STAND COURAGEOUS
One of the first things I think of when I hear the word “courageous” is Joshua. As Moses was preparing to turn leadership of the IsraelitIIes to Joshua, he told Joshua to “be strong and courageous”- twice (Deut. 31:6 and 7). Then in Deuteronomy 31:23, the Lord commissioned Joshua with the same words “Be strong and courageous”. Then in the Gook of Joshua the words “be strong and courageous” are used in each of three verses; 6, 7, and 9. What Joshua was being told was that courage is not the absence of fear but doing what he must do in spite of fear. This tells us that we need to be ready and willing to stand for God, apart from the crowd. In the Book of Daniel, three men faced a decision to face death instead of disobeying God. Their willingness to die rather than disobey God is a model for how we can stand courageously.
Read Daniel 3:13-15
These verses began with Nebuchadnezzar in one of his furious rages. Nebuchadnezzar had commissioned the making of a huge golden statue, some 90 feet tall. As Daniel and his three friends were serious students of the scriptures, they had to be thinking of the golden calf of Moses’ day. Also, remember Daniels’ interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s initial dream! The statue in his dream had a golden head which represented Nebuchadnezzar’s empire. For the dedication of this 90 foot statue, all of various government officials were required to attend. At the dedication, the king commanded all to worship the statue. Disobedience was punishable by death- a very specific death. However, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to bow and worship the king’s false god. This was the cause of Nebuchadnezzar’s rage.
The focus of the Book of Daniel is upon Daniel himself, but in chapter 3 he is not mentioned at all. The chapter records a single experience of his three friends that merits their inclusion among the “heroes of faith” of the Bible. The writer of the Book of Hebrews may have had them in mind when he referred to those who “quenched raging fire” (Heb. 11:34). The story ranks among the most familiar narratives of the Old Testament.
The rapid rise of Daniel and his friends to power must have provoked intense jealousy and hatred in court circles. It is quite possible that the enemies of Daniel and his friends, knowing that the Jews would not comply, influenced the king to make the edict (as they did in 6:1-9). These enemies included Chaldeans who should have been grateful that Daniels’ ability to interpret the king’s dream had saved their lives. We are not made aware of other Jews who may have refused to worship the statue, but these three were singled out due to their position of power in the court.
Whether they were responsible for the edict concerning the statue or not, the enemies did not have to wait long for its violation by Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Some of the Chaldeans immediately rushed to the king to inform him that the three Jewish friends had refused to bow before the golden statue. The Hebrew for “maliciously accused” (v. 8) is literally “ate the pieces”. Nebuchadnezzar was not accustomed to being defied and reacted with predictable rage. He ordered that the three Jews be brought before him so he could hear from their own lips whether they had refused to worship the statue. He reminded them of the penalty for violating his edict v. 15).
As the supreme ruler of Babylon, he expected absolute obedience. But his pride had caused him to go beyond his own authority with the edict. His demands were unjust and his reactions extreme. If we ever find ourselves reacting is a similar manner, it is likely due to our ego being overly involved with the situation. In this case, Nebuchadnezzar at least gave the three friends one more chance. There are at least eight reason that these three friends could have used: 1) We will fall down but not actually worship the idol; 2) We won’t become idol worshippers but will worship it this one time, and ask God for forgiveness; 3) The king has absolute power, and we must obey him, God will understand; 4) The king appointed us- we owe this to him; 5) This is a foreign land, so God will excuse us for following the customs of the land; 6) Our ancestors set up idols in God’s Temple! This isn’t half as bad; 7) We are not hurting anybody!; and 8) If we get ourselves killed and some pagans take our high positions, they won’t help our people in exile. Although some of these excuses may sound reasonable at first, they are dangerous rationalizations. To fall down and worship the image would violate God’s command in Exodus 20:3, “you must not have any other god but me”. It would also erase their testimony for God forever. (And Veggie Tales would have never had a song for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.)
