Daniel 3 - you can’t read Revelation without reading Daniel, right?

A central character is introduced in Daniel 1:1-3, king Nebuchadnezzar is given the king of Judah in battle. In Daniel 2, king Nebuchadnezzar has a dream and he is troubled by it. He calls all the sorcerers, enchanters, political guys, seers, and Daniel too. The king wanted them to tell him what he dreamed and interpret it... divine help was needed for sure! We see that Daniel heard from the Lord and got it right, and won great favor from a ruthless king!

Daniel 3 starts the story of the ribbon-cutting ceremony of sorts for the new giant statue of the king. All the fancy people of the day came, and soon the herald proclaimed why they were really there... they were commanded to worship or be burned alive!

Everyone knew the expectations at that moment, that they would worship or die, that’s pretty clear. The king was smart... here are all these people who want everyone around them to keep high opinions of them, they were paid to be in those positions, and there’s the imminent threat of death... sure you could say no and rebel, but right NOW?

So what about Daniel and his friends, who served the Lord? Daniel recruited his friends to lead with him in king Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom, which angered the astrologers and enchanters greatly. So here is the king saying ‘bow or die’ and those angry astrologers made sure to tell the king they knew for sure that Daniel and his friends would rebel!

The king had so much trust in these 3 Jews that he put them over his own Babylonian people, and he was furious at hearing this! The king called for the 3 Jews to be brought before him, and gave them an opportunity to prove that the astrology bunch was lying about them - so the whole ceremony is on hold while this plays out!

The four said “we don’t need to defend ourselves- He will deliver us! Even if He doesn’t we won’t worship what is false!’

What are our standards?

The ruin of a nation begins in the homes of its people - an African proverb.

The bravery and confidence with which Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego didn’t just show up in that moment, it was something they cultivated over their whole lives. Do we have that courage on the inside? Are we teaching our children to have that kind of confidence in God?

Now the king is mad - so mad because he is looking straight into the scene of rebellion, in front of all his big shots in his kingdom - that he orders that fire be turned up to 7 times hotter than a ‘normal’ fire they used to burn rebels! The men that tied them up died getting them into the fire!

The 3 Jews walked around in the fire unharmed, and a 4 man (who looked like a Son of God) was with them! The king was astonished and commanded them to come out - and they didn’t even smell like smoke!

Can you imagine that moment? ALL those people standing in front of a false god statue that they were moments from worshipping- a king that commanded everyone to acknowledge him as a god, the king wanting to squash rebellion and burn up men who he used to deeply trust... and now the king must say something...something!

The king Nebuchadnezzar declares praise to God who rescues, and that no other god can save like that! He declares that the whole kingdom should worship the God of these 3 guys!

As you listen to this message, this incredible story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, ask yourself ‘what do I really stand for?’

It’s easy to give a regular, shallow answer. But we are in a time where we must look at our own lives honestly, and genuinely. It matters.