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Sunday, May 2, 2010

They Didn't Bend They Didn't Bow They Didn't Burn

(Daniel 3) "NEBUCHADNEZZAR the king made an image of gold, whose height was three cubits, and the breadth threof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the princes, the governors, and the captains, the judges, the treasurers, the conselors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. Then the princes, the governors, and captains, the judges, and treasurers, the counselors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, were gathered together unto the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. Then a herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, "O people, nations, and languages. That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet , flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up: And whoso falleth not down and worshipeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. Therefore at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of music, all the people, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worshiped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and accused the Jews. They spake and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, "O king, live forever. Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music, shall fall down and worship the golden image: And whoso falleth not down and worshipeth, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king. Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshack, and Abednego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up? Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worhsip the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands? Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us from the burning fiery furnace; and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. but if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated. And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Therefore because the king's commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counselors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. He answered and said, Lo, I see four men, loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire. And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counselors, being gathered togethere, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was a hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them. Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God. Therefore I made a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: becuase there is no other God that can deliver after that sort. Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.

There's an old hymn in the hymnal entitled, "Dare to be a Daniel". It is an inspiration when you read how the three Hebrew children stood up against Nebuchadnezzar. When you read Daniel 1:19 you read that the king communed with them and found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. The three Hebrew children were determined that weren't going to bow to the image that Nebuchadnezzar had created. One of the lessons we can learn from this is that anyone can serve God if they choose to. Serving the God of Heaven was more important to them than anything the king had to offer. King Nebuchadnezzar was rich. He had the world's finest. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego could've had anything they desired as far as the goods of this world were concerned. However, the three Hebrew children weren't willing to fall down and worship the golden image. The things of this world didn't compare with what God had for them. As a result of the stand of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they had to pay a price. King Nebuchadnezzar had them cast into a fiery furnace. First thing we notice is they didn't bow to the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar had created. As a result, they were going to be cast into the fiery furnace. However, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego told King Nebuchadnezzar that their God was able to deliver them from the fiery furnace. However, if not, they were still determined to not not worship the image. Their desire to follow God and live for him was much greater than the fear of death. It was a scary thing from a human standpoint when they knew they could die from this. However, to them it would've been better to die than to worship the golden image. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had favor with God and favor with God was much more important than favor from the king.

First of all, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego didn't bow to the golden image. Then the three were threatened with their lives when King Nebuchadnezzar stated they would be cast into the fiery furnace if they refused to worship the golden image. They refused. Therefore they didn't bend to the pressure by the king. They stood firm. They trusted that God was able to deliver them. If not, then they would be in the presence of the Lord. So what did the three Hebrew children have to lose? Nothing. They had God on their side. They didn't cave in and compromise to save their own lives. Afterwards you see God's favor was on them when they were cast into the fiery furnace. Nebuchadnezzar had the furnace heated seven times hotter than normal. The flames of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Daniel 3:22). Then the three Hebrew children were bound and cast into the midst of the furnace. However, you read in verse 25 where the counselors told the king he saw four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and nobody was hurt. There was a fourth man likened unto the Son of God. The Lord was there protecting the three Hebrew children while they were in the midst of the fire. The third point is they didn't burn. Their clothes weren't singed nor was the smell of the fire passed onto them. God protected them and not a hair was burned. God saved them through that ordeal.

You read in verse 28 and 29 where King Nebuchadnezzar was made a believer out of that incident. Having been faithful to God and not bowing down to Nebuchadnezzar's command to worship the golden image, the Lord proved himself faithful to the three Hebrew children in the midst of the fiery furnace. God proved himself. He proved himself to be real to the lost world. God proved to Nebuchadnezzar that God was real. The king even went as far to make a decree and said that every people, nation, and language, which speak anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut into piecces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill. The three Hebrew children didn't bow, didn't bend, and didn't burn. God rewarded the three Hebrew children for not bowing down to Nebuchadnezzar. God proved himself to the king and to the world that He was real and not just as the other gods that Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians served. Any other god wouldn't have been able to deliver the three Hebrew children out of that fiery furnace. If they worshipped any other god, they would've burned to a crisp. There was a fourth man there that protected the three Hebrew children and it was like the Son of God. God is real. He keeps his promises.

Finally, we see the faithfulness of God throughout this whole ordeal. God protected them in the fiery furnace. As a result of the three Hebrew children being faithful to God, they not only found favor in the eyes of King Nebuchadnezzar, but the king also promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon. If they had bowed to the king's orders to worship the golden image, they wouldn't have obtained the favor and respect from King Nebuchadnezzar. Also, King Nebuchadnezzar wouldn't have known the God of Heaven is real if the three Hebrew children had compromised. The Lord used that situation to prove Himself real before the King and the province of Babylon. Compromising will destroy any kind of testimony you have before the world. We can learn from the three Hebrew children that God is faithful and that it doesn't pay to compromise.

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