How can we expect the Lord to cause his face to shine upon his sanctuary when his people have little or no care about that sanctuary? Whoever serves Adolph Hitler, the fuehrer, serves Germany, and whoever serves Germany serves God." This should correct the idea of some who, when they pray for God to bless his sanctuary, mean, “Lord, bless little Bethel! If we dwell with Him, we shall catch the heroic spirit, and to us a world of enemies will be but as the drop of a bucket. Only such wisdom can secure for me eternal brightness as of yonder sunlit skies. I want to know that the shadows of this world are the shades of an avenue the avenue to the house of my Father. So therefore God will put you in a situation where you won’t have the opportunity to have another more mature believer around to consult, cry on their shoulder or do something else.”274. May the Lord grant that we may never know what this means in our own case; and, for all these reasons, let us pray to God to cause his face to shine upon his sanctuary. Fell into the midst of the furnace - Perhaps you are thinking "I could never be able to endure such a test!". indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. Though in a foreign land, Leupold - The quiet, modest, yet withal very positive attitude of faith that these three men display is one of the noblest examples in the Scriptures of faith fully resigned to the will of God. Note also the incredibly strong negation using five Greek words that each convey negation. Hart And the purpose! Do God the honour to trust Him when it comes to matters of loss for the sake of principle. Dear young fellow, you may be fired from your situation, but the Lord will turn the curse into a blessing. Fear of the fire was, by comparison, thinkable. In summary, they were taught the truth about God and this truth was used by His Spirit to increase and stabilize their faith (cp Ro 10:17-note). Able to deliver (Deliver in Da 3:15, 17, 28, 29) - The Septuagint translates "deliver" with the Greek verb rhuomai [word study], which means to rescue from a situation of potentially great harm. (Colossians 3:5 -note). But that isn't always the case. Have you ever cried out as he did—“O wretched man that I am! 5:27). In general sense dunatos means able, capable, powerful and is an attribute of God (Ro 9:22 "to make His power known"), Who is called "the Mighty One" (Lk 1:49). ", As the ant-hill, when stirred, sets in motion its living insects in every direction, so the conscience of the sinner, disturbed by the Spirit, or judgments of God, calls up before its vision thousands of deeds which fill the soul with agony and woe. There are Christian people who would do well to think a little of this matter. Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria, opposed the heretical teaching of Arius who denied the deity of Christ. While there seems to be a connection between the statue of chapter 2 and the image of chapter 3, there are striking contrasts between these two representations. 3:20); if Jesus walks the glowing coals as our companion, the fire will have no power, the hairs of our heads will not be singed, our garments will not be affected, and even the smell of fire will not be on them (Dan. And when God thinks that these believers have enough of the Word of God He will remove that person from them and then try a test on them to see whether they’re leaning on the Word of God or whether in fact they are leaning upon the other person. . should consider well the response of these men in this crisis when their lives were at stake. God has not said, of any one country, “England, America, Russia, Spain, shall be mine;” but Moses truly said, “the Lord’s portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.”. Those who worshipped the beast and his image, have no rest, no pause, no moment free from pain, Revelation 14:10,11. He was rioting in gay company: "his princes, his wives, and his concubines." When the fiery test comes, remember especially that God promises not to test us beyond what we are able to endure (1Cor 10:13-note). They did not know that He would. 3:24-27. In the book of Acts we find an example of "not bowing", Luke recording that the Jewish council and high priest, gave… strict orders not to continue teaching in this Name, and behold, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and intend to bring this Man's blood upon us." In such a flat location the statue would be unimpeded by hills or knolls and thus would be readily visible from quite a distance, an awesome site sparkling in the radiant sunlight. STAND WITH JESUS AND While their brethren, who yet remained in their own land, were worshipping images by choice, they in Babylon would not be brought to it by constraint, but, as if they were good by antiperistasis, were most zealous against idolatry in an idolatrous country. THOUGHT - The actions of the 3 Hebrews validated what they said they believed. But too many people keep questions of duty open, waiting for new light, secretly hoping that by some logical process it may become possible for them to avoid making the sacrifice, and to do the thing that now appears to be wrong. The king did not want to destroy these young men, and repeated his command. The crowd believed the herald and the king, and therefore they obeyed. