Rise through the Heat
Notes
Transcript
Thankyou for having me still even though we are in the midst of this quarantine. It’s also nice to be assigned something to talk about that I am so passionate about.
Before we get into the text, I wanted to ask a thought question, that we will come back to.
Which do you prefer, to stand out or blend in?
For instance. While I grew up largely in Charlotte, NC and have much love for the Carolina Panthers, they were always my #2 team. I am a life long fan of the Greenbay Packers. Panthers fans aren’t known to be to scary for opposing team fans to walk into Bank of America Stadium wearing opposing colors. Also Greenbay and Carolina don’t hold much of a rivalry. I have walked into panthers packers game that I have been to wearing the admittedly ugly green and gold.
I don’t know that i would have the same confidence to walk into the chicago bears stadium or minnesota vikings stadium wearing opposing colors. People have been been bruised and beaten for less. I would likely find myself silently rooting Aaron Rodgers on the inside, but I would not want to standout in the sea of orange and navy blue or, purple and yellow.
I have met in my life many people who thrive on standing out. Maybe they are not always standing out for all the right reasons, but there is something to be said about someone who shows no fear in their willingness to go against the grain.
Daniel and his friends Shadrach, Mishak, and Abednego, had already demonstrated a willingness to stand out and live differently than their Babyonian peers. They stood out by what food they ate, what drink they drank, or didn’t drink, they didn’t worship idols. They openly worshipped 1 God. They also prayed both publicly and privately.
These were not the only areas where they stood out. They’re work stood out as well. They stood out to their superiors largely in a positive light, especially with Nebuchadnezzar, but to their peers, they stood out for a different reason. They felt threatened having these Hebrew wisemen among their ranks and throwing off the order of things.
Now as you remember from last week, its my understanding you examined Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. The image that Nebuchadnezzar had dreamed about, and that Daniel, through God’s power interpreted the dream.
Head of Gold = Babylob
Chest of silver = Medo-Persia
Thighs of bronze = Greece
legs of Iron = Rome
feet mixed of iron and clay = Rome/divided Europe.
Then there was a rock that came and smashed entire image and rose above it = God’s unending Kingdom.
Nebuchadnezzar kind of reminds me of myself when I was a student, pay close attention at the beginning and then space out during the rest of the lecture.
Basically he didn’t move past the first part. My kingdom is the head and the head of gold at that.
So what does he do? He changes the image. He literally has built a statue erected of gold and calls for a ceremony, where all the people of his kingdom are to bow before the the erected golden image.
The book prophets and kings, written by Ellen White helps us get into the mind of the king. She suggests the king did acknowledge God’s power at first following Daniel’s interpretation.
Prophets and Kings Chapter 41—The Fiery Furnace
The king had acknowledged the power of God, saying to Daniel, “Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, … and a revealer of secrets.” Verse 47. For a time afterward, Nebuchadnezzar was influenced by the fear of God; but his heart was not yet cleansed from worldly ambition and a desire for self-exaltation. The prosperity attending his reign filled him with pride. In time he ceased to honor God, and resumed his idol worship with increased zeal and bigotry.
Then Nebuchadnezzar started listening to the very people who had not been able to interpret his dream. Now that they had heard the dream and its interpretation from Daniel, the king’s wisemen, saw an opportunity to win back favor with the king by doing what they would have done in the first place which was attempt to flatter the king. With his return to idolatry, they proposed he make an image replica of the dream and set it up as a testament of his lasting kingdom.
Prophets and Kings suggests it was the king himself though who took their idea a step further.
Prophets and Kings Chapter 41—The Fiery Furnace
Pleased with the flattering suggestion, he determined to carry it out, and to go even farther. Instead of reproducing the image as he had seen it, he would excel the original. His image should not deteriorate in value from the head to the feet, but should be entirely of gold—symbolic throughout of Babylon as an eternal, indestructible, all-powerful kingdom, which should break in pieces all other kingdoms and stand forever.
It seems Nebuchadnezzar has had a very quick transition from being a God fearing King to once again egotistical and desiring self-worship.
And the herald proclaimed aloud, “You are commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, that when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. And whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace.” Therefore, as soon as all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, all the peoples, nations, and languages fell down and worshiped the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
I’ve always found it interesting that when the command is put forth, pretty much everyone bowed. Do you think everyone who bowed really believed in the image or believed Nebuchadnezzar by extension was some sort of God? maybe some did…but I would tend to believe most people did so out of fear of the threat of the fiery furnace. Allegiance through subjugation is not really allegiance, its coercion.
Allegiance is what caused Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to stay risen.
