Latest revision as of 18:12, 11 January 2024

Theological Proposition/Focus: God alone deserves our worship and He alone can protect those who worship Him.

Homiletical Proposition/Application: Determine to worship God alone regardless of the cost.

Introduction: Memory Verse - Daniel 2:18

He urged them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that he and his friends might not be executed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.

Image: An Old Miner

I read a story about an old miner who trusted God.

There was once a miner who, though a stalwart believer, was injured in the mines at a young age. He became an invalid. Over the years he watched through a window beside his bed as life passed him by. He watched men of his own age prosper, raise families, and have grandchildren. He watched, but he did not share the rewards or the joys of others with whom he had once worked. He watched as his body withered, his house crumbled, and his life wasted away. Then one day when the bedridden miner was quite old, a younger man came to visit him. “I hear that you believe in God and claim that he loves you,” said the young man. “How can you believe such things with what has happened to you? Don’t you sometimes doubt God’s love?” The old man hesitated and then smiled. He said, “Yes, it is true. Sometimes Satan comes calling on me in this fallen down old house of mine. He sits right there by my bed where you are sitting now. He points out my window to the men I once worked with who are still strong and active, and Satan asks, ‘Does Jesus love you?’ Then Satan casts a jeering glance around my tattered room as he points to the fine homes of my friends across the street and asks again, ‘Does Jesus love you?’ And then at last Satan points to the grandchild of a friend of mine—a man who has everything I do not—and Satan waits for the tear in my eye and then he whispers in my ear, ‘Does Jesus really love you?’” “And what do you say when Satan speaks to you that way?” asked the young man. Said the old miner, “I take Satan by the hand and, in my mind, I lead him to a hill called Calvary. There I point to the thorn-tortured brow, to the nail-pierced hands and feet, and to the spear-wounded side. Then I ask Satan, ‘Doesn’t Jesus love me?’”

^[1]

This is what devotion looks like, this is what is means to really trust God.

Setting the Stage:

In Daniel chapter 2 we learned about Nebuchadnezzar's dream. We saw that God is sovereign and has a master plan. We also saw that while Nebuchadnezzar was an important historical figure and even represented by the head of gold, he was not the most important figure in history. In fact, the most important figure was still to come and would be represented by a stone which destroyed the image from Nebuchadnezzar's dream. So, what is someone to do with this type of information? Well, Nebuchadnezzar, it seems decided to erect a giant statue perhaps to memorialize his dream. Okay, I will admit I cannot say for sure this is why Nebuchadnezzar built the statue, but it seems like it might be the case and as we will see, just like you might expect, from our friend Nebuchadnezzar, he worships the wrong thing. In fact, I see here a lot of self-worship. In the dream the head of Gold represented Nebuchadnezzar, here he makes the whole statue gold perhaps to represent his greatness. Perhaps this statue is actually in defiance of his dream. Nebuchadnezzar wants all the glory and he is going to stop at nothing to make sure his subjects give that glory. In fact, a phrase that stands out in Daniel chapter 3 is King Nebuchadnezzar, the text emphasizes Nebuchadnezzar's kingship. We already know he is king but the narrative emphasizes that he is king. Why? likely because Nebuchadnezzar was dealing with pride here he wanted people to be devoted to himself.

The reminder today is a reminder that our devotion must always be to God. In my mind, Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian royalty are the perfect example of what not to do. Time and time again we can see that faithfulness to God is well worth it.

Preview: Today we will see that devotion to God stands out, demands our submission, and is contagious. When we devote ourselves completely to God others cannot help but follow suit.

Let's begin by reading verses 1-15 of Daniel chapter 3.

King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, sixty cubits high and six cubits wide, and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. 2 He then summoned the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates and all the other provincial officials to come to the dedication of the image he had set up. 3 So the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates and all the other provincial officials assembled for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up, and they stood before it.

4 Then the herald loudly proclaimed, “Nations and peoples of every language, this is what you are commanded to do: 5 As soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. 6 Whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace.”

7 Therefore, as soon as they heard the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp and all kinds of music, all the nations and peoples of every language fell down and worshiped the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

8 At this time some astrologers came forward and denounced the Jews. 9 They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “May the king live forever! 10 Your Majesty has issued a decree that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music must fall down and worship the image of gold, 11 and that whoever does not fall down and worship will be thrown into a blazing furnace. 12 But there are some Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon—Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego—who pay no attention to you, Your Majesty. They neither serve your gods nor worship the image of gold you have set up.”

13 Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, 14 and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up? 15 Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?”

Body

My first point from this text is that

Devotion to God stands out (1-15)

We all know that God is worthy of our worship. However, that does not mean there are not other opportunities to worship idols. You see,

God alone is worthy of worship but opportunities to idolatry abound (1-7).

