Civil Disobedience - Daniel 3:8-30

Introduction

(Credit wikipedia) After working all day, Rosa Parks boarded the Cleveland Avenue bus around 6 pm, Thursday, December 1, 1955, in downtown Montgomery. She paid her fare and sat in an empty seat in the first row of back seats reserved for African Americans. Near the middle of the bus, her row was directly behind the ten seats reserved for white passengers.

When the white section became filled, the bus driver approached Parks and four other African Americans, asking them to move so that he could expand the white section. Three of them moved, but Parks sat resolutely. In her autobiography, she said: “I felt a determination cover my body like a quilt on a winter night." She was arrested, and she lost her job as a seamstress. But, Rosa Park’s civil disobedience helped to spark a movement toward equality for a nation.

God’s Word

In Daniel 3, we’re witnessing an act of civil disobedience from more than 2500 years ago. Nebuchadnezzar had built a golden statue of himself that was 90 feet high before which all of his people were supposed to bow in adoration and worship at the sound of his royal marching band. The crowd was filled with the conquered peoples of the earth, and their bowing was meant to be an acknowledgement that Neb and Babylon were greater than their gods, and that was why they were in Babylon to begin with. It was a daily reminder of the power of their conqueror and the weakness of their gods. But, in the crowd of thousands, three young men, likely boys or teenagers, refused to bow and violate the first two of the ten commandments. And so, in chapter 3, we see them called to account, and we see Three Questions that Determine Your Ability to Stand: (Headline)

Who is “God”?

“Fear” is so often used as a synonym for worship in the Old Testament. The nations were constantly thinking through which god was mightiest, and they believed that their success or failure as a nation depended upon them having the god on their side whom everyone else would find most fearsome. So, if the God most greatly to be feared was on your side, there was nothing to fear. That’s why you loved him. That’s why you adored him.

So, what we’re seeing in Daniel three is an attempt by Neb to convince all the conquered peoples of Babylon that he is mostly to be feared, and what we have in the three young men is a boldness that is rooted deeply in their realization that a far greater God was on their side. If we’re going to stand, we must answer this question and…

Understand the “art” of “war.”

Daniel 3:15 “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?””

I want you think of how different the scene in chapter three is from the one we saw in chapter one. In chapter one, Neb is trying to sell all of the new imports on the glories of Babylon so that they would willingly switch their allegiance to him. He gave them their first hit for free so that they would always be loyal to him as their dealer. He wanted to give them an appetite for Babylon. But now, in chapter three, Neb is more direct. He’s no longer just inviting them to enjoy Babylon. Now, he’s demanding that they kiss the ring. He insists on them proving their allegiance to him. And, when Shad, Mesh, and Abed keep standing in civil disobedience, Neb reacts swiftly and thoroughly to crush any thoughts of rebellion in them. If they bow, they’re free to feast on Babylon. If they refuse, they’ll never eat again. When he says “immediately be cast,” Neb is telling the three men that right here, right now you will decide who is God. Is it the man who conquered you and now can kill you, or is it the weak God of your heritage that let you be conquered?

The most famous book on war is the Art of War by Sun Tzu and was written about the same time as Daniel. It’s a book that details military strategy. But, we see here that Tzu wasn’t the first strategist; Satan was. And, there’s an important strategy here to note about the nature of false gods and Satan’s cunning strategy to steal glory from God with them. False gods, and the men who follow them, first use allure to win your allegiance and then use intimidation. They appeal first to your sense of desire and then to your sense of fear. The strategy of false gods is to convince you that they can hurt you worse than they actually can. They want you to believe that they are your hope and your savior. Weak gods, like weak men, are always seeking to compensate. And, that’s because weak gods are in the image of weak men.

There will be moments of truth in your life in which you will have to decide where your loyalties lie. And, if you’re able to withstand the good looks and allure of the temptation, you must be prepared for the escalation. False gods don’t quit easily. You want to be included, but they’ll threaten you with isolation. You want to be promoted, but they’ll threaten you with glass ceilings. You want to be prosperous and successful, but they’ll assure you of certain failure. In that moment, who will you believe has the power? When the threat comes to deny God and disobey God or be on the losing side, who will you believe is God? Will you decide to stand with the Lord?

Beware the “coup” of “pride.”

Daniel 3:13 “Then Nebuchadnezzar in furious rage commanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought. So they brought these men before the king.”

Daniel 3:15 “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?””

