Daniel 3

Daniel 3

Calvin - Nothing is more powerful to overcome temptation than the fear of God. (Ed: Read description of Job in Job 1:1 - Why did he turn away from evil?) Alan Redpath rightly says that "Reverent fear of God is the key to faithfulness in any situation. He Is Able to Deliver Thee ’Tis the grandest theme through the ages rung; ’Tis the grandest theme for a mortal tongue; ’Tis the grandest theme that the world e’er sung, Our God is able to deliver thee. Refrain He is able to deliver thee, He is able to deliver thee; Though by sin oppressed, go to Him for rest; Our God is able to deliver thee. ’Tis the grandest theme in the earth or main; ’Tis the grandest theme for a mortal strain; ’Tis the grandest theme, tell the world again, Our God is able to deliver thee. Refrain ’Tis the grandest theme, let the tidings roll, To the guilty heart, to the sinful soul; Look to God in faith, He will make thee whole, Our God is able to deliver thee. Thomas Watson explains how the 3 lads were able to take such an uncompromising stand writing that "Grace has a soul-strengthening excellency. Grace enables a man to do that which exceeds the power of nature. Grace teaches us to mortify our sins, to love our enemies—and to prefer the glory of Christ before our own lives. Thus the three Hebrew children in Daniel, by the power of grace, marched in the face of death; neither the sound of the music could allure them—nor the heat of the furnace frighten them (Da 3:17). Grace is a Christian's armor, which does more than any other armor can—it not only defends him, but puts courage into him. Grace makes us not only bear suffering—but rejoice in suffering (Ro 5:3). A soul steeled and animated with grace, can tread upon the lion and adder (Psalm 91:13), and with the leviathan can laugh at the shaking of a spear (Job 41:29). Thus does grace infuse a heroic spirit and drive strength into a man—making him act above the sphere of nature." (The Beauty of Grace) NOT EVERY MAN HAS A PRICE! Donald Campbell - Those who believe the saying, "Every man has his price!" should consider well the response of these men in this crisis when their lives were at stake. They could not be bought—for any price! (Ibid) Related Resources: Maranatha! Singers - Oh Deliverer - YouTube Third Day - Our Deliverer - YouTube Chris Tomlin - My Deliverer - YouTube MY Deliverer - Rich Mullins Daniel 3:18 "But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up." be known: Job 13:15 Pr 28:1 Isa 51:12,13 Mt 10:28,32,33,39 16:2 Lk 12:3-9 Ac 4:10-13,19 5:29, 30, 31, 32 Rev 2:10,11 12:11 that: Ex 20:3-5 Lev 19:4 Daniel 3 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries But - This little word marks not a fearful but a faith-filled contrast! We do not know if they knew Isaiah's words (they were spoken/written around 700BC, at least 100 years before this event in Daniel 3) When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze (Isaiah 43:2NIV). But even if He does not - They were ready to burn rather than betray their God! Why? Because they had yielded their hearts to Him, which paved the way for them surrendering their physical bodies to Him for His purposes. The three young Hebrew men chose burning in the fiery furnace, before bowing to the golden image! Their faith "quenched the power of fire." (Heb 11:34) These young men knew that God could deliver if that was His will for they knew that "wisdom and power belong to Him" (Da 2:20) and that He had "granted Daniel (and them) favor" and that He had given "them knowledge and intelligence" (Da 1:17). We too need to maintain a ready recall of God's Word and His past deliverances, so that we will be motivated and enabled to remain firm in our faith when the fiery trials and afflictions come upon us unexpectedly! An aid in remembering God's past presence and power in our lives is to keep a journal of His answers to prayer and a record of the times when He has delivered us in both "big" and "small" ways. The essence of Faith is the willingness to serve God without a guarantee. The three Hebrew lads believed that God could deliver them, but they would trust Him even if He did note. Here we see that the boys while not doubting God's ability to deliver them, did not presume to know His will in this specific matter, recognizing that God's way might be different than their desires. They recognized the sovereignty of God in their situation (cp "able to deliver out of your hand" Da 3:17 and Da 1:2 "into his hand"!) Leaving the outcome in His hands is in every sense an act of trust in His character, especially His goodness, sovereignty and providence. God has a purpose for everything He does, no matter how it appears to us for now we see in a mirror dimly (1Co 13:12). Years earlier Job had voiced a similar affirmation declaring "Though He slay me, I will hope (wait on, trust) in Him." (Job 13:15) Showers - They declared that, if it were God’s purpose to deliver them, He would deliver them; however, if it were not God’s purpose to deliver them, they still would not offend Him by obeying the king’s command. Here were saints who exercised implicit faith in God. (The Most High God: Commentary on the book of Daniel. Bellmawr, NJ: Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, Inc) Jesus' word to His disciples is relevant for He declared "do not fear (present imperative + negative = stop fearing or don't begin fearing - He then explains that the worse men can do to us is only temporal) those who kill the body, but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. (Mt 10:28) We are not going to serve your gods - They had prepared their hearts. They had stood firm when challenged to eat impure foods (Da 1:8) and experienced God's hand of favor in response to their obedience (Da 1:9). They had experienced divine deliverance in Daniel 2. These past tests and divine deliverances gave them the courage to obey God now in the midst of their "fiery" trial. Their course was set. They swam against the current in contrast to their Hebrew counterparts (there is no mention of any other Hebrew lads not bowing). Decisions in the fire are based either on external pressure or internal principle. These 3 lads had established the principle that they would not compromise in the "small things" (king's food), which prepared them to remain uncompromising when the "big test" came. If you have been compromising in the "small things", don't deceive yourself with the thought that "I'll stand uncompromisingly when the big test comes." Leupold - The quiet, modest, yet withal very positive attitude of faith that these three men display is one of the noblest examples in the Scriptures of faith fully resigned to the will of God. These men ask for no miracle; they expect none. Theirs is the faith that says: ‘Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him,’ Job 13:15. The Psalmist's description would apply to them in that they were not… like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation that did not prepare its heart, and whose spirit was not faithful to God. (Ps 78:8) EBC - Ford (p108) makes the following observation: "Had the story been the invention that many have suggested; had it originated in the days of the Maccabees to nerve the faithful against Gentile oppression, it is unlikely that the chief hero would have been omitted. Reality transcends fiction, and the very `incompleteness' of this account testifies to its fidelity." It is hard to see how the force of this deduction can be successfully evaded. There is no psychological reason for an idealizing romancer to leave Daniel out of this exciting episode. The only way to account for this omission is that in point of fact he was not personally in attendance at this important function (Gaebelein, F, Editor: Expositor's Bible Commentary OT 7 Volume Set: Books: Zondervan Publishing) Matthew