The Book of Daniel - part 4

Daniel 3 : Stand Firm

“Three Friends in the Furnace” - Priscilla Catacomb in Rome

Today, we get to read one of my favorite stories, and it just so happens 1700 years ago, a Roman Christian illustrated it in one of my favorite paintings. This painting is on one of the walls of the Priscilla Catacomb. You may recall many early Christians would worship within the catacombs, because it was both a safe place and a sacred space. They would honor the deceased martyrs in Christ, as well as use their lives as inspiration for godly living in a world that very much hated them. The second century saw much sporadic persecution that only grew in the third century, when this painting was made. Nero of the first century is well known and instated a local persecution in Rome. Domitian ended the first century with more. Valerian, Diocletian, and Docitus all continued the persecutions through the second and into the third century. Diocletian’s were so brutal that many identified him as the beast of Revelation.

In the midst of these centuries of persecution, Christians continued to multiply and their faith in Christ grew bolder. Tertullian famously stated, “The blood of martyrs is seed for the church.” As these Christians faced persecution, they looked to the Old Testament stories as evidence for God’s faithfulness. Our story today is one such story.

It begins with Nebuchadnezzar building a giant statue, possibly inspired by his dream from the previous chapter. It would appear he did not quite get the lesson God wanted to teach him. But, how true is that for each of us? Nebuchadnezzar is the perennial sinner, just like many of u. He is sought by God, blessed by God, but continues to find himself acting in sin. The last chapter recorded how Nebuchadnezzar was blessed with a vision of what will be for his kingdom. Now, he finds himself with a big head, despite being told his kingdom’s days are numbered.

Nebuchadnezzar sets up an idol : 1-7

King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits[a] and its breadth six cubits. He set it up on the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. 2 Then King Nebuchadnezzar sent to gather the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 3 Then the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces gathered for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. And they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 4 And the herald proclaimed aloud, “You are commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, 5 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. 6 And whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace.” 7 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.

Daniel 3:1-7

At this point in the story, you might be thinking like me. “Nebby, dude, God just taught you a lesson. Why are you making this statue?” Scripture does not tell what kind of statue this was, only that it was about 90 ft tall and 9 ft wide. Comparing this statue to Nebuchadnezzar’s dream makes it seem like this may have been a statue of himself. However, the image is to be worshiped by the people. In Babylon, unlike Egypt and other empires, the king was not considered to be divine. If this was an image of Nebuchadnezzar, it would be blasphemous in both Judaism and Babylonianism. More likely, this was an image of Marduk, the chief god of the Babylonians.

Perhaps, Nebuchadnezzar believed Daniel’s “God in Heaven” was synonymous with the Babylonians’ god in heaven. But, as we will see, Nebuchadnezzar will learn much differently.

If we learn God’s lesson the first time, we don’t have to learn from the second time.

In verse 4 we see the decree goes out to all the peoples, nations, and languages to bow and worship the image at the sound of the instruments. We should note that the Babylonian tradition when giving a royal decree was to gather representatives and officials from each of the conquered peoples. Much like what would happen in Rome during the times of persecution, the king has issued a royal decree to worship the established gods to ensure all the kingdom is on the same religious page. And, as in Rome, God’s people stand firm against such a blasphemous decree.

God’s people must stand firm, regardless the threat. 

The Friends are accused : 8-12

8 Therefore at that time certain Chaldeans came forward and maliciously accused the Jews.9 They declared to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, live forever! 10 You, O king, have made a decree, that every man who hears the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, shall fall down and worship the golden image. 11 And whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into a burning fiery furnace. 12 There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men, O king, pay no attention to you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

Daniel 3:8-12

If you recall, these three friends were promoted quickly with Daniel because of their aptitude. God blessed their obedience and faith, so that they are very young in their high positions. These “certain Chaldeans” come to the king and “maliciously accuse” the friends. The verb form used here gives a stronger sense of the verb, and it quite literally means “ate pieces of” which is an interesting idiom borrowed from the Akkadians. To accuse someone is to bite pieces off of them. But, taking this grammar lesson and adding it to verse 9 where they do not speak “before” the king, but instead, speak “to” the king, it is very possible the group is acting discourteously. In other words, they are not bringing formal accusations of misbehavior, they are snitching. They have come to get Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego killed.

