Daniel: Faithfulness In Exile - Week 3
Daniel 3:1-30
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God, Our Deliverer
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Daniel 3:1-30 〰️ God, Our Deliverer 〰️
In his letter to the Philippians, Paul writes, "To live is Christ and to die is gain" (1:21). In this week's passage, we read of Daniel's three closest companions: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. We've said this every week, but because there's so much content in this chapter, we're either not covering it all or not covering enough detail, so unfortunately, we won't get to touch on everything. We'll provide some background and hopefully have some answers to some contextual questions that might pop up. If you want to dive deeper into this passage, we recommend The Bible Project's Summary of Daniel and Akin's Exalting Jesus In Daniel!
If you'll recall from the closing verses of Daniel 2, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were promoted to even higher positions in the Babylonian government after Daniel interpreted the king's dream. v49 tells us that, at Daniel's request, the three were appointed "to manage the province of Babylon." The gap in time between chapters 2 and 3 isn't known with certainty. Some historians think that the events in Chapter 3 take place immediately after Chapter 2, while some believe it could be a decade or more later. Regardless of the timeline, we know that Nebuchadnezzar is still in power and is as fickle as ever.
The further we get into this book, the more we realize that the king still doesn't get it. While he's acknowledged that the God of Daniel-- our God-- is divine and powerful, he doesn't fully grasp the sole authority, power, and majesty of the LORD. In 2:47, he said, "Your God is indeed God of gods, Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries, since you were able to reveal this mystery." Immediately following this, it's written in 3:1 that Nebuchadnezzar set up a gold statue and commanded that the people bow down and worship it. Most commonly, the statue in this passage is considered to be made in Nebuchadnezzar's image, but history hints pretty strongly otherwise. From what we can tell about Babylon during this time, we know that they didn't think of their kings as divine.[1] What is most likely is that this statue was made in the image of a Babylonian god. The specific god is unknown, but we can assume that Nebuchadnezzar perceived loyalty to this idol as loyalty to the nation and himself. So why does this matter? Well, in v6, we have this stark contrast and almost whiplash between the events in Chapter 2 and what the king does here. "Whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire." Despite Nebuchadnezzar's recognition of the LORD as "God of gods" and "Lord of kings" (2:47), he still views his gods and the gods of his people as worthy of worship over the LORD.
This lands Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in hot water as "some Chaldeans" maliciously accused the Jews of not worshipping this golden image (v8). Chaldeans is both the general term for the Babylonians and, in this case, the specific term for the priests in the Babylonian government.[2] With the surrounding context, it's clear that the priests' motives weren't fueled by loyalty to the king or this god but disdain for the Jewish people, whom they had taken into exile. We don't have to travel far in history to see that whenever a nation or people group oppresses another, they grow in hatred and disgust of them. Because of this, they call out the Jews, and more specifically, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, for their disloyalty to this golden statue and, in turn, the king himself. The use of a fiery furnace as punishment appears to be the chosen method of execution for the Babylonians, as we read of it elsewhere in Jeremiah 29:22.
In his rage, the king bound up the three and threw them in the fire. The furnace was so hot that the men assigned to throw them in the furnace died because of the flames (v22). After being thrown into the fire, it quickly became clear that the three were unharmed...and joined by another. The king describes the fourth as "like a son of the gods." (v25). We don't know who the fourth is, whether it be an angel or a preincarnate appearance of Jesus. Whether it was an angel of the LORD or the Son of God Himself in human form, we know He "quenched the raging of fire" (Hebrews 11:34), protecting Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Not only did the LORD defend them from the fire itself, but upon their exiting the fire, their clothes were untouched, their hair fully intact, and their bodies absent of any smell of fire or smoke.
Ultimately, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego held to their loyalty to the LORD and were persecuted for it. While God protected and saved the three here, we should be slow to assume that God will protect us from all earthly harm. God's providence is evident in all of Scripture but isn't always as clear to us in the moment as we endure suffering. Jesus tells His disciples (and us) that while there will be suffering and hardship in this life, we can take heart and know that the LORD is on the throne (John 16:33). There is no biblical promise that we will be saved from trials, dangers, disease, or death. And even though we might not be rescued from the fire, there is a life after death that is free from all pain, suffering, and hardship.
Working, living, and playing in "exile"
As we read of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego slowly climbing the governmental ladder, we can be distracted from the backdrop behind them: the Hebrew people are still in exile. They do not belong to this nation or call it home. With exile comes oppression, and the four likely saw this firsthand. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego can serve as examples as we live out our faith in the secular workplace. No matter what market we're in, we can stand firm in our faith and biblical ethics. In our current cultural climate, very rarely, if ever, is our life on the line because of what we believe and will or will not do. Our bosses, coworkers, professors, or classmates may not ask us to worship a physical golden idol with the threat of death, but they may demand or ask for compromise in another form. Are we being asked to "worship" a golden idol of profit or efficiency? It's worth asking ourselves, "Am I willing to give up "x" for the Gospel?" There is no shame or guilt trip, but a reminder that the closer we get to Jesus and desire Him, the more we're reminded that this world is temporary. My job is temporary, and these four walls around me won't last more than a hundred years, if even that. That's what Jesus meant when he told the disciples to "seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness..." (Matthew 6:33).
Discussion Questions
What stood out to you from the passage?
Does anything in this passage remind you of another part of Scripture?
Do you have any questions?
How do you see Jesus in this passage?
What are some things that culture commands (implicitly or explicitly) us to bow down and worship?
How might it look like for us to live in culture but not bow down to idols of success, politics, or power?
In what ways are we similar to Nebuchadnezzar in this passage? How do we express devotion to the LORD in words (2:47) but act otherwise (3:1-7)?
When God doesn't deliver us from dangers, trials, disease, or even death, does that mean he has abandoned us? Why or why not?[3]
1. Michael Rydelnik, Daniel, in CSB Study Bible: Notes, ed. Edwin A. Blum and Trevin Wax (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017), 1329.
2. Michael Rydelnik, Daniel, in CSB Study Bible: Notes, ed. Edwin A. Blum and Trevin Wax (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017), 1330.
2. Daniel L. Akin, Exalting Jesus in Daniel (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2017), 41.