Daniel 3
COMMENTARY:
: 5 … ye fall down and worship the golden image….
DEVOTION: Worship is something that you are supposed to do to the God of the Universe only. The first of the Ten Commandments states that “You should have no other gods before me.” There is only ONE TRUE God presented in the Word of God. HE is a triune God in that HE is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Not three gods but ONE God. It is hard to understand but we are told that the Godhead is made up of these three persons that make one God. We use the word “Trinity” to represent these three persons but the word in not found in the Bible but has been used by the church to help us understand the concept.
Now we have Nebuchadnezzar setting up an image and telling all the people to worship that image. It was a golden image. The children of Israel worshiped a golden calf in the wilderness while Moses was on the mountain top receiving the Ten Commandments. They were being disobedient to the LORD by worshiping the golden calf.
Daniel’s three friends would not worship the image because they believed that the only person or thing they should worship is the God of heaven. So they told the king NO.
We should do the same in our life. We should not worship anyone or anything in the place of God. We are not to worship even our church building or our pastor or any special Bible teacher. Only the LORD is to be worshiped.
Who or what has first place in your life? Is it the LORD alone or the LORD plus something or someone else? We are not to have any false gods.
CHALLENGE: Yielding to those who don’t love the LORD is never right.
: 17 If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. 18 But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.” (NKJV)
DEVOTION: Our life is made up of events where we take a stand. We have a choice to make. We can either do what others are doing or not do them. We can walk away from events we know would not keep a good testimony for the LORD.
Too often even Christians go along with the crowd because they don’t want to be considered weird or something. They want to be part of the group more than any stand they should be taking. It is wrong but it happens.
We had a man in one of my churches that became a believer and wanted to follow the LORD. He wanted to witness to his old friends so he continued to go to parties with them and do drugs. While he was doing drugs he tried to witness to one of his closest friends about the LORD. His comment to him was “What are you doing here if you believe in the LORD Jesus Christ. This is wrong for you.” It was then that he realized that to be a believer meant to change your old habits for new ones. And that is what he did.
The world has a standard for believers. Most of the time they are wrong but this time they were right. Our testimony should be consistent with our lifestyle. If they are not consistent those who are not followers of the LORD will tell you or laugh at your testimony.
CHALLENGE: These three men stood for what they believed NO MATTER WHAT. They went into the fiery furnace and the LORD took care of them but even if HE didn’t they still would do what is right.
: 18 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. (6399 “serve” [palach] means worship, revere, minister for, pay reverence to, or labor for.)
DEVOTION: Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were bold young men. They were in a foreign land serving a king who worshipped false gods. In fact, he even wanted them to worship him.
He set up an image that was ninety feet tall and called all the government workers to the dedication service. They were all there and they were all given instructions. When the music played they were to bow down to the image as a representative of him. Anyone who didn’t bow down was going to be thrown in a fiery furnace. Sounds serious!
Well the time came to bow down and they didn’t. Their enemies were right up in the king’s face telling him about what they were doing. He gave them a second chance. They didn’t accept it.
They made the statement in this verse. They knew that God was able to deliver them from any problem or situation. They TRUSTED HIM with their life. But they also said that even if HE chose not to save them from this situation they were not going to worship the image of the king. They were not going to pay reverence to him.
Today, we might be tempted to worship a leader or someone who was in a place of power. We can look up to them but worship is another story. We had someone we know who was working for a political individual and they looked up to the individual. They would do almost anything for this individual. Well, of course, when you look up to someone they can ask you to do things that you shouldn’t to help them. They knew it was wrong but they did it because they wanted to please the individual. They had to confess their sin to the LORD and get back in fellowship with HIM. From that point on they were keeping their standard high.
We need to do the same. The temptation is to give in to people in high places but that is always wrong if it a compromise in your faith. These three men didn’t compromise and the LORD honored them for it.
CHALLENGE: Bring every circumstance before the LORD in prayer before you move. HE will give you special help to stay true to HIM. HE will bless you for staying true to HIM.
: 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. (7299 “form” [rev] means appearance, countenance or manifestation.)
DEVOTION: This chapter is dealing with false worship by children of God. The test is real. These three men from Jerusalem were put in a position of leadership, which the other leaders did not like. They were looking for something to accuse these men concerning.
They found it in the worship of the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar had made. Daniel must have been away on the king’s business at this period of time, as he is not mentioned.
The music played and all people were to bow down and worship the image. These three men did not worship. The king concerning their lack of worship confronted them. They told the king that they would not worship a false god. He was very angry. He had a fiery furnace prepared for those who didn’t worship his golden image.
The king of Babylon sent these three men into the fiery furnace. The men who threw them in were killed instantly. The fire was so hot. When the king looked at the three men that were bound walking around in the midst of the furnace with their hands free, he was amazed. There was a fourth person in the furnace with them. This fourth person looked like the Son of God to the king of Babylon. Later the king calls the fourth person an angel.
Was this a theophany? A theophany is a visible appearing of Deity in the Old Testament. Was this Jesus Christ appearing as the angel of the LORD? We really don’t know for sure but we know that it was a messenger from heaven in the furnace to give encouragement to these three men who stood up for the LORD.
The three Jews were asked to come out and face the king. They were unhurt by the fire. Their clothes were not burned. They didn’t even smell like they had been in a fire. Nebuchadnezzar worshiped the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego.
We are asked to represent our LORD on many occasions. Sometimes that might involve telling people who don’t want to hear the Word of God the Word of God.
Are we willing to be confronted on our belief concerning the LORD? Are we willing to go into the fire for the LORD? Are we willing to die for our faith in Christ? Are we willing to go to jail for our beliefs in God?
CHALLENGE: Remember the three men that were willing. Be like them!!! The LORD has promised to never leave us or forsake us. HE will deliver even when we are in the furnace.
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