Daniel 3: Fiery Trials

Okay, today we want to go through Daniel chapter 3. Daniel chapter 3. I have used the preacher's outline of the sermon Bible of commentary in preparation for this message. Also, the expositor's Bible of commentary and some others that we'll be quoting as the sermon progresses. So, if you'd like, turn over to Daniel chapter 3. It is my hope to go through this whole book before I head out to Chicago. My new assignment. I will be taking a bit of a break at the beginning of April to get us ready for the Passover and Holy Day season that's coming up. So, I'll probably take several Sabbaths to go through that kind of material. Then, after that, I'll have maybe two or three Sabbaths in May that I can devote to Daniel. So, I'm hoping to cover as much as I can. Today, we just want to take a look at chapter 3. It's interesting, in terms of some background for you, the timing of this book. Some historians believe that the language used in this chapter shows the story occurred many years after chapter 2. Some scholars believe that maybe as much as 20 years after chapter 2. This particular part of the book was written in Aramaic, which was the international language used throughout the Babylonian Empire. But, as we get into chapter 3, we're going to see where in verse 2 different offices of people were asked to do something by the king. Now, the language used there, the titles, the terms used there, were Persian terms. This is one of the reasons why people think that this was written much later, and not necessarily in chronological order in relation to chapter 2. So, it was written in Persian terms, not Babylonian, indicating that Daniel wrote the story many years later, after Babylon's fall, to Persia. The early chapters of this book are a collection of independent accounts. It's not like a story flow, where one thing leads into another. It's a collection of independent accounts. Daniel chapter 3 is one of these. It's almost like the book of Revelation has inset chapters. This is kind of similar in that it's one of these separate accounts. Now, the overarching theme for chapter 3 is fiery trials. Quite literally, fiery trials. You and I, nobody escapes fiery trials. As I said last time we were together, if you have been going through some fiery trials of light, buckle up! They are coming to a house near you. You can expect them on your doorstep anytime in the very near future. Those things are going to happen. Every one of us experiences adversity, affliction, anguish, distress, grief, hardship, sorrow, unhappiness, misfortune, pain. Again, that's the fabric of what life is.

At that kind of time, and this again goes back to one of the key portions of chapter 3, we as believers, we as men and women of God, need a strong, steadfast faith. And, brethren, when we take a look at chapter 3, there's a lot in this chapter that you and I should consider when it comes to us living at the end of the age. If we indeed are going to be the people who are on earth when Jesus Christ returns, this chapter has a number of things that we need to pay very close attention to. You've got a ruler who doesn't allow for religious freedom. You've got a situation where if you believe in the true God, you can lose your life, you and your family, everybody you hold dear.

And so, there's a, you know, quite literally, in Revelation chapter 18, we'll get to this later on in the sermon, God tells us people to come out of Babylon. And each of us needs to take that very, very sincerely. You know, here we are talking about a world ruler in chapter 3. I don't know how many of you, you're talking about ruler, leadership, and ruling. I don't know how many of you watched the latest presidential debate, the Republican presidential debate that happened down in Fox Theater in Detroit here. As it was going on, I told Mary, I said, you know, this is absolutely disgusting to watch these men who want to be the leader of the greatest nation on earth act like school children.

Donald Trump, a bully, insolent bully, talking about little Marco and so forth, just, you know, disrespectful and so on and so forth, totally was non-plussed by that whole situation. But then, then we've got the Democrats. Can't leave them out of the picture. What's happened to the Democratic party in this country? Well, at least now they're being honest. You've got a socialist running as a Democrat for the president of the United States, a socialist who honeymooned in Russia. You've got a woman, Mrs. Clinton, who should be behind bars. Quite literally, she should be behind. People have done what she has done, and they're already behind bars.

Just the other day, she was talking about how she couldn't look people in the eye unless she could get them jobs. Well, as they were bringing coffins off back from Benghazi, she looked the relatives of those dead people in the eye and talked about the film that caused the uprising in Benghazi.

