The Bible Binge: Blaze of Glory (Daniel 3)

Chad Richard Bresson

The Table of Los Fresnos

Sermons • Sermon • Submitted 7 months ago • Presented 7 months ago

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Into the Fire

Earlier this summer, a fire broke out in a three story home in Everett, Massachusetts. Two city workers nearby ran into the home after being told there was still a child in the home. But the workers had to leave the home because they could not find the girl and the fire was too much. Soon after, a firefighter was on the scene, went into the home and into the fire, found the girl, and brought her out to safety before he collapsed from injuries from the fire and smoke. Both the girl and the firefighter were taken to a hospital and both survived.

That firefighter was a hero. He saved a little girl. But at the risk of his own health and his own life. The story we’ve just read involves a rescue from fire. Only this time, the One doing the rescuing has no fire suit. Has no gear. And yet, he rescues. We are in a new book in our Bible Binge… in the Old Testament we began reading through the book of Daniel this week.. and we will be in Daniel this week and next week. And both this week and next, we are visiting two of the most famous stories in all of the Bible. This week, the fiery furnace and next week, Daniel in the Lion’s Den.

Who was Daniel?

But these stories are in a book we call Daniel. Daniel was a prophet who was among the refugees who were deported from Jerusalem by the Babylonians when Babylon’s army destroyed the city and the temple. We mentioned previously that Ezekiel was among the deportees. We’re never told whether or not Daniel ever interacted with or even knew Ezekiel, or the other big prophet we have in our Bibles. But he lived at the same time. And he was quite a bit younger than either Ezekiel or Jeremiah. We don’t know much about Daniel’s background other than he was considered nobility, most likely his family had ties to Israel’s king. He was well-educated. And he wasn’t alone when he was deported. 3 of his best friends were deported with him.. we know them as Shadrach, Meschach and Abednego. A big part of the book of Daniel is about these four Ivy Leaguers who are part of the royal family of Israel who have been displaced, hundreds of miles from home to work as economic advisors to Nebuchadnezzar.

And throughout the book, God is using Daniel and his friends to challenge the king on the way he views himself and the world. If you are the world’s most powerful man, just what is it that you begin to believe about yourself? You begin to believe all the rock songs and movies that are made about your life. I’m self-made. I did this. I’m the greatest in the world. I’m bigger, better, stronger… Babylon has me to thank that we are the world’s biggest and best nation.

Theme of Daniel: The Most High (Personally) Rules Over the Kingdoms of the World

This becomes a running theme in Daniel. “Nebuchadnezzar, you aren’t self-made. God gave you all this. God gave you the power. God gave you the military victories, including the one over Israel. God made you ruler over everything. It’s not you. It’s the God of Israel.” This theme is repeated again and again throughout the book of Daniel. Everything King Nebuchadnezzar has is a gift. A gift from the real Ruler of everything. The true king.

Nebuchadnezzar says “Nope, I’m running the show”

But Nebuchadnezzar isn’t buying it. So we get to chapter 3 and Nebuchadnezzar sets up this huge idol in the middle of nowhere, throws a big party and invites everyone to come bow down and worship the idol as the true God. It’s almost as if he’s not simply blowing off Daniel’s interpretation of his dream in chapter 2, he’s defiantly telling God where to get off the train. This, then, is a showdown between Daniel and his 3 friends, their One True God of Israel, and Nebuchadnezzar.

King Nebuchadnezzar sets up a statue… we're not sure what that statue looked like, but whatever it was, Nebuchadnezzar is using it to promote the national religion at a national event… most likely worship of the big Babylonian god Marmaduk… this is worship. This has an object of worship… this has music…. and this has a big furnace of fire… where sacrifices are made, even has a preacher, and anybody who is anybody is there at the event. At the sound of the worship music, everyone is to be engaged in the worship of the gods of babylon or they will be offered to the gods as a sacrifice. What Nebuchadnezzar wants, Nebuchadnezzar gets… and sure enough, the worship music is played… and the entire nation is prostrate before the statue of gold.

Well… almost everybody. We don’t know where Daniel was… he’s not there, but his three friends are. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are on hand and they don’t bow. In fact, they tell the king to his face this:

Daniel 3:17-18 If the God we serve exists, then he can rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire, and he can rescue us from the power of you, the king. But even if he does not rescue us, we want you as king to know that we will not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up.

The response is stunning. This is the most powerful man on the planet…and they dare defy him. There's no nuance here… there's no attempt to try to find some way of keeping the king happy while at the same time, sticking to their convictions. Their answer is a three-parter… if the God we serve exists, then…

1. He can rescue us from the furnace of the blazing fire.

He could choose to rescue us. And here for the first time in Daniel, this Most High that Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah believe in is a rescuer. He's not some abstract entity that does not interfere in the affairs of men… no… this Most High is a rescuer of his people. He is a Savior. He redeems his people. This Most High can rescue us from this fire… the first in which sacrifices are made.

2. Not only can the Most High rescue us from the fire… he can rescue us from your power.

Wow. Not content to simply leave it at a general rescue from the fire… they kick it up a notch… and suggest… our god is more powerful than you. Again… remember the running theme of Daniel… the Most High rules over human kingdoms and gives them to whoever he wants. Nebuchadnezzar has already been told of this once. He apparently has forgotten, big time, because there's this huge, multi-million dollar statue that's been set up to drive worshippers' bananas. He still thinks he's running the religious show. The three guys are not impressed… the Most High is a rescuer… and He is bigger than the king. And they are willing to state it up front, even though this guy seems to have a temper issue. And the third thing…

3. Even if he doesn't rescue us… we're not about to embrace another gospel.

Even if he doesn't rescue us. they are willing to stake their lives… even if God doesn't choose to rescue us… he's still a good God. We live in a world in which we tend to set up the test for God… God… I'll believe in you so long as you…. God makes no promises to save us from things that would do us harm, especially where the gospel is on the line.

