Furnace Faith

The central characters in Daniel 3 are Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. They don’t appear in the book after this event. *Daniel is not included.

God or the Golden Image? Daniel 3 I.The Golden Image (3:1-7) II.The Fiery Furnace (3:8-30) Key Word in Daniel 3: “Worship” (11x)

I.The Young Men Tested (1-7) II.The Young Men Accused (8-12) III.The Young Men Arraigned (3-18) IV.The Young Men Sentenced (19-23) V.The Young Men Delivered (24-27) VI.The Young Men Rewarded (28-30)

I. The Young Men Tested (1-7) Nebuchadnezzar’s Great Image 1. Its SUBSTANCE “Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold.” May have been a statue of Nebuchadnezzar Where did Nebuchadnezzar get this idea?

2. Its SIZE “ the height of which was sixty cubits and its width six cubits” 90 feet X 9 feet (obelisk shape) Or the image may have been placed on a pedestal which would make the proportion more normal.

3. Its SITE he “he set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon” A large brick pedestal 45 feet square and 20 feet high has been found on a plain 6 miles S.E. of Babylon. An impressive scene: a 90 foot obelisk of gold standing on a flat plain shimmering in the sunlight. The sight would have been overwhelming.

4. Its SUBJECTS (who worshiped it?) “Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent word to assemble the satraps, the prefects and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates and all the rulers of the people to come to the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up... and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up” (3:2-3).

7 Categories of Rulers and Administrators Satrapsgovernors of provinces Prefectsmilitary commanders or lieutenant governors Governorsdivision commanders–leaders of smaller territories (counties) Counselorschief justices of highest courts Treasurersmasters of the treasury Judgeschiefs of law enforcement; DAs Magistratesdistrict court judges

The Purpose of the Dedication Ceremony The Babylonian Chronicle reveals that Nebuchadnezzar suffered a military coup attempt in Dec 595—Jan 594 B.C. This was probably a loyalty oath forced upon all the leaders in Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom. A litmus test of loyalty. King Zedekiah of Judah may have been present. He was a vassal of Nebuchadnezzar.

5. Its SOUND ( to promote the awesomeness of the occasion) 3:4-6 “Then the herald loudly proclaimed: ‘To you the command is given, O peoples, nations, and men of every language, that that at the moment you hear the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery, bagpipe, and all kinds of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king has set up. But whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast in to the midst of a furnace of blazing fire.’”

6 Musical Instruments (5,7,15) Horn wood or metal trumpet Flute double reed pipe Lyre small harp Trigon/ 4-stringed triangular harp Psaltery trapezoid shaped harp Bagpipe drum

An Impressive Scene The Glistening Image The Who’s Who of the Babylonian Empire all dressed in their official uniforms (a black tie affair) The Babylonian Philharmonic (dressed in colorful costumes and seated on a raised, decorated stage))

What was the Fiery Furnace? Jeremiah 29:22 “May the Lord make you like Zedekiah and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire.”

3:7 “Therefore at that time, when all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery, bagpipe, and all kinds of music, all the peoples, nations and men of every language fell down and worshiped the golden image Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.”

II. The Young Men Accused (8-12) “certain Chaldeans came forward and brought charges against the Jews” (3:8) “brought charges” = “ate the pieces of” (Idiom for malicious slander) They were motivated by jealousy and envy. “the Jews” (3:8) “certain Jews” (3:12)

Human, External Reasons to Bow 1.Just had to bow once—didn’t have to forsake the worship of Yahweh forever 2.Could have bowed outwardly but not inwardly (the knees but not the heart) 3.Nebuchadnezzar had treated them very well 4.Everyone else was bowing 5.Death would man the end of their strategic positions in the government which they could use to serve God and their people

They Did Not Bow to the Pressure

3 Charges Leveled Daniel 3:12 1.They have disregarded you. 2.They do not serve your gods. 3.They do not worship the golden image.

Where was Daniel? Daniel is not mentioned in chapter 3

III. The Young Men Arraigned (13-18) 3:13 Nebuchadnezzar is filled with rage and anger. They are spoiling his expensive, well-planned ceremony. But in fairness, he doesn’t rely on hearsay testimony and gives them a second chance. 3:14 He drops the first charge against them. 3:15 He issues a foolish challenge to God (“what god is there who can deliver you out of my hands?”) 3:16 The 3 men plead guilty

The Affirmation of Faith 3:17b-18 “O king Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. 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.”

IV. The Young Men Sentenced (19-23) 3:19 “Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with wrath, and his facial expression was altered.” He skips the 2 nd test

A Case Study in Anger Anger Acts Irrationally 1.Heats the furnace “one times seven beyond” (less heat would have been more torture) 2.Lost some of his best men 3.Put them in with their clothes on

V. The Young Men Delivered (24-27) “Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astounded and stood up in haste; he responded and said to his high officials, ‘Was is not three men we cast bound into the midst of the fire?’ They answered and said to the king, ‘Certainly, O king’”

“They would not BOW. They would not BEND. They would not BURN.”

Nebuchadnezzar is Surprised by 5 Things (25) 1.Four men (the most terrifying fact) 2.Loosed 3.Walking about (not scurrying for the exit) 4.Without harm 5.The fourth man looks like a son of the gods (2 possibilities: an angel or the pre- incarnate Christ)

3:26-27 “Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the furnace of blazing fire; he responded and said, ‘Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, come out, you servants of the Most High God, and come here!’ Then Shadrach, Meshach and Abed- nego came out of the midst of the fire. And the satraps, the prefects, the governors and the king’s high officials gathered around and saw in regard to these men that the fire had no effect on the bodies of these men nor was the hair of their head singed, nor were their trousers damaged, nor had the smell of fire even come upon them.”

VI. The Young Men Rewarded (28-30) Not long after the loyalty oath a text was recorded containing 50 names of officials of various rank whom Nebuchadnezzar appointed. Under the heading “Court Officials” there were 21 men listed in the 1 st level of bureaucracy under the king. Three of the names that appeared were: Shadrach—the chief of royal merchants Meshach—the overseer of the slave girls of the palace with 3 other men Abed-nego—secretary of the crown prince

The Prophetic Implications of Daniel 3 “telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who had the wound of the sword and has come to life. And there was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast might even speak and cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed” (Rev 13:14b-15).

Foreshadow of the Final World Ruler Most will Worship—a Remnant will Refuse

The Practical Application of Daniel 3 1. Lesson about Worship 2. Lesson about Faith God always rewards true faith. They believed God could deliver them, but they would trust Him even if He didn’t. That’s how faith works (Hab 3:17-19).