And she knew at the time that film had nothing to do with what took place in Benghazi. It makes my blood boil, but I don't want to get into politics. And she may very well be our next president. May very well be our next president. Sad state for America, Donald Trump or Mrs. Clinton. Neither one are fit to be president, but God puts an office who He wants to put in office.

So, anyhow, what we have here in chapter 3 of Daniel is a false world religion. Nebuchadnezzar, in the short time he was king, and remember the Babylonian Empire only lasted 87 years, in the very short time that it was in existence, it conquered a lot of territory, a lot of different types of people. And so Nebuchadnezzar, as a shrewd politician and world leader, realized he had to do something to unify his people. And so the thing that he did is he created a false religion, or he adopted a false religion to unify the different nationalities, languages, cultures, and peoples in his realm. And so to do that, he erected this image that we're going to see here in chapter 3.

So with all that as background, let's get into it here. Daniel chapter 3 verse 1. Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold whose height was 60 cubits, its width 6 cubits. He set up in the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. Now, most scholars take a look at the dimensions here, and it is thought by most scholars that the whole of this image was approaching 90 to 100 feet. But the image itself may have only been 40 feet, and that it rested on a pedestal that was 50 to 60 feet, just because of how the ratio of the height to the width.

So I felt that most scholars think that to make sure this thing would stand and not be blown over by the wind looked almost like an Egyptian obelisk, but probably very much in the form of a human man. Remember what probably was going through Nebuchadnezzar's mind, remembering what happened in chapter 2 about the great image you saw in chapter, that he dreamt about in chapter 2. So here you've got something that is probably close with pedestal and statue and everything as high as a 10-story building. They put it, as it says here, in the plain of Dura.

Now, the reason for this, this is several miles out from Babylon itself, from the main city. A place where people can gather was a flat place. People can see this image for many miles away. You could get a lot of people around this image so they can properly, according to Nebuchadnezzar, worship it. So those were the things that were going through his mind.

Reading from the Nelson study Bible, it says, this would mean perhaps a 40-foot high statue on a 60-foot pedestal, still mammoth and opposing. Alternatively, some have seen the dimensions as subjecting of being suggestive of an obelisk or some other phallic image. Whatever the case, the construction was lavish with wealthy, made of gold or at least overlaid with gold. Probably that was closer to the case. It was probably a wooden statue overlaid with gold. I doubt that it was solid gold. I don't know that there was that much gold in the empire to do that, but probably just a wooden statue overlaid with gold, gold leaf. Okay, verse 2. The king and king Nebuchadnezzar send out word to gather together the satraps. Now these are the terms that are in Persian. And again, the thinking is, and this is also according to our own Bible reading program, commentary, that these words are Persian words, probably Daniel's readiness to help the Jews of his day who are going to be reading this in the scripture understand what he was talking about and be current with the kingdom he's now in of Persia. King Nebuchadnezzar sent word to gather together the satraps. These were representatives of the king, the administrators. These probably were more like military commanders. The governors were civil authorities. The counselors were people those who were in the government that gave the king guidance and counsel. The treasurers were those who handled the money. The judges were those who would administrate the laws. The magistrates were those who would keep the laws and make sure the laws were kept by the public and all the officials of the provinces. So here you got a number of other local officials subordinate to some of these others we just made mention of. The bottom line is, Nebuchadnezzar's thinking is he wants this to be a loyalty test. He's bringing in representatives from all over the empire. This is not just for just the rank and file. These are the officials of the empire. They're coming into Babylon to show their loyalty to Nebuchadnezzar, their fealty to Nebuchadnezzar. Now, that's very important as to when we get down to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. First phrase, so the state traps, the administrators, the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces gathered together for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. They stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. Then Aharel cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages. So again, we're talking about a world-ruling empire. That at the time you hear the sound of the horn, the flute, the harp, the lyre, the psaltery, and the symphony with all kinds of music, you shall fall down and worship the gold image that King Nebuchadnezzar set up.

The various instruments that are talked about here in verse 5 are the instruments that are very typical of the time. Again, we're in a plane, and so the sound is going to carry.

