Taking a Stand

10 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:

12 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.

13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king.

17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.

21 Then these men were bound in their coats, their hose, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

24 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.

25 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.

26 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.

Golden Text: If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to 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.—Daniel 3:17, 18.

2. List some challenges that believers face in which they are threatened with harm if they do not go along with popular thinking or behavior.

Not long ago, a television cartoon mocked the popular Christian animation series Veggie Tales. A friend alerted me to this spoof because of its sick portrayal of the Christian faith. I will not go into all the details, but imagine the cast of Veggie Tales—now called the Religetables—looking at pornographic material, killing infidels during the crusades, hanging innocent “witches” in Salem, molesting children, etc., while singing pious songs with their cute veggie voices.

Sadly, this warped depiction of Christianity (or at least parts of it) is the image many nonbelievers have of Christian faith. Yet it should not surprise us that unbelievers would portray Christianity in this light. The name of Christ has been slandered from the beginning. What is surprising, however, is how common it is for Christians to enjoy watching programs that routinely belittle Christ and His church.

This incongruity reveals the inability of many Christians to say no to various activities. We may feel justified in participating in it as long as we do not let its bad parts affect us. We fear that saying no to such activities will make us appear to be puritanical legalists.

Last week we learned that Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were among the young Jewish nobles who were taken into exile during the early days of Babylonian domination of Judah. Daniel 1:7 notes the change of their names to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Following Daniel’s lead, they boldly stood out by choosing their own diet over the king’s rations. God honored their stance by exalting them in the king’s court and kingdom.

The situation changes in Daniel 3. Independent of Daniel’s leadership, these young men face a new challenge. King Nebuchadnezzar erected a giant statue approximately 90’ high and 9’ wide. Bizarre dimensions notwithstanding, this monument to human greatness, like the tower of Babel in Genesis 11, was a farce in God’s eyes.

In Nebuchadnezzar’s eyes, however, this statue played a critical role in the stability of his empire. He had relocated droves of foreigners to his capital city, and it was necessary to keep everyone on the same page. Nebuchadnezzar needed to make it clear that there was only one law, one king, and one empire—and that it all revolved around him. This is why he sent a decree to “people, nations, and languages” that when the king authorized the imperial music to play, they all had to worship the statue (Daniel 3:4, 5).

Failure to comply meant fiery execution. The statue was a symbolic reminder that the Babylonian kingdom was undivided despite its diversity. From an earthly, imperial perspective, it all made perfect sense. But from a godly perspective, it was riddled with problems. In today’s text we see how three faithful Jews handled this situation.

In verses 8, 9, certain Babylonians (Chaldeans) approach Nebuchadnezzar to remind him of a decree he has established. Yet their agenda is not merely informative. They intend to accuse God’s people of violating this decree.

10. 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.

What a diversity of musical instruments! Stylistically, it is worth noting that much of Daniel 3 consists of lists of related but distinct items and people, many repeated several times (Daniel 3:3–5, 7, 10, 12–16, 19–23, 26–30). Repetition is a trademark of Hebrew storytelling. The repetition produces a poetic feel with a certain cadence.

We may be curious about the exact form the golden image takes. Is it an image of the king himself? a Babylonian god? some other national or religious symbol? In chapter two, Daniel tells Nebuchadnezzar that he, the king, is the golden head of a statue that he has dreamed about. So perhaps his inflated ego has prompted him to build a golden statue of himself.

On the other hand, the accusations against the Jews in this chapter are that they will not heed the king, serve his gods, or worship the statue (vv. 12, 14, 18). Is this list intended to indicate different, distinct offenses, or does the list merely indicate different aspects of the one offense of not bowing to the statue? Again, the text is silent.

Not identifying the precise nature of the statue may be the author’s way of saying that what matters most is that the king’s decree is violated. What is at stake is the king’s authority to dictate what his citizens must do, even if it violates their faith convictions. [See question #1, page 288.]

The penalty for disobedience is severe indeed! But what is the nature of this furnace? We do not know for sure, but it may be made of metal and shaped like a beehive with an open top out of which smoke can escape. Additionally, it probably has some kind of side door for removing ashes and monitoring the burning process. Another theory is that it is made of brick and shaped like a tunnel with a similar access door on the side.

12. 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.

The accusers finally get to the point. The very ones whom Nebuchadnezzar has set over his affairs refuse to serve the king’s gods and worship the golden image. This verse does not help us discern if the image is associated with the gods, but it is abundantly clear that failure to serve the gods and honor the image is interpreted as a failure to regard the king. The charge is insubordination; the evidence behind the charge involves both gods and the statue.

