Session 9: Even If

Daniel 3:14–27 CSB

14 Nebuchadnezzar asked them, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, is it true that you don’t serve my gods or worship the gold statue I have set up? 15 Now if you’re ready, when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, drum, and every kind of music, fall down and worship the statue I made. But if you don’t worship it, you will immediately be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire—and who is the god who can rescue you from my power?” 16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied to the king, “Nebuchadnezzar, we don’t need to give you an answer to this question. 17 If the God we serve exists, then he can rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire, and he can rescue us from the power of you, the king. 18 But even if he does not rescue us, we want you as king to know that we will not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up.” 19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with rage, and the expression on his face changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He gave orders to heat the furnace seven times more than was customary, 20 and he commanded some of the best soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and throw them into the furnace of blazing fire. 21 So these men, in their trousers, robes, head coverings, and other clothes, were tied up and thrown into the furnace of blazing fire. 22 Since the king’s command was so urgent and the furnace extremely hot, the raging flames killed those men who carried up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego fell, bound, into the furnace of blazing fire. 24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in alarm. He said to his advisers, “Didn’t we throw three men, bound, into the fire?” “Yes, of course, Your Majesty,” they replied to the king. 25 He exclaimed, “Look! I see four men, not tied, walking around in the fire unharmed; and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.” 26 Nebuchadnezzar then approached the door of the furnace of blazing fire and called, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, you servants of the Most High God—come out!” So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out of the fire. 27 When the satraps, prefects, governors, and the king’s advisers gathered around, they saw that the fire had no effect on the bodies of these men: not a hair of their heads was singed, their robes were unaffected, and there was no smell of fire on them.

What is something you’d like to accomplish in the future?

What are some sacrifices you’d have to make? Would they be worth it?

THIS WEEK’S focus We have so many opportunities to go along with the crowd. We might watch a movie we don’t really want to see just because everyone else does. We might go to a party that makes us uncomfortable because we want a place to belong. In big ways and small ways, our lives are filled with choices. Not all of those choices will put our faith on the line, but many of them will. Many of them will mean honoring God or not. As followers of Christ, our faith will often mean that we don’t blend in or go with the crowd. We might have to make a different choice and risk sticking out. Daniel’s friends had to make the ultimate choice of either following God even to death or denying God to save themselves. They demonstrated that believers are called to be faithful at all costs.

Central Truth

Believers are called to remain faithful at all costs.

Daniel 3:14–18 ESV

14 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? 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?” 16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 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. 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.”

CONTEXT | Why was the king making everyone worship a statue? As a bold statement of his own power and authority, Nebuchadnezzar had a giant golden statue— about 90 feet tall—built in Babylon (v. 1). We don’t know if the image was of him, a Babylonian god, or something else. But we know that it was an image declaring the power and superiority of Babylon, and the king demanded that all the leaders come and worship it (v. 5). Nebuchadnezzar knew that if he could get the leaders of Babylon to worship the idol, then the people would follow suit. The king needed to know his leaders and the people were loyal to him. The dream that Daniel had interpreted for him affirmed stability and power in his life, but that it was going to be diminished at some point (Dan. 2). He was going to do everything in his power to determine who was for him and eliminate whoever was against him. Anyone who refused to worship the golden image would pay the price (3:6).

In the only portion of the book that doesn’t include Daniel, we find his friends (now called by their new Baylonian names, see 1:7) standing in opposition to the king’s orders. Having been instructed to bow down and worship his golden image, the three men refused. Brought before the king, the men were given an opportunity to change their minds and follow the king’s command. But they would not be shaken or threatened enough to be disobedient to their God.

1. What were Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego’s responses to the king’s threat?

2. What does their response say about their vies of God?

If going into the furnace to their death was the cost of obedience, then they were willing to pay the price. They had no idea if God would get them out. But their faith wasn’t dependent on whether or not God rescued them. They wouldn’t worship another god, regardless of the punishment. But they were still confident that if anyone had the power to rescue them from such peril, it would be their God alone. Faith in the one true God was their only strength in the face of fear and pressure to conform to the world.

Key Question

3. How do the three men’s faith and action challenge us not to give in to peer pressure? How did their actions demonstrate their faith?

We might never find ourselves staring down a fiery furnace with our name on it. But there will be many smaller opportunities in our lives to deny God in exchange for the easier choice. We will be tempted to say less about our faith when it makes others uncomfortable. We will want to give up on relationships, jobs, and difficult decisions when faith demands we trust beyond what we can see. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had no means of seeing or knowing the outcome of their act of faith. But they knew the faithfulness of the God they served. So, they went anyway.

Daniel 3:19–23 ESV

19 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. 20 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. 21 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. 22 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. 23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell bound into the burning fiery furnace.

4. Why did the king respond even more harshly than he had initially threatened?

5. Why was the king so enraged? Everyone else had bowed to the statue as he commanded, so why were these three men so crucial?

Nebuchadnezzar followed through on his threat. The three Hebrew men had refused to worship his idol, even if it meant death. He was so enraged in his pride that he ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual. It was so hot, the king’s guards died just getting the men into it. With an overheated furnace and the men fully bound, there would be no way out for them. The king wasn’t taking any chances. Any kind of escape would certainly be a miracle.

The king had undoubtedly felt threatened by the men’s refusal to worship. Their actions had undermined his authority, and his response was clearly an overreaction. Even though everyone else had followed his orders, he would make an example of the three who refused. It seems a bit extreme that he would go to such lengths when everyone else had done as he commanded. But these men were refusing to conform because of their God. That meant they were answering to someone higher than Nebuchadnezzar, which didn’t sit well with the Babylonian king.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise when God’s people are persecuted— not in the Book of Daniel and not today. From where we sit—with privilege and freedom to worship whomever and wherever we choose—we can forget that people suffer everyday around the world for claiming the name of Jesus. We might forget what Jesus promised His disciples: the world will always be opposed to Him, and they will also be opposed to us who choose to follow Him (John 15:18-25). Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were persecuted for choosing to follow the God of Israel, and they were rejected for it—even to the brink of death.

Be Vulnerable

These three men were facing the ultimate challenge of their faith. Consider sharing your own “even if He doesn’t” statement. For example, “Even if He doesn’t give me the success I hoped for . . . ” or “Even if He doesn’t give me the relationship I desire . . . ” How have you been or will you be faithful, even if God doesn’t move in the specific way you want?

Daniel 3:24–27 ESV

24 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.” 25 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.” 26 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. 27 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.

6. How did God provide in a seemingly impossible circumstance? Who was in the fire with the men?

Once the men were thrown in the furnace, the king looked in, fully expecting to see them quickly burned up in the flames. After all, his guards had perished just from getting close! Yet, he not only saw them alive and unbound, but also saw a fourth person in there with them—one that looked like “a son of the gods.” Even in the most dire of circumstances, God was protecting His servants.

7. What does it say about God that the men were completely unharmed? How did this demonstrate God’s power to the king and his advisors?

8. How did Nebuchadnezzar recognize God at work in this miraculous rescue?

Central Truth

Believers are called to remain faithful at all costs.

9. What hard choices do we have to make to be faithful in our daily lives?

10. How can you be intentional in praying for Christians around the world who are persecuted for following Jesus?

11. Where do you struggle to be faithful in the face of peer pressure? How might God be challenging you to be bold in your faith?

12. Where do you need to trust God’s character, regardless of the outcome of your circumstances?