Word of Salvation – Vol. 49 No.45 – December 2004

 

What To Do When the Heat’s Turned Up

 

Sermon by Rev J. De Hoog

on Daniel 3

Scripture Readings:  2Corinthians 4

Suggested Hymns:  BoW 9:1,4,5; 371:1,3,6; 161; 359; 365:1,4

 

Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ.

In Daniel Chapter 3, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego face a pretty stark question: ‘Give up your faith or die!’ They handle that question in a very faithful way. We are going to read through this chapter section by section. What can we learn from this account for ourselves?

Let’s set the context. Let’s set the context for ourselves first. First, let me ask a couple of questions of you who are Christians here today. You have been made new. God has claimed you as His own; He has made you part of His people, His family. Now, how will you live? Will you continue to love and serve Him? Will you strive to obey Him in all things? I know that you are answering, ‘Yes!’ I know that you are saying, ‘I want to serve Him always.’ But how will you do that if it becomes extremely difficult to be a Christian? What will you do when the heat’s turned up? How will you handle trouble and persecution?

I’m not saying that you will necessarily have to face times of deadly persecution and hardship. We should be very grateful for the freedom we have in Australia to practice and live out our faith. But nobody knows how the world may change. You may one day have to face life and death issues regarding your faith. One day in the future you may have just two choices left – give up your faith, or die! Could you handle that?

There are Christians in the world today who face that question. Your children may have to face such questions in the future. How will you prepare them? These are some of the questions those of us who are Christians have to face today. My second set of questions is for those of you who are not Christians. Does rejecting Jesus Christ make sense to you? Have you rejected Him because you have thought about it and decided that this is the best option? Or have you sort of just drifted into a position that thinks with the rest of the world that God is basically irrelevant, that faith in Him is a bit like wishful thinking, and that Christians are deluded people who are grasping at the straws of their wishful thinking? Do you think, for example, that if Christians would only wake up to the realities of life, that they would see how wrong they have been?

The account of Daniel 3 has great challenges for all of us, whether we are Christian believers or not. Please stick with me, whether you are a believer or not. What we see today might surprise you!

Here is the choice facing Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in Daniel Chapter 3. Give up your faith, or die!

It wasn’t easy being a Jew in Babylon in Daniel’s day. Among the things Jews had to contend with were shouting paving stones. Archaeologists who have dug up ancient Babylon have found paving stones with the following saying inscribed on them, ‘I, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, paved this road with mountain stone for the procession of Marduk, my lord. May Marduk my lord grant me eternal life.’ Here are paving stones shouting out against the one true God.

In Babylon, street signs did the same. Streets weren’t just called ‘Hindmarsh Drive’ or ‘Bangalay Crescent’ or ‘Rivett Place’. One street name from Babylon was ‘Adad has guarded the life of the people’. Here was a city filled to the brim with pagan worship. Here was a city whose every feature shouted insults at the Lord of heaven. Jews living in Babylon could not help but be offended and disturbed and revolted by what they saw every day. But you know, there is only so much offence and revulsion a person can stand. It’s hard to keep on being offended when every day it’s just the normal thing, isn’t it. It’s hard to keep on being offended by sexual innuendo on TV if that’s what you are always watching. It’s one of the great dangers of our culture today, isn’t it? It just presses in and presses in and presses in until it takes over your mind. It was a great danger for the Jews in Babylon. It would have been a very great temptation to gradually begin to assimilate into Babylonian life. To gradually begin to accept multitudes of gods, to begin to listen with interest to discussions about the relationships between the gods and how they affected human life and how the religious festivals worked, etc.

Besides all this, a Jew living in Babylon in Daniel’s time must also have felt great shame. As a Jew there was a lot to be ashamed about! The city of God was a smoking ruin. The temple of God had been leveled to the ground. The vessels of God’s temple were on display in the pagan temple of Marduk. The people of God were slaves in exile.

God’s name had been profaned by the actions of his people. There was a lot to be ashamed about. Yes, it seemed that the pagan gods of Babylon had been successful over the God of Israel. They had certainly broken the Third Commandment. Many of the Jews in Babylon must have been tempted to think that perhaps it was time to give up the old ways, perhaps it was time to embrace the modern world of Babylon and its many gods.

To make matters worse, everyone thought of Jews as being very strange people. They were so different! They worshipped one God rather than the multitude of gods that other nations worshipped! How strange! Jews were thought to be very suspicious because of this, and were often hated. Many in the ancient world called them ‘atheists’! It’s ironic, isn’t it! Today people who hate God are proud to call themselves atheists. In Babylon, Jews were called atheists because they hated the pagan gods of Babylon. It was hard being a Jew in Babylon.

