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Chapter 3 has introduced us to the first of the two ways the world seeks to conform us to itself. The exiles are under pressure to conform to the world by doing what God forbids. They are under intense pressure to bow down and worship the statue that King Nebuchadnezzar set up. (We will see the second pressure in chapter 6.)
In verses 8 to 12 we see that officials in Babylon report to the king that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego are disobeying the king’s order. Not only does the pagan world seek to get the exiles to conform to its ways, but it is also opposed to God’s people. There is no mention of Daniel in this chapter. It may well be that at this time he is serving in some other part of the Babylonian empire.
The exiles are brought before a furious king (v. 13). He first enquires whether the accusation is true (v. 14), and then gives them the opportunity to conform to his order. Failure to conform will mean certain death (v. 15).
Verses 16 to 18 are wonderful! The exiles are respectful in the way that they answer the king. In verse 17 we see two things. First we see the exiles’ confidence in the power of God. They trust that the God they serve ‘is able to save us’. They are confident that ‘he will rescue us from [the king’s] hand’.
Verse 18 begins with a ‘but’. The exiles do believe that the Lord will rescue them. However, even if God does not rescue them, they will still not bow down and worship the image of gold. It seems that they believe that if God doesn’t rescue them from the furnace, He must have some other way of keeping His promises. They believe that the Lord will be faithful to the promises that He has made.
Faith believes that God keeps His promises. We don’t have to compromise with the world to enable Him to do it! Quite the contrary. We believe that God keeps His word, so we should obey Him, even when that obedience makes us think He can’t fulfil what He has promised.
Reflection
In what ways are you under pressure to do the things that God has forbidden? When is it hard to trust that God will keep His promises to us if we obey Him?
Scripture
About this Plan
The story of Daniel and his three friends is well known and well loved. But the account of these four men, in a far away land, is so much more than the lion’s den and a fiery furnace that we remember from Sunday school. In forty days, experienced Bible–teacher Justin Mote, shows us God’s goodness, provision and sovereignty, even when the situation seems out of control.
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