Daniel 3:1, 8-30
King Nebuchadnezzar made a golden statue whose height was sixty cubits and whose width was six cubits; he set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon.
Accordingly, at this time certain Chaldeans came forward and denounced the Jews. They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, ‘O king, live for ever! You, O king, have made a decree, that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, drum, and entire musical ensemble, shall fall down and worship the golden statue, and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire. There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These pay no heed to you, O king. They do not serve your gods and they do not worship the golden statue that you have set up.’
Then Nebuchadnezzar in furious rage commanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought in; so they brought those men before the king. Nebuchadnezzar said to them, ‘Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods and you do not worship the golden statue that I have set up? Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, drum, and entire musical ensemble to fall down and worship the statue that I have made, well and good. But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire, and who is the god that will deliver you out of my hands?’
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered the king, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to present a defense to you in this matter. If our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire and out of your hand, O king, let him deliver us. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods and we will not worship the golden statue that you have set up.’
The Fiery Furnace
Then Nebuchadnezzar was so filled with rage against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego that his face was distorted. He ordered the furnace to be heated up seven times more than was customary, and ordered some of the strongest guards in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and to throw them into the furnace of blazing fire. So the men were bound, still wearing their tunics, their trousers, their hats, and their other garments, and they were thrown into the furnace of blazing fire. Because the king’s command was urgent and the furnace was so overheated, the raging flames killed the men who lifted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. But the three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down, bound, into the furnace of blazing fire.
Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up quickly. He said to his counselors, ‘Was it not three men that we threw bound into the fire?’ They answered the king, ‘True, O king.’ He replied, ‘But I see four men unbound, walking in the middle of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the fourth has the appearance of a god.’ Nebuchadnezzar then approached the door of the furnace of blazing fire and said, ‘Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!’ So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the fire. And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together and saw that the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men; the hair of their heads was not singed, their tunics were not harmed, and not even the smell of fire came from them. Nebuchadnezzar said, ‘Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants who trusted in him. They disobeyed the king’s command and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God. Therefore I make a decree: Any people, nation, or language that utters blasphemy against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins; for there is no other god who is able to deliver in this way.’ Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.
This morning’s reading reminds me of the one about a lone cowboy who nobody knew that walked into a mining town saloon one day. He ordered two drinks which he drank very slowly. When he was done with his drinks, he paid the bartender and walked out to see that his horse with all his stuff was missing. He turned around, walked back in the bar, pulled his guns from his holster and shot them in the air. “Whichever one of you cow dung stole my horse better have it back by the time I finish my next drink, otherwise I’m going to have to do what I did in Texas. And trust me, I don’t want to ever do that again.” He walked back to the bar, got another drink, and slowly drank it. The people in the bar started murmuring, talking amongst themselves and looking at the stranger with fear in their eyes. The stranger finished his drink, walked out and his horse was right where he left it. He got up on it, when the bartender and the bar patrons ran out of the saloon after him. The bartender said, “Hey mister, we’re sure sorry for what happened. But please tell us what happened in Texas after somebody stole your horse?” The stranger looked at him and said, “I had to walk home.”
As foolish as those people were in trying to steal that cowboy’s horse, they at least had enough sense to trust him enough to bring it back. Well, a combination of trust and fear. A stranger drinking in a saloon can be awfully menacing! I’d be afraid too! It’s an odd correlation between fear and trust. We don’t want to trust the things we’re afraid of, but we really can’t help ourselves. The things we’re afraid of have hurt others, why wouldn’t they hurt us?! No, we trust they can hurt us just the same way they’ve hurt others. Indeed, it’s an odd correlation between fear and trust…
Just because we trust the things we’re afraid of can hurt us doesn’t mean we have to trust they will hurt us. Sometimes we can place our trust in God to save us from the things we’re afraid of. God has power over everything and can deliver us from anything. No situation is beyond his salvation. Our God is a mighty and powerful God who can deliver us from any situation, good or bad! I don’t know why anyone would want to be delivered from a good situation but hey, God can do it. God is in control of all situations, good or bad, and God can change the outcome of any given situation from inevitable to miraculous. This is repeatedly illustrated in the prophet, Daniel’s, life and witness. God sure liked to reveal his awesome power through Daniel as we will find out in this sermon series.
But before we dive into the miracle of today’s reading, we have to back up a little and recap last week’s reading. King Nebuchadnezzar was the king of Babylon and had been troubled by some unsettling dreams. He had asked all the magicians and sorcerers and enchanters and astrologers in his kingdom to adequately interpret his dreams. Oh, and if they failed to interpret them correctly, Nebuchadnezzar had them killed and their homes destroyed! Daniel came along and correctly interpreted one of Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams. Nebuchadnezzar rewarded Daniel by making him ruler over the province of Babylon and in charge of all its wise men. Daniel requested that his friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were also elevated to high positions as administrators in Babylon. Daniel and his friends were in high positions of power when Nebuchadnezzar decided to erect his golden statue in today’s reading.
In a bold display of power, Nebuchadnezzar erected the statue and commanded everyone in his kingdom to worship it. Alas, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were unwilling to obey his command because they worshipped the one, true God…our God. Nebuchadnezzar has them thrown in the fiery furnace from which God miraculously saved them. Now then, there are several unanswered questions to the story. Did Nebuchadnezzar know the three men wouldn’t worship his statue and if so, why did he make such a command? Why did he elevate the men only to challenge their faith and allegiance? Why didn’t he make exceptions for the three powerful yet beloved men? I suppose the answer to these questions lies in the nature of power. Power can be awfully corrupting. Nebuchadnezzar was power-hungry and wanted absolute authority over everyone in his kingdom. He was foolish to believe his power was greater than God’s and God used the situation in the fiery furnace to prove otherwise.
Our God is a mighty and powerful God. He’s also a jealous God. He wants our devoted love and praise and is willing to do anything to get it. Our God wants us to trust him. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had absolute trust in our God. They trusted our God was going to save them one way or another. Either they would perish in the flames or survive the flames and in either case, God was in control. Sometimes death is a means of salvation. Sometimes life is a means of salvation. God determines which salvation we are to receive in any given situation. Never doubt God’s power and authority and wisdom! God is in control of every situation, good or bad!
The sure and confident faith of those three men is to be celebrated. They trusted in our God and He saved them with life. God rewards faith with salvation…wonderful, mysterious, miraculous salvation! Proverbs tells us, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight.” (3:5) Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had no way of knowing whether they would survive or perish in the flames and yet they trusted in our God to save them one way or another. There is a peace and contentment that comes from trusting in God. There is no fear in trusting God! David sang, “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I am not afraid; what can flesh do to me?” (56:3-4) David knew the peace and calm that comes from trusting in God. We, too, can know such peace! David also advised, “Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.” (37:5)
Daniel wasn’t afraid to interpret Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego weren’t afraid to worship God and God alone. With trust comes a lack of fear. Let us boldly and fearlessly trust in our God as they did and give thanks for their witness. Thanks be to God!
In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