Look at verse 1 and the description of this image that Nebuchadnezzar built. The image is 90 feet tall, made of gold, and 9 feet wide. This thing is huge and impressive. The dimensions are a little weird, but perhaps it was jut an elongated human or even some sort of obelisk like the Egyptians would use. The Aramaic word (Daniel 3:1-30 is written in Aramaic) צְלֵ֣ם (ṣelēm) is general enough that it could be an obelisk. Regardless, the image would have looked awesome standing as tall as an eight story building. Moreover, by placing the image on a plain the height would have been even more impressive. As a side note, Archeologists have uncovered a large square made of brick six miles southwest of Babylon, perhaps this was the location. Beyond the sheer size of the image, Nebuchadnezzar used it to rally together the empire. Satraps are chief representatives of the king, prefects are military commanders, governs are civil administrators and the list goes on. Anybody who is somebody was present. The empire has been brought together, the king is calling for unity and the call for loyalty is made. I can imagine the fervor, the excitement, the moment. If there was a time to follow the crowd this was it! Then as if that is not enough, Nebuchadnezzar incentivizes the act. If you don't worship then you are against us and the consequence is death, so get with it! What I hope that you see is just how easy it would be to fall into idolatry here. Everyone is doing it, likely it is being done out of national pride, and the object is itself very impressive. Also, just to help motivate you we will include some moving music. You know something to get your emotions going. Really all that was happening was that “In demanding that these officials fall down before the image of gold … Nebuchadnezzar was demanding a public display of recognition and submission to his absolute authority in the kingdom.” ^[2]

Hindsight is 20/20 and we look back on this story from outside the moment and quickly see the idolatry. However, I think we need to take this and look more critically in our own life. Are we bowing down to the idols of sports? What about the idol of materialism? What about the idol of nationalism? What about the idol of personal time? What about the idol of self-image?

Well, the narrative unfolds and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego make the choice not to participate. This choice, the right choice, meets resistance. Well, more than resistance, it is met with outright opposition. The word used here for denounced is a very strong word that means to pinch off, like pinching off some dough, to sever, tear in pieces. We must realize that

God alone is worthy of worship and this fact is upsetting to some (8-12).

These astrologers who come forward sound to me like they are jealous. King, there are some guys that you made important that are not following your directions! Actually, they don't even pay attention to you. They don't serve your gods king, they are not worshipping your image. Didn't you say that they will die?

In the world there are those who will respond very negatively to the fact that we worship the one true God. The person who follows Christ will find times they don't fit in and not fitting in will lead some to treat you very negatively.

It is worth noting that the accusations made by these astrologers are true! Now, they have framed the accusations very negatively but they are true. The decision to nor bow down warranted death according to the edict of the king. These men were guilty of treason and insubordination. My loyalty, I hope your loyalty is to the God to whom I am devoted. I want you to understand something important here, there may come a time when you have to choose God over everything else. When that time comes you may be forced to choose God over even country! If that happens there will almost certainly be consequences and those who respond very negatively.

Some people respond by being upset and some just don't get it. Why don't you just fall in like everyone else? Why not just bow down, it doesn't cost you a thing! The fact is that

God alone is worthy of worship and some will not understand (13-15).

Nebuchadnezzar is furious in verse 13. He has been embarrassed in front of the kingdom. But at the same time, he seems to calm down really fast. I personally find the entire interaction in verses 13-15 to be hilarious. Nebuchadnezzar is furious, calms down and I can almost picture him calmly asking, is it true? Surely not, no one would be so foolish. Okay, you must be confused so let me spell this out to you. In the chapter Nebuchadnezzar is the only character who is not static, his emotions change and his stance changes

The end of verse 15 is telling, "what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?" Nebuchadnezzar has now finally revealed his true perspective. Guys get in line and do what I told you, don't you realize that I am over everything including the gods. Really, what Nebuchadnezzar has done is challenge any god to a battle. Nebuchadnezzar clearly does not understand.

MTR: Evaluate your life and ask if there are any idols that you have been tempted or pressured into worshiping.

The response that our three godly men give is nothing short of extraordinary. The response demonstrates they understood an important principle.

Devotion to God demands submission (16-23).

Let's read through verses 16-23.

16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual 20 and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. 21 So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace. 22 The king’s command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, 23 and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace.

The statement "we do not need to defend ourselves to you in this matter" is profound. Their confidence and their identity is completely in God. So much so that they do not even seek to defend themselves. Honestly, as I was writing out my thoughts I was struck here. I wish that my identity was so wrapped up in God that I felt no need to defend myself. So often when someone criticizes me or makes some comment about me I feel the need to defend myself. No! If what I did was from God then why do I even feel the need to defend myself? Instead we should allow God, should he choose, to defend us.

Literarily, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are what would be called flat characters. Their description and the whole narrative is built around a single trait, their unwavering devotion to God. They do not stand out as individuals but act entirely in unison as a group Their identity is simple, a group of men who are defiantly faithful to God.

Those who are devoted to God submit to God's protection (16-17).

