Daniel 3:16-30 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs!
Today’s passage is Daniel 3:16-30. Let’s go!
Daniel 3:16-18 (NIV)
16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter.
17 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.
18 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.”
On verses 16-18: Despite King Nebuchadnezzar threatening to throw them into blazing furnace, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refuse to bow down to the image the king had set up.
What can we learn from this? When the commands of human leaders directly conflict with the command of God, we must courageously choose to obey God.
Also, I love the faith of Daniel’s friends. They were confident that God would rescue them from the king’s hand, “but even if he does not” (v18), they would still not bow down to the image the king had set up. In other words, Daniel’s friends trusted that God was in control and that His ways are higher. Daniel’s friends hoped and believed that God would rescue them from the furnace. But they also left open the possibility that if God did not rescue them and allowed them to perish in the fire, He would write a greater story with their lives.
Likewise, when facing immensely difficult situations, believe that God is going to deliver you. At the same time trust that even if He does not do as we ask, He is writing a greater story than we could imagine or write ourselves.
Daniel 3:19-27 (NIV)
19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual
20 and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace.
21 So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace.
22 The king’s command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego,
23 and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace.
24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?” They replied, “Certainly, O king.”
25 He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.”
26 Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!” So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire,
27 and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. 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.
On verses 19-27: God miraculously rescues Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego from the blazing furnace. Notice He didn’t keep them from being thrown into the fire, but He kept them from being harmed while in the fire. It reminds me of Isaiah 43:2 where it says:
Isaiah 43:2 (NIV)
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.
God will not always keep us from the fire, but He is faithful to protect us while we’re in the fire so that ultimately we will not be harmed.
What was God’s way of protecting and comforting Daniel’s friends? By sending someone who “looks like a son of the gods” to be with them in the fire. Many Bible scholars believe that this fourth person was the angel of the Lord, God himself in the person of Jesus Christ.
What can we learn from this? That is the message of the Gospel: when we should have died in the fire of God’s wrath, Jesus stepped into that fire and protected us from it. It’s also a truth for us to cling to today: When you go through fiery trials nowadays, know is Jesus is right there with you and will protect you. He says, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matthew 28:18) and “Surely I am with you always to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).
Daniel 3:28-30 (NIV)
28 Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! 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.
29 Therefore 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.”
30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the province of Babylon.
On verses 28-30: Having witnessed with his own eyes God delivering Daniel’s friends from the fire, Nebuchadnezzar orders that anyone who speaks against the God of Daniel’s friends must be destroyed. Notice that polytheistic Nebuchadnezzar has yet to personally recognize the God of Daniel’s friends as the one true and only God. He has yet to believe in Yahweh as his own personal God. But he is getting closer. He recognizes that no one can save the way that this God had saved (v29). In the next chapter, Nebuchadnezzar will take his most personal step toward God yet.
Once again, here we see that coming to know and trust the Lord personally is a process that takes time and sometimes multiple encounters. But with each encounter, that person is being drawn closer to Jesus. So when you meet someone who is not a Christian, don’t be discouraged if they don’t immediately become a fully devoted believer after meeting you. Instead, just do your best to represent Jesus to them in that moment and to lead them one step closer to Him. God is writing a greater story. One day hopefully, after a series of steps and encounters, they’ll be ready to give their lives to Jesus.
Father, Your love is better than life and Your commands are worth obeying above everything else. Thank You that in the fire You are with me and You are faithful to deliver me in Your way and time. I pray for my friend whom I want to know You personally. I pray that I would do a faithful job of representing You to them and trust You to do the rest. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