They refused to bow. The thing is, they likely could have silently protested in someway that might not have been noticed. Maybe they could have dropped to their knees and began praying to God in Heaven. Perhaps they could have rationalized in some way why doing as the rest of the crowd was doing, suggesting, well we can’t change things from the inside if we are burned up in a fiery furnace. I can’t imagine there wasn’t atleast some sort of temptation to rationalize and hide their stance. But in a similar vein that Daniel would display years later in praying to God in spite of a decree to do other wise, these men rose through the heat and stood firm.
They did exactly as the chaldeans and other wisemen likely hoped they would do so they could expel these foreigners for good from the good graces of the king.
They were quick to point out the hebrews neglect of homage to the king and their standing in protest. In fact verse 12, says, they told Nebuchadnezzar, they pay no attention to YOU.”
Perhaps you and I can read this text and interpret the wisemen’s manipulation of the King. Maybe we can distinguish the good guys from the bad. But Nebuchadnezzar was blinded by his own ego and pride. He calls the 3 protestors before him.
Nebuchadnezzar answered and said to them, “Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up?
I think part of Nebuchadnezzar was embarrassed at the sight of men he had appointed seemingly standing opposed to his decree. Maybe this could be spun in someway as a misunderstanding. He gives the men a second opportunity. However tied to his seemingly gracious nature of extending them a 2nd opportunity was again the threat of death, only this time their is a direct challenge before their God.
He says, once you hear the music play, fall and worship the image I have made, but if you do not worship, you shall immediately be thrown into the burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?
To me this is the “Have you made your final decision?” Like back in the day during the show “Who wants to be a millionaire” show Regis Philbin would always ask the contestants after they have given their answer to a tough question, “Is this your final answer?”
Anybody here struggle making big decisions, is there anyone here who second guesses themselves. I am definitely one of those people. I like reassurances from others I am making going down the proper course. One of the most amazing displays of faith found in the Bible is found in the next verse.
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. 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.”
There are few moments in the Bible where we see such courageous behavior.
David standing before Goliath withing nothing but a sling and a stone.
Elijah on Mt. Carmel challenging the prophets of Ba’al
Daniel refusing to change his ritual of praying openly to God against the King’s decree.
Jesus standing trial before Pilate .
There is another moment that would happen centuries after this exchange between the 3 hebrews and the king of Babylon. I want to digress for just a moment.
If you have your Bibles, flip over to Acts chapter 4, You find apostles Peter and John taken before the Sanhedrin. They were being called in for performing miracles, and testifying of Jesus resurrection. This was shortly after Pentacost and the pouring a out of the Holy Spirit amongst the people. The religious leaders charged Peter and John to cease and desist from preaching Jesus. These were threats of prison or even death: but look at how Peter and John respond:
But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” And when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them, because of the people, for all were praising God for what had happened.
following this encounter they went to their friends and explain how God had been with them. Listen to their prayer:
And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness,
other versions will say “even more boldness.”
I imagine the resolve of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had been flowing through Peter and John and it was for that sort of boldness going forward would they (Christianity) would rise in the heat of persecution at the hands of the pharisees and sadducees and also Roman officials.
And in the face of such boldness displayed by the 3 hebrews, Nebuchadnezzar’s rage met them head on.
Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with fury, and the expression of his face was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace heated seven times more than it was usually heated. 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.
So a question I have for you guys, I know most of you know the story, Did God spare the 3 hebrew protestors from the fiery furnace? If we can’t all speak at the same time, lets take a vote. Did God spare them from the fiery furnace, raise your hand if you think yes? Okay raise your hand if you think no.
The text tells us that Nebuchadnezzar looked into the furnace and was astonished at seeing more than 3 who had been thrown in, and the fourth looked to be the son of God! He calls for them to come out, and the hebrews emerge unscathed by the fire. Now Nebuchadnezzar being amazed at yet another witness of God’s power, declares that no one speak against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
Here’s the thing, I asked you that question if they had been spared, and an argument could be made for Yes they were, their lives were spared. But quite frankly, they were thrown in weren’t they? Their faith was rewarded with being thrown into a fiery furnace. If we think our faith alone spares us from all struggle and adversity, you are reading the wrong gospel. Yes sometimes God steps in and prevents harm upon us, but that is not his promise to save us from every storm in life. God may not always save us from every fiery trial, but rest assured He will stand with you amongst the flames.
Listen in the last 2 years personally, I and members of my family have faced trials ranging from health, financial struggle, loss of job, and the list goes on and on. Yet through each and every personal struggle we have felt the goodness of God’s great love and His presence throughout all difficulty.
So many times with whatever we are going through we ask God, where were you? Maybe sometimes we need to look at ourselves and ask have I asked Jesus into my heart, and have I taken him with me into each trial we face. Rest assured God takes no pleasure in our pain and suffering and he will boldly stand with you and help you rise through the heat.
I’ve got a few discussion questions I wanted ask and open things up for a little discussion:
When are times God asks us to stand out for Him?
Why does God step in sometimes to save the day but not every time?
What kind of “heat” has God stood with you in?