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- What attributes of God’s character does this passage reveal?
- How does the passage point to Jesus?
- How should the truth of this passage change me?
- How do the events of today’s reading help you better understand the grand narrative of Scripture?
Dan. 1
The first group of exiles King Nebuchadnezzar took from Judah to Babylon were nobles. These were the prominent people of the land; those with power and position – the cream of the crop. Nebuchadnezzar was smart with these exiles. Rather than humiliating, imprisoning, or executing them, he tried to make them his own. He reconditioned and retrained them, giving them the best his kingdom had to offer. This was a smart move because it had the potential to reframe perspectives and alter loyalties. So when Daniel and his three friends determined not to defile themselves with the king’s food or wine, they were doing much more than simply avoiding the unclean, and meat sacrificed to no-gods. They were resisting the temptations of Babylon, faithfully holding fast to their commitment to God.
I note this because I see a truth for my life in it. As a child of God, I am a member of His royal family. I am nobility in God’s kingdom. Yet I am exiled for a time in a place that is not my home under a ruler who is not my God. The place of my exile offers me many temptations. Its ruler desires to change my perspectives and loyalties. So what will I choose? Will my eyes grow wide at the opportunities that lie down the easy road? Or will I choose to take a stand, resisting those temptations and remaining faithful to the One True God?
Dan. 2
One small detail caught my attention in this very familiar story this morning. When Daniel and his three friends turned to God regarding the situation with the king’s dream, of all the things they could have requested of God, they asked Him for mercy. I would have been asking for insight, wisdom, an answer to the king’s request…any of those things that I thought would provide a solution to the problem. Though the king’s dream was the cause of the problem, the actual problem was their pending death. That made me think. Daniel’s request was indeed the appropriate one because, in truth, the only escape from death is God’s mercy.
Dan. 3
When King Nebuchadnezzar made his gold statue, part of his decree regarding it was, “But whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire.” (Dan. 3:6). I found that rather ironic. Nebuchadnezzar’s fire was a threat, intended to force people to worship according to his desire. The problem with that is that forced worship is not really worship. It is pretense, done to avoid death in the fire.
The deception in it is that it appears God-like. According to God’s truth – the only real truth – and because of His righteousness, whoever does not fall down and worship Him will ultimately be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire of sorts. The difference, of course, is that God’s fire is not a threat; it is His perfect righteousness. His fire is not a punishment, but a consequence. And God does not force worship. He wants genuine worship because He desires life for us and not death.
And the irony in all of this is that, just as Nebuchadnezzar’s worship was not really worship, his fire had no real power. Though intended to destroy those who chose to give genuine worship to the true God, it instead destroyed some of those who gave pretense to Nebuchadnezzar and his statue. Thus, those who tried to save their lives lost it, while those who were willing to lose it for God’s sake kept it. So don’t be deceived by the world’s God-like threats. Never give in to its fear. Because we know and worship the God who can rescue us from every fire.