Courageous Living: Faith Lessons from Daniel
07/13/2003 - Courageous Living Under Pressure
On July 3 our family went down to the Phillies firework's game and watched the Phillies pound the Chicago Cubs 12-2. It was a great game and a lot of fun. And at one point, in between innings, Tug McGraw and his seven year-old son, Matthew, came out on the field to a standing ovation of more than 57,000 fans.
You probably know that in the spring Tug was diagnosed with a brain tumor and is currently undergoing treatment. So he's a real fan favorite. In fact in Philadelphia, when people think of Tug McGraw they think of winning the World Series because Tug McGraw struck out Willie Wilson of the Kansas City Royals at 11:29 p.m. on Tuesday, October 21, 1980, to end that game and give the Phillies their only World Series championship since the Genesis flood! Some things you just never forget.
But in New York, where Tug played before coming to Philadelphia, fans remember him for a phrase that he coined during the 1973 season when his team, the New York Mets, went to the World Series. And that was the phrase, "Ya gotta believe." The Mets, who had been the worst team in baseball history just a few years before, went to the World Series against the Oakland Athletics and "Ya gotta believe" was their battle cry.
For them "Ya gotta believe," meant that if you believe long enough and hard enough good things will happen, like going to the World Series. You just got to have enough faith. But is that what it means to believe? Is faith like the power of positive thinking? If you put enough faith quarters into some celestial vending machine does that mean you're always going to get out of it what you want?
There are many Christians who feel that way about faith. Maybe you're one of them. And so when they pray for something to happen and it doesn't happen the way they prayed it would, they feel like their faith failed. "If only I had more faith, I would have gotten the outcome I really wanted. What's wrong with my faith?"
Or sometimes worse, they feel like God failed. "He doesn't listen to me. He doesn't hear my prayers. I'm not sure he's even out there. What's wrong with God?" And without knowing it they've stopped putting their faith in God and instead, put their faith in their faith. And Christians like that can spend their whole life trying to muster up more and more faith. When instead, God wants them to spend the rest of their lives getting to know him better, because to know him better is to trust him more.
God never promised to give us everything we ask for. Just like good parents won't give their children everything they ask for. Faith is a decision to trust God even when life beats us up, even when life disappoints us, even when life let's us down.
Can your faith handle the disappointments of life? You pray for sunny weather for a family vacation and instead it rains all week. You're in a hurry and pray for a parking place close to the mall, but instead drive round and round and end up parking a football field away. You pray for a friend to get healed of an illness and instead it turns fatal. You pray for your marriage to improve and instead it ends in divorce. You pray for your son to win his championship game and instead they lose. We've all been there. We've all had our faith tested severely in our walk with Christ.
This morning we're going to be exposed to three men who clearly understood what it meant to believe God when things didn't go their way. Today we continue our series called Courageous Living: Faith Lessons from Daniel with a teaching I've called "Courageous Living Under Pressure." If you have a Bible turn with me to Daniel 3. In my Bible this story is called "The Image of Gold and the Fiery Furnace."
Daniel 3:1-3, King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, ninety feet high and nine feet wide, and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. 2 He then summoned the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates and all the other provincial officials to come to the dedication of the image he had set up. 3 So the satraps, prefects, governors, advisors, treasurers, judges, magistrates and all the other provincial officials assembled for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up, and they stood before it.
Now remember, in chapter two, Nebuchadnezzar had a dream about an image, very much like this one. Only in the image of his dream just the head was gold, the rest was silver, bronze, iron and clay. And in the interpretation, Daniel told him that the head represented the kingdom of Babylon, but the rest of the image represented the kingdoms that would follow.
Well, after thinking about it, Nebuchadnezzar wasn't happy about that at all. He couldn't stand the thought that his kingdom would be anything less than eternal. So he makes an image of gold from head to toe symbolizing his will for Babylon to be a kingdom that would last forever.
He makes it big, ninety feet high and nine feet wide, nine stories tall, covers it with gold, and stands it out in the middle of the desert of Dura dazzling in the hot Middle Eastern sun. It was one impressive monument. You couldn't miss it!
And on the day of dedication, at the ribbon cutting ceremony, he calls together the richest, the smartest, and the most powerful people in his kingdom.
Verse 4, Then the herald loudly proclaimed, "This is what you are commanded to do, O nations and peoples of every language. 5 As soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up.
