The Fiery Furnace (Daniel 3)

This sermon was preached on 13/11/2011

Daniel is not mentioned in the events recorded in Daniel 3, so we can assume that he was away from Babylon for a period engaged in government work. During this absence, Nebuchadnezzar erected a large statue of gold (ninety feet high and nine feet wide). Why did he do this? It is possible that he was testing the loyalty of his subjects after he had suppressed a revolt against him. Another reasonable answer is that he had to engage in projects that would remind the people of his empire how great he was. Rulers often engaged in large building projects for this purpose, and perhaps the statue looked like him.

Trying to flee from God

Another possible reason is that Nebuchadnezzar was defying the message he had received from God in the previous chapter when Daniel interpreted the dream for him. In that dream, only the head of the image was of gold. Daniel had stated that the head of gold represented Nebuchadnezzar and Babylon, but he also detailed subsequent empires that would yet appear. Nebuchadnezzar initially accepted the interpretation as being the Word of God. Yet now he engages in an action that attempts to say that God’s Word will not be fulfilled. Instead of erecting a statue that corresponded to the image he saw in the dream, he erected a statue with a different message. The different message was that the empire of Babylon would not be succeeded by another empire and that his empire would last forever, no matter what God had said.

It is clear from the account that the statue had a religious dimension. Whenever the orchestra sounded the particular tune, everybody in the vicinity had to fall down and worship the golden statue. Nebuchadnezzar realised that an effective way of unifying the various groups within his empire was by providing a common religion. His aim was to minimise the influence of other religions by providing a religion that would suit everyone. Of course, this policy was not unique to him. In every age, governments have seen the value of combining various religious groups and ideas because such a policy does bring people together. Today we have various kinds of inter-faith activities, and it is not regarded as useful for society for a person to be a religious fundamentalist.

So Nebuchadnezzar was attempting to defy the revealed will of God. We have already seen that God has been pursuing Nebuchadnezzar, showing to him via a dream that although he is king he is still under the control of God, both in the present and in the future. And Nebuchadnezzar had been compelled to acknowledge that the God of Daniel was very powerful. Yet the emperor was not yet a committed believer in the true God. The Lord had not yet changed his heart, so it was inevitable that his confession of God’s greatness would turn out to be short-lived.

This response of Nebuchadnezzar is typical of many people in whose heart God is working. The convicting work of God’s Spirit brings to people an awareness that they should repent of their sins and trust in Jesus. Those looking on may deduce that the work of conversion is taking place. Then the individual does or says something that makes it clear that he has not yet accepted the authority of God. Their action may not be as grand as Nebuchadnezzar’s erection of a giant statue, but there is still a response that indicates they will not submit to Jesus’ offer of mercy.

A second detail from Nebuchadnezzar’s experience should be noted and that is that his plans were frustrated by the Lord. The way God did this was through the determination of the three Hebrews not to worship the statue. At first, the refusal did not seem to threaten Nebuchadnezzar’s plans in any way because he responded by punishing them with what seemed like certain death. Nebuchadnezzar thought that he knew what he was doing, but in fact it was the Lord alone who knew how to control events. The Lord often inserts a divine spoke in the wheels of a person who is trying to flee from him, and the spoke was the three Hebrews. At first, the person may not realise that the spoke has been placed, but it has. One example of such a person is Saul of Tarsus and the spoke the Lord used was the death of Stephen. From one perspective it looked as if Saul had won because Stephen was killed, yet what had also happened was that Saul’s outlook was being affected and he was being led unknowingly to where he would meet Jesus.

This leads us to the third factor in Nebuchadnezzar’s experience on this occasion, which is that Jesus appeared in a very surprising place. Having arranged for the three Hebrews to be thrown into the fiery furnace, the king was very surprised to see that there were four individuals walking about inside the furnace unaffected by the fire. He observed that there was something superior about the fourth person – he was like the Son of God. So the outcome once again was that Nebuchadnezzar was compelled to acknowledge the superiority of the God of Israel. And something similar happens to those who are trying to flee from God – Jesus comes into their lives in surprising ways. He may come to them through a person saying something, he may come through something that is read, he can come through a reminder that someone receives. In fact, there are a limitless number of ways by which he can come and remind such that he is on their case.

Nebuchadnezzar has not yet bowed the knee to the true God, but he is continuing to discover many things about him. He will find out more, as the next chapter will show. For the present he still thinks that the true God approves of horrific physical threats as encouragements to worship him. He still does not grasp who the Lord is. Yet it would be unwise for any who sense the Lord is speaking to them to then persist in refusing to acknowledge him.

The Trial of Following the Lord

At the close of the previous chapter, we are told that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were given a position in Nebuchadnezzar’s government (Dan. 2:49). No doubt it was assumed that they would receive higher roles as time went by; after all, the Lord had opened the door for them to work in such positions. And by the end of the story they had indeed been promoted, although not in the way that was expected.

We first met the three Hebrews in Daniel One when they joined with Daniel and, as teenagers, refused to eat the food that had been offered to idols. They are also mentioned in Daniel Two as effective prayer warriors, even although they are still teenagers. It is not clear how old they now are, but one thing is obvious: further tests are on the way and one of them occurs in Daniel Three.