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you. To you who have a well-grounded hope that you shall not feel this wrath, which you have deserved—let me exhort you to be very thankful to God, who has given His Son to save you from this tremendous wrath. God gives men hints of something behind, which is yet to appear. Daniel 3:7 Therefore at that time, when all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery, bagpipe and all kinds of music, all the peoples, nations and men of every language fell down and worshiped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. The living waters flowed forth from Jerusalem. Afflicted and distress’d, There is still a divine indwelling, the Holy Ghost is here on earth now, dwelling in his people, as Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you?” The whole body of believers put together makes up the one great spiritual temple, which is the sanctuary of the living God. Self-control is the mark of completeness in Christian culture. That “man greatly beloved was, in all respects, faithful to his convictions. None of them all; but there are some people, in all the visible churches, who belong to the one sanctuary of God. It was their faith which made them invincible in Daniel 3:16-18." a noble thing in itself: in this place it refers to a divine wisdom which only the Lord Himself can bestow. The comfort of Christ's revelation is not that it teaches emancipation from sorrow, but emancipation through sorrow. What must God's thoughts of us be? He had thought over the sins, calamities, prospects of his people. Knowing about God will bring no one into heaven, for even the demons know about Him and believe He is one (Jas 2:19-note). (1Sa 17:37, cp 1Sa 17:46), In some of his last written words the apostle Paul testified that our God is able declaring…, For this reason (Always pause and ask "What reason?" Daniel Chapter 10: Lifting the veil. In Amos the people are accused of carrying "images" (idols) which they had made (Amos 5:26, referred to in Stephen's sermon in Acts 7:43). Daniel 3:3 Then the satraps, the prefects and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates and all the rulers of the provinces were assembled for the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. What is the problem? Many believers have made similar stands, only to be martyred without being rescued (Ed: see following examples). Comment: A number of commentators take a similar approach to using the events in Daniel 3 as a foreshadowing of the future of Israel during the Tribulation or Daniel's Seventieth Week, identifying Nebuchadnezzar with Antichrist (I would take issue with this genre of interpretation because Antichrist never speaks of the true God in such exalting language as did Nebuchadnezzar, not to mention that in Daniel 4 we read the story of his likely conversion! Just as Israel would like to assimilate among the Gentile nations, but God says it will never come to pass, so too believers will find it impossible to remain friends with both the world and God (Jas.4:4). They had a contempt of death. Knowledge supplies us reasons for patience. No conscience is so dead that he cannot arouse it. This is Daniel Whyte III, president of Gospel Light Society International with the Whyte House Family Devotional Reading of Charles Spurgeon’s classic book Morning and Evening. There are several things to note in these young men. What the Lord does for one of His children does not dictate what He will do for another. There is still a temple upon the earth, but it is a temple not made with hands;-a temple reared, not by human masons, and hewers of stone, and carpenters, and other artificers, but built by God himself. The English poet William Congreave wrote that “music has charms to soothe a savage breast,” but music also has power to release the savage in the breast. IT did not do Daniel any harm to know that he was greatly beloved of God; or else he would not have received that information from heaven. 12 "And he will be a wild donkey of a man. Matthew Henry - Thus does the matter lie in a little compass—Turn, or burn; and, because he knew they buoyed themselves up in their refusal with a confidence in their God, he insolently set him a defiance: "And who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands? As for our days before we were regenerated, may they be forgiven and forgotten; but since then, though we have not sinned as before, yet we have sinned against light and against love—light which has really penetrated our minds, and love in which we have rejoiced. Oh to know myself, my God, my Saviour! Will not the Lord be provoked to avenge this contempt? "You will not be able to go through life without being discovered: a lighted candle cannot be hid. Give me real faith; give me warmer zeal; inflame me with more fervent love; grant me the grace of meekness; make me more like Jesus. Down from the willows take: 5. If you are so depressed by your trials that you cannot rejoice, even though your name is written in heaven, then I think you do not love Jesus as you should. No man is out of the reach of the arrows of God. Theirs is the faith that says: ‘Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him,’ Job 13:15. There ms scarcely a column standing upon its proper pedestal, and hardly one stone left upon another. Then joyfully accept the trial which comes with it. Smugly