To really understand what’s happening in chapter three, you have to understand what’s just happened in chapter two. King Neb has a dream that Daniel miraculously interprets. Through it, he’s told that though right now he is king of kings and the most sovereign over the world, there will be an everlasting Kingdom that will come which will shatter his. So, what do we see in chapter 3? King Neb is trying to prove that he is the greater king and that his kingdom is insurmountable. His 90 foot statue is really a resurrection of the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11, where we first meet Babylon. It’s still man trying to get to the status of God by their own hubris.

So, you see, King Neb is attempting a coup. That’s was the issue of the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11, and that’s the issues with the statue here. He’s attempting overthrow the God of Gods to place himself upon the throne. And, when he says, “And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?” he is saying point blank to these three men that their God, the God who interpreted his dream, is subordinate to him. After all, his victory in battle over Israel seemed to prove just that. Everyone on earth would agree with him, except for these few men who refused to

You see, we need to make sure that we don’t read this story too quickly. It’s easy for us to identify ourselves with Shad, Mes, and Abed, but the truth is that we more often identify with Nebuchadnezzar. We want to prove that we’re in control. And, when people don’t do exactly what we want and circumstances do go exactly as we predict, like King Neb, we “rage.” And, when we do that, we’re really angry because God is not subordinate to us. We’re angry because we’re not God. Beware the coup of pride, because as Neb will soon find out, pride always precedes the self-destruction.

Where is “freedom”?

Read Daniel 3:16-18

When Rosa Parks sits and refuses to move, it’s easy to see her as the one without freedom. And, certainly, from the legal side and practical side she wasn’t. But, there’s another way to look at it. When you get to the place where you will do what is right regardless of the price, that’s when you’re actually free. When prison and death and job loss no longer hold you hostage, you are now free to most fully live according to the convictions.

Civil disobedience is a declaration that, though you may be able to take away one’s rights or livelihood, no one can enslave a heart that refuses to bow. They couldn’t make Rosa Parks timid, and Neb couldn’t make these three men worship him.

For these three men, their three pillars that stood beneath and supported their freedom, and they show us where we can find freedom too. Notice the three pillars:

God’s “power” is “great.”

Daniel 3:16–17 “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “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.”

Man, I love their response to King Neb so much. Here are three adolescents. And, their response to the most power man on earth is: “No comment. We’ll let God do the answering.” My goodness, this is the kind of courage, the kind of winsomeness, the kind of faith, the kind of civil disobedience we need today.

You see, their courage was buttressed by their great view of God. What gave them the sense of freedom to respond so boldly to a man so great? They knew someone greater! That is, they found boldness and freedom in the realization that King Neb wasn’t really in charge. They were convinced that King Neb’s power wasn’t supreme. Instead, they were utterly convinced, completely certain their God, the One who had just shown his favor to them and interpreted the dream would see them through once again. That is, He who was with them was above, mightier, supreme to the one who was against them. And, when you’re convinced that God is in charge, you can face any man or circumstance without losing hope.

God’s “character” is “good.”

Daniel 3:17 “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.”

But, they don’t stop there. Not only do they believe their God is greater than King Neb, they believe He’s about to prove it. In their minds, God is not only able, but He is willing. He is not only great; He is good. That is, based upon who they know God to be, they fully expect that God is going to deliver them.

You see, the security of their hope is not based upon the quality of their faith. That’s not the point. The point really isn’t, “How great is the faith of these three!” The security of their hope is based upon the quality of the object of their faith. The point is “How awesome and good and trustworthy is their God! He’s so trustworthy they don’t even have to fret the King!”

When you’re feeling afraid and anxious and frustrated, do your thoughts drift to all the things that you can’t do or haven’t done? Do your thoughts drift to how unfaithful you’ve been in your quiet time or how harsh you’ve been with your husband or how helpless you feel to fix things? If so, you’re not living in freedom? Or, do your thoughts drift, not to the quality of your faith, but to the quality of the object of your faith? Jesus has been faith and will be faithful. He has taken care of you, and He will take care of you? That’s where freedom is found.

But, they land on…

God’s “plan” is “trustworthy.”

Daniel 3:18 “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.””

That is, they believe that God is able to deliver them and they believe that God will deliver them, but they’re okay with the realization that maybe they misunderstand. That is, they so fully trust God that they believe that his plan is trustworthy whether He chooses to deliver them or not! His ways are not their ways, and they prefer his ways. And so, they are able to look the most powerful man in the world right in the eye and say, “There is no condition under which we will forsake God and worship you. We so trust him that are ready to die for it.”

