The King of Kingdoms - The Book of Daniel
Lanse Evangelical Free Church
February 2, 2025 :: Daniel 3:1-30
Daniel chapter 3 is about “The God We Serve.”
Last week, we said the same thing about Daniel chapter 2 and that this is obvious but it’s also easy to forget!
Daniel chapter 3 is not about Daniel. Daniel actually, surprisingly, does not appear in this chapter himself! So it’s not about him.
But it’s also not about his friends. Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. I mean, it is kind of about them. They are in the story. They aren’t called Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. They are called by the ugly names that their overlord captors have slapped on them.
And Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah say some amazing things in this story and they do some amazing things in this story. And some amazing things happen to them in this story! But the story is not, ultimately, about Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.
And it’s not about King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon–as much as he tries to make the story all about him! King Nebuchadnezzar has conquered Judah and taken these young men hostage and tried to reprogram them into being Babylonians, and King Nebuchadnezzar has had a wild and wonderful dream that we studied last week, and he does crazy things in this story! But this story is not, ultimately, about him.
This story is about God. The God of Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The God of Judah. The God of the Old Covenant and the God of the New Testament. The God of the Bible.
The God Who is! The God we are here to worship today. That’s Whom this story is all about. And at every amazing step in the story, we need to keep that in mind. Especially at the very beginning. Chapter 3, verse 1.
Let me ask you a couple questions before we read it. See what we’ve learned so far.
Here’s an easier one. How many chapters in the Book of Daniel? There are twelve. After today, we will be one quarter of the way through the chapters.
Next question. How many languages was this book written in? Two languages. Hebrew and Aramaic.
What language was this chapter written in? It was written in Aramaic, the international language spoken at court during the seventh and sixth century before Christ.
This is one of 6 chapters in the whole Bible written in the language of Aramaic. And many people could read it throughout the ancient world. It’s got an international feel and an international message to it.
Alright, here’s a harder question. According to what we read last week in Daniel chapter 2, who is the king of kings at this time? Yes, that’s a trick question. There are two right answers. The bigger answer is that God is the King of Kings. He is the King of Kingdoms! That’s the name of our series so beautifully rendered in Jeff’s graphic design.
But in chapter 2, Daniel revealed that King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon was the king of kings in the world at that time.
Do you remember the disturbing dream that Nebuchadnezzar had in chapter 2? And nobody could tell Nebuchadnezzar what was in his dream. And he wouldn’t let anybody tell what his dream meant until they told him what was in it?
And even Daniel couldn’t do it! But the God of Heaven could and did through Daniel.
What was the dream about?
It was about “a large statue–an enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance” (Daniel 2:31). And constructed of different materials each of which stood for a successive kingdom to come. And then the statue was knocked down by a hurtling rock hurled by God Himself which becomes the final kingdom, the kingdom of kingdoms. Remember that? We said that we’d come back to it as we go through Daniel.
Anybody remember what metal the head of that statue was made of? It was gold! And the head was the only kingdom that was identified in chapter 2. What or who was the head of gold?
King Nebuchadnezzar, the king of kings at that moment, was the head of gold. And now let’s read chapter 3, verse 1.
“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.”
Something tells me that this has something to do with his dream. Do you think?
I think it has gone to his head!
We don’t know exactly when this story took place. It doesn’t have a date stamp on it like chapter 1 and chapter 2 did. It’s clearly after the events of chapter 2, but we don’t know how long after. It could actually be decades. Or it could have been very soon after.
Either way, King Nebuchadnezzar has gotten it into his head to build a gigantic statue and to cover it with gold. It can’t be pure gold all the way through. There isn’t that much gold in the world! So it’s gold-plated.
But this is a lot of gold on a giant statue! It’s 60 cubits high and 6 cubits wide. That’s really really tall and really really skinny. Perhaps some of the height is a base for the statue to sit on. We don’t know.
If the statue is supposed to look something like a human, it’s going to be really distorted. Tall and skinny.
But shining! And imposing! And daunting! And dominating!
There are no skyscrapers at this time. This is the tallest man-made object in the world at that time. The Colossus of Rhodes will be taller when it is made a few hundred years later. One of the seven wonders of the ancient world. And this one shines in the sun!
We don’t know what this statute looked like. It’s going to be used for worship, so we can call it an idol. But we don’t know if it’s standing for Nabu (the god that Nebuchadnezzar is named for) or Marduk also named Bel (the god that Daniel was renamed Belteshazzar after).
