Daniel 3:1-30 Lesson 9
Bow or Burn
or
Faith in the Furnace
or
If You Can’t Stand the Heat, Get Out of God’s Kitchen
“...we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king,
that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."
Dan 3:16-18
Review
I.The revelation of the king’s dream 2:31-36
A.The image described2:31-33
B.The image destroyed2:34-36
II.The reality of the king’s dream2:37-45
A.The domination of the first kingdom2:37-38
B.The decline of future kingdoms2:39-43
C.The destruction of earthly kingdoms2:44-45
IIIThe reward of the king’s dream2:46-49
A.Daniel is praised by the king2:46-47
B.Daniel is promoted by the king2:48-49
Nebuchadnezzar paid homage to Daniel after the interpretation of his dream. He was impressed with Daniel and his God. Nothing unusual here, it has always been and always will be so.
One of the things we learn from chapter 3 is that being impressed and being transformed are two entirely different things.
I.God’s greatest concern regarding mankind - Idolatry
A.Strictly forbidden in function
B.Strictly forbidden in form
C.Idolatry Defined
1.Anything placed in importance before God – including and especially self
2.Anything turned to for assistance before God
3.Anything sought after for satisfaction before God
D.The Adultery of Idolatry
II. The Danger of following others in idol worship
A.The danger of being too friendly with the world
B.The true nature of idolatry
III.Antidote for Idolatry
Psalms 27, 73, 91Dear children, keep yourselves from idols. 1 John 5:21
“Every one of us is, even from his mother's womb, a master craftsman of idols”
“Man's mind is like a store of idolatry and superstition; so much so that if a man believes his own mind it is certain that he will forsake God and forge some idol in his own brain.”
John Calvin
I.God’s prodigy won’t bow3:1-12
A.Neb’s image is devised3:1
1.Subsequent to Ch 2; commentators vary in time from 0 – 20 years
2.Image proportions 10 – 1 (?) – could be shaft; could be body on a pedestal
3.First presentation of the “number of man” ‘6’ (60 cubits X 6 cubits)
4.Image of gold – ancient sources (including the Bible) indicate gold plating
5.Location - probably about 6 miles SE of Babylon
B.Neb’s image is dedicated3:2-7
C.Neb’s image is disdained3:8-12
1.The hatred of outsiders by the religious elite
Dan 3:8At this time some astrologers came forward and denounced the Jews.
Mark 14:55-56
55The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death, but they did not find any.
56 Many testified falsely against him, but their statements did not agree.
John 11:47-48
47 Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin.
"What are we accomplishing?" they asked. "Here is this man performing many miraculous signs.
48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take
away both our place and our nation."
2.The 3 fold accusation3:12
a.They pay no attention to the king
b.They do not serve the king’s gods
c.They do not worship the king’s image
3.Submission vs Civil Disobedience
1.The Biblical mandate for submission
a.to GodJames 4:7
b.to elders1 Peter 5:5
c.to leaders1 Cor 16:15-16; Heb 13:17
d.to spousesEph 5:22- 33
e.to other believersEph 5:21
e.to governmentsRomans 13:1-7; Titus 3:1; 1 Peter 2:13-14
Rom 13:1Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, .....
2.The Biblical necessity for civil disobedience
a.When the authorities demand what God prohibits
Ex 1:15-17
15 The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, 16 "When you help the Hebrew women in childbirth and observe them on the delivery stool, if it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live." 17 The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live.
b.When the authorities prohibit what God demands
Acts 4:18-19
18 Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.
19 But Peter and John replied, "Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God.
“The fact that Nebuchadnezzar had been established by God did not make Nebuchadnezzar God.
The fact that God raises up rulers does not make rulers autonomous.”
James M. Boice
II.God’s people won’t bend3:13-19
A.The roman candle of the king’s fury3:13-15
1.The fundamental concept in refusing the king
“A refusal to yield homage to the gods of the kingdom, they regarded as an act of hostility against the kingdom and its monarch, while everyone might at the same time honor his own national god. This acknowledgement, that the gods of the kingdom were more powerful, every heathen could grant; and thus, Nebuchadnezzar demanded nothing in a religious point of view which every one of his subjects could not yield. To him, therefore, the refusal of the Jews could not but appear as opposition to the greatness of his kingdom.”
