Daniel 3
Charles Spurgeon · Citado em PreceptAustin
Daniel 3
Spurgeon - The cure for envy lies in living under a constant sense of the divine presence, worshipping God and communing with him all the day long, however long the day may seem. Today in the Word notes that "You may find that obeying God and obeying the laws of men usually go hand in hand. But that isn't always the case. When legal or social mandates require you to compromise your faith, are you prepared to do the right thing … and to do it in the right way? Ask the Lord to give you the strength to stand for what is right, but also the humility to avoid self-righteous grandstanding. Make sure you are disobeying for God's sake, not for your own publicity (Devotional) If God's Word guides your conscience, let your conscience be your guide. Daniel 3:9 They responded and said to Nebuchadnezzar the king: "O king, live forever! king: Da 3:4,5 O King: Da 2:4 5:10 6:6,21 Ro 13:7 Daniel 3 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries O king live forever (like our more modern phrase "long live the king") - Da 2:4, 3:9, 5:10, 6:6, 6:21. Notice even Daniel used this mode of addressing the king in Da 6:21. However when Daniel said "live forever" one cannot help but believe there was a desire for King Darius to live eternally with the Messiah, the One of Whom Daniel spoke in Da 9:25. In contrast, the similar address by the pagans in Da 6:6 was only a formal way of addressing royalty. Daniel 3:10 "You, O king, have made a decree that every man who hears the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery, and bagpipe and all kinds of music, is to fall down and worship the golden image. have made: Da 3:4, 5, 6, 7 6:12 Ex 1:16,22 Es 3:12, 13, 14 Ps 94:20 Ec 3:16 Isa 10:1 Jn 11:57 Rev 13:16,17 the horn: Ex 15:20,21 32:18,19 1Ch 15:16,28 16:5,6 25:1-6 2Ch 29:25 Ps 81:1, 2, 3 92:1, 2, 3 149:3,4 150:3, 4, 5, 6 Am 6:5 Daniel 3 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries You, O King - They are playing to his pride and authority. Daniel 3:11 "But whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire. Daniel 3 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries A furnace of blazing fire - Fire and other forms of martyrdom have been the fate of many believers over the centuries who stood boldly for Christ and refused to compromise their conviction and their confession of their Lord. The story is told of John Hus (or here) promoted John Wycliffe’s teachings including the premise that people should be permitted to read the Bible in their own language, and they should oppose the tyranny of the established church that threatened the penalty of execution for anyone even possessing a non-Latin Bible. It is thus not surprising that Hus was condemned to burn at the stake. Apparently on the night before his execution while in his cell, he tested himself with a match and recoiled in pain. Hus is quoted as saying “If I can’t withstand the fire of a candle, how the stake?” But the next day Hus not only endured the blazing flames (by some reports with Wycliffe’s manuscript Bibles used as kindling!), he was enabled to die singing "Christ, thou Son of the living God, have mercy upon me." God's grace was sufficient and he went through the flames in a manner that glorified His Father (Mt 5:14, 15, 16). According to one source, Hus' very last words are reported to have been "in 100 years, God will raise up a man whose calls for reform cannot be suppressed." Hus was burned at the stake in 1415 and a little over a century later in 1517 Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses of Contention on the church door at Wittenberg, setting into motion the protestant reformation! Indeed the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church. You may have heard their names before, Hugh Latimer, Nicholas Ridley and Thomas Cranmer. We will meet them someday soon so it behooves us to know their story and be encouraged by their willingness to suffer for Christ's sake. Nicholas Ridley had been raised Catholic but converted to Protestantism. Hugh Latimer became a great preacher and Ridley helped author the Book of Common Prayer. During the Protestant persecution by Queen Mary ("Bloody Mary") of 1553-55, both men were arrested and condemned to be burned at the stake. As the flames were being lit, Latimer cried out to his fellow-martyr, "Be of good cheer, Master Ridley, and play the man. We shall this day light such a candle by God's grace in England as shall never be put out." Thomas Cranmer (read his brief bio) watched them die in agony. At one time he had been the Archbishop of Canterbury. Later under great pressure he recanted his evangelical faith. But watching his two friends die seemed to give strength to his soul and a few months later he was condemned to die at the stake. As they lit the flames, he placed his right hand into the fire to show his tormentors that he was not afraid to die (cp "a sign of destruction for them" Php 1:28-note). (For more detail see Hugh Latimer, Bishop and Martyr) (Related Resource: Fox's Book of Martyrs) Dave
Daniel 3
Spurgeon - Though their actions were not public, neither were they hidden. These three Hebrew men must have known they would be discovered, yet they obeyed God rather than man. "You will not be able to go through life without being discovered: a lighted candle cannot be hid. There is a feeling among some good people that it will be wise to be very reticent, and hide their light under a bushel. They intend to lie low all the war time, and come out when the palms are being distributed. They hope to travel to heaven by the back lanes, and skulk into glory in disguise. Ah me, what a degenerate set!" Today in the Word writes that "people who are willing to stake their lives on their theology are pretty serious about it. That was the case for the three young Hebrew men in Daniel 3. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego made a courageous, principled stand (Ed: Cp Our decisions are based either on "External Pressure" or "Internal Principle") against King Nebuchadnezzar's order to bow to his golden statue. At the heart of their commitment was their view of God. These young men, taken as captives from Israel to Babylon, took with them their knowledge of God's commands. From their very first days of captivity in this pagan country, these three and their pal Daniel decided that the most important thing they could do was obey God. Do not serve your gods (Ex 20:1-5) - Bowing is not an innocent action, because what we bow to we end up serving. Serve your gods… or worship - This statement makes the image more that just an innocent image, and strongly implies it was an image related to Nebuchadnezzar's god (possibly even self-deification!) (cp Da 3:28 where Nebuchadnezzar clearly links both verbs to idolatry -- "to serve or worship any god"). Serve (06399)(Aramaic = Pelach) (Septuagint = latreuo) is clearly a key word in this chapter and also throughout this "middle" (Gentile) section of Daniel (8x in Daniel - Da 3:12, 14, 17, 18, 6:16, 20, 7:14, 27). Nebuchadnezzar understood the spiritual dynamics of idolatry and was calling not just for physical bowing down to an image but for a submission of one's heart to serve his gods. What/who one serves is one's master and the one to whom he or she is enslaved or in bondage. Jesus taught this axiomatic principle in His Sermon on the Mount declaring that… No one (Greek = absolute negation! No exceptions!) can (dunamai) serve (douleuo) two masters (kurios); for either he will hate the one and love (agapao) the other, or he will be devoted to (hold to) (antechomai) one and despise (kataphroneo) the other. You cannot serve God and mammon (wealth) (mammonas). (Mt 6:24-note) Related Resources James 4:4 -James 4:4 Commentary 1Jn 2:15 - 1 John 2:15 Commentary 1Jn 2:16 -1 John 2:16 Commentary OUR BEHAVIOR IS BASED ON… EXTERNAL PRESSURE OR INTERNAL PRINCIPLE
Daniel 3
Spurgeon adds that "If, standing before the heart-searching God at this time, you cannot say, 'It is true,' how should you act? If you cannot say that you take Christ's cross, and are willing to follow Him at all hazards, then hearken to me and learn the truth. Do not make a profession at all. Do not talk about baptism or the Lord's Supper, nor of joining a church, nor of being a Christian; for if you do, you will lie against your own soul. If it be not true that you renounce the world's idols, do not profess that it is so. It is unnecessary that a man should profess to be what he is not; it is a sin of supererogation (act of performing more than is required by duty, obligation, or need), a superfluity of naughtiness. If you cannot be true to Christ, if your coward heart is recreant (unfaithful to duty) to your Lord, do not profess to be His disciple, I beseech you. He that is married to the world, or flint hearted, had better return to his house, for he is of no service in this war. Serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up - Can we not see Nebuchadnezzar's gigantic ego ("my… I") which causes him to brazenly declare what amounts to an antithesis of the first of the Ten Commandments (Ex 20:3) saying in essence "You shall have no other gods before my gods". Passages like this remind us of God's great mercy to sinners. As Spurgeon says "We can imagine the enormous pressure on Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego to compromise. Everything in front of them - the king, the furnace, the music, their compatriots, their competitors - all of it conspired to convince them to compromise. Yet God was more real to them than any of those things. "Do not judge the situation by the king's threat and by the heat of the burning fiery furnace, but by the everlasting God and the eternal life which awaits you. Let not flute, harp, and sackbut fascinate you, but hearken to the music of the glorified. Men frown at you, but you can see God smiling on you, and so you are not moved. Daniel 3:15 "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?" hear: Da 3:10 fall down: Lk 4:7,8 but: Da 3:17 Ex 32:32 Lk 13:9 who: Da 3:28,29 6:16,20 Ex 5:2 2Ki 18:35 2Ch 32:15-17 Isa 36:20 37:23 Mt 27:43, Mt 10:19 Mk 13:11 Lk 12:11 21:14,15 Ac 4:8, 9, 10, 11, 12,19 5:29 6:15 Ac 24:10, 11, 12, 13 Daniel 3 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries PRESSURE TO COMPROMISE Now if you are ready - One more temptation to compromise. How often our enemies the flesh and the devil parrot these words "you just have one more chance to________." Matthew