It can be taken for granted that the Lord arranged all this. Daniel may have gone away for a time, but the Lord never leaves an area. He is always omnipresent, and in such situations he is always omnipotent. And it is one of the rules of his kingdom that each of his subjects will be tested continually as to his or her devotion to him. So the question we should ask of this passage is not, ‘Why did the Lord allow this?’ Instead we should ask, ‘In what area of my life is the Lord testing me at present?’ Because he will test us to see whether or not we will follow his revealed will at all times.

The test begins with a call to participate in a government celebration. Nebuchadnezzar wants all his officials to acknowledge that his kingdom will last for ever – that is what the golden statue affirms. Obviously a failure to do so would be an act of treason, which is why the penalty for failure was so severe. But as far as the three Hebrew men are concerned, to worship at the statue was also an act of treason, except it was treason against God. Whatever they decide to do, they are going to commit treason either against the king or against God. The three Hebrews knew the options, and also knew which one they would choose. They were resolved not to commit treason against God and so they refused to obey the king’s requirement.

How were they able to make this choice? We could answer the question by saying that God at that moment gave them special grace and enabled them to be faithful. That answer is true, but does not say everything as to how they were able to remain faithful. Two other details can be included, and they are essential aspects of spiritual preparation. First, they had previously been faithful in a smaller issue when they had refused to eat the diet suggested by Nebuchadnezzar and had persisted in adhering to their belief for three years while being ‘educated’ by him. Their faithfulness in that aspect illustrates the statement of Jesus: ‘One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much’ (Luke 16:10). Second, they were men of prayer, which was a sign of their dependence on God. Those two aspects of faithfulness in small matters and prayerfulness about all matters prepared them for bigger tests, and both aspects are practices by which we can assess ourselves. If I am not faithful in little things and spending time in prayer it is very likely that I will fail the test when it comes.

The initial cause of the trouble was from government officials who were jealous of the three Hebrews, perhaps because they were so young. These officials had been looking for an opportunity of getting rid of the Hebrews, but had not been able to find anything in the way they had fulfilled their roles. This, in itself, is a great testimony to their God-given wisdom and natural gifts which they were using for the benefit of the government, even although it was a pagan one. It is good when the only complaints opponents can have about a Christian is in connection to the strength of devotion he has towards God.

The opportunity of getting rid of the Hebrews was seized upon by their rivals and they quickly informed Nebuchadnezzar of his mistake in appointing the Hebrews to prominent positions and of their ongoing failure to obey his command about his golden image. So the three Hebrews were taken into the Emperor’s presence and interrogated about their behaviour. In their response we see an example of Peter’s instruction about ‘being prepared to make a defence to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect’ (1 Pet. 3:15).

What can be said about their response? First, it stressed the capability of God. Nebuchadnezzar had questioned the ability of any god to deliver anyone from the fiery furnace. The Hebrews simply said that the Lord could deliver them out of the imminent danger they faced if he intended to do so. They did not attempt to make excuses for God, if he should choose not to rescue them. It is obvious that their understanding of the capability of God included his total sovereignty.

Second, their response stressed their relationship to God – they were his servants and would continue to be so, no matter what happened to them in the Lord’s providence. Said Samuel Rutherford in a letter written while he was imprisoned for his faith: ‘Duties are ours, events are the Lord’s. When our faith goeth to meddle with events, and to hold a court (if I may so speak) upon God’s providence, and beginneth to say, “How wilt Thou do this and that?” we lose ground. We have nothing to do there. It is our part to let the Almighty exercise His own office, and steer His own helm. There is nothing left to us, but to see how we may be approved of Him, and how we may roll the weight of our weak souls in well-doing upon Him who is God Omnipotent: and when what we thus essay miscarrieth, it will be neither our sin nor cross.’

Third, the response stressed their determination not to worship the Babylonian gods or the king’s golden image because they would be breaking the first two commandments of God’s law. This decision was not made on the spur of the moment. Instead they made it when they resolved as teenagers to honour God in every situation. But their decision took courage, and they could only do this because they realised that the Lord would help them obey him.

The price of faithfulness at this time was very great. Nebuchadnezzar’s warnings were clear – the fiery furnace awaited any who refused to obey his command concerning worshipping the statue. Yet we see in Nebuchadnezzar’s response an illustration of the irrationality that can sometimes affect the persecutors of Christ’s people. What was the point of making the fiery furnace seven times hotter? It was already hot enough to destroy all who were thrown into it. All his irrational reaction achieved was the destruction of his own soldiers (v. 22), and they perhaps were selected in an attempt to prevent the Hebrews from escaping.

Nevertheless the Hebrews were thrown into the furnace of fire. No doubt they anticipated a quick demise. But their Lord had different plans and he appeared with them in the fire. This is a marvellous example of having fellowship with Jesus while suffering for his cause. Jesus drew near to them and they had loving fellowship together. What is surprising is that they were not burnt in the slightest – the only item that was burnt was the ropes that bound them, which may be a picture of the sense of liberty that Jesus gave them. They experienced a miracle as the Lord protected them from all dangers.

Sometimes the Lord protects his people by removing them completely from the place of danger; at other times, as here, he protects them in the very heart of the danger. As Rutherford says in the same letter mentioned already: ‘Providence has a thousand keys, to open a thousand sundry doors for the deliverance of His own.’ Why was Stephen martyred and other church leaders spared when Saul of Tarsus was smashing the church in pieces? Only Jesus has the full answer to that question.

The outcome was that the three Hebrews were promoted. God had over-ruled the attempts of their jealous accusers and prevented any harm coming on his loyal witnesses. Once again we see that those who are faithful to God are honoured by him.