately into a roaring furnace."
7 The band started to play, a huge band equipped with all the musical instruments of Babylon, and everyone — every race, color, and creed — fell to their knees and worshiped the gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
8 Just then, some Babylonian fortunetellers stepped up and accused the Jews. They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, "Long live the king! You gave strict orders, O king, that when the big band started playing, everyone had to fall to their knees and worship the gold statue, and whoever did not go to their knees and worship it had to be pitched into a roaring furnace. Well, there are some Jews here — Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego — whom you have placed in high positions in the province of Babylon. These men are ignoring you, O king. They don't respect your gods and they won't worship the gold statue you set up."
13 Furious, King Nebuchadnezzar ordered Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to be brought in. When the men were brought in, Nebuchadnezzar asked, "Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you don't respect my gods and refuse to worship the gold statue that I have set up? I'm giving you a second chance — but from now on, when the big band strikes up you must go to your knees and worship the statue I have made. If you don't worship it, you will be pitched into a roaring furnace, no questions asked. Who is the god who can rescue you from my power?"
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered King Nebuchadnezzar, "Your threat means nothing to us. If you throw us in the fire, the God we serve can rescue us from your roaring furnace and anything else you might cook up, O king. 18 But even if he doesn't, it wouldn't make a bit of difference, O king. We still wouldn't serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up."
19 Nebuchadnezzar, his face purple with anger, cut off Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace fired up seven times hotter than usual. He ordered some strong men from the army to tie them up, hands and feet, and throw them into the roaring furnace. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, bound hand and foot, fully dressed from head to toe, were pitched into the roaring fire. Because the king was in such a hurry and the furnace was so hot, flames from the furnace killed the men who carried Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to it, while the fire raged around Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
24 Suddenly King Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in alarm and said, "Didn't we throw three men, bound hand and foot, into the fire?"
"That's right, O king," they said.
25 "But look!" he said. "I see four men, walking around freely in the fire, completely unharmed! And the fourth man looks like a son of the gods!"
26 Nebuchadnezzar went to the door of the roaring furnace and called in, "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the High God, come out here!"
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego walked out of the fire.
27 All the important people, the government leaders and king's counselors, gathered around to examine them and discovered that the fire hadn't so much as touched the three men — not a hair singed, not a scorch mark on their clothes, not even the smell of fire on them! Nebuchadnezzar said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent his angel and rescued his servants who trusted in him! They ignored the king's orders and laid their bodies on the line rather than serve or worship any god but their own. Therefore I issue this decree: Anyone anywhere, of any race, color, or creed, who says anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego will be ripped to pieces, limb from limb, and their houses torn down. There has never been a god who can pull off a rescue like this.” 30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon. THE MESSAGE
2607 years ago, Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar overtook Jerusalem and brought into exile the smart, the beautiful and the strong - including Daniel along with Hananiah, Shadrach; Mishael, Meshach; Azariah, Abednego. Within a few years, Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the city, including the most important building on earth - the temple of the one true God.
Daniel was the only one in the land who could rightly interpret a dream of King Nebuchadnezzar so he was given a high position in government and also got positions for Mechach, Shadrach, and Abednego. Nebuchadnezzar not only wanted to remove the Jews religion, he wanted them to adopt his. That brings us to one story with a beginning middle and end all in one chapter - Daniel 3. It is part of a bigger story, but it also stands alone as a complete story within this one chapter.
Chapter 1 & 2 show God’s ultimate wisdom and chapter 3 will show God’s ultimate power in the face of religious persecution. Religion allows for many statues to represent many made up gods. The Jews would only bow before the one true living God, and enemies of Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego knew that. There appears to be jealously that these “foreigners” have risen so quickly in esteem and position under the King. This can happen even in the church. I need to make sure I don’t make this happen as we all should. I merged a new church with an established church and eventually the established church folk saw the new church folk as foreigners who were gifted and didn’t want to lose their positions to someone new when in reality they should have welcomed, encouraged and even offered their positions to them - maybe that church would still exist today. Jealously, envy, pride never end well. That is exactly what was happening in Daniel 3 as some astrologers pointed out to the King that 3 of the Jews are not bowing to the king’s statue according to the king’s own decree.
This must be several years after Daniel interpreted Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. He honored Daniel’s God but now that seems a distant memory as he is so willing to put these Jews, faithful to their own convictions, to death by fire.
What about that statue? 90’ tall. Tall statues of that day would have been 18’ tall. This would seem absurd and make it more imposing than anything seen before. Also, every government official was to be present for the dedication - the exact list being repeated several times for emphasis. The instruments to be played at which time people should bow is also repeated for emphasis. In other words - everyone is without excuse for not bowing to this statue. These 3 Jews faithful to God would not bow to ANY one or any thing other than the Lord their God.
In Chpt 2 the astrologers were asked to interpret the king’s dream and said “no man, only the gods can interpret such a dream and they do not live among men.” Daniel, by God’s wisdom interpreted the dream. Now, Nebuchadazzer asks “what God can save you from this fiery death?” - Their response - 16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered King Nebuchadnezzar, "Your threat means nothing to us. If you throw us in the fire, the God we serve can rescue us from your roaring furnace and anything else you might cook up, O king. 18 But even if he doesn't, it wouldn't make a bit of difference, O king. We still wouldn't serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up."
The furnace might have been one built large enough for the constructing of the 90’ gold statue. Those throwing them into the furnace died from the intense heat. After they were rescued - one of the outcomes was that Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego were promoted. In other words, the exact opposite of what the astrologers wanted was done.
What does this story have to do with us?
Rev 20:11-15
Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
In America, Christians don’t face persecution of death as still happens in other parts of the world. Some of the people from this church have a 48 hour bug out plan if the government presses greater persecution on Christians. American Baptist missionaries in certain places in the world face the same possibilities. We don’t face that, but we do face the fact that we too are tempted daily to bow down before many idols big and small. We have all bowed to them at one time or another. We are called to follow the example of Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego and stand tall and bend the knee only to Jesus Christ:
THE OBJECT OF OUR WORSHIP - JESUS
Col 1:15-20a
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him.
Paul stood before Agrippa and Peter before the high priest and said, “We must obey God rather than men.”
Matt 10:28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.
Matt 10:32-33 Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.
Ephesians 6:10-14
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
Jesus is our example - Matt 27:11
Meanwhile Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?" "Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied.
WHO WAS IN THE FIRE?
You see, we have Jesus to help us stand strong when fiery trials come against us. What did Meshach, Shadrach and Abednego have? Well, there was a 4th person in the fire who looked like a son of the gods. Was it the son of God? Can’t say for sure - it may have been an angel form God or another manifestation of God. In either case God was present and God protected them and honored them even as they had honored him. God could have extinguished the fire, could have protected them without a fourth person. The point was, he did not save them FROM the fire - he saved them IN the fire and he was in the fire with them. When you face trials and when you face temptation - Jesus Christ himself is with you to see you through. Sometimes he will remove you from the fire, other times he may not, but in either case he is with the one who truly worships him and him alone. Like Stephen…
STEPHEN STOOD UP FOR JESUS AND HE SAW JESUS STANDING UP FOR HIM!
Acts 7:55-56
But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. "Look," he said, "I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God."
WORSHIP GOD ONLY
Matt 4:8-10
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me." Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.'"
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