Not Home Yet! God in the Fire! - Daniel 3

Introduction:

We have all had those moments in our lives. You know the ones where our beliefs of right and wrong, good and bad, are pushed to the limit. In high school, I had a similar experience. It wasn’t anything serious, but it tested whether I would or wouldn’t compromise my beliefs. I was in Spanish class. One of the football players (an important person in an American high school) asked me to give him the answers on the test. The teacher wasn’t paying attention. In that moment, I had a choice.

As believers, we are called to honesty. Would I glorify God by doing what was right? Or would I cave to the social pressure? I could reason why helping this guy out on the test was a net positive thing. It helped the whole school. If he failed the test, he couldn’t play. So, by cheating, I was helping him, the team, and the entire school. No one would fault me for it. But I knew in that moment, God cared. It was a question of worship. Would I worship the King of Kings through obedience, or would I worship cultural pressure?

Sometimes we are faced with small decisions like this. And yet such clashes of worship are important. Moments of obedience in the small things speak loudly of our worship. Other times, we are tested in more public and dramatic situations. That same pressure I felt in a small way in high school, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego felt in a life-or-death way.

Today, we look at Daniel’s friends, who face a test. Will they compromise their worship for the sake of comfort and power? Or will our exiles remain true to the God they serve? The stakes are life and death for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. The tension in the text happens quickly. We are confronted with the question of loyalty to God or the earthly powers. Will we worship idols or God? What are the idols we set up and worship in our daily lives? As God’s people, far from home, we resolve not to compromise our worship of God with worldly things.

Resolve To Be Aware

3:1-7

We don’t know how long after the events of chapter 2 these events occur. Last week, we left our three exiles being promoted to leadership. Daniel, perhaps serving away from the king at this time, is noticeably absent. With that, we set up our story, which is more about the power and glory of God and the faithfulness of His servants than it is about a statue. This chapter is about worship and loyalty.

The king has set up a statue on the plain, or it could be on a wall. Location is not exact. It was a tall, gold statue that would have been seen from a long way off. This was Nebuchadnezzar wanting allegiance and praise. So he set up a statue and invited (demanded) all of his loyal subjects to come and worship it.

We quickly get the “who’s who”  of society showing up to celebrate and worship the king. It was loud and public. It was a problem for our exiles. They had one king, God. Now they were being called to give their allegiance to another king. This episode is about worship. Would they join the other government employees in worshipping the idol? The consequences of disobedience were deadly. The world will demand our worship. Note, the one who doesn’t bow dies. The stage is set.

Our exiles could have reasoned that such worship wasn’t a big deal. It was good for business. They could hold sway with the important people. Notice how easy it is to give reasons for worshipping idols. As God’s holy people, we are called to worship Him alone. It is treason to give worship anywhere else.

Our spiritual enemies are setting up idols to draw us away from God. These things, big or small, call us to divert our worship away from God. We can’t be blind to the spiritual realities all around us. As we resolve to worship God alone, we must resolve to be aware. Let us open our eyes to the cultural undercurrents. Beloved, we cannot be willfully ignorant. God called us and equipped us to see spiritual realities.

Therefore, if you find yourself with your company or friends at an altar table doing “bai bai” (拜拜), we must be aware. It is more than tradition and culture. It is worship. This doesn’t mean being confrontational or disrespectful, but it does mean quietly choosing not to participate. You may find yourself in similar situations at work or around holidays. Go into these moments having resolved to worship God alone. Take comfort from this story today.

We have idols like money, comfort, relationships, and our plans that call for our attention as well. These things are not inherently evil, but the attention we devote to them can be if it is worshipful. So, as we seek to be aware, we must ask, what are the idols in our daily lives that we have set up? Let us open our eyes to these things as we daily seek God, while living in ‘Babylon’.

Resolve to Stand Firm

3:8-23 (8,12-15, 16-23)

1. Up until now, our three exiles have been quiet in the background. They had not made a scene. They didn’t hold up signs proclaiming their defiance. They just quietly and respectfully resolved to worship God alone. However, their quiet rejection of the king didn’t go unnoticed by some. Certain men, the Chaldeans, tattled on them. God’s people have enemies. Our worship of God doesn’t go unchallenged.

We have a spiritual enemy. Sometimes, it can manifest as people attacking us, calling us to worship other things. Sometimes it can seem to be coming from within us. We must choose today to stand firm in our worship of God. However, you will not go unnoticed by the enemy. Your faith will be confronted.

When we worship God, it is a declaration of war to Satan. May people know to whom we belong. Our exiles could not hide, because others saw their faith. Understand that when we gather together, share the gospel, and pray, we declare God’s glory to an enemy who hates those things. You cannot hide. As we will soon see, God’s people are not alone in their stance. God is with them, but we will get there.

2. Nebuchadnezzar brings in the three young men. He is angry. They know that and what is at stake. When the king is angry, people die. He gave them a chance in that moment, before him, to worship the statue. What a tense moment. I feel stressed, thinking about it. What did they feel? The pressure is unimaginable.