Daniel 3
Spurgeon comments that… It is impossible that any ill should happen to the man who is beloved of the Lord; the most crushing calamities can only shorten his journey and hasten him to his reward. Ill to him is no ill, but only good in a mysterious form. Losses enrich him, sickness is his medicine, reproach is his honour, death is his gain. No evil in the strict sense of the word can happen to him, for everything is overruled for good. Happy is he who is in such a case. He is secure where others are in peril, he lives where others die. It is a security in the very midst of evils. Not like the security of angels -- safety in a world of safety, quiet in a calm; but it is quiet in a storm; safety amid desolation and the elements of destruction, deliverance where everything else is going to wreck. Cicaties Bradley, 1840. (Commenting on) To keep thee in all thy ways. To be a bodyguard, a garrison to the body, soul, and spirit of the saint. The limit of this protection "in all thy ways" is yet no limit to the heart which is right with God. It is not the way of the believer to go out of his way. He keeps in the way, and then the angels keep him. The protection here promised is exceeding broad as to place, for it refers to all our ways, and what do we wish for more? How angels thus keep us we cannot tell. Whether they repel demons, counteract spiritual plots, or even ward off the more subtle physical forces of disease, we do not know. Perhaps we shall one day stand amazed at the multiplied services which the unseen bands have rendered to us. Matthew
Daniel 3
Spurgeon comments that "Despite the intense intimidation, the men stayed courageous in their confession of faith… Remember also that by yielding to the fear of man you are demeaning yourself (cp Pr 29:25). There shall come a day when the man that was ashamed of Christ will himself be ashamed (Mk 8:38, Lk 9:26, 1Pe 4:16): he will wonder where he can hide his guilty head. Look at him! There he is! The traitor who denied his Lord! The Christ was spat upon and nailed to the cross, and this man was afraid to own Him. To win the smile of a silly maid, to escape the jest of a coarse fellow, to win a few pieces of silver, to stand respectable among his fellow-men, he turned his back upon his Redeemer and sold his Lord; and now what can be said for him? Who can excuse him? The angels shun him as a man who was ashamed of the Lord of glory (1Co 2:8). He is clothed with shame and everlasting contempt (Da 12:2KJV). Even the lost in hell get away from him, for many of them were more honest than he. Is there such a man as this before me? I summon him in the name of the living God to answer for his cowardice! Let him come forth and own his crime, and humbly seek forgiveness at the hands of the gracious Savior. Daniel 3:20 He commanded certain valiant warriors who were in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego in order to cast them into the furnace of blazing fire. Tie: Da 3:15 Ac 12:4,5 16:23,25 Daniel 3 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries He commanded some of his best, elite, strongest men to bind the boys. He would soon see the folly of this angry command in conjunction with the "superheating" of the furnace. One has to marvel at the mind of an angry man, binding them up as if they were actually going to be able to escape! Daniel 3:21 Then these men were tied up in their trousers, their coats, their caps and their other clothes, and were cast into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire. Daniel 3 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Trousers - The Greek historian Herodotus says the Babylonian dress was a linen tunic, another of woolen, a white short cloak, and a turban. Showers makes the cogent observation that "Three things should be noted about the punishment. First, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego were thrown into the furnace with highly flammable clothing. Second, the fire in the furnace was such a raging inferno that it killed the soldiers when they got close enough to cast in the Jews. Third, the Jews were bound so well that they could not move when they were dropped into the fire. All three points emphasize the miracle about to take place. (Ibid) Daniel 3:22 For this reason, because the king's command was urgent and the furnace had been made extremely hot, the flame of the fire slew those men who carried up Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. urgent: Ex 12:33 slew: Da 6:24 Pr 11:8 21:18 Zec 12:2,3 Mt 27:5 Ac 12:19 Daniel 3 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Slew those men - The irony is that while the earthly king of kings (Da 2:37, Ezek 26:7) could not protect his valiant warriors, the God of heaven (Da 2:18, 19, 37, 44), the true King of kings (Re 17:14-note, Re 19:16-note), was able to protect His valiant warriors of faith! Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria, opposed the heretical teaching of Arius who denied the deity of Christ. He was exiled five times for his opposition to Arius. They brought Athanasius before Emperor Theodosius who mandated that he cease his opposition to Arius. The Emperor sharply reproved him and said, “Do you not realize that all the world is against you?” Athanasius answered, “Then I am against all the world!” (Ref) Carried up - Just imagine the thoughts of these three men as their fate in the furnace neared. There is little doubt (in my mind) that they were experiencing the peace that passes all human understanding. They were not unaware of the potential that they might die but they had a sure and steadfast belief that they were in God's hands, in life or through death, for either way they would be delivered! The test of their faith extended up to the edge of the flaming furnace. O, to be imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. (Hebrews 6:12) Tony
Daniel 3
Spurgeon - Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego lost something in the fire—not their coats, not one hair of their heads. The fire did not hurt them, but it snapped their bonds. Blessed loss! A true Christian’s losses are gains in another shape. Many of God’s servants never know the fulness of spiritual liberty till they are cast into the midst of the furnace. The psalmist alluded to the "loosening" effect of fiery trials… Before I was afflicted I went astray, But now I keep Thy word. (Ps 119:67-note) It is good for me that I was afflicted, That I may learn Thy statutes. (Ps 119:71-note) Isaiah recorded God's encouragement to Israel (cp Isa 43:1) and perhaps a promise that the three Hebrew lads were aware of (since Isaiah prophesied from 740-680BC and the events of chapter 3 most likely take place between 605-586BC) and indeed may have "claimed"… But now, thus says the LORD, your Creator, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel, "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine! When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you. (Isa 43:1, 2) Man's extremity is God's opportunity; Man's security is Satan's opportunity. The preservation of the 3 Hebrew young men is a clear testament to the truth of God's Word to His people that in their fiery trials and afflictions, they would not be utterly overwhelmed. The testimonies of many martyrs throughout the church age is that even when being burned at the stake, they received mysterious and miraculous power to sing and testify even as the flames took hold of them! Let this "great cloud of witnesses" encourage us to "lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of faith, (Heb 12:1-note, He 12:2-note)
Daniel 3
Spurgeon comments that - You must go into the furnace if you would have the nearest and dearest dealings with Christ Jesus. Whenever the Lord appears, it is to his people when they are in a militant posture. Moses saw God at Horeb, but it was in a burning bush (Ex 3:1, 2, 3, 4). Joshua saw him, but it was with a drawn sword in his hand, to show that his people are still a militant people (Josh 5:13, 14, 15). And here where the saints saw their Savior, it was as Himself being in the furnace. The richest thought that a Christian perhaps can live on is this, that Christ is in the furnace with him. When you suffer, Christ suffers. (Acts 9:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 - cp Study of Covenant and God's Commitment to Defend His Own) H A Ironside is dogmatic on the identity (and I am in agreement) - The blessed Son of God was there with His dear servants in their hour of trial. Wiersbe takes a similar stance writing that "the fourth person in the furnace was Jesus Christ in one of His preincarnate appearances in the Old Testament." (Ibid). Campbell writes that Nebuchadnezzar did not see "what he expected; rather, he was shocked to see not three men in the fire, but four; not bound prisoners, but free men; not individuals who were motionless and unconscious, but who were moving about in the fire; not men writhing in pain, but instead showing no symptom of any injury; and most startling, the appearance of the fourth not like the rest, but like "a son of the gods… most Bible students do believe that this was a preincarnate appearance of Christ, who also appeared to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, who walked with Enoch, who feasted with Abraham, who wrestled with Jacob, who spoke to Moses in the burning bush, who appeared to Joshua as Captain of the Lord's host, who spent the night with Daniel in the lions' den, and who came to be born in a stable. God manifest in the flesh! (Ibid) C H Spurgeon - Many a time before his incarnation, he descended to this lower earth in the similitude of a man; on the plains of Mamre (Gen. 18), by the brook of Jabbok (Ge 32:24-30), beneath the walls of Jericho (Jos. 5:13), and in the fiery furnace of Babylon (Da 3:19, 25), the Son of Man visited his people.