But now, what happens when the heat is really turned on? What happens when it becomes mortally dangerous to be one of God’s people?

So far, in Chapters 1 and 2, Daniel and his friends have been very successful, but they haven’t yet been confronted with a direct face to face threat and a demand to renounce their faith, to give up their trust in God alone, or suffer the consequences. That’s what happens in chapter 3 in the book of Daniel.

Let’s go through the chapter section by section.

We begin with verse 1. [Read verses 1 to 7]

Imagine the great crowd of officials gathered on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego are there – they have become administrators over the province of Babylon. Daniel isn’t there; his job is in the royal palace itself. But the three friends are there, and they will be expected to bow down to the huge statue like everyone else.

For everyone else, there is no great problem in falling down and worshipping the golden statue. They are accustomed to hundreds of gods, and if Nebuchadnezzar wants to add one more, well, so be it. No big deal! But for Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, here is another time when they must say ‘No!’ The golden image was pagan. It was a direct challenge to the one true God. If they were going to be faithful to God, it would be impossible for them to bow down to this image. We continue at verse 8.

[Read verses 8 to 18]

Nebuchadnezzar issues a direct challenge to God. ‘What god will be able to rescue you from my hand?’ Nebuchadnezzar doesn’t really think much of gods, does he? We saw in chapter 2 that his own gods weren’t able to help him understand his dreams. Sure, Daniel’s God had given Daniel the knowledge to know and interpret the dream. But no god could possibly save men from a fiery furnace! No god is worth serving to that extent! You Jews aren’t really going to be so stubborn and so foolish, are you?

To Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, there was no choice really. They knew why the Jews were in captivity in Babylon. They knew why such shame had come upon them as a nation. It was precisely because of the very idol worship they are being commanded to participate in right now.

The Jews had been given Ten Commandments. The first two said this:

‘You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourselves an idol… you shall not bow down to them or worship them…’

These two commandments were the core of God’s will. And breaking these two commandments had been the core of Israel’s sin and judgment. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and all the other Jews, were in captivity in Babylon because over centuries the nation of Israel had persisted in breaking these two commandments.

They were away from their city and their temple and their homes and their land and they were experiencing God’s punishment primarily because of idol worship. Would they now repeat the same sin? NO! They have seen God’s judgment on Jerusalem for this sin. These two commandments are non-negotiable. They will keep these two commandments at any cost. The heat has been turned up and the focus is on these three men.

Notice they have no guarantee that God will save them from the furnace. See how they respond to the king: ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. 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’ (vs 16).

They know that God can save them. But He may not. There is no guarantee that He will act. No matter. They simply will not submit to pagan worship.

Pause…

If ever some words were red rags to a bull, then these words were.

Let’s read on from verse 19. [Read verses 19 to 30]

In direct response to Nebuchadnezzar’s challenge, God shows himself as a God who is indeed able. A God who can do anything. And the chapter ends with Nebuchadnezzar acknowledging God’s power. What a contrast to how the chapter begins! It begins with an earthly king asserting his power. ‘I am the greatest, and you all must acknowledge that by bowing to my image.’ It ends with the same king acknowledging the power of a much greater king and praising him: ‘There is a God more powerful than me, more powerful than my fiery furnaces, and I cannot defeat Him or His servants.’

We need to stand back from this chapter now and take a wider perspective. It was hard living in Babylon and believing in the one true God. Living in Babylon was living in a world opposed to God, opposed to the reality of God, opposed to the people of God. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego had a choice. They could let go of God and become Babylonians, very successful ones at that! Or they could hang onto God and lose everything they had gained in Babylon, including their lives. Everything around them pointed to the first alternative as the best choice. But they knew that the world of Babylon was not what it seemed. They knew God, they knew themselves as God’s people, and in the end they knew there was only one way to go.

How were they able to be so brave, so persevering. Could you have done it? Standing there in the plain of Dura, seeing the fiery furnace and even feeling its heat from many metres away. How were they able to stand firm?

On one level, of course, we can say that God gave them strength to persevere. They couldn’t have done it on their own. God was with them. That’s true, of course. But I think there’s more to learn here. How did God help them? What had God worked into the lives of these three men, that they were able to stand strong? I believe the clue to understanding their attitude lies in the way this chapter is put together.

Hebrew narrative like this was meant to be read aloud. And as you read, you notice the constant repetition of the names of the Babylonian officials, the musical instruments, the references to the image of gold and the names of the three Jews. This constant repetition is meant to introduce an element of humour. You can almost imagine Jews sitting in a synagogue hearing the passage being read out and laughing amongst themselves as they hear the familiar words repeated over and over. ‘The great ones of Babylon are bowing and scraping to a manmade image to the sound of musical instruments! Ha! How absurd!

