Lay Down Your Idols
Daniel 3
Today we get to continue our series “Another in the Fire”, which is a series on the book of Daniel.
This is the Third of 8 messages on the 12 Chapters of Daniel.
Today we will be in Chapter 3, which is the namesake for the series, and we will hear specifically about the Golden Image, Nebuchadnezzar’s order, and the unwaivering faith of the three young Hebrew men. But more importantly, we’ll hear about how their faith encouraged them, in other words, instilled courage, and also led to faith for others.
We are going to see today that there is a biblical principle demonstrated in the face of fearsome events that inspires Faith and Courage.
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Daniel 3:1 says:
King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits and its breadth six cubits. He set it up on the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.
A Cubit:
- An ancient unit of measure for measurement of distance, length, height, width.
- About 18 inches or a foot and a half.
The measurement:
Man’s elbow to the tip of his fingers (about a foot and a half).
The statue that Nebuchadnezzar built:
60 cubits high (about 90 feet).
That is about three times as high as our ceiling in the worship center here. Or if you have seen the housing towers on base,m those are approximately 90 ft high.
The width is 6 cubits, or 9 feet wide.
He set it up in the plain of dura, that means that the area was flat…It would have been very visible.
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Verses 3:2-7 says:
2 Then King Nebuchadnezzar sent to gather the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 3 Then the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces gathered for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. And they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 4 And the herald proclaimed aloud, “You are commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, 5 that when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. 6 And whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace.” 7 Therefore, as soon as all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, all the peoples, nations, and languages fell down and worshiped the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
All the powerful people are there including Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Do you remember how powerful they were?
Daniel 2:48-49 is after Daniel had interpreted the King’s dream:
48 Then the king gave Daniel high honors and many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon. 49 Daniel made a request of the king, and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over the affairs of the province of Babylon. But Daniel remained at the king’s court.
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Verses 4-6 say:
4 And the herald proclaimed aloud, “You are commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, 5 that when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. 6 And whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace.”
We have to be careful here, because reading this today, we might say, of course I would never bow to an Idol.
Not so fast, we have more idols in our lives than we would like to admit to!
What is your idol?
Is it how you are perceived on social media, or your comparison with others?
Is it the political party with which you affiliate?
Is it your career progression/location?
Is it your pursuit of the right spouse?
The men’s ministry has used some material called “33”, and in it is listed this framework of Idolatry. It states that every one of us who sin, can tie our sins back to one of these three deep idols… significance, comfort, or control.
The material also gives us a battle plan to combat the deep idols. That battle plan is focused on scripture. That is why I always say, and will always say, we must spend time with the Lord daily, in His word, in Prayer, and in community.
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Daniel 3:8-12 says:
8 Therefore at that time certain Chaldeans came forward and maliciously accused the Jews. 9 They declared to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, live forever! 10 You, O king, have made a decree, that every man who hears the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, shall fall down and worship the golden image. 11 And whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into a burning fiery furnace. 12 There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men, O king, pay no attention to you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”
Shadrach Meshach and Abednego were accused by the Chaldeans.
This is one of those cases where they were constantly being targeted.
As a Christian in the world today, do you have a target on your back?
Whether we know it or not. Jesus says:
In John 10:10
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
Christ died so that we may have life, but not only life, life more abundantly.
Like these three, we should stand courageously!
Because we know, serve, and are children of Christ the King, not the “king of this world”.
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Verses 13-18 say:
13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in furious rage commanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought. So they brought these men before the king. 14 Nebuchadnezzar answered and said to them, “Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up? 15 Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, well and good.[c]But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?”
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king.18 But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”
Stay true to your faith
Your faith may frustrate those around you who are not walking in faith, that is okay, stay true to your faith. Our faith will ALWAYS be contrary to the world, because the world is passing away. Our faith is not in the world, but in the eternal God.
So in response to Nebuchadnezzar and to the world in which we live today, when we hear the words:
And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?”
To that we say: JESUS!
He is the God who saves, and the one who we call “another in the fire”
Nebuchadnezzar made good on his threat.
verses 19-23 say:
19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with fury, and the expression of his face was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace heated seven times more than it was usually heated. 20 And he ordered some of the mighty men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. 21 Then these men were bound in their cloaks, their tunics,[e] their hats, and their other garments, and they were thrown into the burning fiery furnace. 22 Because the king’s order was urgent and the furnace overheated, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell bound into the burning fiery furnace.
Verses 24-27 say:
24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” 25 He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.”
26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the burning fiery furnace; he declared, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here!” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the fire. 27 And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together and saw that the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men. The hair of their heads was not singed, their cloaks were not harmed, and no smell of fire had come upon them.
So now what do the Satraps, prefects, governors, and counselors have to say?
In verses 24-25
There was another in the fire, even the king could see it.
The courageous faith of these three pointed to their God who could save, and He was there with them.
HE saved them, and this was a witness.
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Nebuchadnezzar responds to what he has just witnessed with faith, but remember from last week I said, he started this cycle of faith/faithlessness.
Verses 28-30 say:
28 Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, and set aside[f] the king’s command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God. 29 Therefore I make a decree: Any people, nation, or language that speaks anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins, for there is no other god who is able to rescue in this way.” 30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.
In the video that usually begins our messages the narrator says, will you let your circumstances define you, or will you let God define you in the midst of your circumstances.
This is our live like Daniel moment.
What are you looking to for your strength that is not the Lord.
These are idols, and we are not to submit to them.
Lay your idols down.
Specifically think this week, through what you have placed over God…and lay that down, and return to Him.
1 John 1:9-10
9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
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