Daniel 3
Spurgeon - A man who has been in the furnace and has come out of it is a marked man. I think I should know Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego even now if I were to meet them. Though the smell of fire had not passed on them, I feel sure that it left a glow on their countenances and a glory on their persons which we find nowhere else. They are henceforth called “the three holy children.” Nor had the smell of fire - They passed the smoke test! This was one of the first "No Smoking" facilities, yet this one was decreed to be such by the Almighty God! This detail emphasizes the completeness of their Divine deliverance and the truth Paul proclaimed in Romans… MORE THAN CONQUERORS IN CHRIST But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. (Ro 8:37+) A Mighty Fortress Is Our God by Martin Luther That word above all earthly powers, no thanks to them, abideth; The Spirit and the gifts are ours through Him who with us sideth: Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also; The body they may kill: God’s truth abideth still, His kingdom is forever Thomas Watson applies Daniel 3:27 Jesus Christ went into the furnace of His Father's wrath - "Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come." 1Thes 1:10. Christ is the only screen to stand between us and the wrath of God; He felt God's wrath—that those who believe in Him should never feel it. Nebuchadnezzar's fiery furnace was a type of God's wrath, and that furnace did not singe the garments of the three Hebrew children, nor did they have "the smell of fire upon them." Daniel 3:27. Jesus Christ went into the furnace of His Father's wrath—and the smell of the fire of hell shall never pass upon those who believe in Him! To you who have a well-grounded hope that you shall not feel this wrath, which you have deserved—let me exhort you to be very thankful to God, who has given His Son to save you from this tremendous wrath. The Lamb of God was scorched in the fire of God's wrath for you! Christ felt the wrath which He did not deserve—that you might escape the wrath which you have deserved! C H Spurgeon - Faith's Checkbook - Nor Had the Smell of Fire Even Come Upon Them - I see a pair of balances. I see on one scale the loss of a beloved relative, but I perceive on the other scale the great love of Christ. Now we will see which weighs the most. If Jesus lifts the light affliction, all is well. But if the trouble outweighs Jesus, then it is indeed ill for us. If you are so depressed by your trials that you cannot rejoice, even though your name is written in heaven, then I think you do not love Jesus as you should. Get delightful thoughts of Him, and you will feel as if you lost a pebble but preserved a diamond. If you have a high sense of your Master’s preciousness, you will rejoice in the deepest distress. The sweet love of Christ, when placed on the deepest wound the soul can ever know, heals at once. A drop of the precious medicine of Jesus’ love chases away all heart pain. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. Be within us, and we will make no choice of situations. Put us in Nebuchadnezzar’s furnace (Dan. 3:20); if Jesus walks the glowing coals as our companion, the fire will have no power, the hairs of our heads will not be singed, our garments will not be affected, and even the smell of fire will not be on them (Dan. 3:27). Daniel 3:28 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. Blessed: Da 2:47, 4:34, 6:26 Ge 9:26 Ezra 1:3 7:23-28 has sent: Da 3:25 6:22,23 Ge 19:15,16 2Ch 32:21 Ps 34:7,8 103:20 Isa 37:36 Ac 5:19 12:7, 8, 9, 10, 11 Heb 1:14 trust: 1Ch 5:20 2Ch 20:20 Ps 22:4,5 33:18,21 34:22 62:8 84:11,12 Ps 146:5,6 147:11 Isa 26:3,4 Jer 17:7,8 2Co 1:9,10 Eph 1:12,13 1Pe 1:21 and have: Ezra 6:11 Ac 4:19 yielded: Ro 12:1 14:7,8 Php 1:20 Heb 11:37 Rev 12:11 serve: Da 3:16, 17, 18 Ex 20:5 Mt 4:10 Daniel 3 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries IMPACT OF SUFFERING IN THE FIERY TRIAL May should note well the lesson that pagans are greatly impacted (either positively as the King or negatively) when they see us in "fiery trials", walking around not panicking. That is when they begin to see our Jesus living in and through us and they will either be drawn to Him or shrink away from Him (Jn 3:19, 20, 21) In Daniel 2:47 after the miraculous revelation of his dream and the interpretation, King Nebuchadnezzar "answered Daniel and said, “Surely your God is a God of gods and a Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, since you have been able to reveal this mystery.” Blessed be the God - The pagan, idol worshipping king, Nebuchadnezzar acknowledges the supremacy of God. In chapter 2 he acknowledged God as the "revealer of mysteries" (Da 2:47 - What a great Name of God!) and here as the God "Who is able to deliver" (Da 3:29). Indeed, He is truly worthy to be blessed and to be worshiped in spirit and in truth (Jn 4:24-note on what it means to worship in spirit and in truth.) His angel - Angel means messenger so this is God's Messenger, which is very compatible with this being Jesus, who is called the Messenger of the Covenant (Malachi 3:1). The Greek Septuagint does not read literally "an angel" but "the angel" (definite article identifying Him as "the" specific angel, not just any angel - further support this is the Angel of the LORD). Angel of the LORD - This phrase is used 56x in 52v in the OT - Ge 16:7, 9, 10, 11; 22:11, 15; Ex 3:2; Nu 22:22, 23, 24, 31, 32, 34, 35; Jdg 2:1, 4; 5:23; 6:11, 12, 21, 22; 13:3, 13, 15, 16, 17, 20, 21; 2Sa 24:16; 1Ki 19:7; 2Ki 1:3, 15; 19:35; 1Chr 21:12, 15, 16, 18, 30; Ps 34:7; 35:5, 6; Is 37:36; Zech 1:11,12; 3:1, 5, 6; 12:8; Mt 1:20, 24; 2:13, 19; 28:2; Lk 1:11; 2:9; Jn 5:4; Ac 5:19; 8:26; 12:7, 23. Delivered His servants (Deliver = key word 5x in 4v = Da 3:15, 17, 28, 29) - The king answers his own question in Da 3:15 clearly manifesting a change of mind. In other words we see some glimmers of repentance in King Nebuchadnezzar. Guzik sums up what the king knows and acknowledges about the Most High God… He is the God of the Hebrews (the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego) He is the God who sends a Savior (who sent His Angel) He is the God of great power (delivered His servants) He is the God worthy of trust (who trusted in Him) He is the God worthy of full surrender (frustrated the king's word, and yielded their bodies) He is the God who demands exclusive allegiance (that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own God) One application of these truths is that a person can know a lot about God and yet fail to know Him personally as Savior and Lord. Knowing about God will bring no one into heaven, for even the demons know about Him and believe He is one (Jas 2:19-note). Put their trust in Him - The affirmation of their trust (faith) in God in Da 3:17, 18 was not in word only but was manifest by their obedience, in this case their willingness to give their life for what they believed, regardless of whether God chose to save them or not. Faith is an "action verb". Don't tell me you believe. Show me. Don't misunderstand. Faith alone saves, but the faith that genuinely saves is not alone. Thus Nebuchadnezzar "saw" their faith in action and it greatly impacted his "spiritual persona" although not yet to the point of conversion (but read Daniel 4). If you are a believer, you can be sure that the pagan world is watching your actions to see whether or not your actions validate your affirmation of faith in Christ. Yielded up their bodies - They first surrendered their heart and then they surrendered their bodies. What a beautiful OT example these Hebrew lads provide for the surrender to which Paul calls all believers in Romans 12… Therefore (in a sense a conclusion based on all of the great truths in Romans 1-11) I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present (surrender, yield to the disposal of another) your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed (suschematizo in the present imperative + a negative = stop being poured into the mold of this godless world - a world which constantly cries "Bow or Burn"!) to this world, but be transformed (metaschematizo in the present imperative = command to make this one's lifestyle, being continually changed into the image of His Son, cp 2Co 3:18) by the renewing of your mind (by the Word, cp Jn 17:17, 1Pe 2:2-note), so that you may prove (dokimazo) what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. (Ro 12:1-note, Ro 12:2-note) Daniel 3:29 "Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation or tongue that speaks anything offensive against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego shall be torn limb from limb and their houses reduced to a rubbish heap, inasmuch as there is no other god who is able to deliver in this way." ( Therefore: Da 6:26, 27 The God - Da 3:15,17,28 Torn - Da 2:5 Inasmuch - Da 6:27 De 32:31 Ps 3:8 76:10 Daniel 3 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries I make a decree - After God delivered the three Hebrew lads, the king’s decree guaranteed religious freedom to the Jews. The faithfulness of three brought freedom of religion for all Jews in Babylon. THOUGHT - This truth should encourage all believers to stand for righteousness regardless of the consequences, for we do not know what impact our stand might have on others around us, both believers and non-believers! I am reminded of Paul's great exhortation to… Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men (be brave), be strong. Let all that you do be done in love. (1Cor 16:13, 14) Comment: All 5 verbs in these 2 concluding verses are present imperatives and thus are commands for these attitudes and actions to be our continual goal, our virtual lifestyle. Why? Because in this short life we are in an unceasing life and death struggle with our intractable foes, the world, the flesh and the devil, and must remain continually vigilant and dependent on God's grace and Spirit to enable us to experience the victory Christ wrought for each of us on the Cross. No other god - Nebuchadnezzar