confident that he had dealt definitively with the 3 upstarts to his kingdom authority, but wait! "The majority of men have thought of women as sublime separately but horrible as a herd," noted the wise G. K. Chesterton. Shall all my chosen live. Am I seeking that which I ought to seek? Then Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego came out of the midst of the fire. They were away from home, out from under parental influence and restraints, and exposed to very strong temptation. May I be so divinely taught that I may carry into practice heavenly truth and live in the light of it! Note the role of music in the practice of idolatry. Daniel 3:19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with wrath, and his facial expression was altered toward Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. Tony Garland No. To my mind, it is an amazing thing that men should entertain such absurd notions, for which there is not the slightest shadow of a foundation. Note, A steadfast self-denying adherence to God and duty in less instances will qualify and prepare us for the like in greater. do but see here how this proud Nebuchadnezzar was astonished at the beholding of this sight!" It is heart-work, soul-work, the work of the Spirit of God drawing us near to God, which alone is acceptable to him. They might have said, "There is nothing to gain by resisting; wouldn't we do more good by living?" Comment: This is one of the "promises" of God we would rather not "claim"! What an encouraging example for each of us to stand fast like these three did. Then quickly he raised his gaze to heaven and cried, "I believe in Jesus Christ! Men say there are no miracles in these days—but God can always find a way to work any deliverance He desires to work for His people. This is worth living for. Where would England have been if the men who won our liberties in former ages had haggled with the world for gain? Sometimes God uses persecution to remind us of Who we belong to and bring us back to our spiritual senses. O God, thy Church needs thee above everything else! No! I asked him whence his strength was given, Let us consider the state of Zion (verse 23). Grace teaches us to mortify our sins, to love our enemies—and to prefer the glory of Christ before our own lives. Ge 16:7, 9, 10, 11; 22:11, 15; Ex 3:2; Nu 22:22, 23, 24, 31, 32, 34, 35; Jdg 2:1, 4; 5:23; 6:11, 12, 21, 22; 13:3, 13, 15, 16, 17, 20, 21; 2Sa 24:16; 1Ki 19:7; 2Ki 1:3, 15; 19:35; 1Chr 21:12, 15, 16, 18, 30; Ps 34:7; 35:5, 6; Is 37:36; Zech 1:11,12; 3:1, 5, 6; 12:8; Mt 1:20, 24; 2:13, 19; 28:2; Lk 1:11; 2:9; Jn 5:4; Ac 5:19; 8:26; 12:7, 23. The times of which Daniel wrote were of the very worst kind, and then it was promised that the people of God would come out in their best colors: they would be strong and stout to confront the powerful adversary. In short it was believed that Napoleon III (1808-73) was the Antichrist and timing the seven year tribulation from his campaign in Italy in 1859, it was believed Christ would return in 1866. What ails you, that babes and sucklings are braver than you? When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze (Isaiah 43:2NIV). He loves not Christ who does not love Him more than all things. 3. There was total and immediate obedience to Nebuchadnezzar's command!". (Gal 5:7) Some are like seed on the stony ground (Mk 4:5, 6, 16, 17). Dear friends, let us be ready to suffer for Christ’s sake. I will trust and not be afraid, for the Lord God is my strength and song (Is 12:2), EBC notes that "The Aramaic word order of Da 3:16 places an emphasis on the pronoun "we," implying that it is the Lord Himself Who will deal with this king who thinks he is sovereign on earth. Let all that you do be done in love. It is something, which belongs to the mind and to the spirit of man; and, from the time of our Lord, there has been no building, which was even typically holy. I see four men loosed and walking about in the midst of the fire without harm, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods!". Deliver - This is a key word in the second half of Daniel 3 - Da 3:15, 17, 28, 29 (Note: Da 3:29 is not sezab but nesal, used in Daniel's deliverance from lion's den). Let us think of Belshazzar, and of ourselves. There was no one to whom he thought of bowing down. I think the 3 Hebrew lads had done their heart check in this chapter. 2. Says one: "God's judgments—it may be the very sternest and most irremediable of them—come, many a time, in the guise, not of affliction—but of immense earthly prosperity and ease. yourselves from idols. Daniel 3:15 "Now if you are ready, at the moment you hear the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery and bagpipe and all kinds of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, very well. Dan 6:7; Acts 12:22 and the later Roman emperors. (Ex 20:3, 4, 5), One of many dangers of idols is that in worshiping and serving them, we become like them, the psalmist declaring…, Those who make them will become like them, everyone who trusts in them. (Ref). Daniel 3:16. “If I do a thing, ever so right in itself, on the mere ground that I have a right to disobey man under certain circumstances, I am doing the lesser of two evils. 10:19). He is able to deliver thee, Note also, their sublime courage. 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