Faithfulness in the fire.
I. Daniel and the Three Friends at the Babylonian Court (1:1–6:28)
A. Prologue (1:1–21)
1. Daniel and his friends taken into exile (1:1–7)
2. Daniel and his friends remain undefiled (1:8–16)
3. Daniel and his friends promoted and preserved (1:17–21)
B. Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of a great statue (2:1–49)
1. The dream and Nebuchadnezzar’s threat (2:1–13)
2. Daniel’s response and prayer (2:14–24)
3. Daniel interprets the dream (2:25–45)
4. Nebuchadnezzar promotes Daniel (2:46–49)
C. Nebuchadnezzar builds a great statue (3:1–30)
1. The nations worship Nebuchadnezzar’s statue (3:1–7)
*Now if you are ready at the time you hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music to fall down and worship the image which I have made, very well. But if you do not worship, you shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. And who is that god who can deliver you out of my hands?”
*If it 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 even if He does not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods, nor worship the golden image which you have set up.”
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer in this matter.
17 *If it 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 even if He does not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods, nor worship the golden image which you have set up.”
19 *Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Therefore he spoke, and commanded that they should heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated.
1.
1. The Singularity of Their Answer
“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, answered and said to the king” (Daniel 3:16). While one of the three would be the spokesman, yet the answer is from all three. They spoke as one. They were not divided in their convictions. Nebuchadnezzar could find no disunity among these three consecrated Hebrews.
Unity among God’s people is a hard thing to find. One important reason is the lack of knowledge of the Word of God. Another important reason is the lack of devotion. God’s people are simply not devoted to God. Thus when pressure comes, the ranks will split and divide and unity will be lost. These three had both conviction and consecration. Their conviction came from the Word of God, and their consecration came from their heart. When you have the two together, you will have the best unity possible.
2. The Sureness of Their Answer
“We are not careful to answer thee in this matter” (Daniel 3:16). This translation sounds cheap to today’s reader. It implies that the three did not care how they answered Nebuchadnezzar. Nothing could be farther from the truth. The language here means that the three said the matter was not negotiable. “There is no need to answer thee” is the way many scholars translate it. We would say, “There is no use talking anymore about it, we have made up our minds, we will not change, further talk is a waste.” Nebuchadnezzar had given them two options. As far as they were concerned there was only one option—there was no need for any other option. They would not bow! Thus their answer was sure. They did not falter and hesitate in giving an answer. They were sure of their stand and gave a certain answer.
3. The Service in Their Answer
“Our God whom we serve” (Daniel 3:17). We noted earlier in both the accuser’s statement and Nebuchadnezzar’s statement that worship and service were associated together. These three agree on that point. What they do not agree upon with Nebuchadnezzar is the object of worship. They will serve the God they worship, not the gods of Nebuchadnezzar.
4. The Supernatural in Their Answer
“If it be so [if it be God’s will], our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace” (Daniel 3:17). The “If” at the beginning of this verse is not an “if” about the ability of God but an “if” about the will of God. The three companions of Daniel knew that God was able; what they did not know was if God was willing in this situation to deliver them. They did not presume to dictate God’s actions when they did not know His will. Some of the so-called faith healers need to learn a lesson here. We do not doubt that God can heal, but knowing if God is pleased to heal in every circumstance is another matter. And confessing ignorance of God’s willingness to heal in every case is not a lack of faith. Rather, it is an expression of faith in the wisdom of God to do what He deems best in every situation. The three Jews did indeed believe that their God was able to deliver from the burning fiery furnace even though Nebuchadnezzar mocked the idea of any god delivering them out of his hands (and thus out of the furnace).
5. The Submission in Their Answer
“But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up” (Daniel 3:18). This verse gives the most noble part of the answer of these three noble Jews. It involves both submission and steadfastness. In this point we emphasize their submission to God; in the next point we will emphasize their steadfastness in serving God.
The three companions of Daniel make a great statement of their submission to God. They will do His will even if it takes their life. It speaks the same as Job when he said, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in Him” (Job 13:15). It says that I will do my God-given duty even if I do not prosper in this world. It says I will do right regardless of the results in this world. Not many folk make this confession. Their performance of duty is too often determined by how it prospers them in this life.
6. The Steadfastness in Their Answer
“We will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up” (Daniel 3:18). There is nothing difficult to understand about this statement. It is not spoken in words that can be interpreted as either a yes or a no. They were steadfast in their position. Men of conviction and consecration do not speak out of both sides of their mouth. It is only compromisers who do that. And so many churches and schools and denominations and missions today do speak out of both sides of their mouth. Like politicians, they seem afraid of offending someone and end up offending everyone.
The three companions of Daniel make it very plain that they will not under any circumstances bow down to the golden image or serve Nebuchadnezzar’s gods. They would be steadfast regardless of the situation. The main issue was worshiping the “golden image,” but the Chaldeans brought up the issue of serving Nebuchadnezzar’s gods, and the king went along with that matter, too, in his condemnation of the three. So the three make it plain they will do neither. They left no doubt regarding their belief even if it meant the fiery furnace. We seldom witness such steadfastness today.
26 *Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spoke, and said, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, you servants of the Most High God, come out and come here!”
Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out of the midst of the fire
28 *Then Nebuchadnezzar spoke and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent His angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him. They have defied the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.
29 *Therefore I make a decree that every people, nation, and language which speaks anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill, because there is no other God who can deliver in this way.”
30 *Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.
21 *“His master said to him, ‘Well done, you good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things. I will make you ruler over many things. Enter the joy of your master.’
21 *“His master said to him, ‘Well done, you good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things. I will make you ruler over many things. Enter the joy of your master.’
28 *Then Nebuchadnezzar spoke and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent His angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him. They have defied the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.
29 *Therefore I make a decree that every people, nation, and language which speaks anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill, because there is no other God who can deliver in this way.”
30 *Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.
• Promotion. “I will make thee ruler over many things.” One of the rewards for faithfulness was promotion. When a man shows up for work on time all the time, the boss will likely promote him. But those who drink and do drugs to the extent it hurts their work attendance and performance will not be promoted.
• Pleasure. “Enter into the joy of thy lord.” Pleasure and joy will be the portion of the faithful. The man who is not faithful to his wife knows sorrow and heartache, not pleasure. The faithful man will know pleasure that comes only to the faithful.
21 *“His master said to him, ‘Well done, you good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things. I will make you ruler over many things. Enter the joy of your master.’