The consequence is, that this at once delivers from the very smallest real ground for charging a godly person with being a rebel.”266 See Civil Disobedience and the Christian. Oh, for a praying Church! God was theirs—and they were God's. Every pulse has its effect upon the whole, from the crown of the head to the sole of the foot; so is it with the communion of saints. (Job 13:15), The king was angered by the quiet determination of the young Hebrew children, and commanded that no time should be lost, and that their punishment should be as terrible as possible. Think of the patient!" As we read later in Daniel 3:28, that other person is "an angel".. Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God. It may burst into activity at any moment. He was wantonly defying Jehovah, the God of Israel. 3. Whatever might be his own condition, he remembered what Jerusalem was, and what the people to whom he belonged were; and, in the depths of his soul, he sorrowed notwithstanding all that God’s grace had wrought within himself. When God is pleased, his word is mighty, and all holy endeavors are prospered. Notice in this Psalm the "antidote" for not becoming like the godless idols is to trust in Jehovah. But that isn't always the case. Take heed that you do not fall into Belshazzar's condition, to whom Daniel gave no counsel, but simply interpreted the sentences which sealed his doom. "Therefore, as soon as they heard the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp and all kinds of music - all the peoples, nations and men of every language fell down and worshiped the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. Such instruments were common in Babylon at this time. He is secure where others are in peril, he lives where others die. Grace is a Christian's armor, which does more than any other armor can—it not only defends him, but puts courage into him. A poor, little, sick, neglected child needs fifty things; but you can put all those needs into one if you say that the child needs its mother. We do not know if they knew Isaiah's words (they were spoken/written around 700BC, at least 100 years before this event in Daniel 3). for (term of explanation) I will give you utterance (stoma = literally mouth) and wisdom which none (ou = absolute negation!) ), he was enabled to die singing "Christ, thou Son of the living God, have mercy upon me." No man is rendered wise or thoughtful by the wine-cup. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. In the close of the foregoing chapter we left Daniel's companions, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in honour and power, princes of the provinces, and preferred for their relation to the God of Israel and the interest they had in him. Can you say, “The Lord gave, and the L ord has taken away; blessed be the name of the L ord ” (Job 1:21)? 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. Showers makes the cogent observation that "Three things should be noted about the punishment. And in case you think you don't have any idols, note Paul's sweeping definition of idolatry…, Therefore consider (aorist imperative - Do this now! Further, Daniel’s prayer was the child of thought. Daniel 3: Through Floods and Flames. He was exiled five times for his opposition to Arius. He loves not Christ who does not love Him more than all things. Guzik - The image was more like a stylized obelisk than a normal statue, being 90 feet high and 9 feet wide. Bible Commentaries Spurgeon's Verse Expositions of the Bible ... Daniel 1:3-4. They did not cringe before the king and cry, "We beseech you, do not throw us into the fiery furnace. Daniel 3:17 "If it be so, our God Whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. Daniel's three friends were also tested by King Nebuchadnezzar's evil edict. I fear the 21st century church in America is drifting away from the singing of theologically rich psalms and hymns and spiritual songs (Ep 5:19-note), failing to recognize the important role of "deeper" bibliocentric lyrics (which can still have a good beat!) He was taking care of them, and therefore they had no need to concern themselves about their own safety. Let us do nothing to grieve the Lord; for all depends upon his smile. No Other God — that assertion is at the core of this chapter as it is in the entire book of Daniel. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Then comes the expression of the faith of these men. It refers consistently to rescuing or delivering a person from an impossible situation. - Thomas Adams, As a moth gnaws a garment, so does envy consume a man. The Puritan Thomas Brooks gives perhaps the best synopsis of this horrible "cancer" writing "Envy, it tortures the affections, it vexes the mind, it inflames the blood, it corrupts the heart, it wastes the spirits; and so it becomes man's tormentor and man's executioner at once. He preached in the same church as C. H. Spurgeon over one hundred years earlier. We must continue to serve Him though He brings no earthly deliverance. Yet God was more real to them than any of those things. The nurse, her eyes blazing, said, "You can't do that! I declare that I have often stood on holy ground, but it has been by the bedside of some poor, expiring saint with whom the Lord has been dwelling, and through whom he has manifested the wonders of his grace. These young men had made up their minds intelligently, that it was right to worship God, and that it was wrong to render homage to an idol… The religion of principle is always found where there is an intelligent view of what is right, and a man can give a ‘reason’ for what he does. It is misleading to imagine that we are developed in spite of our circumstances, we are developed because of them. See if he doth not even in this life prove his word that “Godliness, with contentment, is great gain,” and that they who “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, shall have all these things added unto them.” Should it happen that, in the providence of God, you are a loser by conscience, you shall find that if the Lord pays you not back in the silver of earthly prosperity, he will discharge his promise