September 10, 2023
A Faith that Withstands the Flame
Daniel 3:1-30
Many of us are very familiar with the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego located in the 3rd Chapter of Daniel. Today I want to look at the faith of all of those involved in this account.
The Faith of Nebuchadnezzar - Daniel 3:1-7
1 King Nebuchadnezzar made a gold statue ninety feet tall and nine feet wide and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. 2 Then he sent messages to the high officers, officials, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the provincial officials to come to the dedication of the statue he had set up. 3 So all these officials came and stood before the statue King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 4 Then a herald shouted out, “People of all races and nations and languages, listen to the king’s command! 5 When you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and other musical instruments, bow to the ground to worship King Nebuchadnezzar’s gold statue. 6 Anyone who refuses to obey will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace.” 7 So at the sound of the musical instruments, all the people, whatever their race or nation or language, bowed to the ground and worshiped the gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
King Nebuchadnezzar had a moment around 20 years (before this was recorded in the 2nd chapter of Daniel) in which he declared that YHWH was the greatest of all the gods and was the Lord of all kings. In words it sounded like Nebuchadnezzar’s faith was in God for he had seen Him do a great thing in his life. However 20 years later we see that his faith was never in God, but rather in himself. He put his trust in himself and wanted everyone else to endorse his decision. Therefore he built an idol and called everyone to worship him so he would feel better about where his faith was invested.
The Faith of the Chaldeans - Daniel 3:8-12
8 But some of the astrologers went to the king and informed on the Jews. 9 They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “Long live the king! 10 You issued a decree requiring all the people to bow down and worship the gold statue when they hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and other musical instruments. 11 That decree also states that those who refuse to obey must be thrown into a blazing furnace. 12 But there are some Jews—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—whom you have put in charge of the province of Babylon. They pay no attention to you, Your Majesty. They refuse to serve your gods and do not worship the gold statue you have set up.”
The next group we are introduced to never professed a faith in God. You don’t have to have faith in a god to be a “person of faith”. As a matter of fact everyone you ever meet is a person of faith, but it doesn’t mean their faith is in the one, true God. Everyone has faith that they invest in something. These Chaldaens had the same problem. They had faith, but they had faith in their abilities. Again this all started 20 years before. Whether it’s the exact same group that was almost put to death in Chapter 2 or not we aren’t told for sure. We see this group come back around time and time again so I’m sure they at least had knowledge of the incident. They had told the king that it was impossible in all their knowledge (and they were renowned for their knowledge). Daniel intervened and did just that through the power of God. There had to be some jealousy that came along because their faith in their knowledge failed them, so they had to get revenge.
The Faith of the Three - Daniel 3:13a
13 Then Nebuchadnezzar flew into a rage and ordered that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought before him.
True faith will be persecuted. - Daniel 3:13-15
13 Then Nebuchadnezzar flew into a rage and ordered that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought before him. When they were brought in, 14 Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you refuse to serve my gods or to worship the gold statue I have set up? 15 I will give you one more chance to bow down and worship the statue I have made when you hear the sound of the musical instruments. But if you refuse, you will be thrown immediately into the blazing furnace. And then what god will be able to rescue you from my power?”
True faith will be tested because Satan is going to do everything he can to stop or stifle it. This is not to say that false faith can’t be persecuted, but true faith will always be persecuted.
True faith will persevere. - Daniel 3:16-25
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. 18 But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.” 19 Nebuchadnezzar was so furious with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego that his face became distorted with rage. He commanded that the furnace be heated seven times hotter than usual. 20 Then he ordered some of the strongest men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. 21 So they tied them up and threw them into the furnace, fully dressed in their pants, turbans, robes, and other garments. 22 And because the king, in his anger, had demanded such a hot fire in the furnace, the flames killed the soldiers as they threw the three men in. 23 So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, securely tied, fell into the roaring flames. 24 But suddenly, Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in amazement and exclaimed to his advisers, “Didn’t we tie up three men and throw them into the furnace?” “Yes, Your Majesty, we certainly did,” they replied. 25 “Look!” Nebuchadnezzar shouted. “I see four men, unbound, walking around in the fire unharmed! And the fourth looks like a god!”
When things in life get hard, true faith does not waiver. Even faced with death, true faith submits to God’s sovereignty and trusts Him with the results.
True faith will prosper. - Daniel 3:26-30
26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came as close as he could to the door of the flaming furnace and shouted: “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!” So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stepped out of the fire. 27 Then the high officers, officials, governors, and advisers crowded around them and saw that the fire had not touched them. Not a hair on their heads was singed, and their clothing was not scorched. They didn’t even smell of smoke! 28 Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent His angel to rescue his servants who trusted in Him. They defied the king’s command and were willing to die rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. 29 Therefore, I make this decree: If any people, whatever their race or nation or language, speak a word against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they will be torn limb from limb, and their houses will be turned into heaps of rubble. There is no other god who can rescue like this!” 30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to even higher positions in the province of Babylon.
The more we trust God, the more He can trust us. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were promoted because of faith and trusting in His will.
