Dave Burnette's Commentary

Daniel Chapter 3

 

Written By: God through Inspiration
Penned By: Daniel
Date Penned: BC 536 (Covering Events BC 605-536)
Overview: Daniel's Life (c 1-6)
Theme: Daniel is Counselor to King Nebuchadnezzar (c 1-6)
Message: Four Men in the Fiery Furnace (v 1-30) 

Daniel: Chapter 3 Commentary
 
(3:1) Babylon's religious culture, statues were frequently worshiped, Nebuchadnezzar hoped to use this huge statue (90 feet tall by 9 feet wide) as a strategy to unite the nation and solidify his power. This gold image may have been inspired by his dream, Instead of having only a head of gold, however, it was gold from head to toe. Neuchadnzzar wanted his kingdom to last forever. When he made the statue, he showed that he did not understand the God behind the dream.

(3:6) This fiery furnace was not a small oven for cooking dinner or heating a house. It was a huge industrial furnace that could have been used for baking bricks or smelting metals. The temperature was hot enough to assure that no one could survive the heat. The roaring flames could be seen leaping from its tops opening, and a fiery blast killed the soldiers who went up to the furnace door.

(3:12) Why didn't the three men just bow to the image and tell God that they didn't mean it? Because, they had determined never to worship another god, and they courageously took their stand. As a result, they were condemned and led away to be executed. They did not know whether they would be delivered from the fire. All they knew was that they would not bow to an idol. Are you ready to take a stand for God? If you do stand, you will stand out, it may be painful, and it may not always have a happy ending. Be prepared to say "if he delivers me, or if he doesn't, I will serve the Lord."

(3:15) The three men had one more chance. They could have made excuses and bowed down by saying: we will bow but not worship, we will do it just this one time, we need to obey the king because he is an authority, we owe the king because he appointed us, this is not our culture so we won't make disrespect their traditions, it won't hurt anybody, if we die we cannot influence the heathen. Although they could have justified a compromise they understood the Word of God in Exodus chapter 20 of "Thou shall have no other gods before me." Simply put: God showed up for them when they showed up for God.

(3:16-18) Shadrach,Meshach, and Agednego were pressured to deny God, but they chose to be faithful to him no matter what happened! It is important to remember that they trusted the Lord to deliver them regardless of the consequences. If God always rescued those who stood for Him there would not be a need for faith. Our love for the Lord should cause us to live for Him or Die for Him. We should be faithful to God whether he intervenes on our behalf or not. Our eternal reward will far outweigh our momentary light affliction we would suffer measured against the backdrop of eternity. 

(3:25) It was obvious to those watching that this fourth person was not human. Scripture does show us that it was the image of the Son of God giving us a great illustration for the application of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 

(3:27) These young men were completely untouched by the fire and heat. No scorch marks were found on them, and they didn't even smell of smoke. Only the rope that bound them had been burned. No human can bind us if God wants us to be free. The power available to us is the same that delivered Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and raised Christ from the dead as outlined in Ephesians chapter 1. Trust the Lord, call upon His Name, and He will show up in your fiery furnace of life. 

(3:28:29) Nebuchadnezzar was not making a commitment here to serve the Hebrews' God alone, Instead he acknowledged that God is powerful, and he commanded his people not to speak against the Hebrews God. He didn't say the people should not throw away their other gods, but said to add this one to their list.

(3:30) Where was Daniel in this Story? The Bible doesn't say but there are several possibilities: It has been said that he may have been on official business in another part of the kingdom or He may have been present but was not asked to bow because he was an official. Scripture does not say but Whether Daniel was there or not, but we can be sure that he did not or would not bow to the idol. 

 


Dave Burnette's Life Application


The Fiery Furnace

Each day we walk through the Bible chapter by chapter making an application of our text to help us grow in the Lord. Many applications can be made from each day's text. Today we continue with the Book of Daniel with Chapter 3. In our text today we see the story of the 4 men in the furnace as 3 and 1 being like the image of the Son of God. As the 3 came out they did not even smell of smoke. In making application we see that we need not to compromise on the Lord for He is with us even in the furnaces of life. How about you? Are you facing a furnace situation in you life? Let us learn from our text today and the account of the furnace to see that the Lord is with us even when face the fiery furnaces of life. 

 

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Daniel 3

Daniel 3

 1Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.

 2Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the princes, the governors, and the captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.

 3Then the princes, the governors, and captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, were gathered together unto the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

 4Then an herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages,

 5That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up:

 6And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.

 7Therefore at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of musick, all the people, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.

 8Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and accused the Jews.

 9They spake and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live for ever.

 10Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, shall fall down and worship the golden image:

 11And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.

 12There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

 13Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king.

 14Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?

 15Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?

 16Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.

 17If 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.

 18But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

 19Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated.

 20And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.

 21Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

 22Therefore because the king's commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flames of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

 23And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

 24Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.

 25He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.

 26Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire.

 27And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.

 28Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.

 29Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.

 30Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon.