And the king spake unto
Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs, that he should
bring certain of the children of Israel, and of the king's seed, and of
the
princes; Children in whom was no blemish, but well favoured, and skilful
in
all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such
as had ability in them to stand in the king's palace, and whom they might
teach
the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans. And the king appointed them
a
daily provision of the king's meat, and of the wine which he drank: so
nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof
they might stand before the king.
Daniel 1:3-5
The plan was to change God's representatives...
to make them match their new surroundings.
Now among these were of
the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael,
and Azariah: Unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave names: for he gave
unto Daniel the name of Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, of Shadrach; and
to
Mishael, of Meshach; and to Azariah, of Abednego.
Daniel 1:6, 7
Nebuchadnezzar wanted Daniel and his
3 friends to fit into, and be as much
like, the existing world as possible in the following ways:
Name
Education
Food
Language
Religion
The plan was for them to become Chaldean
teachers.
Within three years everything in their
life was expected to reflect "Babylon".
But, God had other plans....
A big test soon came at the dinner table
of the king:
...Daniel purposed in his
heart that he would not defile himself with the
portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank:
therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile
himself.
Now God had brought Daniel into favour and tender love with the prince of
the
eunuchs. And the prince of the eunuchs said unto Daniel, I fear my lord
the
king, who hath appointed your meat and your drink: for why should he see
your faces worse liking than the children which are of your sort? then shall
ye make me endanger my head to the king. Then said Daniel to Melzar, whom
the prince of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,
Prove thy servants,
I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat,
and water to drink. Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee,
and
the countenance of the children that eat of the portion of the king's meat:
and
as thou seest, deal with thy servants. So he consented to them in this matter,
and proved them ten days. And at the end of ten days their countenances
appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children which did eat
the
portion of the king's meat. Thus Melzar took away the portion of their meat,
and the wine that they should drink; and gave them pulse.
Daniel 1:8-16
I can imagine Daniel saying to his friends...
"I can't eat this food!
There's got to be something better. Let's suggest something..."
And because of the way the problem was
approached, and handled,
Daniel and his friends got what they wanted.
When the full three year period of training
concluded, what was noticed?
Now at the end of the days that the
king had said he should bring them
in, then the prince of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar.
And the king communed with them; and among them all was found none
like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: therefore stood they before
the
king. And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king enquired
of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers
that were in all his realm.
Daniel 1:18-20
Where did the ability of these four
young men come from?
... God gave them knowledge
and skill in all learning and wisdom:
and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.
Daniel 1:17
As time continued, more tests came
Later...
Nebuchadnezzar the king
made an image of gold, whose height was
threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in
the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.
Daniel 3:1
All the people of the land were commanded
to come to the Plain of Dura to
dedicate and worship this image made of gold, that stood nearly 12 stories
high.
It was to be a glorious occasion!
Then Nebuchadnezzar the
king sent to gather together the princes, the
governors, and the captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors,
the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication
of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. Then the princes,
the governors, and captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors,
the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, were gathered together
unto the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up;
and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
Daniel 3:2, 3
Much had been done to mark the event
The king was there
The important people of
the kingdom were assembled
All the king's musicians
were prepared
And in harmony with the secular humanistic customs of those times ...
when a king wanted to have his way... laws were legislated to enforce his
will.
Then an herald cried aloud,
To you it is commanded, O people, nations,
and languages, That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute,
harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down
and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up:
And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be
cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.
Daniel 3:4-6
Everyone saw the golden
image
All were aware of the details
of the king's decree
All heard the music being
played
All bowed down... except...
three young Jews
Some Chaldeans noticed the situation
and quickly went to advise the king that
there were three traitors in the camp...
Therefore at that time,
when all the people heard the sound of the cornet, flute,
harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of musick, all the people, the nations,
and
the languages, fell down and worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar
the king had set up.
Wherefore at that time
certain Chaldeans came near, and accused the Jews.
They spake and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live for ever.
Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound
of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds
of
musick, shall fall down and worship the golden image: And whoso falleth
not
down and worshippeth, that he should be cast into the midst
of a burning fiery furnace.
There are certain Jews
whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province
of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king, have
not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image
which thou hast set up.
Then Nebuchadnezzar in
his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king.
Nebuchadnezzar spake and
said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image
which I have set up?
