Exiled: Daniel 3

Scripture Reading:

Last Time

Daniel Told Nebuchadnezzar the Dream and its Interpretation

It was about a Statue Made of 4 Kinds of Metal that Represented 4 Successive Kingdoms

It was a Dream about What God will Orchestrate in the Kingdoms of Men in the Future

Then There was a Rock that Destroyed the Statue and Became a Mountian that Filled the Whole Earth

This Represented the Kingdom of God that will One Day be Established and that will Last Forever

After Daniel Revealed the Dream and its Interpretation to the King…

He and His 3 Friends Were Promoted to Very High Positions Over the Province of Babylon

Introduction

Does Anyone Recognize this Man?

Looks like a Well-Dressed Soldier and Probably a Nice Enough Guy

Until You See Him in this Picture

His Name is Baldur von Schirach

He was a Nazi German Politician

Best Known as Being the Nazi Party National Youth Leader and Head of the Hitler Youth

“In the presence of this blood banner which represents our Führer, I swear to devote all my energies and my strength to the saviour of our country, Adolf Hitler. I am willing and ready to give up my life for him, so help me God.”

“He who serves our Führer, Adolf Hitler, serves Germany, and he who serves Germany, serves God.”

Essentially, Service to Our Country and its Leaders is One and the Same with Service to God

It was His Duty to Indoctrinate the Youth in Germany to Look at Hitler and the Nation of Germany as Their God

We Know the Kinds of Horrors that this Type of Idolatry Leads to

Murder on the Scale of Millions

Nazi Germany Weren’t the First People to Think this Way and They Weren’t the Last

People Throughout History Have Worshipped Their Nation and its Leaders

This is What Daniel Chapter 3 is About

The Story of the Fiery Furnace is a Familiar One to Us

We’ve Made it a Story that Adults Rarely Study Because We’ve Turned it into a Children’s Story

But Nothing Should be Further from the Truth

It’s a Gruesome and Horrible Story of National Idolatry and How it Leads to Indifference Toward Human Life

But When We Become so Familiar with These Types of Stories, We Begin to Miss Their Important Applications They Have for Our Lives

Daniel 3

We Don’t Know When this Story Took Place, but it May Have Taken Place After a Certain Revolt Against Nebuchadnezzar

The King Made a Giant Golden Statue that was 90 Feet Tall and 9 Feet Wide in the Plain of Dura

This is Coming Right Off of the Chapter on Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylon Being Considered the Head of Gold on a Large Statue

Him Making a Large Statue May be Referring Back to His Dream…

Except He Makes this Statue Entirely of God as if to Assert that There are No Other Kingdoms After His

We Don’t Know What this Statue was of, but it was to be Worshipped and it Signified Nebuchadnezzar and Babylon

He Commanded All the Satraps, Prefects, Governors, Counselors, Treasurers, Judges, Magistrates, and Rulers of the Provinces Come to the Dedication of the Statue

If this Story Did Take Place After a Revolt Against the King, then this Might be His Way of Forcing a Unity Celebration by Having His Diverse Civil Servants of the Provinces Bow to this Statue Symbolic of Babylon Herself

This May be to Remind Us of the First Time We Meet Babylon in the Bible

Humanity Gathered Together in a Plain to Build a Large Tower for the Purpose of Unifying All People

The Tower of Babel

When this Diverse Group of Civil Servants was Gathered at the Statue, Music Would Begin to Play

Then They Were All Commanded to Bow Down and Worship it

Nebuchadnezzar was Forcing Unified Worship of a National Monument to Promote/Force Religious and Political Unity Among His Provinces

Daniel 3:6 (NASB)

“But whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire.”

The King was Serious about this

This Furnace was Likely Used for the Making of the Statue

And with its Availability, He Decided to Use it as a Threat

It was Likely Shaped like a Beehive with an Opening at the Top…

With a Door on the Side for Adding Fuel

It Likely Could Have Reached Temperatures of Up to 1500*F

With this Threat in Place, When the Music Started “all the peoples, nations and men of every language fell down and worshiped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.” (Daniel 3:7)

But Verse 8 Tells Us “Certain Chaldeans Came Forward and Ate the Pieces of the Jews”

This Means They Acted Out of Hatred in Hopes of Destroying These Jews

Who Were These Jews They Were Hoping to Destroy?

Daniel 3:12–15 (NASB)

“There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the administration of the province of Babylon, namely Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. These men, O king, have disregarded you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up.”

Then Nebuchadnezzar in rage and anger gave orders to bring Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego; then these men were brought before the king.

Nebuchadnezzar responded and said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up?

“Now if you are ready, at the moment you hear the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery and bagpipe and all kinds of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, very well. But if you do not worship, you will immediately be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire; and what god is there who can deliver you out of my hands?”

Did You Notice Their Accusations Against Daniel’s 3 Friends?

“They Don’t Honor You, O King, They Don’t Serve Your Gods, and They Don’t Worship the Statue that Represents Our Nation.”