Or maybe this statute looks a lot like a certain king we have heard of?! A king that has been told that he is “the king of kings” and “the head of gold.” I wouldn’t put it past him. This king is a total narcissist.
Maybe he’s built this statue to fight the dream! Maybe he’s saying, “I’m not just the head of gold. I’m gold from top to bottom! And nothing is going to topple me!” I wouldn’t be surprised.
Nebuchadnezzar has it set up outside of town in the plain of Dura. We’re not 100% sure where that was, but it sounds a lot like the plain where a few thousand years before they built the tower of Babel?
And it’s not just a feat of engineering. It’s an object of worship and national unity. Nebuchadnezzar wants to use this statue to bring his kingdom together in unity. And loyalty and allegiance. And so he invites all of his administration to the dedication on “opening night.” Verse 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. So the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, 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.
Then the herald loudly proclaimed, ‘This is what you are commanded to do, O peoples, nations and men of every language: 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. Whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace” (vv.2-7).
Now there is a lot of repetition in this story, and that’s on purpose. And it’s not just to emphasize the points of the story.
I think it’s supposed to be funny! I think it’s supposed to be comical. Kind of farcical. There’s a kind of mocking of pomposity in this story. Every time you read it, you have to chuckle, right?
The “satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates and all the other provincial officials...”
The “sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music...”
Everybody who ever read this story chuckled at those parts.
And it would be really funny if it were not so deadly serious. If it were not life and death. But the rule is: you fall down and worship the image of gold or you fall down and be burned to death.
There’s a giant furnace nearby. Maybe for refining the gold that has plated this statue. I read this week that this fire could reach 1000 degrees Celsius.
And King Nebuchadnezzar has a simple rule. When the funny band plays, you worship the statue or be burnt to death. You choose.
And he’s not afraid to burn people to death. A couple of years ago, we read about some false prophets that Nebuchadnezzar had burned to death in Jeremiah chapter 29. He does this sort of thing. He’s the king of kings, and he can kill whom he wants. The threat is real. The pressure is real. And it works! Look at verse 7.
“Therefore, as soon as they heard the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp and all kinds of music, all the peoples, nations and men of every language fell down and worshiped the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.”
You know, it’s not asking that much. Nebuchadnezzar doesn’t say that you can’t worship your god at home. “Sure! You can have that god, too. And it won’t take that long. Just bow down and worship and then you can go about your business. And it will be good for the nation. It will bring us all together.” Never mind that it’s stilted and pretentious and pompous.
I would imagine that it was very tempting to go along with the crowd on this one even if you were rolling your eyes at how insecure it made the king look, even if you didn’t believe in what the statue represented. Even if you thought it was ridiculous to worship something that somebody had made!
It was easy. Everybody was doing it. “Whatever.” It was meaningless. And if you did not do it, the consequences were dreadful.
So they all did it.
Well, not all of them. Look at verse 8.
“At this time some astrologers [literally Chaldeans] came forward and denounced the Jews. They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, ‘O king, live forever! [As if.] You have issued a decree, O king, that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music must fall down and worship the image of gold, and that whoever does not fall down and worship will be thrown into a blazing furnace.
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” (vv.8-12).
Why are these guys narcing on them?
Well, for one, they emphasize that they are Jews. So there’s probably some antisemitism here. And maybe just some old-fashioned racism and hateful anti-immigrant mentality. “Those guys are not from here. I know we brought them here and gave them their names, but they are just not fitting it. They are different from us. And you can’t trust them, O king! You’ve put them in charge of things, and they aren’t listening.”
Of course, I think they are also jealous. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were promoted over them at the end of chapter 2.
They (and Daniel) actually saved their bacon in chapter 2 with that prayer meeting and that dream miracle, but the astrologers are not returning the favor. They are turning them in.
It’s interesting to me that the king had to be told that the Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had not bowed. I had it in my mind that they might have made a big show of it. Put out a press release. Posted their protest on social media. Stood in the front of the pack and while there’s hundreds of people bowing, they are standing there with their arms crossed.
But they were not making a big show of it. And Daniel wasn’t even there. We don’t know why. Maybe he was away in the king’s service. I’m sure, knowing Daniel, that he would not have bowed either. But he isn’t singled out.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are. They were just quietly disobeying and, all of a sudden, they were in big trouble.
That’s often how persecution comes. You’re trying to mind your own business. You’re trying to live a quiet and godly life and trying to get along with your neighbors and do all the things that your conscience will allow.
Many things you would never choose to do on your own. But you can do them in good conscience while you are living here as a foreigner and an exile in this world.