Then he pulls a fast one! Nebuchadnezzar not only wants people to admire the image and view it as a tourist attraction. He wants them to worship it on command. The image is an idol. And whenever he strikes up the band, everybody is to stop what they're doing and drop to their knees and worship the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up.
And just to show that he means business, that he's playing hardball, he says in verse 6, Whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace. It's bow or burn. That's it. Two options. You worship me and my image or you're toast.
Verse 7, Therefore, as soon as they heard the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp and all kinds of music, all the nations and peoples of every language fell down and worshipped the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
Sure enough, right on cue, as soon as the band begins to play everybody bows down and worships the image. Everybody except whom?
Look at verse 8, At this time some astrologers came forward and denounced the Jews. 9 They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, "O King, live forever! 10 You have issued a decree, O king, that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp and all kinds of music must fall down and worship the image of gold, 11 and that whoever does not fall down and worship will be thrown into a blazing furnace. 12 But there are some Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon-Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego-who pay no attention to you, O king. They neither serve your gods nor worship the image of gold you have set up."
Here's the deal. The astrologers who never liked the Jews in the first place see a golden opportunity to eliminate three of their key leaders. And so they say, "Hey king! Do you remember those Jews you appointed as rulers? I think their names are Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Well, they didn't bow to the image of gold that you set up. Everybody else bowed down when the band played, but not them. You couldn't miss them. They kept standing while everybody else was flat on the ground."
Do you see what's going on here? These guys were jealous of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego because they had the leadership positions that they wanted. And they didn't like that. So they see an opportunity to have these guys fried.
And that brings us to our first insight on courageous living. Courageous living often sets us apart from the crowd.
Picture the scene. In the middle of this large, flat, open desert stands this impressive nine-story gold statue, shimmering in the sunlight. And as the first note sounds everybody falls down flat, face to the ground, thousands of people hit the deck.
That is everybody except three lone figures who stay standing, because they're not going to worship an idol. That would violate their conscience and break the first commandment of God who says in Exodus 20:3-4, You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them.
So there's no place to go, no place to hide. The crowd's yelling, "Hey you! What are you doing? Get down. You want to get yourself killed. Didn't you hear the music? Hit the deck!"
But they're not listening to the voices of the crowd. Instead, they're listening to God's voice. They're going to obey him, no matter what everybody else is doing, because they know that courageous living often sets us apart from the crowd.
Every Christ follower will sooner or later come to a point when he or she has to make a decision to bow down or to stand up for God. If you're truly intent on honoring God in the everyday decisions of life you have to know that there will be times that you will have to stand apart from the crowd. There will be times that you'll find your self in the minority. And sometimes it will be a minority of one. Which reminded me this week of that famous image of Tianamen Square in Beijing where in 1989 one man stood alone to take on the government of China.
Sometimes you and I will need to say things like, "I can't do that. I can't be apart of that. I can't go there. I can't watch that. I can't listen to that. I can't look at that. I can't agree with that decision. I can't sign my name to that. I can't be involved in that," because if you would it would mean dishonoring God.
Many of you are surrounded all day long by moral and ethical compromise. It's everywhere. And if you don't join in it means being left out and left behind. Many of you compete with people everyday whose only goal is to get to the top anyway they can, who will do anything to bow down to an idol called "profit." It's tough to stay even in a world like that without giving in. It's tough being a minority of one.
We've all been in situations where we have to make a choice. Are we going to bow down or stand up for God? Because God honoring decisions will often set you apart from the crowd. And if we want to make a difference, which most of us do, then we have to be willing to be different. You can't make a difference in your office, in your school, in your neighborhood, on the ball field, unless you have the courage to be different. And these men did.
Let's see what happens in verse 13, Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, 14 and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, "Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold that I have set up? 15 Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?"
Nebuchadnezzar can't believe that anybody would defy him, especially Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He likes these guys and he's willing to give them a second chance. "But don't push me," he says, "or else I'll crank up the heat."
And they respond in verse 16, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 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. "
"We don't need a second chance, Nebuchadnezzar. We're not budging. We do have a God who can rescue us from the fiery furnace. And our lives are in his hands, not yours."
You gotta love their simple, humble, confident response. I don't get the impression that this was some gut wrenching decision. I don't see them sweatin' it out saying, "Oh no! What are we going to do?" That's because their decision was just an expression of a decision they made a long time ago and that was to honor God above all else. Just like Daniel's decision in chapter one.