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego simply respond, "if we are thrown into the furnace, then the God we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace." God has got this! Even though these men were employed by Nebuchadnezzar, they knew who they really served. They served God. Moreover, they continue, our God will deliver us from your hand. One way or another they would be delivered from Nebuchadnezzar!

Image: Fighting cancer and saying one way or another God is going to cure this cancer.

Over the summer the deacons, Pastor David, and I had the opportunity to pray with Bruce Tucker about his cancer. As we met, before we started to pray Bruce told us "I know that God is going to heal me, either he will heal me here or he will heal me in Heaven but either way he is going to heal me." This is what it looks like to submit to God in devotion. We go to God, we make our requests, and then we boldly proclaim that no matter what transpires we are in complete and total submission to God.

Those who are devoted to God accept God's decision (18).

What is said next is an amazing statement of faith and trust. You see, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did more than trust God for protection, they trusted God for eternity. In verse 18 they flat out tell the king, this might cost us our lives. God might allow you to destroy our bodies today. However, that changes nothing. We serve the living God and no matter what we will not serve your gods Nebuchadnezzar. This is what real devotion looks like!

And the response to real devotion by those outside is often harsh.

Those who are devoted to God may face harsh opposition (19-23).

I want you to realize that Nebuchadnezzar should have been furious here. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego have insulted the king in a pretty epic way. Now did Nebuchadnezzar deserve the insult? Yes! But it was still an insult. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego have literally blown off the kings threat.

So what is a king to do? Make sure that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego will die. Nebuchadnezzar set-up for a very public display of the cost of not submitting to the king. It was customary to remove the clothing of those to be executed but in his hurry to make a spectacle of these three Nebuchadnezzar didn't even give time for a normal execution. No, instead the furnace was heated up. Some of the strongest soldiers bound the men and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were thrown into the fire. Likely the furnace had an open top and an open bottom. Fuel could be added from the top and ashes removed from he bottom. I imagine these soldiers took Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to the top to push them into the furnace and as they did so and the flames billowed out even the soldiers were killed by the flames.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego took a stand and faced incredibly harsh opposition. They had done everything right and because they did everything right they were almost destined to face harsh opposition. We need to understand that being devoted to God will result in harsh opposition at times. That is okay, if we are truly submitting then God will be with us.

MTR: Look at your life and identify areas where God is calling you to submit as you bring your requests before God.

Devotion to God is contagious (24-30).

Let's look at verses 24-30

24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?”

They replied, “Certainly, Your Majesty.”

25 He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.”

26 Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!”

So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, 27 and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.

28 Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. 29 Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way.”

30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the province of Babylon.

God will never leave the side of his devotees (24-25).

The entire narrative of verses 24-25 is written to convey great surprise and alarm. Nebuchadnezzar leaps to his feet. The question , “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?” is likely far less a question and more a statement of complete surprise. Things are not as expected, not as they should be. Three items are surprising. First, there are men walking around in the midst of the fire, that doesn't happen on a normal day. Second, 1+1+1=4 not 3, also not something that happens on a normal day. Finally, the fourth person looks different.

Theologians have debated who this fourth person was with some thinking this is an instance of the preincarnate Christ making an appearance. This might be the case but it also might just be an angel, really it doesn't matter. What matters is the simple fact that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were not left alone by God. We serve a God who will never leave or forsake us. God has provided us with his indwelling Holy Spirit and we can be confident that the God never leaves our side.

God will receive glory through his devotees (26-30).

Notice that Nebuchadnezzar approaches and calls out to Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego but more, notice that he finally acknowledges that these men serve someone other than King Nebuchadnezzar. The king states “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!” Through Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego God has changed this proud king's perspective. But more, God has used these three men to make a public display of his power. Now the entire governmental body that was present to give honor to the king is witness to the power of the real king. They gather around Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and witness what God has done.

Remember every character is flat except Nebuchadnezzar in this narrative and sure enough Nebuchadnezzar undergoes a major change. He now praises the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and also promises a special level of protection.

Nebuchadnezzar had asked "what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?” The answer was YAHWEH! And it is interesting that God did not deliver them from the fire, no he delivered them from the natural consequences of the fire. So, why have the fourth person in the fire? I think the answer is for the king himself to be able to see.

Now, I want us to realize that Nebuchadnezzar has hardly arrived. He has knowledge that the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego is a real God. He has acknowledged was able to do what no other god could do. However, he has not acknowledged that there is only one God, and he still seems to think it is his job to protect this God. Earlier he demanded worship of His image, not he demands that people not blaspheme this new God he has discovered. Nebuchadnezzar still has a pride problem and we will see that play out later.

Nevertheless, the point seems to be that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego have well represented God and God has received glory through their devotion.

MTR: Be on the lookout for God by your side and make sure to point Him out to others.

1. ↑ Chapell, Bryan. The Gospel according to Daniel (p. 70). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
2. ↑ J. Dwight Pentecost, “Daniel,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 1338.