Through The Fiery Furnace
Contents:
He sees this as non-negotiable, an act of loyalty. He doesn't care whether or not this is against the Jews' religion. They must submit or pay the consequences. At least he gives them a second chance. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace.
B. Daniel in the Lions' Den (Daniel 6)
Then what god [76] will be able to rescue [77] you from my hand? Notice the king's insult towards the God of the Jews at the end of verse He knows this is a religious scruple, but doesn't care. He has no respect for their God -- even though at one point he had honored Daniel's God 2: Why is the king so angry? What is his motivation to have people bow to the statue? The Jews' response to the king isn't very respectful.
Instead of flattering the king, they flatly refuse to comply. The Ten Commandments clearly state that Jews are not to bow down to or worship any other gods -- or even make a graven image.
Making it Through Your Fiery Furnace by Christina Patterson - encouragement and inspiration from Christian women bloggers!. 11 And whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into a burning fiery furnace. 12 There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the affairs.
You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. Nebuchadnezzar may take bowing down as a non-negotiable, but so does Yahweh. The Jews dare not disobey their God. And so they answer bluntly: God is able to save [79] us. But even if he doesn't, we refuse to bow down. So often we are willing to serve God so long as he blesses us and we get our way.
But will we serve him even though things get bad for us. When we face death? Do we desire to avoid death than we desire to be faithful to God? What is their attitude? How do they witness about their God?
Do they face death with resignation or defiance? Seven times hotter is hyperbole, of course. There was no way to measure the temperature. But the reader is given one way to estimate. The fire is so hot that it kills those who throw the Jews into the furnace. I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound [88] and unharmed [89] , and the fourth looks like [90] a son of the gods [91]. However, it is better rendered "a son of the gods" NIV, ESV , since in verse 28 the king refers to the being as an angel. Notice Nebuchadnezzar's sudden respect for "servants of the Most High God.
They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them. Everyone crowds around the Jews, hardly able to believe that the fire had absolutely no effect on them or their clothing. What effect does it have on the king? What kind of glory does God receive? 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.
Nebuchadnezzar sums up the faith and faithfulness of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego:. That, of course, is the lesson of this story. Faithful believers are willing to die rather than betray God. Do we compromise where we should have stood firm? Do we avoid an issue, when we should face it fairly and steadfastly? The king rewards Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego with a promotion and decrees that no one is to say anything against their God.
Are you willing to disobey a command or law to be faithful to God? Are you willing to lay down your life to be faithful to God? What might hold you back? But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up. I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.
The story of Daniel in the lions' den has captured the imagination of believers for thousands of years. Daniel's emergence from the lions' den is typological of Jesus death and resurrection, as in third century frescos found in at least three separate Roman catacombs. This is the second time in Daniel that we see an account of Jews being sentenced to death for practicing their faith. In chapter 3 the Hebrew children are condemned to the fiery furnace, and in chapter 6, Daniel is thrown into the lions' den. Both of these stories concern a "court conflict," that is, colleagues are jealous that Jews have been promoted to higher positions in government, and the Jews' faithfulness to God is reported in order to get them out of the way 3: It is now a few years later.
The government of the now Persian province of Babylon is under Darius the Mede. Now we meet Darius the Mede, but who is he? The historicity of the Book of Daniel has been questioned, since 1 Darius the Mede is not found elsewhere in ancient history, and 2 it is clear from cuneiform sources that Cyrus II was the conqueror of Babylon, the immediate successor of Nabonidus and Belshazzar. Many critical scholars have considered Darius an "historical construct. It is not uncommon in the Bible to have the same individual called by two names: Darius is likely a throne name for the person ruling in Babylon.
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Three explanations have been suggested. Darius the Mede is:. Since the locus of the action seems to be in Babylon, not one of the capital cities of the Persian Empire Susa, Ecbatana, Persepolis, etc. The satraps were made accountable to them so that the king might not suffer loss. In the context, "the kingdom" seems to refer to Babylonia itself, rather than the entire Medo-Persian empire.