And how foolish the great king Nebuchadnezzar looks as God preserves the three friends from the fire! It’s the dedication of his image, and God spoils the party! That image was, surely, never worshipped again, was it? It was just quietly removed and ground up, wasn’t it? Ha! How absurd to worship the gods of Babylon, it is utter foolishness! There is only one true God.’

Yes, from one point of view, it was hard to be a Jew in Babylon. From the world’s point of view, everything was against it. But look more deeply. Look at how foolish it is to have paving stones and street names that praise man-made gods. What utter nonsense! Fancy worshipping something you have made yourself, when there is the one true God who has made you, and is alone worthy of worship. Here is the thinking that enabled Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to stand firm. ‘No matter how it looks, Nebuchadnezzar, we know the truth about God. It would be utter foolishness for us to submit to you and to bow before your image, for you are nothing compared to the Lord God Almighty, the one true God, the ruler of heaven and earth.’

Pause…

Christians are people who have met God in Jesus Christ. Christians are people who have come to know reality. They know that the world is God’s, and that the only realistic way to live is in relationship with Him through Jesus Christ. They know that life has its true meaning in Jesus.

When Christians look around at the world, they see only the stupidity of the alternatives to living for God. How could someone live primarily for their salary cheque, bowing and scraping to their boss in the hope of further advancement? How could someone be so committed to leisure and relaxation that they become too tired and too lazy to join in worshipping God? Isn’t it amazing that people live for their possessions or their careers or their ambitions, none of which will last! How could people be so committed to their own little kingdoms, and reject reconciliation with God and the deeply satisfying joy and peace that come with commitment to Jesus Christ? Foolishness! Psalm 14:1 says: ‘The fool says in his heart, -~There is no God’.’

And yet, brothers and sisters, here we are today, gathered for worship in this building. We are with our brothers and sisters in the Lord. There is a great sense of fellowship here, we feel supported and loved by each other, and in this context, we can see the folly of believing there is no God.

But suppose all this positive reinforcement was to disappear? Suppose you, or me, or anyone here, were to find ourselves in a situation totally hostile to God. No family or friends around. No supportive church. Only someone with a gun in your face, saying, ‘Give up your faith, or die! Come on, don’t be a fool. Don’t make me kill you.’ How would you react?

You who are Christians here today, say this. ‘God is with me. God was with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego when they walked in the fiery furnace. God has made me new in Jesus Christ. He is my Saviour and Lord. You can take my life, but you cannot take my eternal life. I will never deny him. To deny my Lord would be utter foolishness. It would be to worship an idol, a false god set up by foolish human beings who know nothing of the reality of the world. You may have temporary power over me with that gun of yours, but your power is nothing compared to the power of Him whom I serve. It is you who are foolish, it is you who see the world wrong. You are just like Nebuchadnezzar, who finally had to admit that God is God and that there is no one like Him.’

The apostle Paul approached his life that way. We read the words from 2 Corinthians 4 before. ‘We have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed… Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.’

Did Paul write these words from an easy chair, sipping his cup of tea and looking at the world through rose-coloured glasses? No, far from it! Much closer is to imagine Paul with a gun in his face, accompanied by the demand, ‘Give up your faith, or die!’ But he considered everything else rubbish compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus his Lord.

You may never face such a life or death situation: I pray that you will not. But isn’t it true that every day we must make decisions about following Jesus or not following Jesus. Every day you can either stand up for Jesus at school with your friends, or just laugh uneasily and be popular but know that you have compromised yourself again. Every day you can either take the opportunity to be honest and forthright about your faith at work, or compromise by avoiding issues and saying nothing. Every day you can show your family how much you love the Lord, or just fit into the general run of ignoring him in the way you treat each other and speak to each other and go all out for yourself.

For you who are Christians here today, be encouraged to take up this challenge of walking with the Lord Jesus. He has promised to be with you even as you walk through the fire of hardship and opposition in this world, as He was with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in their literal fiery furnace.

And for you who are not Christians here today, can you see that this passage unmasks the futility of worshipping anything or anyone other than the Lord God Almighty? Babylon was the power centre of the known world; Nebuchadnezzar was the great ruler of the most powerful empire the world had ever known to that point. But all his earthly trappings and power were futile in the face of the real Ruler of the universe.

One day every single one of us will face exactly the same two options that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego faced. To die or to live. To die eternally, separated from God forever. Or to live eternally, through Jesus Christ. These are the only two options left when you leave this earth, when your physical life comes to an end. But then it will be too late to choose. Choose today. There is only one God, and Jesus Christ is the only way to know him.

Amen.