And then comes a command you cannot do in good conscience.
And you have to obey God rather than man.
God rather than the government.
God rather than America.
God rather than your boss.
God rather than the king.
And you have to choose.
I feel so bad for these three guys! Everything bad keeps happening to them. And now they are in really bad trouble, again. The king is really mad. Look at verse 13.
“Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, 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 I have set up? [He doesn’t give them a chance to answer. But he does give them a second chance to prove their allegiance.] 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?’ (vv.13-15).
The king’s anger is about as hot as the furnace. He’s almost out of control. He feels mocked. He chose these guys! He said that they were the best in their class. He promoted them. He likes them! And now they are stabbing him in the back.
You can just feel the rage, can’t you? And at the back of it, the fear? If he can’t control these guys, then can he keep control of his kingdom? He’s losing face. But he gives them a second chance.
“When you hear the national worship anthem, you get on your face and you get your rear end up in the air or you burn!”
“And if you don’t, what god can rescue you from my hand?”
He should know, right? He’s already forgotten what he learned in chapter 2? He’s only remembered the parts that he wanted to about his dream. And he’s forgotten what he’d learned about the God of Heaven.
Have you remembered what this story is about?
Have you remembered WHOM this story is about?
Thankfully, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego knew what this story is about! They knew what story they were living in.
Do you know what story you are living in?
They only speak for three verses in this whole chapter, but what they say is awesome! Look at verse 16.
“Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 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. 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’” (vv.16-18).
Isn’t that awesome?! What remarkable courage!
What remarkable calm. No panic. Just like Daniel last week, these guys are not driven by fear. They are self-possessed, articulate, and clear.
And they are courteous! They are respectful. I’m amazed at that. I might be tempted to taunt the king. If I’m going to die, I might as well get some shots in as I go. But these guys are model citizens. No apologies. No compromise. But a class act.
And they refuse to bow down.
Why? Well, this is a no-brainer for them. This is the first and second commandments. They are to have no other gods before the LORD and they are not to bow down and worship an idol that has been made.
It’s very simple. There are tricky ones, and there are simple ones, and this one is simple. “We are not allowed to comply.”
The deeper question I have is not WHY did they refuse to bow down but HOW?
How did they find the courage to keep standing?
Because I will often fold when something much less than my life is at stake. I don’t like to be burnt.
I don’t play with fire. I wouldn’t naturally do anything that would put me in danger of getting burnt?!
My son is a firefighter. He hikes towards the fire with his chainsaw and his friends to put the fire out.
But he’s covered in protective gear and isn’t choosing to be tossed into it to die! He doesn’t jump into the heart of the fire. He doesn’t get into the furnace.
I have furnace at home. It heats the water around it to 185 degrees. I don't climb into it. These guys were choosing to be thrown into 1000 degrees. That’s 1832 degrees Fahrenheit.
These guys were choosing a fiery death rather than participating in false worship.
How do you get there? Just because it’s simple, doesn’t mean it’s easy. How did they do this?
Well, they told us in verse 17 and verse 18.
It’s “The God We Serve.”
They knew their God in such a way that they would not disobey Him in this way.
And I see at least four things they knew about the God we serve that put this steel in their spines.
#1. THE GOD WE SERVE IS ABLE.
Look again at verse 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.”
Now, there is some debate about the best way to translate that verse from the Aramaic, but every way that you do it, it always comes out in the end that God is able to save these three men from the flames.
They’re not actually saying that God will do it for sure. They’re not “naming and claiming” a rescue from the fire. There are no promises that God’s people will always escape death. In fact, aside from Enoch and Elijah and the generation alive when Christ returns, all of God’s people have died or will die. And some by terrible means.
We must recognize that these guys expected to die. That’s what makes it courageous, what they do!
But they also know that their God is powerful enough to save them if in His infinite wisdom that is what is best. They know that God has given Nebuchadnezzar the power he has. He’s the head of gold because God made him the head of gold. And they know what God has done for their people for generations and generations and generations! They know their Old Testaments.
And not just what God did for their ancestors but for them personally. They know that God did the miracle of the vegetables. They got fat on water and veggies! They know that God did the miracle of the dream. The God of heaven reveals mysteries. He is able to save us.
But they also knew this:
#2. THE GOD WE SERVE IS WORTHY.
Verse 18.
“[T]he God we serve is able to save us...O king. 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.”
“Our God is worthy of obedience even if he does not save us from your anger.”
He is worthy of our complete trust.