Now we come to one of the great verses in the Bible. Look at verse 18, "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."
"Even if God does not, Nebuchadnezzar you gotta' know we're not going to bow. If God wants to deliver us, that's great. But if not, that's okay too. He's still our God. He knows what He's doing and we trust him."
Which brings us to the second insight on courageous living. And that is this. Courageous living realizes that God is still God no matter what the outcome.
These three men trusted God regardless of what was going to happen. They had their feet firmly planted in God and they weren't moving. And that's what faith is. Faith is the decision to believe God no matter what the outcome.
They didn't pretend to know what God was going to do. They didn't put words in his mouth. They didn't say, "Ya gotta believe and expect to be delivered." Instead, they said, "God is able to deliver us, but he may not." Could he deliver them from the furnace? Absolutely. But could he also choose to incinerate them and bring them home to him? No question. They didn't know the outcome, but their faith was solidly in God.
They knew that if God would deliver them, that his name would be glorified all over the world and he would show Nebuchadnezzar that he is strong enough to rescue them from his hand. But they also knew that should he let them burn, their bold stand for God would speak just as loudly of his worthiness. So they were saying, "Either way, God comes out on top. Whether we live or die, whether the outcome is triumph or tragedy, God is still God."
So often in our trials we focus only on deliverance. "God get me out of this jam!" we pray. But these men had a different focus. Their focus was not just on deliverance, but on honoring God above all else. And that made all the difference.
This week I read the true story about Dr. Joseph Tson, the Romanian pastor who was called before the Communist authorities to answer for his religious convictions. He expected to be killed. So he set his affairs in order and when he appeared before his interrogators he said, "I have to tell you first that I am ready to die. I have put my affairs in order. Your supreme weapon is killing. My supreme weapon is dying, because when you kill me people all over Romania will read my books and believe on the God I preach, even more than they do now."
And after hearing that, the Communists decided not to kill Joseph Tson, instead they exiled him to America where he began broadcasting back into Romania and thousands of people listened to his preaching because he would rather die than compromise.
Let's see what happened to Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Look at verse 19, Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude towards them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual 20 and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. 21 So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace. 22 The king's command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed these soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, 23 and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace.
King Nebuchadnezzar is so enraged that he turns up the heat seven times hotter, as if that would matter, and has the boys thrown into the furnace. It's so hot that the soldiers who throw them in are incinerated.
Verse 24, Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, "Weren't there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?" They replied, "Certainly, O king." 25 He said, "Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods."
Apparently, Nebuchadnezzar has a little peephole that allows him to look into the furnace. And when he looks in not only does he see them not being burned, but he sees a fourth figure walking with them. There's a lot of speculation as to who this fourth figure is. Some say it's an angel. Others say it's the Son of God, Jesus Christ himself. The passage doesn't say. All we know is that God was with them, protecting them.
Which brings us to the final insight, which is this. Courageous living understands that God doesn't promise to keep us from trials, he promises to be with us in them. And God was with these men. He walked with them through their trial of fire.
God never promised that our lives would be pain free. Instead, Jesus said the opposite in John 16:33, In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.
The apostle Peter puts it this way in 1 Peter 4:12, Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you.
The apostle Paul says it like this in 2 Timothy 3:12, In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. If you want to live courageously for Christ you will take some shots. Count on it.
But when the trials come, of all kinds, God will be with you in the midst of them. That's his promise too. He puts it poetically in Psalm 23:4, Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. And directly in Hebrews 13:5, I will never leave you or forsake you.
Verse 26, Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, "Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!" So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, 27 and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed. Their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them. 28 Then Nebuchadnezzar said, "Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king's command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. 29 Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way." 30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the province of Babylon.
The story has a happy ending. Although I think Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego would have been just as happy if God would have taken them home because their focus was not just on deliverance, but on honoring God.
It's interesting to me that Daniel is not mentioned at all in this story. Does that mean he bowed to the idol? No, I don't think so. He may have been out of the country on business when all this happened. And I think that was by design because when we think of Daniel we tend to think of a spiritual superstar and we would expect this from him. But these three were just ordinary people like us, not celebrity Christians, who chose to take a stand. And 2,500 years later we're still talking about them and are inspired by their lives. Are you going to stand up or are you going to bow down?