Nebuchadnezzar had forgotten that when Daniel interpreted the mysterious dream, he exclaimed to Daniel, “Your God is indeed the God of gods” (2:47). Vanity, pride and arrogance are all poison that affects our relationships with others and especially with God. It certainly did to Nebuchadnezzar. The three men had been put in apposition that found themselves at a fork in their road.
Read Daniel 3:16-18
Courage knows that there is a moment to be quiet and remain silent and a moment to stand up and speak out. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were pressured to deny God, but they chose to be faithful to Him no matter what happened. They trusted God to deliver them, but they were determined to be faithful regardless of the consequences. If God always recused those who were true to Him, Christians would not need faith. Their religion would be a great insurance policy, and there would be lines of selfish people ready to sign up. We should be faithful to serve God whether He intervenes on our behalf or not. Our eternal reward is worth any suffering we may have to endure first.
The friends’ reply is one of the most remarkable affirmations of faith to be found in the Scriptures. Their faith was comparable to that of Abraham, who was willing to sacrifice his own son if God required it (Gen. 22). With scorn for the consequences they informed the king that their God was able to deliver them from the king and from the fiery furnace itself. Such an answer in the presence of the monarch who had absolute authority over the lives of his subjects was extremely courageous and demonstrated their faith, but their next words were an even more profound expression of their faith. They added that even if God did not deliver them from the fire, they would not worship the golden statue (v.18). Their faith was not dependent on favorable circumstances like that of some people who are “fair-weather” believers. They affirm their love for God if things are going well, but if calamity or misfortune strikes these “fair-weather” believers, they may turn and blame God for their distress.
Genuine faith is the “in-spite-of-circumstances” kind expressed in Habakkuk 3:17-18. The three friends had the “in-spite-of” kind of faith that was not dependent on physical deliverance from the king’s wrath. The courage of the three young men was based on a conviction that whatever happened, God would still reign. The three men did not presume upon God by claiming that He would deliver them, only that, if He chose, He could do so. They trusted God fully. No matter what God chose to do, they would not worship the king’s statue.
Read Daniel 3:26-28
Their refusal to yield only angered the king more. He ordered the furnace to be heated seven times the usual temperature and to cast the men bound and clothed into the fire. At this point, the enemies of the three had to be overjoyed. The flames that leaped from the furnace consumed the soldiers who cast the three into the fire (v.22). Nebuchadnezzar was astonished to see a fourth person in the fire and that none of them was harmed by the flames. He said the appearance of the fourth person was like a “son of the gods”, that is some king of supernatural being (v. 25 and 28). He realized that the supernatural being was protecting the Jews from harm. The King James Version translates the expression as “the Son of God,” which would suggest an appearance of Jesus in the furnace; this was an ancient interpretation of the church. How the pagan king could identify Jesus, who had not yet been incarnated, would be difficult to explain except as a unique revelation. Either translation can be justified because the word can properly be translated as a singular Hebrew word, God, or as a plural word, gods. However, the Aramaic equivalent is always plural, unless this is one exception.
God’s deliverance of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego was a great victory of faith for the Jews in captivity. They were protected from harm, they were comforted in trial, God was glorified, and they were rewarded. This should makes us want to be true to God no matter how difficult the pressure or punishment. God’s protection transcends anything we could imagine. These young men had been completely untouched by the fire and heat. Only the rope that bound them had been burned. No human can bind us if God want us to be free. The power available to us is the same that delivered Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and raised Christ from the dead (Ephesians 1:18-20). Trust God in every situation. There are eternal reasons for temporary trials, so be thankful that our destiny is in God’s hands, not in human hands.
The king ordered their immediate release. All those present saw that the flames did not harm their bodies or their clothes. The pagan king acknowledged that their God had delivered them and issued a decree, making the worship of their God lawful. He warned that anyone who even spoke a word against the Jews would be torn limb from limb and their house destroyed. As further evidence of his newfound respect for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, the king promoted them to higher positions in the province of Babylon. Their enemies’ plot to see them destroyed had backfired, and now the Jews were in even higher favor with the king.
This story of courageous faith in the face of unjustified persecution has been a source of strength through the centuries for Jews and anyone else who has experienced persecution for their faith. “Be strong and courageous”!!!
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