Carl F. Keil, Biblical Commentary on the Book of Daniel, p.124.
2.The foolishness of the king’s anger
Dan 3:19Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual
Prov 14:17A quick-tempered man does foolish things,
Prov 16:32Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city.
Eccl 7:9Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools.
B.The resolute conviction of the Hebrew’s faith3:16-18
1.The confidence of their courage
a.assurance of God’s presence
Ps 118:6The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?
Ps 138:3When I called, you answered me; you made me bold and stouthearted.
Prov 28:1The wicked man flees though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.
Acts 4:13When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.
b.trust in God’s word
1 Kings 8:56“Praise be to the Lord, who has given rest to his people Israel just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses.
Ps 111:7The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy.
Ps 19:7The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.
Luke 21:33Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
2.The source of their strength
a.unwavering belief in the sovereignty of God
Jer 32:17Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.
Ps 31:13-15
there is terror on every side; they conspire against me and plot to take my life.
14 But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, “You are my God.”
15 My times are in your hands;
b.unworried belief in the surety of death
Num 23:10Who can count the dust of Jacob or number the fourth part of Israel?
Let me die the death of the righteous, and may my end be like theirs!
Ps 23:4Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
Ps 116:15 Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.
Prov 14:32When calamity comes, the wicked are brought down, but even in death the righteous have a refuge.
Rom 14:8If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord.
So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.
Phil 1:21For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
2 Cor 5:7-8We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
Rev 14:13Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write:
Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.”
“Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.”
c.undaunted battle cry of the warrior saint
Job 13:15Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him;
“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 asked for no miracle; they expect none. Theirs is a faith that says; “Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him.”
H. C. Leupold, Exposition of Daniel, p. 153.
III.God’s protected won’t burn3:20-30
A.The Hebrews are sentenced3:20-23
1.The ferocity of the king’s raged3:19-20
2.The fatalities of the king’s reaction3:21-23
B.The Hebrews are saved3:24-28
1.By the blessing of God’s presence3:24-25
Dan 3:25He said, "Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods."
2.By the benefit of God’s power3:26-27
Dan 3:27...They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.
3.Because of their principles3:28
Dan 3:28..They trusted in him and defied the king's command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.
Isa 43:1-3
"Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
2 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.
3 For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
C.The Hebrews are sanctified3:29-30
1.Promoting the person of God3:29
Dan 3:29Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way."
2.Promoting the people of God3:30
Dan 3:30Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the province of Babylon.
Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed,
For I am thy God and will still give thee aid;
I’ll strengthen and help thee, and cause thee to stand
Upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand.
When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
The rivers of woe shall not thee overflow;
For I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless,
And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.
When through fiery trials thy pathways shall lie,
My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply;
The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.
TNBS Study Questions 9 Preparation for week 10
Read Daniel 4 from at least 2 different versions
1.Historian Lord Acton (1834-1902) issued grave warnings that political power is the most serious threat to liberty. "Liberty is not a means to a higher political end. It is itself the highest political end...liberty is the only object which benefits all alike, and provokes no sincere opposition...The danger is not that a particular class is unfit to govern. Every class is unfit to govern...Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." What did he mean by that last statement? ______
2.Read Psalm 31:23, 94:2; Prov 21:4; Mark 7:21-23; 1 John 2:15-16 Is there a difference between proper and improper pride? Explain.______
3.Read Psalm 10:4; Prov 3:34
How does pride affect our relationship with God? Why? ______
4.Read Genesis 3:1-7; Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezekiel 28:11-17 What did pride have to do with : the fall of man? ______
______
the fall of Satan? ______
______
5.Why does it seem so easy for those who have been given wealth or talent or position to forget the one to who they owe their success? ______
______
6.In regard to what happened to Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel 4:28-33, do you believe it was an act of God’s punishment or an act of His grace? Why? ______
______
7.Read 2 Timothy 2:24-26
This is a part of Paul’s instruction to pastors. What is the process he describes to free Satan’s captives?
______
8.Read Daniel 4:34-37 Was Nebuchadnezzar’s profession genuine? Why or why not?
______
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