Now if ye be ready that
at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute,
harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall
down
and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye
shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and
who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?
Daniel 3:7-15
The king was furious and demanded an
explanation! He was willing however
to let the accused think about the consequences, and reconsider what was
expected of them.
These young people chose not to
back down, change the principles
of truth they held, or give up
their faith in God
They were God's servants... His representatives...
They served a clear notice to the king
regarding their position in this
new crisis:
Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego, answered and said to the king,
O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.
If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the
burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand,
O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not
serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
Daniel 3:16-18
Notice that in the previous
verses it doesn't say
"...the God we acknowledge..."; but
"Our God, whom we serve."
They had made up their minds what they
would do, and they stayed true to it,
even though they realized that to take such a position meant they would
certainly be condemned to death.
What happened next?
Then was Nebuchadnezzar
full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed
against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore he spake, and commanded
that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont
to be
heated. And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind
Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery
furnace. Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their
hats,
and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery
furnace. Therefore because the king's commandment was urgent, and the
furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that took up
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
Daniel 3:19-23
The king had a big problem with his
temper in this very embarrassing
situation... and the oven for execution was heated 7 times hotter... so
hot in fact,
that the soldiers who were commanded to escort the three convicts died almost
instantly throwing them into it.
What occurred next is most surprising.
Try to imagine this scene
Then Nebuchadnezzar the
king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake,
and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the
midst
of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.
He answered and said, Lo,
I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the
fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son
of God.
Then Nebuchadnezzar came
near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace,
and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the
most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire.
And the princes, governors,
and captains, and the king's counsellors,
being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had
no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats
changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.
Daniel 3:24-27
God intervened...and took a real life threatening situation, and turned
it into
a great life saving blessing.
The heathen worship party now became
a platform upon which God could be
glorified.
How do you think the king knew anything
about the Son of God? Could it be
that someone had shared their faith him? Whatever he had been told definitely
left an impression; and now he remembered.
But this wasn't the end of the Dura
experience... for the king soon made
another decree, and elevated Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to a place
of great honour.
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.
Therefore I make a decree,
That every people, nation, and language,
which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made
a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this
sort. Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,
in the province of Babylon.
Daniel 3:28-30
What an experience! There's much more
that could be included,
but we must continue on... for the story is not finished yet...
Not long after this experience, another
test arose; again, with Daniel.
But this time the empire was in the
hands of the Persian king Darius.
The Bible records that Daniel was well
liked by this new ruler.
It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom
an hundred and twenty princes,
which should be over the whole kingdom; And over these three presidents;
of whom Daniel was first: that the princes might give accounts unto them,
and the king should have no damage. Then this Daniel was preferred above
the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and
the
king thought to set him over the whole realm.
Daniel 6:1-3
But, Daniel was not liked by everyone...
Then the presidents and
princes sought to find occasion against Daniel
concerning the kingdom; but they could find none occasion nor fault;
forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault
found in him.
Daniel 6:4
These leading men sought to find a way
to make big trouble for this exalted
Jewish captive:
Then said these men, We
shall not find any occasion against this Daniel,
except we find it against him concerning the law of his God.
Daniel 6:5
What was their plan? To cause Daniel
to stumble over his own religious convictions...
If you are old enough, you might remember
a television program in the
1950's called "Queen for a Day"... Well, these leaders decided
to make
king Darius "god for a month"! But it was really designed to be
a trap
for Daniel...
Then these presidents and
princes assembled together to the king, and said
thus unto him, King Darius, live for ever. All the presidents of the kingdom,
the governors, and the princes, the counsellors, and the captains, have
consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a firm decree,
that whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, save
of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions. Now, O king, establish
the decree, and sign the writing, that it be not changed, according to the
law
of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not. Wherefore king Darius signed
the writing and the decree.
Daniel 6:6-9
The new law said that no one could pray to anyone, except the king, for
30 days. On the surface it sounded to the king like a great idea. According
to the ways of this country a law, once signed, could not be changed.
Daniel, however, was a man of prayer.
He prayed several times daily, and
to stop was inconceivable to him. His religious custom created a potential
problem in the light of this new law. And there was nothing he could do
to change it.
Couldn't he just stop praying for a
month? Was he being unwisely stubborn?