This is a signal for all the people that they need to start getting on their knees to show loyalty to the king. Verse 6, The Lord does not fall down and worship shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning, fiery furnace. It says immediately, but we're going to notice that the king doesn't quite do that when it comes to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. We'll discuss that in just a moment. Verse 7, So at that time when all the people heard the sound of the horn, the flute, the harp, the lyre, the symphony with all kinds of music, all the people, nations, and languages fell down, or representatives of all the people, nations, and languages fell down, and worshiped the gold image which King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. Now, put yourself here in this setting. There's quite literally probably thousands of people who are now kneeling down, with the exception of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

They would tend to stand out by not kneeling down.

And, of course, the king, as he's looking at all these people kneeling, he's feeling really good until his eye falls on those three people, and he thinks, what in the world is wrong with those three guys? He knows them! They're high in the government! It's not like as though he's unaware of who these three men are. As a matter of fact, he has a great deal of respect for these three men. Now, a point to ask here, brethren, I don't know if you've ever asked this of yourself as you've read this, is, where's Daniel in all this? You read about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, but where's Daniel in all of this? Did Daniel drop to his knees? Did he have to repent of that later? You know, why don't we read about Daniel here? I'd like to read you some possible explanations. And again, this comes from Expositor's Bible Commentary, and we quote this in our Bible reading program as well.

Number one, I think we quoted it in our Bible reading program. Number one, Daniel is not mentioned in this chapter, maybe because he was on King's business at the time. He may not have been there in that vicinity at the time. He may have been on some other part of the kingdom. Number two, another possible explanation, is he may have been with other members of the king's cabinet working on other things. He may have been in town, but working on something else and not at this particular setting. Number three, he may have been ill. There's various references in the book of Daniel to the fact that from time to time, the pressures of life and so forth, he became ill.

Maybe he was sick and in bed and simply couldn't come. Number four, he assumed that he was the king's prime minister and was not required because of his high office, very high office, was not required like the rest of the people to bow. Number five, possible explanation why Daniel is not mentioned here.

It is true that Daniel's office, again quoting from the Expositors, it is true that Daniel's office as ruler over the capital province of Babylon was not specifically listed in the seven categories of public officials. None of the wise men over whom Daniel had been made chief were included in the call for the public ceremony, so other people weren't there. So it wasn't necessarily that it was so obvious that Daniel wasn't there. As a type of accredited clergy serving under the state, they may have been exempted from this act of allegiance. Their religious commitment would be presumed to be beyond question.

In other words, Daniel did not belong to any of the special groups of jurists, advisors, financial experts, or political leaders included in terms of the call. And lastly, number six, possible reason why Daniel is not mentioned here in chapter three. Perhaps Daniel's reputation as a diviner was so formidable that even the jealous Caledians did not dare attack him before the king. In any case, Daniel's not made mention of here, and there are a number of possible explanations which we just went through. Okay, we go back to chapter three, verse eight here. Therefore, at that time, certain Caledians came forward and accused the Jews. The land of Semitism here, right?

Human nature and full full bloom here, because we have Jews who are over many Caledians, over many Babylonians, and that ate at them, that stuck in their craw. They spoke and said that the king that can have their own king live forever. You know, today we'd say, long live the king.

You know, there's a reason why people, especially in England, and other places, I shouldn't say especially England, but England and other places, but they would say, long live the king. One of the things that people want is to live a peaceful life. And in so many societies, when there's a change in power, war can be a resolve.

There could be all sorts of negative things taking place when there's a change of power. And so people want there to be a long-lived king. Verse 10, 10, You, O king, have made a decree that everyone who hears the sound of the horn and all these various instruments shall fall down and worship the gold image, and who does not fall down and worship shall be cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. So basically, the king is, you know, he's hot under the collar already. And these advisors of his are saying, you know, king, these three guys are making you look like a real fool.

