Lessons from Daniel chapter 1 & 2:
1) Daniel purposed not to defile himself by eating food & wine offered to idols
2) Daniel persevered because he knew God is sovereign
3) Because God revealed to him the meaning of a dream the king Nebuchadnezzar had, Daniel was promoted to be governor of a Babylonian region
“Surely your God is the God of gods, the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you (Daniel) were able to reveal this mystery.”
- king Nebuchadnezzar
“King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, sixty cubits high and six cubits wide, and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon.”
Daniel 3:1
Daniel 3:8 At this time some astrologers came forward and denounced the Jews. 9 They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “May the king live forever! 10 Your Majesty has issued a decree that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music must fall down and worship the image of gold, 11 and that whoever does not fall down and worship will be thrown into a blazing furnace.
12 But there are some Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon—Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego—who pay no attention to you, Your Majesty. They neither serve your gods nor worship the image of gold you have set up.”
NO COMPROMISE!
If they would make a small compromise, they would be
allowed to live & go on enjoying serving God & serving people in
this foreign land. They refused
to compromise & placed their lives in the hand of God.
Daniel 3 16 “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and He will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. 18 But even if He does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”
Daniel 3 13 Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king. The three were given one more chance. Here are some excuses they could have used to bow to the image & save their lives: 1) We will fall down but not actually worship the idol. No one
will really know, right? So in our hearts, we won’t worship... 2) We won’t become idol worshipers, but just once, we will
worship the statue, and then ask God for forgiveness. 3) The king has absolute power and we must obey him, God will
surely understand. 4) This is foreign land, so God will forgive us for following the
customs of the land.
Exodus 20:3-‐5 3 “You shall have no other gods before Me. 4 You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God...”
“The Lord is my strong Defender; He is the one who has saved me. He is my God
and I will praise Him.” - Isaiah 12:2
Daniel 3:19-‐23 19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual... 22 The king’s command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, 23 and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace.
Daniel 3:25 25 He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.”
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”
Isaiah 43:2
“If you say, ‘The Lord is my refuge,’ and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.”
Psalm 91:9-12
Daniel 3:28-‐29 Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent His angel and rescued His servants! They trusted in Him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way.”
J_hov[h Go^ is still on th_ thron_. H_ h[sn’t fors[k_n us.
H_ promis_^ to \_ with His p_opl_ in th_ir furn[]_ of [ffli]tion wh_n th_y woul^ trust Him [n^ o\_y His will.
“All God’s giants have been weak men and women who did great things for God because
they reckoned on God being with them” - Hudson Taylor
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful!
Hebrews 10:23
God who has called you into fellowship with His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.
1 Corinthians 1:9
Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father,
There is no shadow of turning with Thee. Thou changest not,
Thy Compassion they fail not. As Thou has been Thou forever will be.
Love the Lord, all his faithful people!
The Lord preserves those who are true to
him, but the proud he pays back in full.
Psalm 31:23
For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the LORD,
Psalm 117:2
N_v_r will I l_[v_ you n_v_r will I fors[k_ you. Th_ Lor^ is my h_lp_r, I will not \_ [fr[i^. Wh[t ][n m[n ^o to m_?
H_\r_w 13:5