Couldn't he hide his prayer life for awhile?
Daniel 6:10-18 gives us an idea of the
next events that took place:
Now when Daniel knew that
the writing was signed, he went into his house;
and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled
upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his
God, as he did aforetime.
Then these men assembled,
and found Daniel praying and making
supplication before his God.
Then they came near, and
spake before the king concerning the king's
decree; Hast thou not signed a decree, that every man that shall ask a
petition of any God or man within thirty days, save of thee, O king, shall
be cast into the den of lions? The king answered and said, The thing is
true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.
Then answered they and
said before the king, That Daniel, which is of
the children of the captivity of Judah, regardeth not thee, O king, nor
the
decree that thou hast signed, but maketh his petition three times a day.
Then the king, when he
heard these words, was sore displeased with himself,
and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him: and he laboured till the going
down of the sun to deliver him.
Then these men assembled
unto the king, and said unto the king, Know,
O king, that the law of the Medes and Persians is, That no decree nor
statute which the king establisheth may be changed.
Then the king commanded,
and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the
den of lions. Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom
thou servest continually, he will deliver thee.
And a stone was brought,
and laid upon the mouth of the den; and the
king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords; that
the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel.
Then the king went to his
palace, and passed the night fasting:
neither were instruments of musick brought before him:
and his sleep went from him.
When the king was made more aware of
what had been secretly arranged
by his leading men he tried to free Daniel; but the law was the law, and
it
couldn't be altered. Daniel would have to be put into a pit with vicious
lions..
a Certain Death!
After what was probably the longest
night in the king's life...
... the king arose very
early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den
of lions. And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice
unto Daniel: and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of
the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver
thee from the lions?
Then said Daniel unto the
king, O king, live for ever.
My God hath sent his angel,
and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have
not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also
before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.
Then was the king exceeding
glad for him, and commanded that they
should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of
the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because
he believed in his God.
Daniel 6:19-23
Note that the king doesn't
say:
"O Daniel, believer in God"; but
"O Daniel, servant of the Living
God..."
God and Daniel had a very close relationship.
And God had honoured His
faithful servant by sparing his life; which also made king Darius extremely
happy.
An Application for Today
The experiences of these four men are
examples of true faith and love for
God despite having to face serious, life threatening, trials. They were
God's
four alternatives in a foreign land.
They represent what God can do if we
let Him become involved in our daily
life and experiences.
Wherefore the LORD God
of Israel saith...
them that honour me I will honour...
1 Samuel 2:30
Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ may
not choose to deliver us from the fire
or a lion's den; but He will do something far better:
When thou passest through
the waters, I will be with thee;
and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee:
when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned;
neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel,
thy Saviour...
Isaiah 43:2, 3
Because he hath set his
love upon me, therefore will I [God] deliver
him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.
He shall call upon me, and I will answer him:
I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.
With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.
Psalm 91: 14-16
What wonderful promises ...
Like Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, and
Daniel, God's four alternatives in
the kingdoms of Babylon and Persia... Christians are to be God's alternatives
for today. We are to let the world know where we stand regarding God's truth
and His service.
No matter what work you do, or position
you hold; you need to reveal to the
world what good citizens of God's kingdom act like.
What does God want His people to be?
And the LORD shall make
thee the head, and not the tail;
and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath;
if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God,
which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them...
Deuteronomy 23:13
God's people are to be the leading...
not the trailing... part in this world.
The head... not the tail!
To stand faithful to God's truth even
though it may involve risking your
life to do so is a great challenge; and will take special strength from
heaven
to maintain.
The greatest tests are yet to come;
but we can serve notice, in love, and by
word and example, that our kingdom is not of this world; that the Lord we
serve is coming soon to take His people home; that His truth is not negotiable;
and that our life, faith, and future, are settled with Him forever.
We are counselled in the Scriptures:
...be not conformed to
this world: but be ye transformed
by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good,
and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Romans 12:2
Or in other words:
Don't let the world around
you squeeze you into its own mold,
but let God re-mold your minds from within, so that you may prove
in practice that the plan of God for you is good, meets all His demands
and moves towards the goal of true maturity.
Romans 12:2 Phillips translation
Be not like those who fear, and bow
to the dictates of men against God;
but more and more each day, stand clearly in defense of the truth that
God's word tells us to believe.
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