KBM No Need To Answer

With camps this month things have been a bit hectic but with everything starting to slow down I’m glad that I can get to doing this podcast more consistently. We have been studying through the theme, “Impact 3:16.” We left off looking at “God’s Watchman” from Ezekiel 3:16 and turn our attention in this study to Daniel 3:16. This is a very familiar passage to most people. Remember, Daniel and his friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were taken in the first round of deportations when Babylon came to Jerusalem. These young men showed amazing faith in light of their dire circumstances. They had made a name for themselves with the king, Nebuchadnezzar, in the previous chapter by being the only ones able to interpret the dream without being told what the dream was first. This led to Nebuchadnezzar to say this to Daniel in Daniel 2:46-47.

Daniel 2:46–47 ESV

46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face and paid homage to Daniel, and commanded that an offering and incense be offered up to him. 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.”

Though Nebuchadnezzar never became one that “only worshiped” the one true God he did at least recognize the God and consider him the greater than his other idols. This is significant because in chapter three Daniel is apparently out of country, most likely on a business trip for the king, when the king gets an itch to prove his might by making an image of gold that stood about 1,080 feet tall and was roughly 108 feet wide. For perspective, this is equivalent to a little taller than three football fields high and one third of a football field wide. And every time the instruments played everyone that could see this huge image was to bow down and worship it. In other words, everyone was expected to bow down and worship Nebuchadnezzar, whom the image represented. Now, you and I know Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego would not bow down to this false god, this idol, and when Nebuchadnezzar found out he was furious with them (Daniel 3:12-13). Notice what he tells them in Daniel 3:15…

Daniel 3:15 (ESV)

15 Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, well and good. But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?”

That brings us to our text for today, wherein these three answer the king…

Daniel 3:16–18 ESV

16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 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. 18 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.”

By telling the king “we have no need to answer you in this matter” they were saying there is not need to answer such a foolish question.

Proverbs 26:4 ESV

4 Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself.

There are a lot of foolish people that demand from Christians answers that have been answered over and over. We must defend God and his word (1 Peter 3:15), but when the “wise of this world” refuse to listen let’s not continue to waste our breath by continually “answering the foolish.”