It is easy to say we worship God alone, but rarely are we confronted in such a way. I want to take a step back here. We frequently encounter confrontation. Whether it be to cheat on a test or join in 拜拜, we are faced with the same pressure, the same importance. Our faithfulness is proven in the little everyday moments. I want to emphasize the importance of everyday faith.

Verse 15 is a key verse. “Who is the god who can rescue you from my power?” Nebuchadnezzar has just challenged the creator of the universe. This story is about God’s power over worldly powers. Who is more powerful, God or Nebuchadnezzar? We will soon see. 

The three young men’s response is gracious, but firm. They will trust in their God above all. Notice the faith displayed. They don’t need to explain how their God is more powerful. They knew God had the power. They remembered the stories from their history. It wasn’t a question of power. Their worship wasn’t contingent on whether God could or would save them. Live or die, they would be faithful.

Commentator Kenneth Gangel writes: “The ultimate display of godly courage is not to die with desperate expectations that God will somehow intervene at the last moment but rather to live or die in complete confidence that God will do what he will do.”  We have such a prayer modeled for us by Jesus in the garden. He prayed, “Not my will, but yours be done.” Our three exiles seemed to have prayed something similar. Their courage comes from the knowledge that God cannot be stopped.

We are faithful regardless of life’s circumstances. If we are on our deathbeds, let us trust that He will do what He will do. I’m not suggesting we forgo medical treatment, far from it. I am saying that our faith and courage come from who God is and not what He can do for us.

3. Nebuchadnezzar doesn’t respond well. He has the furnace heated more than usual. He binds the men tightly. There is no escape. If they are to survive, it will be so by God’s power alone. There’s no other way to explain it. The furnace is so hot that the men throwing Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego into it die due to the heat. Now we are left wondering, will they die faithful men or be saved to be faithful men?

Rarely is it easy to worship God alone. These men did the right thing and yet have suffered for it. The football player wasn’t happy that I didn’t help him cheat. Maybe your boss or family will not be happy if you don’t join in the 拜拜。 Faithfulness isn’t a promise to an easy road. It is often the path of difficulty. Resolving to be faithful won’t necessarily bring you blessings from worldly authorities. But it is worth it, and you are not alone.

Resolve to walk with God

3:24-30

The king is astonished as he looks into the fire to see four men walking around. God had rescued His people! Many people will ask, “Who was the fourth person in the fire?” After much research, I can confidently conclude that … I don’t know. There is much debate on whether this is Jesus before His incarnation, or an angel. We are not sure. However, we can be confident about one thing: they were not alone! God’s presence was visibly with them. There is no debate on that.

Nebuchadnezzar and all the government leaders saw that the God of Israel had the power over King Nebuchadnezzar.  In a reversal of the beginning of the story, anyone who speaks against the God of Israel will be arrested. The Chaldeans who opposed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego must be quiet and leave them alone. God’s sovereignty again soars above all worldly powers.

We celebrate this story, not because these men were saved, but because God was with them. We don’t stand firm alone. God is with us. We so often ask, “Where was God when…” My answer is always, He was with His people, to heal or rescue them, or to receive them. God’s promise throughout the Bible is to be with His people.

As you stand firm, uncompromising, do so with God’s presence. Walk with God as He walks with you. Beloved, you are not alone as you worship God in the fire. Even in our Babylon, far from home, God is with us! When you face pressures to compromise, God is with you. He is in the fire beside you.

Knowing this changes the way we see trials. The ‘fire’ becomes a refiner's fire. Just as gold passes through the fire to be purified, our trials burn away the sinful parts of us and bring us closer to a God who is near to us.

The ultimate expression of this truth is in Jesus’ coming to the world. Jesus walked among His people. He spoke audibly to them. He showed them faithfulness. His promise to His disciples was that He would be with them always (Matthew 28:20). That is His promise to us as well. Beloved, Jesus walks beside us, carrying us through trials. Don’t fight His loving hand. Resolve to walk with God today.

Conclusion

Today, we witnessed an amazing story of God’s power and His people’s faithfulness. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did not compromise their faith and worship. Let us join them in resolving to worship God alone. It is not easy, and we will not be perfect. But God graciously pursues us and strengthens us for the task of walking with Him.

Be aware of the spiritual realities all around you. Let us learn to see behind the surface. Let us resolve to be faithful in the little things of everyday life. Let us take steps to grow in our faithfulness by spending time with God in His Word and prayer. Finally, as we face the trials of life, let us resolve to rely on God’s power and presence to guide us through all of our fiery trials. He is with us, beside us, carrying us. Be faithful in His power. Let us worship the True King and let all other powers and idols fall away as shadows to the light.

“We give thanks to You, oh Lord, You are good! Your faithful love endures forever. Because you are with us, we will not be afraid. You are our helper in troubled times. Forgive us for the idols we set up. Forgive us when our worship goes to another. Be our strength to walk with You. We give thanks for You are in the fire with us! Amen.”