Daniel, Chaper 3

Review

Theme: Daniel and friends have made up their minds to serve the true and living God in an ungodly place (just like us)

often in an ungodly place you must live different from others - God helped them (diet)

church on Sunday

giving money

dress

talk

often in an ungodly place you face the same troubles as others - God helped them (dream)

we are all in this heat

all fighting inflation

often in an ungodly place you have to go directly against what they believe . . .

Daniel 3:1 NLT

1 King Nebuchadnezzar made a gold statue ninety feet tall and nine feet wide and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon.

in the last chapter, the King had a dream of a statue: gold, silver, bronze, iron, iron and clay . . . that was knocked down

This comes across as a rebellion against that dream

my dynasty will not end - all gold

it will stand tall and not be knocked over

Daniel 3:2–6 NLT

2 Then he sent messages to the high officers, officials, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the provincial officials to come to the dedication of the statue he had set up. 3 So all these officials came and stood before the statue King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 4 Then a herald shouted out, “People of all races and nations and languages, listen to the king’s command! 5 When you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and other musical instruments, bow to the ground to worship King Nebuchadnezzar’s gold statue. 6 Anyone who refuses to obey will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace.”

gathered his leaders and said worship me as god or be thrown into the fire

allegiance test, obedience test

act of unification - people serve many different gods, but at least have one god who we all serve - the king

plain pride and vanity on the king’s part

Daniel 3:7–12 NLT

7 So at the sound of the musical instruments, all the people, whatever their race or nation or language, bowed to the ground and worshiped the gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 8 But some of the astrologers went to the king and informed on the Jews. 9 They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “Long live the king! 10 You issued a decree requiring all the people to bow down and worship the gold statue when they hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and other musical instruments. 11 That decree also states that those who refuse to obey must be thrown into a blazing furnace. 12 But there are some Jews—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—whom you have put in charge of the province of Babylon. They pay no attention to you, Your Majesty. They refuse to serve your gods and do not worship the gold statue you have set up.”

everyone bowed down except for the three hebrew boys (Don’t know where Daniel was)

and jealous co-workers told on them

why did they not bow down?

Exodus 20:3–5a (NLT)

3 “You must not have any other god but me. 4 “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. 5 You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods.

The Bible is very clear on this issue

Daniel 3:13–15 NLT

13 Then Nebuchadnezzar flew into a rage and ordered that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought before him. When they were brought in, 14 Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you refuse to serve my gods or to worship the gold statue I have set up? 15 I will give you one more chance to bow down and worship the statue I have made when you hear the sound of the musical instruments. But if you refuse, you will be thrown immediately into the blazing furnace. And then what god will be able to rescue you from my power?”

I give the King credit for asking them himself, and he must have liked them because he gave them another chance.

He says, “and then what god will be able to rescue you from my power” . . . a direct challenge to the true and living God

Daniel 3:16–17 NLT

16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty.

we do not need to defend ourselves - it’s true, we didn’t bow down and we are not trying to hide behind any type of excuse

two parts to faith in verse 17

1 faith God is able, and 2 faith that God is willing

1 God is able to save us, 2 God will save us

faith to believe God is able comes from knowledge of his power, strength, authority, and what he has done in the past

there is nothing too hard for the Lord!

faith to believe God is wiling comes from his promises, his character, his revelation

Example, I like to use “but my God shall supply all my need” (Phil 4:19)

I determine if I REALLY need it to do what God has called me to do . . . I step out on faith, or don’t give up until I get it

In this situation, faith to know he was able is not that hard to see, but why did they believe that God was willing in this situation?

because not all people in their situation have been rescued - servants of God have suffered and died in the Old and New Testaments

His character? God responds to defiant challenges

Assyrian king told Hezekiah and Judah that their God could not deliver them - that night an angel killed 185,000 of his soldiers. King ran back home and his sons killed him

another army said that God is a god of the mountains and not the plains, and 100,000 of their soldiers died in battle

so after he said, “What god will be able to rescue you?” . . . they might have said, “I know God is going to come through now!”

Revelation? Maybe God has already showed them

Daniel 3:18 NLT

18 But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.”

even if he wasn’t going to save us - we would not bow down

some many people only want to serve/praise/live right/follow God . . . if God comes through like they think he should come through

in other words, if God behaves like I think he should, then I will serve him - that is the definition of defiance

and people fall of because God will do something or allow something that you don’t understand, don’t agree with, don’t get

We must get to the point where we trust God because he is God

serve God because he is God

though he slay me yet will I trust in him

Daniel 3:19–23 NLT

19 Nebuchadnezzar was so furious with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego that his face became distorted with rage. He commanded that the furnace be heated seven times hotter than usual. 20 Then he ordered some of the strongest men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. 21 So they tied them up and threw them into the furnace, fully dressed in their pants, turbans, robes, and other garments. 22 And because the king, in his anger, had demanded such a hot fire in the furnace, the flames killed the soldiers as they threw the three men in. 23 So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, securely tied, fell into the roaring flames.

to the king this was pure defiance in front of all the other leaders/treason

the king had them turn up the heat, so hot that it killed the soldiers who threw them in

Daniel 3:24–25 NLT

24 But suddenly, Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in amazement and exclaimed to his advisers, “Didn’t we tie up three men and throw them into the furnace?” “Yes, Your Majesty, we certainly did,” they replied. 25 “Look!” Nebuchadnezzar shouted. “I see four men, unbound, walking around in the fire unharmed! And the fourth looks like a god!”

but all of a sudden, the king now he sees four men walking around and not dying

fourth looks like the son of god, looks like a god, one of the gods . . . later called an angel, heavenly being

Daniel 3:26 NLT

26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came as close as he could to the door of the flaming furnace and shouted: “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!” So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stepped out of the fire.

servants of the most high God . . . that’s who we are

we serve under people - home, job, church leaders, under governments . . . but ultimately we are servants of the most high God

Daniel 3:27 NLT

27 Then the high officers, officials, governors, and advisers crowded around them and saw that the fire had not touched them. Not a hair on their heads was singed, and their clothing was not scorched. They didn’t even smell of smoke!

full miracle: bodies not burned, hair nor clothes burned, didn’t even smell like smoke

Daniel 3:28 NLT

28 Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent his angel to rescue his servants who trusted in him. They defied the king’s command and were willing to die rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.

king went from demanding praise to giving praise

be known as servants who trust in God

servants who rather die than serve or worship any other god

Daniel 3:29 NLT

29 Therefore, I make this decree: If any people, whatever their race or nation or language, speak a word against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they will be torn limb from limb, and their houses will be turned into heaps of rubble. There is no other god who can rescue like this!”

made a law that no one could say anything bad against the god of the three hebrew boys

no other god can rescue like this!

sometimes we go through so that others can come to this conclusion (testimony)

Be encouraged that we serve this same God . . . the exact same one

fiery furnace

cross the Red Sea

bread to fall from the sky

walls of Jericho to fall down

sun stand still

Gideon and 300 to defeat 135K

Daniel 3:30 NLT

30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to even higher positions in the province of Babylon.

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