is beginning to get a correct opinion of the Living God because of the "good works" of the three Hebrew lads. When we live with a similar commitment to God and His Word, others will see our good works of commitment and will be led to glorify (give a proper opinion of) Him (Mt 5:16-note). Nebuchadnezzar still does not understand God and is much like the NFL head coach who kept a minister on the sidelines during games. Why asked why he retorted "I'm not even sure if I believe in God, but in case their is one, I want Him on my side!" There is no other god who is able to deliver this way - "There is none like Him"! Good theology Nebuchadnezzar! Able to deliver (Deliver in Da 3:15, 17, 28, 29) - The Septuagint translates "deliver" with the Greek verb rhuomai [word study], which means to rescue from a situation of potentially great harm. Rhuomai emphasizes greatness of peril from which deliverance is given by a mighty act of power and in the NT rhuomai is always associated with God as the Deliverer and with a person as the object of His deliverance. (Study the 17 uses of rhuomai in 15v in the NT - Mt. 6:13; 27:43; Lk 1:74; Ro 7:24; 11:26; 15:31; 2Co. 1:10; Col 1:13; 1Th 1:10; 2Th 3:2; 2Ti 3:11; 4:17, 18; 2Pe 2:7, 9) Rhuomai was used in a secular writing to describe a soldier going to a wounded comrade on the battlefield and carrying him to safety (he runs to the cry of his comrade to rescue him from the hands of the enemy). To summarize: God is the only Deliverer. Deliverance comes from God, to the people of God. Deliverance is complete and able to bring us through the fire of tribulation and adversity. Our God is able to deliver us from, in or through the fire. Daniel 3:30 Then the king caused Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego to prosper in the province of Babylon. king: 1Sa 2:30 Ps 91:14 Jn 12:26 Ro 8:31 Daniel 3 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries To prosper - Those who honor God will be honored (in this life and/or the one to come, cp 1Ti 4:8+). The Septuagint says that the king "advanced them, and gave them authority to rule over all the Jews who were in his kingdom." Jesus promised… Blessed (fully satisfied independent of the circumstances) are you when men cast insults at you, and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, on account of Me. Rejoice, and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Mt 5:11, 12+) C H Spurgeon - The unfaltering fidelity of the three holy children is worthy of our imitation. They never hesitated or parleyed with the tyrant. Fixed were their hearts in God (cp He 12:2-note), and confidently stayed on him; and so they conquered the proud monarch; yea, and vanquished death itself, quenching the violence of the flames. Rich was their reward. Jesus walked the glowing coals with them, and turned the furnace into a fair pavilion. In His name let us also abide by the truth without flinching, and no evil shall come nigh unto us. Never let us debate or question, but for God and His holy gospel let us be bold to sacrifice even life itself. May the sons of this family be such young men as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. Amen. (The Interpreter: Spurgeon's Devotional Bible) Wiersbe rightly observes that "As we move toward the end of the age, the furnace of opposition will be heated seven times hotter and the pressure to conform will become stronger and stronger. It will take a great deal of grace, prayer, courage, and faith for God’s people to stand tall for Christ while others are bowing the knee to the gods of this world. The Book of Daniel is a great source of encouragement, because it reminds us that God cares for His people and honors them when they are true to Him. (Ibid) In first Samuel we read this eternal principle… 'Far be it from Me-- for those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me will be lightly esteemed." (1Sa 2:30b, cp Pr 3:9, 10, 14:31) Jesus echoed this truth declaring that… If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there shall My servant also be; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him. (John 12:26) Tempted and persecuted here, Afflicted and distress’d, With steadfast faith we persevere, And stand the fiery test: The fire shall all our bands consume, And in the furnace tried, Out of the flames we soon shall come, Unhurt and purified. Throughout my sinful soul I feel The strength of pride invincible; But thou th’ Almighty God of grace Can all my haughty thoughts abase. All things are possible to thee, Display thy humbling grace in me; And in thy tender love impart My Saviour’s lowliness of heart. I freely feed them now With tokens of my love; But richer pastures I prepare, And sweeter streams above. Unnumber’d years of bliss I to my sheep will give And, while my throne unshaken stands, Shall all my chosen live. This tried almighty hand Is raised for their defence; Where is the power shall reach them there? Or what shall force them thence? Your harps, ye trembling saints, Down from the willows take: Loud to the praise of love divine, Bid every string awake. Though in a foreign land, We are not far from home; And nearer to our house above We every moment come. Blest is the man, O God, That stays himself on Thee! Who waits for Thy salvation, Lord, Shall Thy salvation see. Tony Garland Lessons for Living from Daniel 3 The third chapter of Daniel contains numerous lessons we can apply in our own lives. • Persecution Serves God’s Purpose - In our Christian walk, we can become comfortable in the world and begin to forget that we are not of this world (Mark 4:19; Rom. 12:2; Eph. 2:2; Col. 3:1-3).259 The following words of Jesus must alway echo in our ears: If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you (John 15:18-19). Just as Israel would like to assimilate among the Gentile nations, but God says it will never come to pass, so too believers will find it impossible to remain friends with both the world and God (Jas.4:4). Sometimes God uses persecution to remind us of Who we belong to and bring us back to our spiritual senses. Although persecution is never pleasant, we need to recognize the purposes it serves in God’s hands. “Nothing is plainer than that the Holy Ghost never acknowledges the Christian in any way except as separate from the world,—the object of its animosity and persecution, cast out, despised, unknown, by the world. Such is our place as recognized by the word of God. It is for Christians to account for the fact that they have lost it; for clearly what I have been describing does not, somehow or another, apply at the present time. Is it that the world is getting better, or that they themselves have become worse?”260 “Why [is persecution] permitted? Among the reasons why it has been permitted may be the following: (a) To show the power and reality of religion. It seemed desirable to subject it to ‘all kinds’ of trial, in order to show that its existence could not be accounted for except on the supposition that it is from God. If men had never been called on to ‘suffer’ on account of religion, it would have been easy for the enemies of religion to allege that there was little evidence that it was genuine, or was of value, for it had never been tried. Compare Job 1:9-11. As it is, it has been subjected to ‘every form’ of trial which wicked men could devise, and has shown itself to be adapted to meet them all. The work of the martyrs has been well done; and religion in the times of martyrdom has shown itself to be all that it is desirable it should be. (b) In order to promote its spread in the world. ‘The blood of the martyrs’ has been ‘the seed of the church;’ and it is probable that religion in past times has owed much of its purity, and of its diffusion, to the fact that it has been persecuted. (c) To fit the sufferers for an exalted place in heaven. They who have suffered persecution needed trials as well as others, for ‘all’ Christians need them - and ‘theirs’ came in this form. Some of the most lovely traits of Christian character have been brought out in connection with persecution, and some of the most triumphant exhibitions of preparation for heaven have been made at the stake.”261 “This purpose is not merely to set forth God’s power in being able to protect His own but specifically the fact that ‘the world power cannot imperil the safety of God’s saints.’ Throughout the ages the world power has manifested its character of deep hostility against God’s people. In certain periods of the world’s history this character of the world power had to become quiescent. It may burst into activity at any moment. God’s people should be kept aware of this.”262 “There sounds the admonition to every right-meaning young man, however prosperous he may be, to prepare for fiery times. The world is under an erring rule … Envious and malicious eyes are watching you, and eager to show their superior devotion by accusing you and bringing you into trouble. The way of faithfulness often lies through the fiery furnace, heated seven-fold to consume you. Therefore prepare for fiery times, and think it not strange when they come.”263 • Church and State - As Christians, we are subject to God and to the ruling authority. We need to be intimately familiar with God’s Word so that we can rightly discern how to walk in a way that honors and pleases God: able to identify situations when God’s law (higher law) is being violated by the civil authority and its (lower) law. We also need to carefully understand whether such a violation by the state seeks to force us, personally, to follow suit. In cases where God’s law is broken by the state and if, to remain subject to the state, we personally would have to break God’s law, then we must participate in civil obedience. Where we carefully, prayerfully, determine this to be so, we must be willing to yield our lives, if need be, and trust God’s sovereign will for the results. We must understand there is a clear distinction between the things that are Caesar’s and the things that are God’s alone (Mat. 22:21; Mark 12:17; Luke 20:25). “When Caesar arrogates to himself