Facing a Fiery Furnace With Faith

O. T. #1978  "Facing a Fiery Furnace  With Faith"

July 8, 2021

Daniel 3-Part 2

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 the gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. (Daniel 3:17-18)

LET IT GLOW

When the king of the most powerful empire in the world says you will do something, or else burn to death, one has a serious decision to make-to obey or not to obey. Bow down and worship his golden idol when the music is played or you are ashes, and immediately, or not. That was the law. However, the 3 Hebrew men did not bow.

What can we learn from  this event? The Wiersbe Bible Commentary gives us some points to think about:

1. True faith confronts the challenge. (verses 1-12)

• The heart of the king was filled with pride. He wanted to make sure his people were loyal to him, and there were no rebels. Fear was a tactic he used to accomplish his goal.
• The hearts of the people were superstitious, accustomed to worshiping many gods and goddesses. Everyone lives by faith in something. the difference is in the object of that faith.
• The hearts of the three Jewish men were revealed when they stood tall as everyone else bowed. Their confidence was in the Lord being in control and had nothing to fear.

In Isaiah 43:1-2 God said, Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you.

Faith means obeying God regardless of the feelings within us, the circumstances around us, or the consequences before us. True faith isn't frightened by threats, impressed by crowds, or swayed by superstitious ceremonies. True faith obeys the Lord and trusts Him to work out the consequences.

To have bowed only once before the idol would have destroyed their witness and broken their fellowship with God. To bow once would have led to serving Neb's false gods for the rest of their lives. The king must have forgotten that earlier he had called the God of the Jews "the God of gods, the Lord of kings" found in 2:47.  Satan tried to get Jesus to bow down before him, only once, but the Savior refused and did not sin during His temptations.

True faith doesn't look for loopholes; it simply obeys God and knows that He will do what is best. Faith rests on commands and promises, not on arguments and explanations. People were looking and listening; the three were concerned not for themselves, but to be a witness to others.

LET IT GROW

2. True faith confesses the Lord. (verses 13-18)

• Those 3 Jews were concerned with obeying the Lord and giving a faithful witness to all who were watching and listening. Their attitude was respectful and their words were few and carefully chosen. Our task is to obey God and trust Him, and He will do the rest.
• Read our two key verses above. Those men did not need to defend themselves before the king. They believed that if they were thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom they served was able to save them. He would rescue them from the king's power. but if He did not, they wanted to make it clear that they would never serve his gods or worship the golden statue he set up. (NLT)

These courageous Jewish men refused the king's direct order and placed themselves in God's hands. They would fear their God rather than the king's furnace any day. Even if He sovereignly decides to let them burn, they still serve the living God rather than bow to his dead idol. Priceless! They preferred death over unfaithfulness to God and had no doubt prepared themselves for the possibility of this day far in advance. The faithful Hebrews had no hope-unless hope itself intervened. (The Tony Evans Bible Commentary)

Jesus is our hope. He is all-powerful. Nothing is impossible with God, as Luke 1:37 tells us. He holds our life in His hands. He decided our birth and has determined our day of death. Are you ready? 

3. True faith confounds the enemy. (verses 19-25)

4. True faith confirms the promises. (verses 25-30)

 

LET IT GO

Our God is still the same God that the three Hebrews worshiped and served.

He does not change.

If He desires for us to go through the fiery furnace, whether it be literal or one of conflict, He can deliver us from it or give us strength to go through it.

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. (Hebrews 10:23)

When God speaks, He stands by His Word to see that it comes to pass. (Isaiah 55:11)

So we must trust God completely when He speaks a word to us, for He never deceives His children. If God has indicated to you that He is going to do something, we can be absolutely confident that He will do it. He has not failed me yet.

Are we faithfully believing?