And, when the threat of death and intimidation no longer lingers in the air, man, there is freedom. If you can come to the place where you are wholly surrendered the sovereign will of God, you can live in total freedom. But, this is where most of us have trouble. We worry about our job. What if we lose it? We worry about our kids. What if they rebel? We worry about our health. What if I get cancer? We worry about our future. What if we don’t have enough? But, Jesus has already said, “It is finished.” Your future is secure. Your death is overcome. Your health will be made perfect. His ways are trustworthy and his will is unstoppable. Rest in the freedom of a mighty, good, proven, trustworthy Savior, Church. Then, you’ll be able to stand in the eye of the worst storm.

What is “strength”?

Read Daniel 3:19-31

Typically, when we think of strength, we think of those who are in power. We think of the conquerors like Alexander the Great or Napoleon. We think of rulers and politicians like King Henry VIII or George Washington. But, stories like Rosa Parks’ ought to give us pause. Who was stronger in 1955? The middle aged black woman who refused to stand or the government who put her in jail.

I want to ask a similar question about our text. Who is strong? Is it the might Nebuchadnezzar and his mighty army? Or, is it the three boys who refuse to bow? This question can help us distinguish counterfeit, bluffing strength from insurmountable, proven strength.

What Neb and Babylon hadn’t yet learned was that…

“Your” feats are “futile.”

Daniel 3:20–23 “And he ordered some of the mighty men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. Then these men were bound in their cloaks, their tunics, their hats, and their other garments, and they were thrown into the burning fiery furnace. Because the king’s order was urgent and the furnace overheated, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell bound into the burning fiery furnace.”

The question of who really is in the position of strength is meant to be asked. Notice who it is that binds Shad, Mes, and Abed. It’s “the mighty men” of Babylon. You’ll remember “the mighty men” from the time of David. These were the greatest warriors among great warriors. These were the Navy Seals and the Army Rangers. That is, they’re a display of strength by Neb. They were known by their feats of strength and feats of valor and feats of conquest. Like any person who thinks they’re strong, they would’ve loved to tell you about it.

But, you can’t muscle your way through fire. You see, these mighty men who had walked undoubtedly through many battles and proven their might eventually found their end. There’s always a fire too big for a man to withstand. Neb learned this. Caesar learned this. Napoleon learned this.

Death eventually proves every man weak and every feat futile. You see, regardless of how you measure strength, be it intellectual or physical, familial or professional, all of them will be absorbed into the infinity of eternity. And, if all you have are your feats, your accomplishments, your certificates, you’ll die in your weakness.

But, the Good News is that…

“Jesus’” feats are “forever.”

Daniel 3:24–28 “Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.” Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the burning fiery furnace; he declared, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here!” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the fire. And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together and saw that the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men. The hair of their heads was not singed, their cloaks were not harmed, and no smell of fire had come upon them. Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivere…”

“The mighty men” are killed by the heat of the door, but King Neb is astonished to see that the teenagers are able to stand as strong in the fire as they had in the crowd. And, that’s because now He could see with his eyes what they had always known by faith — They were not alone. Their God was with them in the flame.

What we have here, brothers and sisters, is an Old Testament, pre-incarnate glimpse of Jesus. Even Neb seems to see when he says “the fourth is like a son of the gods.” And, what we have here is a physical reminder that strength is found ONLY in the presence of the triune God, not in human strength and will. Jesus doing exactly what Jesus always does. God didn’t deliver them by a natural phenomenon. He delivered them by joining them in the flame. He delivered them by coming to them in person so that they could know their faith in his power and his goodness were not in vain. The point of this story is not the faith of these men, but the faithfulness of their Savior. The ability to withstand the flame is not found in the strength of the men. “The might men” prove the futility of the salvation that comes by man’s strength. The ability to withstand the flame is found in the strength of their God. And, that’s why the mighty men died and the three teenagers are left standing. That’s the point.

You see, Jesus’ feat was to come and join us in the fire. But, not just to join us in the fire, but to absorb the full fire of God’s wrath. And, when He raised on the third day, He proved that He had overcome that fire forever. His feats were proven to be eternal. So that whoever is in him will not even have the “smell of fire” on their clothes.

Church, when Jesus stands with you, you can walk through the flames. When Jesus stands with you, you can stand for him. When Jesus stands with you, you can taunt death: “O death where is your sting!” “O fire where is your burn!”