in the gold of spiritual joy. Adam never saw Eve until God had perfectly fashioned her; and you will never see the Church, the Bride of Christ, till she is perfect and complete; and when she is, you will clap your hands with joy at the sight of the exquisite beauty which God shall have given to her ere she is presented to her Heavenly Bridegroom. "On the plains of Dura there stands today, a rectilinear mound, about twenty feet high, an exact square of about forty-six feet at the base, resembling the pedestal of a colossal statue." We shall not have to complain of the cloudy preaching of which we hear so much nowadays, or of the men whose cleverness consists in confusing the minds of their hearers, or, to speak in plain language, in inventing lies to contradict the blessed Word of God, and to seek to’ undermine everything for which we have ever had respect and regard. Cross-bearers all we go: Shine bright, strong golden chain; "Then why do we fret and sigh; God bless the dear children! It is a great thing to be able to call God OURS, and to say, "God is our refuge!" you that I have nourished and brought up, that have been educated and maintained at my charge, that I have been so kind to and done so much for, you that have been in such reputation for wisdom, and therefore should better have known your duty to your prince; what! Yield not to temptation, for yielding is sin— (This addition to Daniel is also included in the Apocrypha). All rights reserved. The three Hebrews were safer in the furnace than when they were standing in front of the king. (Php 1:21-note) No wonder he was accused of turning the world upside down (Acts 17:6). But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. Your commitment becomes an encouragement to others. If God's Word guides your conscience, Matthew Henry reads it this way - Was it designedly and deliberately done, or was it only through inadvertency, that you have not served my gods? Put us in Nebuchadnezzar’s furnace (Dan. When Daniel learned of King Darius's decree forbidding prayer to any god or man except the king himself, he proceeded with his regular manner of worship, on his knees, windows open, "just as he had done before," and was caught in the act (Daniel 6). Your father's history might instruct you, or at least trouble you. The Psalmist's description would apply to them in that they were not…, like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation that did not prepare its heart, and whose spirit was not faithful to God. God's thoughts are above your thoughts. Deliver (07804) (sezab) is an Aramaic verb meaning to deliver, to rescue. Come out (aorist imperative = Command to do this now. Yet they clung to us until some fiery trial befell us, and from that hour, through the grace of the Holy Spirit, we were free. (Mt 5:13-note, Mt 5:14, 15, 16-note), Ray Pritchard comments that "the three young men refused to bow because years earlier they had learned the Ten Commandments. This is Episode #370. It was this that enabled them to look with so much contempt upon death, death in pomp, death in all its terrors: they trusted in the living God, and by that faith chose rather to suffer than to sin; they therefore feared not the wrath of the king, but endured, because by faith they had an eye to Him that is invisible (He 11:25-note, He 11:27-note), Jesus taught His disciples "make (aorist imperative - A command we carry out but only by the enabling power of the Spirit) up your minds (more literally "place it upon your heart) not to prepare beforehand to defend (apologeomai - speak in your own defense against charges presumed to be false) yourselves (Why? Can you discover the silver lining of tribulation’s black clouds? Hus is quoted as saying “If I can’t withstand the fire of a candle, how the stake?” But the next day Hus not only endured the blazing flames (by some reports with Wycliffe’s manuscript Bibles used as kindling! “Which church?” asks someone. In another moment the accents deepened into intelligible words, and the earnest petition went up from his struggling soul to heaven,"O Lord, give me Scotland, or I die!" Each victory will help you some other to win; For example, when on their boatjourneys, those who were sitting as passengers in the boat were expected to pray for those who were plying the paddles. They who have suffered persecution needed trials as well as others, for ‘all’ Christians need them - and ‘theirs’ came in this form. (3) They had experienced the delivering power of God's grace in Daniel 1 when they (concurring with Daniel, the spokesman) made a choice to refuse the king's choice food which would have defiled them (Da 1:8-note). "At the time the Diet of Nuremburg was held," says Tholuck, "Luther was earnestly praying in his own dwelling; and at the very hour when the edict, granting full toleration to alt Protestants, was issued, he ran out of his house, crying out, 'We have gained the victory'." Do right, if it costs you your life. Apart from theillumination of the Holy Spirit, the natural man will never grasp what God is saying or doing. Is it true - This shows that the king did not blindly accept the accusations of the Chaldeans. Say, like the holy children, "We have no need to answer you in this matter". The last indication of a date is the 3rd year of king Cyrus of Persia in Daniel 10:1 which was the year 536/35 BC. How fervent the praise! 