This passage bookends the denunciation that begins in Daniel 3:8. Verse 8 specifies that the accusers are Chaldeans (natives of Babylonia), and the accused are Jews. (This point is obscured by the New International Version, which identifies the accusers as “astrologers”—a possible but less likely translation.) Then, in verse 12, the accusers highlight the fact that the king has set Jews over the affairs of Babylon. The repeated use of these terms suggests that “the locals” are jealous. (We probably see jealousy also in Daniel 6:1–5.) After all, the Babylonian natives have long served loyally, and now these immigrants have been elevated to positions higher than theirs.

So now it is payback time. When the accusers inform the king how these foreigners are ignoring his decree, he will surely punish them and return the locals to their rightful positions of power and influence. [See question #2, page 288.]

Finding scapegoats to explain whatever is wrong has a long history. It started in the Garden of Eden (see Genesis 3:12). Modern politicians are especially adept at this. Is the economy in trouble? It’s because of the policies of the other political party. Is there too much crime? It’s because the previous administration did not crack down on “those people” who are different from us—in skin color, religion, etc.

Name a trouble spot anywhere in the world, and someone can name a scapegoat for why things are the way they are. For Hitler, it was the Jews; for many Arab countries, it’s America; in the case of natural disasters in the U.S., blame FEMA. The list goes on.

For Nebuchadnezzar’s advisers, the problem to be solved was personal. They were loyal Chaldeans, but their king had placed capable Jews in positions of authority. Those Jews had taken jobs that the Chaldeans probably thought belonged to them. So “they played the race card,” and the king fell for it. (We will see this same problem play out in next week’s lesson.) The nature of their charge was almost beside the point—it was a convenient launching point for an attempt at payback. It still happens. —C. R. B.

13. Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king.

The accusers’ plan succeeds, and Nebuchadnezzar takes the offense personally. He may have taken a lot of flak already for his decision to exalt foreigners, and now it blows up in his face. Nebuchadnezzar has been gracious in offering these foreigners education, food, and positions. They have every reason to be grateful, but in Nebuchadnezzar’s mind they respond with ingratitude.

Although Nebuchadnezzar is furious, he does not act rashly. He invites Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in and allows them to explain themselves. He gives them a second chance (Daniel 3:14, 15, not in today’s text).

The phrase we are not careful to answer thee in this matter in the antique English of the King James Version may sound curious to modern ears. It means something like “there is no need for us to offer a defense of our actions.” In short, the three Jews are responding with a firm no to the second chance they are being offered. The force of this no needs to be felt by Christians today.

We may note that the king’s request is not as drastic as it could be since he is not asking these Jews to stop worshiping their own God altogether. He is “merely” asking them to make a certain addition to their worship practice. Is this not the least they can do to pay him respect?

Yet the modern habit of rationalizing questionable practices is nowhere to be found in Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They know that the God of Israel is not to be worshiped alongside other gods. God has no equal, and He will not tolerate being treated as such (Deuteronomy 4:35, 39). [See question #3, page 288.]

Any action that grants uncontestable allegiance to a sovereign other than God is idolatry. That’s what bowing before the statue would do. It is one thing to work for the king and show him the basic respect that is due to those in authority. It is another thing entirely to acknowledge someone or something as a rival to God.

Today, respect also is due to presidents, governors, bosses, ministers, elders, and parents (Mark 7:10; 1 Timothy 5:17). But they do not have blanket permission to lead in such a way that they eclipse God. The prophet Jeremiah commanded the Jews to submit to the Babylonian Empire (Jeremiah 27), and the apostles taught Christians to submit to the Roman Empire (Romans 13:1; 1 Peter 2:13–17). But God’s people are never to interpret such commands as unconditional support for any and all actions of earthly rulers (example: Acts 4:18–20).

17, 18. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to 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.

These three Jews express faith in God in two ways. First, they acknowledge that God is able to deliver them from both the fiery furnace and the king who thinks he has absolute power. They do not worship a weak god or a distant god who is unable to intervene in events on earth. They worship Israel’s God, who has proven His ability and who desires to work for the good of those who love Him (Deuteronomy 7:9; Romans 8:28). So too Christians today rightly pray for God’s intervention. Those who seek to live on their own strength, to muscle their own way out of the tough spots in life, and to avoid faith decisions that require divine assistance have marginalized Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Second, these three Jews are firm in their worship of God to the point that they refuse to bow, whether God chooses to intervene or not. God’s nonintervention is a strong possibility. In His larger plan, God does not always choose to intervene, as the deaths of Urijah (Jeremiah 26:20–23) and James (Acts 12:1, 2) establish.

Yet true believers are those who faithfully serve God regardless of the negative consequences they may suffer. Christians continue to die for their faith in many parts of the world. Others have lost jobs, housing, and other necessities. Unfortunately, there are also those who claim to be Christians who show that they actually are idolaters because of the compromises they make for the sake of pride, position, property, popularity, or power.