You've asked all the leaders from all over your kingdom to come. Everybody is bowing, but these three guys, it's kind of like, well, what are you going to do about that? Are you going to let this guy, these three guys, thumb their nose at you or what? Verse 12, There are certain Jews whom you've said over the affairs of the province of the Babylonists. There you go. It comes to the heart of the thing right here.

These three guys are our bosses and they're not even native born sons. They're foreigners. They're people we conquered. They're our slaves. And you set them over us. I mean, this is their thinking. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, these men, okay, have not paid due regard to you. They do not serve your gods or worship the gold image which you have set up. Pause here for a second. Now, again, this may be many years after chapter 2.

But what did we see in chapter 2? In chapter 2, we saw that Daniel saved the lives of these various officials because nobody could answer the king as to what his dream was and what it meant. And the soldiers were going through the kingdom murdering all and executing all of these officials. And so, in one sense, these men owed their lives to Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And so, the idea is, what have you done for me lately? Which is so true in politics. What have you done for me lately? Verse 13, then Nebuchadnezzar, in rage and fury.

Everybody was to step aside from this man. He was the king. He thought he was divine. Then Nebuchadnezzar, in his rage and fury, gave the command to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. So, they brought these three men before the king. Now, remember, at any particular time, there are lives that are lost. Now, let's pause for a second here before we go any further. There is a lesson to be learned here, brother. And again, as you and I are people who may well be living at the end of the age, this is something that you and I may face someday. We may face a political entity, a political person, or even a religious person, who wants us to worship a false God. Our lives may hang in the balance. What are we to do? Well, we are to obey God rather than man. Let's take a look, put a marker here. Let's go over to Acts chapter 5. Acts chapter 5.

Acts chapter 5 and verse 29. But Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than man. God matted rather than man. But all authority comes from God. When any authority commands what God has forbidden, God always takes precedence over what any other entity or person would quote to us. A Christian, a believer, must obey the author of all authority. And the author of all authority is God Himself. Let's turn to Deuteronomy chapter 6.

Deuteronomy chapter 6 verses 4 and 5.

Here, O Lord, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart, with all of your soul, and with all of your strength. You know, we are to love God. He is preeminent. He is number one. We don't worship anything or anybody else. God is what we worship, and only God is what we worship. And you know what you might want to jot down? Job chapter... Well, let's just turn there for a second. Go over to the book of Job. Job chapter 13.

We've got a new Bible on these pages that are hard to turn. Job chapter 13 and verse 15. Talking about God.

Okay, let's now turn back to Daniel chapter 3.

So we see in verse 13 that Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury gave the command to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And so they brought before the king, verse 14. Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying to them, Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the gold image which I've set up? Remember earlier I said that immediately they were going to be thrown into the fiery furnace. This is not immediately. Why? The king is kind of taking a half-step backward, as powerful as he was. Why? Because the king appreciated Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They had been good servants to the kingdom. They had been valuable, if you will, valuable employees. He didn't want to throw them into the furnace. He was hoping that they would, according to his way of thinking, come to their senses and bow down. Verse 15. Now if you are ready at the time you hear the sound of the horn and all the various instruments and you fall down and worship the image which I have made, good! So here he says, I'm going to give you a second chance.

Again, this shows how God had worked in these three men's lives, with Daniel as well. How God had worked in their lives. And the king is looking to do a good turn for them.

