A Bold Faith

Introduction

We all struggle with doing the right thing - when to speak up and when to shut up. Sometimes we don’t even know what the “right” thing is! It can be the same when it comes to our faith. Because we love God, there will be times when we may face derision, isolation, or worse for standing up for him. Three captives in a foreign land give us a great example of refusing to compromise in the face of deadly consequences.

Last week’s study focused primarily on the young man Daniel, although his three friends in captivity were involved in everything that occurred. All four of them had been taken into exile in Babylon in about 605 BC.

Daniel is described as having the ability to “understand visions and dreams of all kinds” (). He was able to relate to King Nebuchadnezzar the content of his dream when no one else could, then provide the interpretation. Daniel left no doubt as to the accuracy of his words when he concluded by telling the king, “This is the meaning of the vision” (2:45).

In response the grateful king acknowledged Daniel’s God as “the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries (). He also made Daniel “ruler over the entire province of Babylon and placed him in charge of all its wise men” (2:48). Daniel then requested that his fellow countrymen Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be placed as “administration over the province of Babylon” (2:49). But their new position of authority did not make them exempt from tests of their faith.

Today’s lesson text finds Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego on “the plain of Dura” (). Its location is not known; some suggest it was a few miles south of the city of Babylon. There King Nebuchadnezzar built an image of gold. Some scholars propose that the image depicted the king himself.

Anyone who refused to bow to the image faced death (). Obedience to such a command clearly violated the first two of the Ten Commandments, so the young Hebrew men refused to worship the image. Their disobedience was reported to King Nebuchadnezzar, who had the three brought before him.

The king offered them a chance to change their minds (), but the three restated their determination not to bow to the king’s image. They reaffirmed that their God was able to deliver them from the furnace, but whether he would choose to do so or not made no difference in their devotion to him. They would not yield to the king’s demand (3:16-18).

Fury of the King -

Daniel 3:19–23 NRSV

Then Nebuchadnezzar was so filled with rage against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego that his face was distorted. He ordered the furnace heated up seven times more than was customary, and ordered some of the strongest guards in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to throw them into the furnace of blazing fire. So the men were bound, still wearing their tunics, their trousers, their hats, and their other garments, and they were thrown into the furnace of blazing fire. Because the king’s command was urgent and the furnace was so overheated, the raging flames killed the men who lifted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. But the three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down, bound, into the furnace of blazing fire.

Kings do not like to hear the word no or see their commands disobeyed. The half-verse before us describes the intensity of Nebuchadnezzar’s anger in this regard. That the three men dare to defy his edict, especially after being given a second chance to obey, results in the king’s being furious. He is seething; he is ready to explode.

What are some appropriate ways to respond to anger directed at Christianity by secular culture? When the anger is justified; when the anger is unjustified; and considering biblical examples.

Now we see the king’s rage quickly turns into action. The furnace mentioned may be a type used for firing bricks. Or it may be used solely for executions, since burning people alive is often used by the Babylonians for capital punishment. The king seems to demand that the intensity of the flames match the intensity of his anger.

The three men are not prepared in any special manner for what appears to be certain death. And why should they be? Whatever they are wearing is about to be consumed by the fire, so any change of clothing would be unnecessary and a waste of time. Their sentence is to be carried out immediately with no delay whatsoever. Not a minute is therefore spent on removing a stitch of clothing - not their robes, not their trousers, not turbans, not any other clothes they happen to have on.

The fact that the king desires the men to be bound may seem curious. If their execution is so urgent, why not save a couple of minutes and throw them into the furnace unbound? The importance of the details will be seen later.

How can we prepare for religious persecution, or is such preparation even possible? Explain. Regarding attitude; and regarding spiritual disciplines

In verse 22 & 23 we see two things that are startling indeed. The first is the fact that the fire is so intense that the executioners cannot get close enough to the furnace to throw in Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego - the three condemned men - without incurring their own deaths. The second is the fact that those who die are the ones most physically able to survive their task: “the stronger soldiers” of verse 20! Perhaps they did not have time to take adequate precautions against the searing heat because the king’s commend was so urgent. The nature of the furnace’s design may also play a part.

In what ways can we show solidarity with persecuted Christians across the globe?

Work of All-Powerful God -

Daniel 3:26–28 NRSV

Nebuchadnezzar then approached the door of the furnace of blazing fire and said, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!” So 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 tunics were not harmed, and not even the smell of fire came from them. Nebuchadnezzar said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants who trusted in him. They disobeyed the king’s command and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God.

, , not part of our lesson text,, records what occurs after the three men are thrown into the furnace. No doubt Nebuchadnezzar expects to hear cries of agony from the three rebels, but instead observes “four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the god” (3:25). Some speculate this person to be a preincarnate appearance of Jesus. Later the king will state the God of the three men “sent an angel” to protect them (3:28).

Either way, a miracle has occurred as the previously bound men are now “unbound” and moving with the apparent ease within the “blazing furnace”. Even more astounding is the fact that the men are unhurt.

Nebuchadnezzar had asked rhetorically about the ability of any god to deliver Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego from the fire. But having just witnessed what happens to the three men, the king’s attitude changes dramatically.

Gone is the arrogant and contemptuous spirit as Nebuchadnezzar acknowledges the God of these men to be the Most High God. In calling the three men to come out, he refers to them as servants of the same God. We note that, having disobeyed the king’s previous command, they do obey this one!

This command is that of a humbler, gentler man than the one who was raging at them a few minutes earlier. That the three are able to walk out says something about the design characteristics of the furnace.

All the king’s officials gather around the three men, amazed at what they are seeing. These three men have emerged from a blazing furnace, with flames too intense for some of the king’s strongest men. Yet the Hebrew men show no evidence whatsoever of exposure to fire. They do not even smell of smoke!

How can you use a personal experience of God’s deliverance as a witness to others? As a witness to fellow believers; as a witness to unbelievers.

Nebuchadnezzar pays tribute to the three men who have dared to defy his earlier command to bow to the image. The basis of their courageous stand is their unshakable trust in their God. Because of this king’s command is changed. Nebuchadnezzar’s demand was negated by the faith of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Faced with the choice of obeying either an earthly king or the heavenly one, they chose the latter. They have honored a much more authoritative word than King Nebuchadnezzar’s.

How do we know when we should defy rather than obey earthly authority?

Nebuchadnezzar also notes that the three men have been willing to give up their lives in service to their God. They have not merely professed loyalty to God; they have backed up their profession with a willingness to die for him. They have declared that even if God chose not to come to their aid and spare them from the furnace, they would never compromise their trust in him (,). Nebuchadnezzar later admits that “no other God that can save in this way” (3:29).

Nebuchadnezzar’s realization that no other god was like the God of the Hebrew people caught him by surprise. It did not come through intellectual conversations or exposure to beauty. It came, rather, through incontrovertible evidence of God’s power.

The God who surprised Nebuchadnezzar hundreds of years before Christ is the same God who surprised the residents of Jerusalem in the first century AD. He surprises us yet today at various times and in various ways. How we react will reveal our hearts.

Conclusion

We can be assured from scripture, that they Lord is always present with his people. That is true whether seen or not, whether “the flames of fellowship” are literal or not. One should note that the inspired writer speaks of those who by faith “quenched the fury of the flames” (). Whatever flames one may experience while living in a broken, sin-cursed world, their fury is abated because of the presence of the Lord.

Prayer

We thank you, O God, for those who show courage and face trouble with humor and trust. We thank you for heroes of the faith. Enable us to find our courage when we need it. Enable us to worship only you with true love and genuine devotion; in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.