the things that are the Lord’s, then, and in such cases, his authority is to be resisted. God does not desire Caesar’s things; Caesar must not have the things of God.”264 “The Judeans’ accommodation in chapters 1 and 2 [of Daniel] shows that believers can and should respect and obey human authorities in the civil realm (Mat. 22:21; Rom. 13:1-7) as long as such obedience does not involve a compromise or denial of faith in the one true God. However, Daniel 3+ (like Daniel 6+) will show that believers are obligated to disobey human authorities when they require idolatry or other forms of compromise or denial of the one true faith. Taken together, chapters 1-3 therefore show the distinction between the civil realm and the religious realm, the distinction between church and state. As much as possible, believers live as law-abiding citizens of their state, but as members of the kingdom of God, their highest allegiance is to God. When required by human authorities to compromise their faith, they must ‘obey God rather than men’ (Acts 5:29).”265 “The business of the Christian is to show respect to all who are in authority, to pay honor to whom honor is due, owing no man anything save love. What makes this so particularly strong, is, that the emperor then reigning was one of the worst and most cruel men that ever filled the throne of the Caesars. And yet there is no reserve or qualification, nay the very reverse of an insinuation that, if the emperor ordered what was good, the Christians were to obey, but, that if not, they were free from their allegiance. The Christian is called to obey—not always Nero or Nebuchadnezzar, but God evermore. The consequence is, that this at once delivers from the very smallest real ground for charging a godly person with being a rebel.”266 See Civil Disobedience and the Christian. • Against Situational Ethics - The Christian is to live according to principle, not pragmatism. It is not our responsibility to evaluate moral trade-offs to choose the lesser of several evils in an attempt to control the results of a difficult situation. Imagine how this chapter might have turned out if the three Jewish men applied situational ethics? “If these three young Hebrews were living today and were facing the same test, if they sought the advice of the religious leaders of our day, they would be advised to ‘go along’ with the king, bow to the image, ‘coexist’ with the idolaters, and, by so doing, perhaps lead the king into a better life.”267 Situational ethics opens the door to temptation, compromise, and our powerful ability to rationalize. “Wouldn’t it better [for the Jews] to just quickly bow down … and be able to continue being an influence for God in this pagan kingdom? Why throw away their God-given positions when a second or two of necessary compromise would allow them to continue serving God in the kingdom?”268 We are never called to adopt an ungodly method (e.g., deception, lying) to live in a way which pleases God. Whenever we might feel a temptation to resort to such an approach, we should immediately recognize our greater sin of lack of trust in the sovereign control of God over the affairs of our life. Our job is to walk according to His principles and then, having done so, leave the results in His hands. “If I do a thing, ever so right in itself, on the mere ground that I have a right to disobey man under certain circumstances, I am doing the lesser of two evils. The principle for a Christian man is never to do evil at all. He may fail, as I do not deny; but I do not understand a man quietly settling down that he must accept any evil whatever. It is a heathenish idea. An idolater that had not the revealed light of God could know no better. Yet you will find Christian persons using the present confession of the condition of the Church as an excuse for persevering in known evil, and saying, Of two evils we must choose the lesser! But I maintain that, whatever the difficulty may be, there is always the path of God for the godly to walk in. Why then do I find practical difficulty? Because I wish to spare myself. If I compound for even a little evil, the broad way of ease and honor lies open, but I sacrifice God and come under the power of Satan.”269 “This is ‘the religion of principle;’ and when we consider the circumstances of those who made this reply; when we remember their comparative youth, and the few opportunities which they had for instruction in the nature of religion, and that they were captives in a distant land, and that they stood before the most absolute monarch of the earth, with no powerful friends to support them, and with the most horrid kind of death threatening them, we may well admire the grace of that God who could so amply furnish them for such a trial, and love that religion which enabled them to take a stand so noble and so bold… [The religion of principle] is founded mainly on two things - an intelligent view of duty, and fixed principle. (a) An intelligent view of duty; an acquaintance with what is right, and what is wrong. These young men had made up their minds intelligently, that it was right to worship God, and that it was wrong to render homage to an idol… The religion of principle is always found where there is an intelligent view of what is right, and a man can give a ‘reason’ for what he does. (b) This religion is founded on a determination to ‘do’ what is right, and ‘not’ to do what is wrong. The question is not what is expedient, or popular, or honorable, or lucrative, or pleasant, but what is right… It is the only kind [of religion] in which there is any fixed and certain standard. If a man regulates his opinions and conduct from expediency, or from respect to the opinions of others, or from feeling, or from popular impulses, there is no standard; there is nothing settled or definite. Now one thing is popular, now another; today the feelings may prompt to one thing, tomorrow to another; at one time expediency will suggest one course, at another a different course.”270 • Exclusivity of the Christian Worldview - Pagan beliefs are generally quick to accommodate other views. In our day, this idea can be seen in the popular sticker attached to the bumper of some cars featuring the words COEXIST or TOLERANCE, the letters being rendered using symbols of various religions. The prevalent idea behind this ancient view is, “I’m OK. You’re OK. Let’s all just get along.” While this philosophy sounds friendly enough, it denies the reality of objective truth—the idea that there is One God Who Alone is True and Who has defined acceptable ethical behavior. As those whom God has separated to Himself, our very existence is a testimony against this religious pluralism and moral relativism. Thus, we are “thorns in the side” of paganism and humanism. If we remain true to God, we will become the subjects of controversy and persecution because we testify against the pluralistic world view. “According to the prevailing views, no mode of religion could be tolerated which would maintain that ‘all’ the gods that were worshipped were false. Religion was supposed to be identified with the best interests of the state, and was recognized by the laws, and protected by the laws. To deny the claim, therefore, of any and of all the gods that were worshipped; to maintain that all were false alike; to call on men to forsake their idols, and to embrace a new religion - all this was regarded as an attack on the state. This was the attitude which Christianity assumed toward the religions of the Roman empire, and it was this which led to the fiery persecutions which prevailed there. While Rome could consistently tolerate any form of idolatry that would recognize the religion established by the state, it could not tolerate a system which maintained that ‘all’ idolatry was wrong.”271 See commentary onDaniel 3:5. • Fallen Man’s Response to Revelation - One of the surprising aspects of this chapter is the very first verse. Nebuchadnezzar had seen the power of God at work through Daniel in chapter 2, but now he acts in a way completely at odds with the revelation God graciously provided in hisdream. “Why should we be surprised that Nebuchadnezzar failed to understand the revelation from God in chapter 2? Apart from theillumination of the Holy Spirit, the natural man will never grasp what God is saying or doing. Nebuchadnezzar is an example of what Paul taught … For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man, which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no man. For who has known the mind of the Lord, that He should instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:6-16). Apart from the ministry of the Spirit, we will distort and pervert the Scriptures as badly as the pagan Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar.”272 We must understand that those who are not yet born-again will distort and mishandle the things of God until they receive God’s Spirit and are born again (John 3:7). • The Preservation of Israel - All attempts to destroy the Jews and their nation will ultimately fail. “The prophetic lesson set forth concerns Israel among the Gentiles until ‘the times of the Gentiles’ comes to an end. The three young Hebrews are a picture of the nation Israel, moving in the furnace of Gentile power but never consumed. From the human standpoint and by human standards, Israel should have been wiped out as a nation; but God has miraculously preserved that nation in the fiery furnace of race hatred and persecution… even in the furnaces of Adolph Hitler where literally millions of them were cremated. In spite of persecutions down through the centuries, the Jew marches on. Israel is God’scovenant nation, and will finally be miraculously delivered and exalted among the nations. This is the deeper prophetic teaching of the fiery furnace episode… In spite of Pharaoh’s attempt to drown Israel … in spite of Haman’s gallows, Caesar’s guillotine, Mussolini’s hatred, Stalin’s wholesale butchering and Hitler’s ovens, Israel lives on, moves on, and will … fulfill God’s ultimate aim for them.”273 SeePreservation of