Think about that in terms of your employer. If we are people that are living the way God would have us live, and we're upright and solid people, and we're people of wisdom, and we're hardworking, diligent at the job we do, our bosses will be just like this. They'll be looking for opportunities to bless us. Now, there are times when you might have a boss that is, frankly, inspired by the dark side. And all they're looking to do is stick it to you. I mean, I've had a boss like that, not in the church. I've got to make that clear. But when I worked on the outside sales in a warehouse, and as a warehouse manager, I had some pretty contrary people. But there are those situations where God can also bless. And that's what the king wanted to do. He says, you know, please just do what I'm asking you to do. But he goes on in middle verse 15, but if you do not worship, you shall be cast immediately. Well, here he's going to say it again, even though he's kind of backtracking a little bit. But if you do not worship, you shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. And who is the God who will deliver you from my hands? Again, the comment, what have you done for me lately? Chapter 2, Nebuchadnezzar is praising the great God. Chapter 3 said, you know, what God is going to do. This is another reason why we think this may be 20 years or so down the road. People tend to forget. He probably forget, you know, it looks like he's forgetting what he had learned in chapter 2. You know, the very fact that he's got all these other gods showed that he wasn't really where he should be spiritually. But we see the arrogance here in verse 15. You know, God Himself will not be able to deliver you from my hand. Verse 16, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. You know, we don't have to go out, huddle up, you know, ask for lots of time to think about things, to meditate on this. It says, we don't need that kind of time. We know what we're going to do here. Verse 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. You know, we talked about the courage that Daniel showed. Here you've got a guy who's frothing at the mouth, who feels insulted by these three, and these three say, well, you know what, king, you may think you're high and mighty, but our God's able to, you know, who can deliver us out of your hand? Our God can deliver us out of your hand, king. It's not that big of a deal. I'm sure the king was getting more and more red-faced. He probably was shaking with his anger. But notice verse 18, but if not, if God doesn't deliver us, let it be known to you, King, that we do not serve your gods, nor will you worship the gold image which you've set up.

You know, I have known too many people over the years, and you've probably known some as well, that if God doesn't do what they think God should do, they get really upset. And in some cases, people leave the church. I tithed all these years. I went to church. I went to the feast. I couldn't buy the kind of house I wanted because I was tithed. I mean, this is the reason some people have used. Acting like tithing is some big curse. And then when, and then they, oh, but you know, I did all those things and I lived a certain way, and I was faithful, and God didn't give me what I needed, and they leave. How short-sighted. How short-sighted. But here we see three men who are saying, you know, our life is in God's hands. And if God wants us to be martyrs, we're going to be martyrs. Or we can look at it from another perspective. God doesn't want to give us a job. We're not going to get that job. God doesn't want to heal us. We're not going to be healed. If God doesn't want to make my boss make him nice to me, that's the way it's going to be. But either way, whether God intervenes or whether God doesn't intervene the way I would like him to intervene, I'm going to worship the great God. I'm going to stand in His grace. I'm going to live my life the way He wants me to live my life. My life's in His hands. I am a sinner. As a sinner, every day that I have is a gift from God. And He can take my life whenever He wants. Put a marker here. Let's go over to Hebrews 11, the faith chapter. Hebrews 11.

Remember, I said that one of the great stories of this chapter, great themes of this chapter, is a resolute faith. Hebrews 11. Women received their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that it might obtain a better resurrection. Still, others had trials of mockings and of scourgings. God, in one sense, brethren, didn't deliver them, did He? They were mocked. They were scourged. They were whipped. They were in chains. They were imprisoned. They were stoned. They were sawn in two, like Isaiah. They were tempted. They were slain with the sword. God didn't answer all those prayers the way that people would want them to be answered. But, you know, brethren, if the people were saying, like Christ said, Father, Your will be done, then their prayers were answered. Then their prayers were answered. Sometimes people come to me and I felt sometimes myself, God's not answering my prayers. Well, brethren, if we always are talking and asking God, Your will be done, then our prayers are always answered, because it's His will that's being done. They were stoned. They were sawn in two. They were tempted. They were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented. I'm sure they were praying that all those things wouldn't happen, but God allowed those things. Of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and in mountains and dens and in caves of the earth. Again, they didn't want those things. Nobody wants those things. But we pray Your will be done. On all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise. God had provided something better for us that they should not be made perfect apart from us. Take a look at Matthew chapter 26 for a moment. Matthew chapter 26, verse 42, Again, a second time He went away and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup cannot pass away from me, unless I drink it, Your will be done. Your will be done. So again, brethren, that's something that I need to be making sure is a part of my life. You need to be making sure it's a part of your life. And then, you know, when we're praying and we have that frame of mind, then our prayers are answered. Because we're living according to God's will. And we're accepting God's will in our life. Okay, Daniel chapter 3, verse 19. The Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury, and the expression of his face changed toward Abchadrak, Meshach, and Abednego. Obviously, I mean, these guys almost trembling. He's so angry. He spoke and commanded, They heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated. Now, this furnace was hot enough. Why was there even a furnace there, brother? The furnace was there to help build that image. You know, metals, you know, wood had to be worked with. Metals probably had to be smelted. I'm sure that the fire was certainly hot enough to kill any human being. But the king ordered it to be heated seven times hotter than it was. Showing more his contempt than the need for more heat and flame. Verse 20, he commanded certain mighty men of Valor who went in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and cast them into Bering fiery furnace. Notice it takes men of Valor because these guys are going to have to go up near that all that flame and smoke and heat, and they could die, especially if they're wearing all their equipment. Verse 22, therefore because the king's demand was urgent and a furnace exceedingly hot, the flame of fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. So as they're going up the stairs or scaffolding or whatever they had that was there to throw the three men in, the people who were leading them up to the place where they were going to be thrown in, fire was leaping on them, and they were burned to death.