National Politics and Religion Hold the Same Place in Their Minds

The King of Babylon and Babylon Herself are Looked at as Gods

The King in His Rage Provided Another Opportunity for the 3 to Fix Their Obvious Mistake

But if They Wouldn’t, Their God Who Reveals Dreams Wouldn’t Have the Power to Rescue Them from His Power

I Imagine How Cute and Petty the King of Babylon Looked in the Eyes of the King of the Universe

One Thing We Need to Constantly Remember as Exiles in this Wicked World…

Never Underestimate God’s Power to Save His People

Daniel 3:16–18 (NASB)

Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter.

If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king.

But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

That was the Most Polite Rebellion You’ve Ever Heard

“We’re Not Going to Debate You on this Topic Your Majesty; You are Not God. Our God is Able to Rescue Us from You, but Even if He Doesn’t, We Still Will Not Worship Anything or Anyone But Him.”

Their Resistance is Polite and Peaceful, but Full of Conviction

Nebuchadnezzar’s Facial Expression Changed and He was Filled with Wrath

He Gave Orders to Head the Furnace as Hot as it Could Go

Valiant Warriors Tied Them Up Without Removing Their Babylonian Clothing and Threw Them in the Fire

The Warriors Died Just from Getting Too Close to the Blazing Furnace

These 3 Jews Had Less than a 0% Chance of Surviving

Daniel 3:24–25 (NASB)

Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astounded and stood up in haste; he said to his high officials, “Was it not three men we cast bound into the midst of the fire?” They replied to the king, “Certainly, O king.”

He said, “Look! I see four men loosed and walking about in the midst of the fire without harm, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods!”

Nebuchadnezzar Went to the Door of the Furnace and Called for the “Servants of the Most High God” to Coem Out

All of the Other Officials Gathered Around Saw that the Fire Did Absolutely Nothing to Them

They Didn’t Even Smell Like Smoke

Daniel 3:28 (NASB)

Nebuchadnezzar responded and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, who has sent His angel and delivered His servants who put their trust in Him, violating the king’s command, and yielded up their bodies so as not to serve or worship any god except their own God.

His Mocking of the God of the Jews was Quickly Turned into Astonishment at the Most High God

He Then Made a Decree that Anyone Who Speaks Against Their God Would be Torn Limb from Limb and Their House Turned into Porta-Potties

Because “there is no other god who is able to deliver in this way.”

And He Caused These 3 Friends to Prosper in Babylon

Application

How Exiles Resist

What was Going on in this Chapter?

Nebuchadnezzar was Forcing His Empire to Unify Under Threat of Death

“Everyone Give Your Total Allegiance to this Country as Your God or Die.”

Nebuchadnezzar was Enforcing National Idolatry

National Idolatry has Reared its Ugly Head in Many Different Ways Throughout History

And it Always Leads to Catastrophe and Disposal of Human Life

National Idolatry Demands Total Allegiance to the Nation

But Giving Total Allegiance to Country is Just as Much Idolatry as Worshiping a Stick, Rock, or Golden Calf

What are Christians to Do When Our Nation and its Leaders Demand Our Allegiance?

What are We to Do When Our Nation’s Agendas are Contrary to the Ways of Jesus?

Study the Lives of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego

When Commanded to Worship the Image that Represented the Nation to Which They Were Governing Officials…

They Practiced Private Resistance

They Didn’t Make Picket Signs and a Catchy Slogan and Protest by Marching Around the Palace Demanding the King Change His Decree

They Didn’t Fight for Their Rights and Freedoms Saying it isn’t Right for the Government to Enforce Such a Discriminatory Law

They Privately and Silently Resisted, Refusing to Sin Against God

Nebuchadnezzar Might Not Have Ever Found Out about Their Resistance had it Not Been for Those Blood-Thirsty Chaldeans

They Practiced Peaceful Resistance

There Were No Assassination Attempts by These 3 Men

They Didn’t Gather a Militia and Start Up a Rebellion

They Didn’t Grab Their Guns and Say, “You can Pry Them from Our Cold Dead Hands!”

They Peacefully Resisted

And When it Came Time for Their Punishment, They Accepted Without Resistance

They Practiced Polite Resistance

When Confronted about Their Resistance, They Remained Polite

They Gently and Politely Told the King that They Would Not Adhere to His Sinful Command

Their Worship and Allegiance Belonged Primarily to God

And that Would Remain the Case, Even to Death

How Should Christians Resist Evil Decrees from Our Government Today?

Privately, Peacefully, and Politely

When Troubles Come, Remember Immanuel

They Told the King, “Our God is able to deliver us from the furnace, but if He doesn’t, our resolve remains the same.”

The Question is, Did God Deliver Them from the Furnace?

No

We Learn a Valuable Lesson about God in this Text

God Didn’t Deliver Them from the Furnace, He Went in with Them

Whether it was Jesus Himself or Just an Angel, God’s Presence Entered the Fire with Them

Because God Went with Them, They Were Spared from a Horrific Death

A Prophecy about Jesus from Isaiah 7:14 is that His Name would be Immanuel

He is “God with Us”

Some of the Last Words that Jesus Ever Spoke Before Ascending into Heaven Were These…

“I am with you always”

Just as with Daniel’s 3 Friends, We can Know that Whatever We Face in this Life, for Better or for Worse, Jesus will be with Us