Israel. • Learning to Stand on Our Own - Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego were unable to look to Daniel to help them navigate the difficulties they faced in this chapter. While there may be a season in our Christian walk where we benefit from the guidance and example of a mature brother or sister in the Lord, we should expect, sooner or later, that we’ll need to be able stand on our own two feet. “You’ll have a believer you respect, a believer that’s mature, a Christian leader that you look up to and people will tend to cluster around that person. And when God thinks that these believers have enough of the Word of God He will remove that person from them and then try a test on them to see whether they’re leaning on the Word of God or whether in fact they are leaning upon the other person. You see, Christian friends who are mature, who are your leaders, people you respect very much can themselves be very dangerous idols for you. So therefore God will put you in a situation where you won’t have the opportunity to have another more mature believer around to consult, cry on their shoulder or do something else.”274 • Our Reason for Living - The Christian world view leads us to conclude that the greatest goal of living is to glorify God. The primary way we glorify God is by dedicating our lives to His service. In other words, we yield our lives for His purposes, whatever they might be. If we allow our love for this world to eclipse our service of God, then we effectively take ourselves back off the altar and no longer behave as willing sacrifices (Rom. 12:1). If done to preserve our life, then we are negating the ultimate purpose in living (Luke 17:33). “For of what use is life except to serve God’s glory? But we lose that object in life for the sake of the life itself — that is, by desiring to live entirely to the world, we lose the very purpose of living!”275 See commentary on Daniel 3:28. • God is Sovereign - In our view, this is the foundational principle among all those listed here. Unless we come to a place in our Christian maturity where we grasp this important truth, our trust in God will remain conditional. Unless we believe that God is in control of all the affairs of life, from the largest galaxy to the smallest subatomic particle, then we will be unable to walk according to His principles or rest in His peace when a storm rages around us (Isa. 26:3; Php. 4:6-7; Col. 3:14-15; Rom. 5:1; 8:6). “It has been often found by experience; the martyrs have often showed plainly that the peace and calm of their minds were undisturbed in the midst of the greatest bodily torment, and have sometimes rejoiced and sung praises upon the rack and in the fire. If Christ is pleased to send forth his Spirit to manifest his love, and speaks friendly to the soul, it will support it even in the greatest outward torment that man can inflict.”276 “Here is a pertinent lesson for believers today. Does God have all power? Yes. Is God able to deliver believers from all problems and trials? Yes. But does God deliver believers from all trials? No. God may allow trials to come into the lives of his people to build character or for a number of other reasons (Rom. 5). The purpose for trials may not always be understood, but God simply asks that his children trust him—even when it is not easy.”277 “We must never forget that God’s will is very individualistic. What the Lord does for one of His children does not dictate what He will do for another. The difference in His dealings does not reflect a greater love for one child, nor does it necessarily mean a greater godliness in a child of God. For example, God chose to let godly James die but delivered godly Peter (cf. Acts 12:1-11). Why didn’t God send the angel who released Peter from prison to do the same for James? Or why was it the Lord’s will to allow John to live a long life while Peter’s life would be “prematurely terminated (John 21:21-22)? The Lord is the Good Shepherd of His sheep and he leads according to His absolute wisdom, sovereignty and goodness.”278 References: 262 Leupold, Exposition of Daniel, 165. 263 Seiss, Voices from Babylon; or, The Records of Daniel the Prophet, 114. 264 Clarke, Adam Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible - Daniel, Dan. 3:17. 265 Steinmann, Daniel, 162. 266 Kelly, Lectures on the Book of Daniel (3rd. ed.), 67-68. 267 Greene, Daniel, Dan. 3:26-30. 268 Benware, Daniel’s Prophecy of Things to Come, 82. 269 Kelly, Lectures on the Book of Daniel (3rd. ed.), 69. 270 Barnes, Notes on the Bible, Dan. 3:18, 30. 271 Ibid., Dan. 3:30. 272 Deffinbaugh, Daniel: Relating Prophecy to Piety, Dan. 3:30. 273 Greene, Daniel, Dan. 3:26-30. 274 Clough, Lessons on Daniel, 11.139. 275 Calvin, Commentary on The Prophet Daniel, Dan. 3:16-18. 276 Jonathan Edwards, On Knowing Christ (Carlisle, PN: Banner of Truth Trust, 1893, 1993), 178-179. 277 Miller, Daniel, Dan. 3:18. 278 Benware, Daniel’s Prophecy of Things to Come, Dan. 3:24-27. The Fear of Man or Woman by Elisabeth Elliot - Taken From: Keep A Quiet Heart "The majority of men have thought of women as sublime separately but horrible as a herd," noted the wise G. K. Chesterton. Alas. Are we so formidable? Robert Bly, in his best-selling IRON JOHN, declares that men are petrified of female anger. Then there's a TIME correspondent named Sam Allis who says "Women are often daunting obstacles to male peace of mind, and for all their brave talk, men remain utterly flummoxed by the situation." "The fear of man bringeth a snare," according to God's Word. Meseemeth the fear of woman bringeth a worse one. These comments have set me thinking (again) about fear in general. If men and women were surer of their God there would be more genuine manliness, womanliness, and godliness in the world, and a whole lot less fear of each other. Jesus told us not to fear those who can kill only the body, but rather to fear Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell--in other words, fear God and fear nothing else. Moses, by faith, "left Egypt, not fearing the king's anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible" (Hebrews 11:27NIV). When Daniel learned of King Darius's decree forbidding prayer to any god or man except the king himself, he proceeded with his regular manner of worship, on his knees, windows open, "just as he had done before," and was caught in the act (Daniel 6). He feared God; therefore, he feared neither the king nor the lions. His three friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, faced with the choice between two evils, worshipping a golden image or burning to a crisp in a furnace, made an instant decision (Daniel 3). Fear of God made worship of an idol unthinkable. Fear of the fire was, by comparison, thinkable. That's manliness. Uzziah, who became king of Judah when he was sixteen, was taught by Zechariah to fear God. A child who is not taught to fear wrongdoing when he is small will have great difficulty learning to fear God when he is a man. "Freedom from fear" is what Russell Kirk calls "a silly piece of demagogic sophistry," for we all have "a natural yearning for the challenge of the dreadful." One of the nicest things any of the listeners to my broadcast, has written to me came from a little girl: "You make me brave." Sometimes I wonder what has happened to words like courage and endurance. What reason is there in our feel-comfortable society ever to be brave? Very little, and, when you think about it, we miss it, don't we? To be really brave is to lay oneself open to charges of hypocrisy, of being "in denial," or out of touch with one's feelings. Moses charged Joshua to be strong and very courageous. Courage is not the absence of fear but the willingness to do the thing we fear. Go straight into the furnace or the lion's den. Were those men out of touch with their feelings or with reality? No. Nor was the psalmist who said, "When I am afraid, I will trust" (Psalm 56:3, NIV). There's a big difference between feeling and willing. TODAY IN THE WORD - Daniel 3:1-15 - They neither serve your gods nor worship the image of gold you have set up. - Daniel 3:12 Upon discovering the formula for measuring the flow of electric current through a wire, high school teacher Georg Ohm thought he might earn himself a collegiate professor position. Although his formula would later be known as Ohm's Law, at the time it was roundly rejected in the science community and he was fired from his existing job. Sometimes being the only one in the right leads to unfair punishment. Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah stood out from the pack because of their godliness. Up to this point, the group known more commonly by their Babylonian names of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had their faithfulness rewarded with positions of esteem and power. But that treatment took a serious turn for the worse when a direct order of the king came into blatant conflict with the laws of God. Their faith was put to a very simple but crucial test: either worship God or worship Nebuchadnezzar. You might be wondering where Daniel fits into this story, and the simple answer is that we don't know. We know from the end of chapter 2 that Daniel was placed in a position distinct from that of his friends. But his absence from this story reminds us that Daniel is not the true hero of this book—God is. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had a lot to lose, and very little to gain, it would appear. These three men had positions of authority. The dedication of the statue seems to be a sort of national leadership meeting (v. 3). It's also clear that these men certainly knew the penalty for disobedience (v. 6). Note that the men didn't make a spectacle of their defiance. It took the tattling of some astrologers to bring the matter to the king's attention. The Aramaic phrase translated “denounced” in the NIV is particularly strong, literally meaning “ate the pieces of.” Perhaps these other rulers were jealous of the Jews' quick ascension to power and picked the three easiest targets for their wrath. Tomorrow we'll discover that positions of power meant very little to these three servants of God. TODAY ALONG THE WAY - You may find that obeying God and obeying the laws of men usually go hand in hand. But that isn't always the case. When legal or social mandates require you to compromise your faith, are you prepared to do the right thing … and to do it in the right way? Ask the Lord to give you the strength to stand for what is right, but also the humility to avoid self-righteous grandstanding. Make sure you are disobeying for God's sake, not for your own publicity. Daniel 3 - The Fiery Furnace J. R. Miller "As soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music - you must fall down and worship the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up! Whoever does not fall down and worship - will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace." Daniel 3:5-6 Every child knows this story. It is one of the classics of Christian households. It would be well if all our modern Christians had the sublime moral courage of these "three Hebrew children." We will never have to meet precisely the same trial of faith, that these young men had to meet; but we need just as heroic a spirit - in order to be faithful. Imposing images are set up even now in many a place - and all are expected to bow down to them - and woe to him who does not kneel! We all have opportunity enough to be heroic. The popular religion is inclined to limpness of the knees. We have grown wonderfully tolerant in these modern days! We bow to almost anything - if it happens to be fashionable. It would not do us any harm if we were to take a good lesson from the example of these "three Hebrew children." As Nebuchadnezzar grew great - he grew proud. He knew no God. There was no one to whom he thought of bowing down. He exalted himself as God. He demanded that all men should pay homage to him. That is the meaning of this strange story of folly. His people obeyed his command. "Therefore, as soon as they heard the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp and all kinds of music - all the peoples, nations and men of every language fell down and worshiped the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up." But there were some whose knees did not bend! Quickly the king was informed by anxious spies, that certain Jews did not worship the golden image he had set up. Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury, commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Here we see a great king - in a very bad temper! That was certainly an unkingly mood. No man is fit to rule others - who has not learned to rule his own spirit. Peter the Great made a law that if any nobleman beat his slaves - he should be looked upon as insane, and a guardian should be appointed to take care of his person and his estate. This great monarch once struck his gardener, who then died in a few days. Peter, hearing of the man's death, exclaimed, with tears in his eyes, "Alas! I have civilized my own subjects; I have conquered other nations; yet have I not been able to conquer or civilize myself!" There are Christian people who would do well to think a little of this matter. Self-control is the mark of completeness in Christian culture. It is the lesson of peace perfectly learned. Bad temper is always a sad blemish in disposition and conduct. To get into a rage - is a mark of lingering barbarism in the character. Self-mastery is Christlike. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were all young men who were in peculiar circumstances. They were away from home, out from under parental influence and restraints, and exposed to very strong temptation. They had now their choice between duty - and the fiery furnace! We should study this lesson for its example of heroic devotion to duty, regardless of consequences. Even yet, the world's promotion is obtainable ofttimes - only at the price of a trampled conscience! There are several things to note in these young men. Note their calmness; they displayed no excitement, no heat of passion. The peace of God ruled in their hearts. Note also, their sublime courage. They had a contempt of death. They feared only one thing - sin. Note also, their trust in God. They committed the matter utterly into His hands. They did not know what He would do - but they were sure it would be the right thing. The king did not want to destroy these young men, and repeated his command. "Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes 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?" The king wanted to give them another chance, as he preferred not to burn such useful servants; but they told him there was no need for a second opportunity. They would have no other answer to give. They could make no possible change in their decision. The thing that was demanded of them was contrary to the plain law of their God - and that settled it forever. There was no room for discussion or for deliberation or for persuasion - when it was the law of God that was concerned. They could burn - but they could not turn! It would save many people a great deal of weighing, balancing, and discussing of fine points - if they would act always on this principle - that the Word of God is final in all matters of duty. When a thing is forbidden in the Word - that should be the end of it. But too many people keep questions of duty open, waiting for new light, secretly hoping that by some logical process it may become possible for them to avoid making the sacrifice, and to do the thing that now appears to be wrong. So they parley with the matter, and weigh the pros and cons, and wonder if they are mistaken in their sense of duty - and usually end in yielding to sin. It is never safe to parley with temptation! There is no need for it. Duty is final, and no process of reasoning can change it. There is no new light possible on a divine command. It would save many of us much trouble if we fixed it in our mind - that God's Word settles some things, settles them finally and forever, and that we have no need to consider them - but should obey them without parley or question! The answer of the young men was given promptly. "If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace." There is a wonderful majesty in these words. About the whole of the creed of these men was in the words, "Our God." God was theirs—and they were God's. He was taking care of them, and therefore they had no need to concern themselves about their own safety. It is a great thing to be able to call God OURS, and to say, "God is our refuge!" (cp 2Sa 22:3, Ps 62:7, 73:28 [note the choice the psalmist made! And the purpose!], Ps 91:2, 9, [Read entire Psalm 91:1-16] Ps 94:22, 142:5, Jer 16:19, 17:17) "The Lord is my Shepherd." When we can really say this—we are ready for anything. No danger can terrify us. It is not the assurance of personal safety which gives us confidence; it is the fact that we are in God's hands, that we belong to Him, and that He is taking care of us! We do not need to know just what He will do with us—or for us; whether He will deliver us—or let us suffer. The ground of the confidence is that we are in His hands—and that He will do the right thing. It is not the highest trust that merely believes in being brought out of the trouble—or being delivered from danger. Perhaps we shall not be delivered. God may permit us to suffer. Very well—our trust does not depend on deliverance. It has no condition. It is simply trust without stipulation or suggestion. The highest confidence is that which suggests nothing—but lies in God's hands, and leaves Him to decide the manner of the care and the blessing. The next three words are almost equally important: "Whom we serve." There are plenty of people who like to cry to God in time of trouble or danger—but they have never been willing to obey or serve Him—when there is danger. They even scoff at Him in the sunshine; but when the storm arises—they fall down on their knees and pray to Him! These Hebrew young men were not of this class. They could cast themselves upon God's protection in this time of danger without shame, because they had been God's loyal friends and had been serving Him before the danger came. If we want to be able to call God ours and commit ourselves to His care when trial or peril comes—we must not only believe in Him—but must obey His will. True religion is not all creed; it has also a very practical side, and we ought not to overlook this word "serve." We must serve God—as well as trust Him. We must be willing to serve Him, too, even if it costs and hurts and burns. We must continue to serve Him though He brings no earthly deliverance. "The Christian who lazily looks for nothing but His personal comfort—will never look at fiery furnaces with composure." So if we would be without fear in the day of danger—we must be God's loyal and faithful servants without condition. Then comes the expression of the faith of these men. Our God is able to deliver us!" They did not say He would deliver them from the fiery furnace. They did not know that He would. They knew that He could—and that if it were best—He would. There they rested the matter. God's power ought to be a strong comfort to us in trouble or danger. He is able to deliver us—there is no doubt about that. No combination is too strong for Him. He can easily do whatever He pleases. Men say there are no miracles in these days—but God can always find a way to work any deliverance He desires to work for His people. He is never handicapped in His own world. And since He is our Father, and loves us and is taking care of us—we should know that if it is best that we should be delivered—He will surely do it. If He does not deliver us—we should know that it is because it is better for us and for His glory that we should suffer. True Christian faith is willing to leave to God—just whatever He shall do, confident in God's power and in God's love. "But if not." They made no condition of loyalty to God. They would obey Him just as loyally—if He did not deliver them. There are some people who call