So again, imagine the scene here. You've got soldiers taking Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego up these stairs or up a scaffolding or whatever it was that they had there. You've got the king's valiant men, mighty men, they're on fire, they're falling headlong down. Again, this whole thing might have been 10 stories higher, the highest. They're probably falling down several stories as they're burning. Verse 23, and these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego fell down bound into the midst of the burning fire and furnace. That, the fall by itself, could have killed them because they were bound. The fall itself could have killed these men. So here we have another portion that I want to pause here, and a tremendous lesson here, and that is, the just shall live by faith. The just shall live by faith. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they could have said, well, you know, everybody else is doing it. Everybody else is kneeling. If I refuse to participate, I'll lose my job. What's going on in one Sabbath? What's going on in one Sabbath in the grand scheme of things? If I keep my job, I'll be able to give tithes and offerings to the church. We can do all sorts of things to rationalize ourselves. People that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego could have said, well, you know, I need to go along in order to be a light. And if I die, I can't be a light to anybody. So I want to live and be a light. So I'll just compromise this one time. No. Let's turn over to Hebrews 10. Hebrews 10. This is the introduction to the faith chapter.

Hebrews 10.38. Now the just shall live by faith, but if anyone draws back, my soul has no pleasure in him. The just shall live by faith. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego lived by faith. They didn't draw back. They didn't make excuses. Chapter 12 of Hebrews. Hebrews 12.1. Therefore, we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. Looking at the people in between what we read in chapter 10, verse 38, reading all about all these people in chapter 11 here, those are the witnesses that speak to our need to live by faith. Verse 2. Looking unto Jesus, the author and finish of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising his shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Jesus Christ does not ask us to do something he himself wouldn't do and didn't do. Jesus Christ took up quite literally his cross. He followed the will of God. It wasn't pleasant. It wasn't easy. But he had work to do, and he did the work. And because of that, you and I have eternal life. We go back to Daniel chapter 3.

So here you've got Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Because of the soldiers that were leading them up to where they were to throw them in, they remembered Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They were bound. The soldiers caught on fire. When they caught on fire, they died. The soldiers lost their grip on Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Those three guys fell into the furnace. So here, verse 24. Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished, and he rose and hastened, spoke, saying to his counselors, Did you and I cast three men bound to the midst of the fire? And they answered and said to the king, True, O king! Why is the king saying this? Because the king is looking inside the furnace.