He doesn't seem to be "first" among the three, as the KJV suggests, but "one" of the three.
Daniel and his other two colleagues were to make sure that none of the satraps were corrupt or made themselves rich at government expense. They could find no corruption [] in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. Daniel, who has been a wise and exceptional official under Nebuchadnezzar, shines brightly under Persian rule.
When his rivals hear that the king is planning to put him in charge, they search for grounds on which to discredit him, but cannot find any. Daniel's record is spotless. He conducted the king's affairs in a proper and honest manner. In our day government workers and officials -- as well as managers or employees of private companies -- are sometimes accused of being lazy, incompetent, or corrupt.
The Fiery Furnace Chapter 4: His books are inexpensive paperbacks that are theological in nature: Are you willing to disobey a command or law to be faithful to God? Darius the Mede is:. The key words here are "fall down" and "worship. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before. These government officials don't like "foreigners" getting better government positions than local, loyal citizens.
But Daniel was none of these. His enemies couldn't find anything in the performance of his duties by which they could accuse him. Daniel sets a high standard by which we can examine our own performance as employees. How do such qualities reflect on Daniel's God? Does your employer or supervisor see those qualities in you?
The act is clearly designed to appeal to the pride of the king, and its only purpose is to find grounds to get rid of Daniel. But Daniel's enemies have lied to Nebuchadnezzar that the parties "have all agreed. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.
Daniel went to his own house. Yes, he prayed with an open window, but he didn't pray in front of his colleagues for show, that is kneeling and lifting his hands as he probably did in private. I have no doubt, however, that he prayed silent prayers while at work in the king's court. Daniel prayed in keeping with Solomon's plea four hundred years previously: Hear from heaven, your dwelling place, and when you hear, forgive" 1 Kings 8: To this day, Muslims pray towards Mecca, Jews pray towards Jerusalem, the Eastern Orthodox face east to pray, and most cathedrals are oriented towards the east.
Praying regularly , three times a day.
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Observant Jews today practice three times of prayer each day: This is said to have been codified into Jewish law about the time of the return from Exile. Praying while kneeling , humbling himself before God. Daniel probably lifted his hands to God in prayer as well: Praying with bowed head. Praying giving thanks, praising.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
Praying and petitioning God. Praying seeking God's mercy. Which of these have you adopted? Which might help your prayers if you adopted them? He still prays three times a day. Apparently, Medo-Persian practice didn't allow laws to be repealed Esther 1: The king realizes that he has been tricked. He values Daniel's wisdom and tries to undo his mistake but cannot.
Execution by being thrown to the animals was not a common form of capital punishment in the ancient Near East. It wasn't made popular until it was introduced in the Roman Empire about the second century BC. Nevertheless, lions and big cats were greatly admired. Apart from being hunted for sport, lions were sometimes kept in captivity, and the den of lions into which Daniel was thrown was perhaps part of a royal zoo.
Statues of winged lions were placed at the entrances of palaces and important public buildings in Assyria and Babylonia to bring the protection of magical forces to the structures and their occupants. Probably the most outstanding artistic representation of a lion is seen in the glazed brick figures that decorated the Processional Street leading from the Ishtar Gate in Babylon sixth century BC.
The Fiery Furnace: Bible Story and Life Application
Berean Study Bible And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, firmly bound, fell into the burning fiery furnace. New American Standard Bible But these three men, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, fell into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire still tied up. King James Bible And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
Christian Standard Bible And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego fell, bound, into the furnace of blazing fire. International Standard Version Bound firmly with ropes, these three men Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego fell into the blazing fire furnace. They were still tied up. New American Standard But these three men, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, fell into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire still tied up. Jubilee Bible And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
American King James Version And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the middle of the burning fiery furnace. American Standard Version And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Brenton Septuagint Translation Then these three men, Sedrach, Misach, and Abdenago, fell bound into the midst of the burning furnace, and walked in the midst of the flame, singing praise to God, and blessing the Lord.
Douay-Rheims Bible But these three men, that is, Sidrach, Misach, and Abdenago, fell down bound in the midst of the furnace of burning fire.