7 27 03

11a

Daniel 2:24-3:

I just really like Daniel here. When the king asked him if he was able to tell said king what the dream was and what it meant� it would have been so easy to just say �yes�. Instead, Daniel gives credit to God. I think that�s so cool.

Once Daniel had told the king God�s revelation (the statue of gold, silver, bronze, iron and iron & clay and the rock cut from the mountain which crushes it all) Nebuchadnezzar praised God and promoted Daniel and his friends, setting Mishael, Hananiah and Azariah as administrators over Babylon with Daniel as the chief of those remaining in Nebuchadnezzar�s court.

I think of how this started. Four noble boys from Judah taken captive and used for the king�s service. Finally, they get promoted to the upper echelon of the Babylonian kingdom. God does that for us too. I mean, we can go through some pretty nasty stretches when we feel like we�re under siege. And yet, when it�s all worked out in the end, if we keep God as the master, we get promoted and come out victorious.

Then, beginning in chapter three, Nebuchadnezzar set up a new challenge for Daniel and his friends. The king built a huge statue, ninety feet tall and nine feet wide. That would be like my room if it were nine stories tall. (the office portion of my room is nine feet wide) This was a huge statue of gold and the king put forth the decree, at the dedication of this statue, that everyone should bow down and worship said statue when the music started. Nebuchadnezzar gave up an additional incentive; anyone who didn�t bow down and worship the statue would be thrown into a blazing furnace.

Those good Jewish boys, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, didn�t bow down to the image. Everything would have been okay, except some of the other higher-ups weren�t happy. In my personal opinion, I wouldn�t be surprised if the tattling weren�t fueled by a little bit of jealousy. I mean, the tattlers were Babylonians through and through, they�d been doing their little Babylonian jobs all their lives and here come three captives, Jews no less, and they waltz in, get promoted over the Babylonians and then refuse to bow down to the Babylonian image. How dare they? The nerve!

Anyway, these nice Jewish boys were tattled on and the king was so not a happy puppy. When the boys were questioned by the king, they didn�t actually get the chance to respond. Nebuchadnezzar gave them the chance to change their minds and bow down to the image now that they were faced with certain death; and a painful one at that. But, (and this is where I wonder if the three of them were being humble or boastful in the power of God. I�m not sure and the media doesn�t do a whole lot for ascertaining motive or tone of voice), the three of them replied to Nebuchadnezzar that they didn�t need to defend themselves against the king or his plan. They said that their God was able to save them from the furnace and would rescue them. Then they added that even if He didn�t save them, they would not ever serve Nebuchadnezzar�s gods or bow down to his golden image. That answer shows that those boys definitely had chutzpah.

Then, of course, that set Nebuchadnezzar off into a tizzy and he ordered that the furnace be heated seven times hotter than usual. He then ordered his strongest soldiers to bind the three boys and throw them into the furnace. When the soldiers did so, the heat of the furnace was so great that it killed the soldiers.

Then� oh yes, there�s still more� Then, Nebhuchadnezzar leapt to his feet, demanding to know if there were only three men thrown into the furnace. His advisors said yes and the king pointed at the furnace saying that he saw four men in the furnace, unbound and walking around in the flames. He added that the fourth person looked like a son of the gods.

It was at that point that Nebuchadnezzar went to the furnace himself and called the good Jewish boys (perhaps that should be in quotation marks?) out of the fire. He didn�t just call them out, though, he gave God props.

3:26b �Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!�

When those good Jewish boys left the furnace, everyone was astounded. I mean, they walked out of this place where the strongest soldiers in the land had died just throwing them in, and they walked out without even the tiniest hint of smoke on their bodies or clothing. Nothing was singed, nothing was burnt, nothing was damaged in the least.

Then, Nebuchadnezzar openly praised God, saying not only that He was powerful but that if anyone spoke against Him, Nebuchadnezzar would make sure that they were cut to pieces and their homes flattened. And then� then Nebuchadnezzar promoted those good Jewish boys once again.

How awesome is that?

What do I take from this? Well, it�s a spectacular story (I�m glad I�m reading it again, it�s been too long) but the thing that strikes me more than anything else is that even though there are some terrifying events� even if you have to walk through the fire, if you keep God as the leader and ruler� if you keep Him as the head honcho, the end will be okay. Even if death comes, the end result will be big and rewarding.

These boys were faced with death, a nasty, grueling, painful death, and still they kept their eyes on God. And when they were done, not only had they been given the opportunity to walk around with an angel of God, they came out of the fire without even the faintest trace of what they�d endured. And then, then they were promoted again. But, they were also told that anyone who spoke against their God would be severely disciplined. How wild is that?