The furnace was open in various areas where they can throw things in to burn. And so there's a big section on the bottom where you can look right in there. He's looking in there and he says, Hey, I'm noticing something. Didn't we throw three guys in there? Because he's already saying there's four walking around in there. So he says to the people around him, Are my eyes playing tricks on me? Verse 25. Look, he said, I see four men loose walking in the midst of the fire, and they're not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. Now, this very easily could have been Jesus Christ. It could have been an angel. Obviously Nebuchadnezzar doesn't know what Christ looked like. They pre-incarnate Christ. So it could have easily been Christ. It could have been an angel. We're not quite sure what this is. I've always taken it to be Christ. I've always looked at it. Verse 26. Then Nebuchadnezzar went near the mouth of the burning fiery furnace and spoke, saying, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, the servants of the Most High God, come out and come here. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came from the midst of the fire. Notice that fourth entity is not there. By the time Nebuchadnezzar walked over to the fiery furnace, whatever was there, Christ or an angel, whatever was there, is no longer there. And so Nebuchadnezzar says to the three teles, Well, come on out. And the sea traps, the administrators, the governors, the king's counsels, the gabbard of the government, they saw that these men on whose bodies the fire had no power. The hair on their head was not singed, nor their garments affected, and their smell of fire was not on them. Basically what we have here is the Babylonian equivalent of Thomas.

Thomas, doubting Thomas, you know, unless I put my hands in the nail holes, I'm not going to believe. Well, here you've got the Old Testament Babylonian equivalent here. These guys had to be taken by the nose and literally taken right up to the three fellows, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednev. Give them a good sniff. Don't smell anything on these guys. Don't smell fire. Don't smell smoke. Their hair is not singed. Everything is the way it should be. Wow! Verse 28, Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who sent his angel and delivered his servants who trusted in him. And they frustrated the king's word and yielded their bodies that they should not serve or worship any god except their own god. Therefore, I make a decree. Nebuchadnezzar was pretty good at making these decrees. He makes another decree here. He's still not giving it. I'm sure in a great white throne judgment when God resurrects Nebuchadnezzar, God says, you know, Neb, you were pretty good at writing these edicts. He sent them to all the empire. But you always included me with these other false gods. You really didn't get it. Now, you were dust. Your bones disintegrated. No one could ever find. As great as you think you were, you were lost. Your name was in history, but you were lost. No one knew where your body was. But now you're standing in front of me. Nebuchadnezzar, where are those other gods you always talked about? Where are they? So, you know, this is going to be an interesting conversation when Nebuchadnezzar comes up with his face to face with the real god. Therefore, I make a decree that any people, nation or language, which speaks anything amiss against the god of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces. Their home shall be made in ashy, because there is no other god who can deliver like this. He said, wow! But he still really didn't get it. Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego into the province of Babylon. And so, you know, it now sounds the story there, but it's interesting that Nebuchadnezzar does three things here. First, he praises the great god. Secondly, he has a special decree prohibiting anyone from speaking against the great god. And then thirdly, he promotes these fellows. So, one final lesson to be learned here, and that is that God walks with us through life's trials. God walks with us through life's trials. Let's go over to Hebrews. We're done here in Daniel. Let's go over to Hebrews, chapter 13.

Hebrews chapter 13, verse 5 and 6.

Let your conduct be without covetousness, be content with such things as you have, for ye have self-assesseth, I will never leave you nor forsake you. So we may boldly say, the Lord is my helper, I will not fear. What can man do to me? You know, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednezzar could have written those words themselves. Because God never left them, never forsook them, was right there with them in the midst of the fiery trial. And, brethren, you please, remember that as you go through life's difficulties, you may think you're alone, you may think that there's nobody on your side, you may think that, you know, you don't have anybody to turn to. But that isn't the case. You've got the greatest friend in the universe, the most powerful being in the universe, who is your friend, who is your father. You've got Jesus Christ as an older brother. You've got a tremendous family that supports you. You've got holy, righteous angels that are rooting for you. Don't ever think you're alone. You're never alone. And you've got the Lord as your helper. Romans chapter 8. Romans chapter 8, verse 37, Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

More than conquerors. What is it in your life that you feel is a big impediment? What is your Mount Everest that's square in front of you? Well, whatever that is, with God's help, you can conquer it. Any fear, any difficulty with God's help, you will get through the day. You don't need to worry about those things. 1 Peter chapter 5. 1 Peter chapter 5.

Verse 6. I'm going to read this in the J.B. Phillips translation. This is 1 Peter 5, verses 6 and 7. So humble yourselves under God's strong hand, and in his own good time he will lift you up, in his own good time, by his strong hand. And then the phrase I find so encouraging, you can throw the whole weight of your anxieties upon him, for you are his personal concern.