4. They tell me that I shall stand upon the peaks of Olivet, the heights of resurrection glory. EBC - Like Sennacherib, who had derided Hezekiah's trust in God by boasting that none of the gods of the other nations had ever been able to save their people from the might of Assyria (2Kings 18:33, cp Ps 3:2-note), Nebuchadnezzar had converted his confrontation with men into a contest with the Lord God Almighty. Yekel - 11v - Dan 2:10, 27, 47; 3:17, 29; 4:18, 37; 5:16; 6:4, 20; 7:21. Did the Lord Jesus stand as our representative? If you have a high sense of your Master’s preciousness, you will rejoice in the deepest distress. An unpardoned sinner sins cheaply compared with the sin of one of God’s own elect ones, who has had communion with Christ and leaned his head upon Jesus’ bosom. He is One whose character excites our enthusiasm and makes us willing to live and to die for Him. The body they may kill: God’s truth abideth still, Now, if there be such love between God and us let us live in the influence and sweetness of it, and use the privilege of our position. Put us in Nebuchadnezzar’s furnace (Dan. They were delivered through the fire which brought death to their executioners and in a way that destroyed only their bonds. See whether He will be your Debtor! They were honest, and for the moment they displeased their employers, but in the end earned their esteem. You might be wondering where Daniel fits into this story, and the simple answer is that we don't know. To the guilty heart, to the sinful soul; Daniel 3:5-6. They even sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons, and shed innocent blood, The blood of their sons and their daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan; and the land was polluted with the blood. Acts 12:1-11). “Nothing is plainer than that the Holy Ghost never acknowledges the Christian in any way except as separate from the world,—the object of its animosity and persecution, cast out, despised, unknown, by the world. In the sunlight of God’s pretense, we have fellowship one with another, and with the Lord Jesus Christ, and our hearts are exceedingly glad. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were all young men who were in peculiar circumstances. 268 Benware, Daniel’s Prophecy of Things to Come, 82. Features distorted. Losses enrich him, sickness is his medicine, reproach is his honour, death is his gain. Shrink not from the flames. "Give me some men who are stout hearted men… " Men who are committed are the men who change the world… Paul's commitment, "For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain." You would be better without it; for with it, adversity deceives you. Solomon warned about the anger of kings - "The king's wrath is like the roaring of a lion, but his favor is like dew on the grass. 2. They feared only one thing - sin. It is the life of Christ in a man, the Holy Ghost being with him, that enables him to speak with power. "You'll do!" 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. And, on the other hand, there are certain brethren who profess to be the one assembly of God. A lot in the heavenly Canaan is ours, and we shall stand in it, come what may. Our God is able to deliver us!" If Christ is pleased to send forth his Spirit to manifest his love, and speaks friendly to the soul, it will support it even in the greatest outward torment that man can inflict.”276 “Here is a pertinent lesson for believers today. Rest will be ours. It is the work of the Church of God to evangelize the world. While there are undoubtedly parallels between these events (especially the image of the beast in Revelation 13-see notes above). (Mt 5:11, 12+), C H Spurgeon - The unfaltering fidelity of the three holy children is worthy of our imitation. Toggle navigation. No exceptions!) In His name let us also abide by the truth without flinching, and no evil shall come nigh unto us. (Ibid), In first Samuel we read this eternal principle…, 'Far be it from Me-- for those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me will be lightly esteemed." Serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up - Can we not see Nebuchadnezzar's gigantic ego ("my… I") which causes him to brazenly declare what amounts to an antithesis of the first of the Ten Commandments (Ex 20:3) saying in essence "You shall have no other gods before my gods". Tell me I am only forced to climb because Thy house is on the hill! Don't misunderstand. Jealousy, the "jaundice of the soul" and it was a sin which quickly pounced on Abel (cp Ge 4:7) motivating him to murder his brother. True faith obeys the Lord and trusts Him to work out the consequences. “When Caesar arrogates to himself the things that are the Lord’s, then, and in such cases, his authority is to be resisted. It's also clear that these men certainly knew the penalty for disobedience (v. 6). Can you see God’s right hand even when it is wrapped in clouds? Charles Spurgeon was a prominent English Particular Baptist preacher. The Lord blesses you for Christ’s sake! (Ps 106:36, 37, 38, 39), Idols are a snare or trap, and lure us into practices that are abominable to God, a veritable "stench in His nostrils"! May their tribe increase in our world which desperately needs to see supernatural evidence of the Living God lived out in and through His children! We also meet three men who are truly ‘profiles in courage. But - This little word marks not a fearful but a faith-filled contrast! Indeed, He is truly worthy to be blessed and to be worshiped in spirit and in truth (Jn 4:24-note on what it means to worship in spirit and in truth.). Some people are always afraid that, if Christian people obtain full … To get into a rage - is a mark of lingering barbarism in the character. Chapter 9. Moses charged Joshua to be strong and very courageous. There can be nothing in the Father’s decree which should justly alarm His child. Image (06754)(Hebrew = Tselem) is a masculine noun which means image, likeness, statue, model, a drawing, a shadow. 1. - John Chrysostom. But when the sin and duty that were in the case were immediately determined by the letter of the second commandment, and no room was left to question what was right, the life and death that were in the case were not to be considered. But I maintain that, whatever the difficulty may be, there is always the path of God for the godly to walk in. And in this we must be resolute, never, under any pretence whatsoever, to worship images, or to say "A confederacy’’ with those that do so. There are many points in the type worthy of notice, but these may suffice: 1. Where duty calls or danger, be never wanting there. God rests in His love, and, therefore, we rest in it. (Daniel 3:16-17 Commitment). And when a man gets full of fury, he gets full of folly (Pr 14:29, Ec 7:9). What reason is there in our feel-comfortable society ever to be brave? 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