The king’s response isn’t surprising. This is the guy who set up the statue of a god that can be seen for miles. He is in a rage. He throws the 3 friends into the fire. You aren't going to worship our gods in this national event… you are now the sacrifice to our gods. Seven times hotter… so hot… that the guys who throw them into the sacrificial furnace die.

I see four people

But God isn’t done with King Nebuchadnezzar. And he’s not done with the 3 friends. After throwing the 3 friends into the furnace, he jumps out of his chair:

Daniel 3:24-25 Then King Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in alarm. He said to his advisers, “Didn’t we throw three men, bound, into the fire?” “Yes, of course, Your Majesty,” they replied to the king. He exclaimed, “Look! I see four men, not tied, walking around in the fire unharmed; and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.”

There's no denying the miracle here. The Most High does rescue… in an amazing way. No smell of fire on them. As if they hadn't been thrown in the fire at all. But they have… Nebuchadnezzar is out some good men as proof. But the that's not really the real story… again… remember… the Most High rules human kingdoms, and he gives those kingdoms to whomever he wants…

Nebuchadnezzar says: I see four people. That 4th figure in the fire is the very God the King has been mocking. The Most High is not simply a ruler. The Most High does not simply have an eternal kingdom. The Most High doesn't just rule over human kingdoms. The Most High doesn't even just rescue His people. The Most High personally rescues his people. The Most High personally rules over human kingdoms. It's way too easy to come to this story… and suggest… yay… that's amazing… God was with them in the fire and he saved them. All of that is true. But the reality is that the Most High who is orchestrating the entire story line is now personally among these 3 saving these from the fire… not from a distance, but right there in the middle of it all with them.

This is the Angel of the Lord we’ve seen so many times in the Old Testament who shows up to save His people. This really was God… it's why this story is in our Bibles… because it is part of this unfolding plan of redemption in which God himself is going to come and take on a human body so that he can rescue his people from the fires… rescue his people from sin and death and hell. God is always directly intervening in these stories because he loves His people… and He personally is going to be involved in their salvation. This is the very same God who showed up in a burning bush to Moses hundreds of years earlier and wasn’t burned up. That’s the God walking with Daniel’s 3 friends in the fire.

He Descended into Hell

We confess this in some way or another every week when we confess our faith in Jesus. And there’s a lot of debate about just what the Apostles Creed means here and which texts they are citing when they include this thought in the confession. But we do know this: Jesus came down from heaven to be part of our fire. Jesus walked through fire to be with you and me. Jesus dies on the cross… dies in that fire to rescue you and me.

Mythbusting: The Book of Daniel is not primarily about God’s sovereignty and obedience

This is the true meaning of this story. So many times you hear that this story and the book of Daniel is about God’s sovereignty. And you hear a lot of commendation about these 3 friends taking a stand for God. And that God saves them from the furnace because they were obedient. As nice as those things sound… that’s not really the point of what’s happening here. In the book of Daniel, this God who is Ruler over the World, is constantly rescuing His people. Salvation and the Gospel are at the heart of the entire book. And he’s not just saving his own people. God is after the heart and salvation of Nebuchadnezzar in a very personal way.

The God who rescues

This is about the God who rescues. The God who saves. The God who is to be believed. The God who gives everything to us because he loves us. And this challenge to Nebuchadnezzar is a challenge to us. Jesus is speaking to us through Nebuchadnezzar’s words.. I see four people.

I invite you to look into the furnace with Nebuchadnezzar. What do you see? What you see is The Fire King in a blaze of glory saving His people. A Fire King who rules over the entire universe, yes, but a Fire King who saves. When your world is on fire, you see a Fire King who rescues. A Fire King who forgives. The Fire King doesn’t simply rule over human kingdoms, he comes and walks with us in those human kingdoms. He gives us his robe of righteousness so that when the fire is over, there’s no smell of sin on us… no… the New Testament tells us that the Fire King became sin for us so that would go free… with no smell of the fire on us. Whatever the fire… the fire of sin, death, and hell… or the fire of personal trials… there’s always the fourth person… Jesus is walking with you, saving you, keeping you safe. That’s the Most High… whose kingdom is eternal… ruling human kingdoms.. giving kingdoms to whoever he pleases. That same Jesus is personally invested in you… walking with you through your fire, saving you from certain doom.

Let’s Pray.

The Table

The Fire King rules over human kingdoms… rules over your fire, my fire… rules over anything that would take away our forgiveness or salvation… he rules over all of this through His Word. And through His Table. You want to see Jesus rule? Here he is… to exercise His reign over your life in this Table. He has promised to be here for you… and if He is here for you… when that fire in your life kicks up this week, whatever it is… you know the Fire King is walking with you as well… because He is here. That is His Promise for you. This is a king’s meal, where he exercises his rule and his reign… week in and week out… for Kingdom citizens.

Benediction

Numbers 6:24–26

May the Lord bless you and protect you;

may the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;

may the Lord look with favor on you and give you peace.

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