Again, how much can we relate to this situation? We may not be facing a giant idol, but how many can testify to the jealousy that emerges from malicious people? Paul wrote in Galatians one way we know that we are living by the flesh instead of the Spirit is jealousy. Jealousy can make people do very evil things. Here, it has driven them to incite execution.

When God blesses us, we must also be ready to stand firm.

Their jealousy will manifest in various ways, but it never fails—with each blessing, there will be someone ready to ruin the moment. Now, if you look closely, notice the accusers note the friends are Jewish. It is possible their jealousy is not just that the friends are young and in charge, but they are also outsiders. They do not follow the same gods or keep the same rituals. The friends have wisdom exceeding their own, but these Jews are not devoted to their gods. Imagine devoting yourself to a false belief that you cannot recognize as false, and it continues to fail you while some disbelieving conquered people succeed. They are captive to Satan’s lies and cannot see the light of Truth. So, they act out in jealousy. Jesus reminded us of this truth.

God’s people will always be hated by the world, because God’s people are not of this world.

The Friends stand firm : 13-18

13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in furious rage commanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought. So they brought these men before the king. 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.[c] 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.[d] 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.”

Daniel 3:13-18

Nebuchadnezzar is furious, literally the words are “in fury and in rage.” Is he angry against the friends for not bowing? Is he angry about the accusers being right? Later, we will note another change in Nebuchadnezzar’s demeanor. It would appear he is angered by the entire situation. He is the king. He has ordered worship of this statue. There is no reason anyone should disagree. Much less, should these young Jews who have been granted a wonderful station in life. They are in high government positions, undoubtedly collecting some nice paychecks. And now, they have the audacity to go against the king? And to top that, their accusers are some petty snitches that proved themselves incompetent only one chapter ago.

He gives them one more chance. The furnace is burning not too far from where they stand. The friends stand in the presence of the king, the accusers, and in front of God. The orchestra will play one more time. In that time, the friends will bow and the accusers can be sent on their merry way. Surely, these friends will not choose death.

But, Nebuchadnezzar does not just restate the decree. He adds more blasphemy to his crimes. In verse 15, he states, “And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?” The question is emphatic. The NIV states “And what god”, which would be even better translated, “And what (at all) god.” He remembers his experience with Yahweh before. His own Babylonian mystics could not interpret his dream, but this God of Daniel could. Instead of recognizing Daniel’s God as the One True God, he simply sees God as some other deity—possibly dreams are all He can do. Nebuchadnezzar is tipping his ego. What god could possibly save these young men from the hands of the king? After all, burning criminals and enemies of the state is not a new idea for Nebuchadnezzar. Inscriptions have been found that mention various people who found themselves inside furnaces for disobeying the king.

The three young men reply with possibly the bravest statement in the Bible. “We have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us.” They knew God would deliver them even out of the furnace. But, look at verse 18—“But if not”. Even if God wouldn’t deliver them, even if they went to their death, they still refused to worship the idol. Would they die? Possibly, but they knew Heaven waited for them. Whether God did save their bodies from the furnace, or God allowed them to burn, they would be delivered.

Jesus said it this way, “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, fear the one who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matt 10:28).

In the face of fire and death, stand firm.

Paul wrote, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Rom 8:31)

In the face of fire and death, stand firm.

The psalmist proclaimed, “Through you we push down our foes; through your name we tread down those who rise up against us.” (Ps 44:5)

In the face of fire and death, stand firm.

Isaiah prophesied, “but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” (Isa. 40:31)

We can stand firm, because God, the Supreme King of Heaven and Earth is on our side. Whether God wills us suffer death, or God wills to deliver us from death, we know that we will not be forgotten.