Ginny Foster spent $10,000 four years ago on T-shirts and bumper stickers that expressed opposition to the deluge of dirty language that surrounds us. Talk about trying to resist culture! Sadly, she gave up the project within two years, saying she no longer had the fire within her to fight this battle. After she appeared on a Showtime TV show, her Web site received hundreds of e-mails full of abusive curses.

Americans do indeed live in a profane culture. An Associated Press opinion poll found that 74 percent encounter profanity frequently or occasionally, while 59 percent admit to cursing a few times a month. Listen carefully and you may even hear profanity among Christians. Certain profane words are so commonly used that those who really want to curse may soon have to come up with some new terms!

This is just one of many ways secular culture affects (and infects) godly people. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego set a good example by being careful not to compromise with the pagan culture in which they lived. We each may be tempted to sin in different ways, but watchfulness is a trait all Christians should cultivate. —C. R. B.

Verses 19 and 20 (not in today’s text) tell us that Nebuchadnezzar will not accept no for an answer. So the three are to be executed in a furnace heated to seven times its normal level. Some of the king’s strongest men are assigned the task of binding Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

21. Then these men were bound in their coats, their hose, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

The three Jews are threatening the unity of the king’s empire. If Nebuchadnezzar allows them to walk free, he will appear to be weak and indecisive. So the king has to honor his decree and toss them into the fire. Not only that, but he decides to make an example of them by cranking the fire up so high that the men who throw them in die for coming so close (v. 22, not in today’s text).

It is interesting to note what kind of religion the Babylon Empire is willing to tolerate. In Daniel 2:47, Nebuchadnezzar acknowledges Israel’s God as the God of gods. Presumably this means that it is OK for Jews to worship their God while others worship Babylonian gods. Nebuchadnezzar thus appears to be a tolerant religious pluralist. His subjects can worship whatever and whomever they wish as long as they remain devout citizens who do what is asked of them. This includes “adjusting” one’s religious beliefs when the king deems it necessary. Worship of any deity who authorizes worshipers to deny the king’s policies is not acceptable. [See question #4, page 288.]

24, 25. 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.

As Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego believe, God is able to spare them. Moreover, God actually does spare them from the flames. It is a miracle that the men are walking around alive and well.

Our only clue as to how all this happens is the fourth person, this Son of God, who walks among the flames. We should not assume that this fourth person is an Old Testament appearance of Jesus, although we cannot rule out this possibility. The description Son of God is given from the perspective of Nebuchadnezzar, not from one of the devout Jews.

In Old Testament times, the phrase son(s) of God sometimes refer to people, but also can refer to an angel (examples: Genesis 6:2, 4; Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7). This is the most probable reading of our verse. God may be sending an angel to comfort these Jews or to provide a sign to the king and his counselors. Either way, God gets the king’s attention!

26. 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.

It is a mystery how the king can draw close enough to the fire to speak over the roaring flames without being consumed like the men who threw Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in! His message nonetheless is communicated, and the Jews walk out unharmed. Not a hair is singed, and their garments bear no scent of smoke according to verse 27. When God delivers, He does so in a convincing manner!

Nebuchadnezzar is certainly convinced. He refers to the Jews as servants of the most high God. This praise culminates in a royal decree that protects those who worship Israel’s God (Daniel 3:29). The point is clear: God is indeed the most high God, and His will always prevails in the end. Those who worship Him alone do so with this ultimate end in sight, regardless of short-term suffering. [See question #5, page 288.]

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego teach us that it sometimes is necessary to say no even when an activity can be rationalized. They could have bowed out of gratitude for the king’s generosity to them. They could have bowed to preserve their influential positions in order to use them to do good for other people. They could have bowed for the sake of their witness, lest Jews gain a bad reputation for being uptight, intolerant, narrow-minded, or unpatriotic.

There were many seemingly good reasons why they could have participated in compromising actions under the pretense that they were not affected by them and were not exchanging Israel’s God for the gods of Babylon. Yet these Jews knew better. They knew that no action leaves one unaffected, and that one’s willingness to compromise means one has already begun worshiping a lesser god. Their ability to say no was their witness, and their story continues to be told because they risked it all to remain faithful. The same is true of Daniel—but that’s next week’s lesson.

Most high God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, please make us like them. Teach us to be obedient to You, especially when it hurts. Help us to say no when our actions would betray You. Convict us when saying no is necessary, because we are so skilled in explaining our way out of saying it. Make us like Jesus, whose no to Satan’s wiles made possible Your yes for us on Calvary’s cross. In Jesus’ name, amen.