themselves Christians who never get above self-interest even in their religion. They believe it will be best for them in the end—if not just at present, to be Christians and to be faithful to God. Their consolation in losses and sacrifices is that God will more than compensate them in some way. They like to quote, "To those who love God—we know that all things work together for good." This is true. We shall never lose anything in the long run—by doing right. God's service brings great reward. Yet even this should not be the condition of serving God. We should serve Him for Himself, even if we know that serving Him will bring loss that never can be made up to us. There is a legend of one in the old times, who walked the streets of Alexandria bearing in one hand a torch and in the other hand a vessel of water, crying, "With this water I will put out hell, and with this torch I will burn up heaven—that God may be served for Himself alone." It surely is not the highest kind of faith—which always thinks of the benefit to ourselves; it is far higher if we say, as these men said, "Whether God shall deliver us or not from the furnace—we will serve Him!" Or as Job, "Though He slays me—yet will I trust (hope) in Him!" (Job 13:15) The king was angered by the quiet determination of the young Hebrew children, and commanded that no time should be lost, and that their punishment should be as terrible as possible. "So these men, in their trousers, robes, head coverings, and other clothes—were tied up and thrown into the furnace of blazing fire!" There are furnaces burning yet all over the world, and faithful ones are continually being cast into them. There are furnaces of physical pain and suffering, in which saintly ones lie, sometimes for years. But they are not destroyed by the fire. The only result is—that they become more saintly. The sin and the earthliness are burnt out of their lives—and the pure gold remains. There are furnaces of trial, too, in which men suffer loss for being true and loyal to God. We must not suppose that a holy life is always an easy one. Says one: "God's judgments—it may be the very sternest and most irremediable of them—come, many a time, in the guise, not of affliction—but of immense earthly prosperity and ease." The Road Uphill by Mrs. Charles E. Cowman (Streams in the Desert) Daniel 3:25 = "Walking in the midst of the fire" The fire did not arrest their motion; they walked in the midst of it. It was one of the streets through which they moved to their destiny. The comfort of Christ's revelation is not that it teaches emancipation from sorrow, but emancipation through sorrow. O my God, teach me, when the shadows have gathered, that I am only in a tunnel. It is enough for me to know that it will be all right some day. They tell me that I shall stand upon the peaks of Olivet, the heights of resurrection glory. But I want more, O my Father; I want Calvary to lead up to it. I want to know that the shadows of this world are the shades of an avenue the avenue to the house of my Father. Tell me I am only forced to climb because Thy house is on the hill! I shall receive no hurt from sorrow if I shall walk in the midst of the fire. --George Matheson "'The road is too rough,' I said; 'It is uphill all the way; No flowers, but thorns instead; And the skies over head are grey.' But One took my hand at the entrance dim, And sweet is the road that I walk with Him. "The cross is too great,' I cried-- 'More than the back can bear, So rough and heavy and wide, And nobody by to care.' And One stooped softly and touched my hand: 'I know. I care. And I understand.' "Then why do we fret and sigh; Cross-bearers all we go: But the road ends by-and-by In the dearest place we know, And every step in the journey we May take in the Lord's own company." Day by Day - From The Frying Pan To… " 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. Daniel 3:19 Our children who go to Sunday school are acquainted with the story from which today's text for the Daily Devotion is taken. They know how the Lord preserved Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from the over-heated furnace. Now it would seem, figuratively speaking, there are Christians in the same spot. In Sudan's Darfur region there are three predominantly Christian tribes who are being persecuted. So far, 300,000 have been killed and another 2.5 million forced to flee. According to the International Criminal Court in The Hague, the surviving victims have been subjected to repeated rape and torture. Now that body has issued an arrest warrant for the country's president, Omar Bashir. With China, the African Union, and the Arab League on Bashir's side, little can be done to enforce that warrant. Instead, Bashir, like Nebuchadnezzar, has turned up the heat in the furnace. He has ordered 13 international aid agencies out of the Sudan. Those are the 13 agencies responsible for 60 percent of the humanitarian aid getting through to the people in Darfur. Short of a miracle, which the Lord has shown He can do, there is little earthly hope for these -- our brothers and sisters. It is for such a miracle that we will pray at the end of our devotion. First, however, let us ask the Lord to sustain these people in their faith. May the crucified and risen Lord enable them to withstand the forces of hatred, prejudice, and persecution. Second, let us come to the Lord and ask Him, if such be His will, to intervene for those who are being tortured and tormented. Daniel 3: Through Floods and Flames C H Spurgeon There are many dear children, both boys and girls, who have not been ashamed in their early days to come forward and confess the Lord Jesus Christ. God bless the dear children! I rejoice in them. I am sure that the church will never have to be ashamed of having admitted them. They, at least, show no cowardice. They take a solemn delight in being numbered with the people of God, counting it an honor to be associated with Christ and His church. Shame on you older ones who still hold back! What ails you, that babes and sucklings are braver than you? By the love you bear to Christ, I charge you: come forth and confess His name among this evil and perverse generation. Is it true? Then joyfully accept the trial which comes with it. Shrink not from the flames. Settle it in your minds that-by divine grace-no loss, nor cross, nor shame, nor suffering shall make you play the coward. Say, like the holy children, "We have no need to answer you in this matter" ( Daniel 3:16 ). They did not cringe before the king and cry, "We beseech you, do not throw us into the fiery furnace. Let us have a consultation with you, O king, that we may arrange terms. There may be some method by which we can please you and yet keep our religion." No! They said: 16We have no need to answer you in this matter. 17If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver from your hand, O king. 18But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the golden image which you have set up.(Daniel 3:16–18) Dear friends, let us be ready to suffer for Christ’s sake. Some will say, "Do not be imprudent." It is always prudent to do your duty. We do not have enough nowadays of the virtue nicknamed imprudence. I would like to see a display of old-fashioned imprudence in these cold, calculating, selfish days. Oh, for the days of zeal, the days when men counted not their lives dear to them that they might win Christ! At present, men sit down and reckon what it will cost them to do right, weighing their conduct as a matter of profit and loss. Then they call such wicked calculations prudence. It is sheer selfishness. Do right, if it costs you your life. Where would England have been if the men who won our liberties in former ages had haggled with the world for gain? If they had saved their skins, they would have lost their souls and ruined the cause of God in England. He loves not Christ who does not love Him more than all things. Oh, for men of principle, who know no loss but loss of faith, and desire no gain except the glory of God! Be this your cry: Through floods or flames, if Jesus leads I’ll follow where He goes You may lose a great deal for Christ, but you will never lose anything by Christ. You may lose for the present time, but you will gain for eternity. The loss is transient, but the gain is everlasting. You will be a gainer by Christ, even if you have to go to heaven by the way of persecution, poverty, and slander. Never mind the way. The end will make full amends. The treasures of Egypt are mere dross compared with the riches of endless bliss. If it is true that you are willing thus to follow Christ, reckon upon deliverance. Nebuchadnezzar may put you into the fire, but he cannot keep you there, nor can he make the fire burn you. The enemy casts you into the furnace bound, but the fire will loosen your bonds, and you will walk at liberty amid the glowing coals. You will gain by your losses, you will rise by your down-castings. Many prosperous men owe their present position to the fact that they were faithful when they were in humble employments. They were honest, and for the moment they displeased their employers, but in the end earned their esteem. When Adam Clarke was apprenticed to a tailor, his master showed him how to stretch the cloth when it was a little short, but Adam could not find in his heart to do it. Such a fool of a boy must be sent home to his mother. His godly mother was glad that her boy was such a fool that he could not stoop to a dishonest trick. You know what he became. He might have missed his way in life if he had not been true to his principles in his youth. Your first loss may be a lifelong gain. Dear young fellow, you may be fired from your situation, but the Lord will turn the curse into a blessing. If all should go softly with you, you might decline in character. By doing a little wrong, you learn to do yet more and more, so losing your integrity, and with it all hope of ever lifting your nose from the grindstone. Do right for Christ’s sake, without considering any consequences, and the consequences will be right enough