16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace; and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. 18 But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up.”
Well, it looks like these three had a really big decision to make.
Not at all! The decision had been made long ago.
They knew that God had said “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image” and they had decided long ago to do what God commanded no matter what.
The Aramaic word order in verse 16 places the emphasis on the word ‘we.’ That is, God himself would provide the king the answer to his question.
Here we have an incredible statement of faith:
Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace.
This is a difficult passage to translate.
Two possibilities:
If you cast us in the furnace, then our God is able to deliver us…
If it fits in with the purpose of God to deliver us then he will do just that…
Either way, these men had no doubt about God’s ability to rescue them.
And an incredible statement of courage: ‘But if not…’
Some people are willing to serve God so long as God always does what they want him to do. (Who is serving whom???)
These three were going to serve God no matter what he did.
Job: “Though he slay me, yet will I trust him.”
These young men knew the true meaning of the Shema that they had quoted all their life:
Deuteronomy 6:4-5 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord; 5 and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might..”
Paul also knew this when in Acts 20:24 he said:
Acts 20:24 But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may accomplish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.
What did these three stand to lose by their refusal to bow down before the image?
They would lose their royal favor with the king.
They would lose their high government positions.
They would lose their new found fortunes.
They would lose their lives.
From a worldly perspective, they were the worst sort of fools. Yet, they were not operating on a worldly level. They had their priorities right.
How would we have responded? How do we respond in similar situations? Wouldn’t it be easy to rationalize this away?
No one will see us in this big crowd.
Everyone else is bowing down.
There are only three of us and we are a long way from home. What does God expect us to do?
We know that the idol really isn’t a god. We could just cross our fingers when we bow down.
We can do so much more for God if we remain alive and keep all of our money…
Beware when you hear someone say “I could do so much more for God if….” Most of us can do a lot more for God without any change at all in our present circumstances. We just need to get busy.
Why was everyone so upset with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego?
Because they refused to compromise and bow down, and the world hates those who refuse to join the crowd.
People who wallow in sin typically aren’t satisfied unless they can drag others down into the mire with them.
The world wants us to go along with it fashions and its customs. It wants to make us just like everyone else. (And if we are just like everyone else, then I guess the world must have been successful.)
Romans 12:2 in the Phillips translation reads “Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold.” (Be not conformed to this world.)
The world gets very angry with people who don’t go along with its plans.
In fact, the world has its own furnaces.
Furnace of scorn and laughter.
Furnace of criticism.
Furnace of isolation.
Furnace of intimidation.
But if we are on God’s side then doesn’t that mean we won’t be persecuted and have to face such trials?
2 Timothy 3:12 Indeed all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.
John 15:20 Remember the word that I said to you, `A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you.
Remember what God told Jeremiah when he was being persecuted. (Cheer up! It’s going to get worse!)
Jeremiah 12:5 If you have raced with men on foot, and they have wearied you, how will you compete with horses? And if in a safe land you fall down, how will you do in the jungle of the Jordan?
And we also read:
Isaiah 48:10 Behold, I have refined you, but not like silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction.
Malachi 3:3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.
James 1:2-4 Count it all joy, my brethren, when you meet various trials, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
How did God feel about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego?
Of the thousands who were present at the dedication of this idol, how many do we know by name? Other than the king, just these three.
In fact, their names are mentioned 13 times in this chapter!
God seems to have been proud of them.
Were they seeking the praise of God or the praise of men? If they sought the praise of men they would have bowed down. Instead they sought the praise of God and refused to bow down.
Remember what Paul said:
Galatians 1:10 Am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still pleasing men, I should not be a servant of Christ.
Like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, we have a choice. Who are we going to follow? Man or God?
Notice again the respect that these men continued to show to the king.
This is the same sort of respect that Peter and Paul told us we must show to earthly rulers, who have all been given their power by God.
They verbally acknowledge Nebuchadnezzar as king, while committing their ultimate allegiance to the King of kings.
WHERE WAS DANIEL DURING THIS EPISODE?
1. He may have been absent from Babylon at the time, perhaps on government business in some other part of the kingdom.
This is perhaps the most popular theory, but there is no evidence to support it.
Daniel was governor of the capital of Babylon, so it seems unlikely that he would be away for any length of time.
2. He may have been too ill to attend the public ceremony. Compare Daniel 8:27.
Daniel 8:27 And I, Daniel, was overcome and lay sick for some days; then I rose and went about the king's business; but I was appalled by the vision and did not understand it.
3. As chief of the ‘wise men’ Daniel may not have been required to bow down. His loyalty to the king may have been beyond question.
Presumably, Nebuchadnezzar himself did not bow down. He may have extended this privilege to others as well.
4. Daniel’s reputation may have been such that even the Chaldeans did not dare to attack him in front of the king.
Daniel 2:48 says that Nebuchadnezzar made Daniel ruler (civil governor) over the whole province of Babylon.
Thus, Daniel was very powerful and the informers may have been unwilling to risk informing on him.
(The lion den episode occurred much later in his life and with a different king and a different governing power.)
Thus, perhaps Daniel was there and refused to bow down but the king was not told about it. Our lesson if this was the case: We shouldn’t invite trouble on ourselves.
5. All of the action in this chapter takes place outside of the city of Babylon. Some have suggested that Daniel may have been asked to stay behind in the city to take care of business in the king’s absence. This is a simple theory that seems to fit in well with the available evidence.
Daniel’s omission is additional proof of the book’s authenticity.
“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.”
“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.”
Aside: The truthfulness of the Bible is self-evident. For example, the resurrection accounts in the gospels all have women being the first to discover the empty tomb. If the apostles had made up the story as some claim, they would never have made women their prime witnesses. Their testimony was considered worthless by the Jews. In fact, many later uninspired 2nd century accounts of the resurrection have men being the first to discover the empty tomb.
One thing we know for sure, if Daniel had been with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego when they stood before the king then there would have been four people tossed into the furnace instead of only three.
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