We will stand with God in eternity, if we stand with Him today.

The Friends are sentenced and delivered : 19-27

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. 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.

Daniel 319-27

Nebuchadnezzar goes through a change. He goes from furious to some unnamed level of anger. It is the face a mother makes when her teenager has gone too far—when the father’s disappointment turns to anger. This obstinance has reached new heights, and the king will not suffer such insurrection. He orders the furnace heated to seven times its normal temperature.

The flames are so hot, the guards carrying the young men were taken by the flames. The friends fall into the furnace. Now, to get the picture, ancient furnaces were usually built against a hill, but also they may have steps leading to the top. There would be an opening at the top to dump the ore into and an opening on the side for fuel. The opening would be big enough to see the ore being processed, or in this case, see something miraculous.

Verse 24, Nebuchadnezzar jumps from his seat seeing something very peculiar. He turns to his guards and the snitches. “It was three, right?” Notice, the accusers aren’t actually paying attention. They are too busy celebrating to notice the king counting.

“1…2…3…4?!?”

He says he sees four, walking around unharmed. And one looks very different. He looks like a son of the gods. Now, this phrase has plagued bible students for many years. First, grammatically, the phrase could be “Son of God” or “a son of the gods”. Either works, because the Aramaic word elāhîn works very similarly to the Hebrew Elohim. It can be translated either “God” or “gods”, depending on the context. It would make sense for the polytheistic king to mean “a son of the gods”. He recognizes that a divine being has come into their midst. To call the being ‘son of gods’ is the same as to ascribe divinity to the being. For Christians, we know this is, at the least, an angel of the Lord, but it could most certainly be the pre-Incarnate Jesus Himself. In Isaiah 43:2, the Lord promises, “When you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.” He has fulfilled His promise to these brave young men.

If we must walk through fire, then we will walk with the Lord.

Nebuchadnezzar heads to the opening, but does not get too close. He asks the men to walk out of the fire, but notice what he calls them, “Servants of the Most High God.” Nebuchadnezzar may still not know exactly who God is, but he knows what God can do!

Everyone gathers around to see the condition of these men. Surely, they have been injured in some way. But, their clothes are fine, their bodies are fine, and *sniff* they don’t even smell like smoke!

When the Lord saves, He fully saves!

Nebuchadnezzar blesses God : 28-30

28 Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, and set aside the king's command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God. 29 Therefore I make a decree: Any people, nation, or language that speaks anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins, for there is no other god who is able to rescue in this way.” 30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.

Daniel 3:28-30

At last, Nebuchadnezzar demonstrates some wisdom. He blesses the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who sent His angel to deliver the young men who offered themselves up rather than worship the idol. We will see later that Nebuchadnezzar has still not yet reached faith in the true Lord of All, but he has learned two valuable lessons now. Lessons we would do well to learn ourselves.

1) The Lord of Heaven and Earth knows all, sees all, and is able to reveal all.

2) The Lord of Heaven and Earth is able to deliver His people from death.

A new decree goes out that no one should profane the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, or they will be torn limb from limb and their house laid to ruins. This decree is probably not as honoring to God as he thinks, but it certainly moves in a better direction.

But notice the final saying of the chapter, “for there is no other god who is able to rescue in this way.” There is an old saying, “Even a blind squirrel can find a nut once in awhile.” This blind squirrel just found a heck of a nut. He has just happened upon the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The gospel is this. God demonstrates His love and His power in this way, that even when we were sinners, Christ came and died for us, so that we can have everlasting life. No other god can do this. There is no other god who can save, because under no other name is there salvation. Today, do not trust in anything but the name of Jesus to save you from death. Trust in the One who conquered death by going to the cross for your forgiveness and resurrecting on the third day proving that because He lives, we can live! Even if we burn in a fiery furnace, we will live forever with Christ Jesus our Lord.