He is worthy of our unending worship.
He is worthy of our steadfast loyalty.
He is worthy of our unswerving allegiance.
He is worthy of our risk.
He is worthy of our lives.
He is worthy of our deaths.
Do you believe that?
Do you believe both of those? That He is able to save and He is worthy no matter what?
Regardless. Either way. No matter what!
The key to obedience in the face of persecution is not so much being brave. It’s being focused on the worthiness of our God. The braveness comes from that.
Sometimes I worry that if true persecution came for me, I would fold up like a cheap lawn chair.
We have had it so easy in America, as Christians. Especially those of us Christians who are white. We have had it so easy in America, as Christians. And I’m grateful for that! I’m not looking for persecution, but neither were Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. It came looking for them. And I want to be ready.
And here’s how to get ready. Fill your heart with Who your God really is. He is able. And He is worthy.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego know it! And they say it. And they act on it. They will not bow down.
So they will be sent into the fire. Verse 19.
“Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace. The king's command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace” (vv.19-23).
That’s as terrible as it sounds.
And so glorious! The story could end there, you know? The story could end with the faithful obedience of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. What an example for all of us!
Dare to be a Shadrach!
Dare to be a Meshach!
Dare to be an Abednego!
It doesn’t sound as good as “Dare to be a Daniel,” but it is the same good advice.
Even if this was the end of the story, it would be a good story because it would tell how worthy the God they served is.
And how sad for those soldiers? They had bowed down, and what they did get for it? They died in the fire anyway.
But that is NOT the end of the story! Look at 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.’
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.’”
They’re not dead!
They’re walking around in the fire untied and unharmed. Not just from the flames but from the fumes! Unharmed from asphyxiation and carbon monoxide poisoning and whatever other chemicals the fire is putting out.
They aren’t dead.
And they aren’t alone!
The king is like, “Weren’t there 3 of them?
Well, now they’re 4 and it’s not Daniel, its like a divine person in there. An angel or a son of the gods. Something. I don’t know what He is.” But they aren’t alone. Let’s put it this way.
#3. THE GOD WE SERVE IS PRESENT.
We don’t who know that fourth person is either.
Definitely could be an angel.
Could be the angel of the LORD.
Might even be God Himself in what we call a "theophany."
Or even Jesus Himself in pre-incarnate form, what we call a "Christophany."
We don’t know. It’s a miracle, and it’s a mystery. What we do know is that they were not alone.
This fourth person meant that God was present and sending them and keeping them company! What a miracle! He is more than able.
And Nebuchadnezzar is amazed. 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, 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” (vv.26-27).
What a great story! And it’s even greater because it’s true.
What a picture of salvation?!
What a picture of resurrection!
They went down into Hell and come back up un-scorched.
And that impressed Nebuchadnezzar.
The king does a total turnaround. Look at verse 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 [my command!] and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.
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 be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way.’ Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the province of Babylon.”
Again, he goes too far. Nebuchadnezzar goes overboard with his reaction just like he did in chapter 2.
But he’s getting the point.
He’s getting the answer right to his question from verse 15.
“What god will be able to rescue you from my hand?”
It’s the God we serve!
He is able.
He is worthy.
They were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any God but this one.
He is so worthy!
And He is present. And He is (number four and last) active.
#4. THE GOD WE SERVE IS ACTIVE.
He’s alive! He has His fingerprints all over this story. He has been with His people, and He’s doing stuff, often in ways we never expected and never saw coming.
These guys thought, once again, that they were going to die at the hands of the Babylonians. And here they are promoted to an even higher degree! God is active. He’s doing stuff. And they have another chance to live to serve Him.
What is the application of these truths to our lives today? I think it’s pretty obvious:
Dare to be a Shadrach.
Dare to be a Meshach.
Dare to be an Abednego.
Because you know the God you serve.
This story is about Him. We need to know Him and trust Him and love Him in such a way that when the temptation comes to disown Him and disobey Him, we have the courage to refuse.
Especially when it’s simple. Especially when it’s a no-brainer.
There are times when it’s tricky. Sometimes we don’t realize that we are bowing down to an idol.
But other times, it’s obvious, but it’s not easy to refuse. Everybody is doing it. It’s easy to go along. It doesn’t feel that bad. But we know it is. What feels bad are the consequences. We don’t want to get burnt. It feels so risky. It seems so scary. We’re afraid of what might happen to us. We’ll get burnt.
In those times, we need to know the God we serve.
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Messages in This Series:
01. The King's Service - Daniel 1:1-21