What is bothering you right now? God's strong hand is waiting to act, and will act. God will lift you up if you are doing those things that are pleasing to God. And you and I are doing those things that are pleasing to God. What anxieties do we have? What worries do we have? What things are fretting us? What things are we sweating out right now?

Please remember that your life is very meaningful to God. It's meaningful to God because it is great love for each and every one of you, each and every one of us. 2 Corinthians chapter 1.

2 Corinthians chapter 1 verse 3.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort.

Sure, I sure enjoy the way Paul writes this. Do you need mercy? I need mercy. I need a God that can comfort me. I can get cranky at times.

There are times God probably wants to send me to bed without my supper.

But God gives me comfort. Verse 4. Who comforts us in all of our tribulation. It doesn't say He always removes us, does it? It says He comforts us in our tribulation that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble.

One of the things that so many of you have enjoyed over the years is having Bob Dunn come over here and speak. Bob has gone through so many...all of you have gone through life's issues and troubles. Bob just has an opportunity to stand in front of the group and talk about it. And he talks very eloquently about the trials he's been through. Bob has told me on several occasions, as hard as those things were, the financial reverses the man has faced and the illnesses. I've been with Bob many occasions. We're sitting there eating a sandwich or something. He sticks himself so he gives himself a shot of insulin. He doesn't even think about it. He's sticking himself and, you know, it's past the sandwiches.

He also does just what this verse says. As he's gone through tribulation, he's now comforting those who are also going through tribulation. Verse 5, For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ. We relate to our Savior. Now, if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer. Or if we are comforted, it's for your consolation and salvation. And our hope for you is steadfast, because we know that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so you'll also be a partaker of the consolation. Yeah, you're going through some hard times. There's kind of an initiation process going on right now.

Life is a crucible, but when our initiation is done, we're in a very special category. You know, we're going to be God.

We are going to be in the God family. Pretty nice club. Verse 8, We do want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble, which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened beyond measure above strength, so that we despaired even of life.

You know, to those of us who have known depression, known discouragement, verse 8 speaks volumes. There have been people in the church who have been made to feel bad because they've been discouraged or depressed from time to time. And you have a look at Paul here. He said, he was so burdened, notice what he says, burned beyond measure above strength, so that we despaired even of life. Now, he didn't take his life, but he got to the place where he was hanging, like, you know, hanging by that thread. But he looked to God, and God gave him the strength to get through these things. Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead. All those things Paul went through, all the stonings and the shipwrecks and the being in the deep and all those sorts of things, he faced death on a regular basis. But notice verse 10, who delivered us from so great a death and does deliver us, and whom we trust that he still will deliver us. Paul said, I'm a walking testament. You know, I can't see that good right now because I've been stone rocks hitting my eyes. I can't see that well. One of the reasons why Paul always took Luke along. Luke was a doctor. He brought his own doctor with him. Talk about somebody who was sickly. You know, do we hate doctors? You know, it'll be interesting in the resurrection. You know, people who think we should hate doctors. Have a talk with Luke, a doctor. And he made sure that he followed Paul wherever Paul went. Last scripture, Psalm 66. Psalm 66.

Psalm 66, verse 10. For you, O God, have tested us, you have refined us, as silver is refined. You brought us into the net. You laid affliction on our backs. You have caused men to ride over our heads. We went through fire and through water. But you brought us out to rich fulfillment.

Basically, the psalmist here is saying, you know, God, you romp and stomp. You beat us up really good. You tore our hearts out. And we felt like we were, you know, pretty low. But after all was said and done, because we had the same faith as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, you brought us out to rich fulfillment. So, brethren, today in chapter 3 of Daniel, a book about prophecy, we looked again at more Christian living. We saw these four lessons today. Four lessons. Obey God rather than men. The just shall live by faith. God walks with us through life's trials. And as I talked about early on, we need to come out of Babylon.