The Faith of Daniel’s Friends

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego

While the Jews were in Babylonian captivity, King Nebuchadnezzar made a huge, golden statue and commanded the people of every nation and language to fall down and worship the image when they would hear the sound of the music. Those who refused would be cast into a furnace of fire (Daniel 3:1-6).

Most of the people complied with the king’s order and worshiped the image at the prescribed times (Daniel 3:7). However, three young men – Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego – did not (Daniel 3:12). These men were among the Jews who had been taken captive and were companions of Daniel (Daniel 1:6-7). They now found themselves before an angry king:

Nebuchadnezzar responded and said to them, ‘Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up? Now if you are ready, at the moment you hear the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery and bagpipe and all kinds of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, very well. But if you do not worship, you will immediately be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire; and what god is there who can deliver you out of my hands?’” (Daniel 3:14-15).

These three men were given one final chance to comply with the king’s command. Yet as we see from their response, they had no intention, either now or in the future, of worshiping the image that Nebuchadnezzar had erected:

Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego replied to the king, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up’” (Daniel 3:16-18).

The faith shown by these men is impressive. Despite the fact that they were outnumbered, in a foreign land, and faced with the threat of death, they did not compromise their conviction. Their response teaches us four lessons about faith. We would do well to learn these lessons in order to strengthen our own faith.

They Knew What Was Right

When these men were confronted by the king, they did not claim ignorance. They deliberately defied the king’s order. But why?

From the Scriptures we learn that God throughout history has condemned idolatry. Abraham, the father of the Jewish nation, was taken by God from the land of idolatry “beyond the River” (Joshua 24:2-3). The Jewish people were called out of Egyptian idolatry (Joshua 24:14). When Moses handed down God’s law to the people, it began with these commands: “You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God” (Exodus 20:3-5). Even today, though it exists in different forms, God still condemns idolatry (1 John 5:21; Colossians 3:5). These three men knew what God commanded. They knew that worshiping the king’s image was wrong. Therefore, they refused.

It is also significant to read how they described God – “our God whom we serve” (Daniel 3:17). He was not just the God that they believed in (though they certainly did believe in God). Their faith was more than a belief. It involved service or obedience. James tells us that our works testify of our faith (James 2:18), but “faith without works is dead” (James 2:26). This dead faith (faith only) will not be able to stand up against opposition. John records, “Many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue” (John 12:42). These rulers had faith only. As a result they refused to follow Christ when opposition arose. Our faith needs to be such that we know what God expects of us and then do those things that will please Him.

They Knew What God Could Do

These three men were fully convinced that God could deliver them from the king (Daniel 3:17). But how? They had never found themselves in a life-threatening situation like this one before. In fact, this was obviously a low point for the Jews in their history – they had been taken off into captivity. If they were to focus only on these present circumstances, it would be understandable if they concluded that God must have abandoned them or that God could not deliver them.

Fortunately, the faith of these men was not based upon their personal experience, but upon what they would have been taught about God. Even with their earlier experience of being blessed by trusting in God rather than defiling themselves with the king’s food (Daniel 1:7-16), that alone would not be enough to conclude with certainty that God could deliver them from the furnace of fire. But if one learned from the Scriptures that “God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1), that He brought His people “out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand” (Exodus 32:11), and when they conquered the land of Canaan that God had been “fighting for” them (Joshua 23:3), then it was not unreasonable to believe that God had the ability to save these men in this instance.

The faith these men had in what God could do was based upon more than just what they had experienced personally. Their faith was based upon what the word of God taught. We must have the same kind of faith. Paul wrote, “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). We know what God can do because we know, from His word, what He has already done.

Their Faith Was Not Based upon God Doing Their Will

After boldly declaring to Nebuchadnezzar that God was able to deliver them, they said, “But even if He does not…” (Daniel 3:18). They did not presume to speak for God. They recognized the possibility that He would allow them to suffer. The fact that God had the ability to save them did not necessarily mean He would.

These men understood that God’s will is not always the same as man’s will. Through the prophet Isaiah, God said, “‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts’” (Isaiah 55:8-9). God’s will is so far superior to our own that we are in no position to question Him or presume to understand what His will is unless He tells us (1 Corinthians 2:11-12). Therefore, these men acknowledged God’s power to deliver them while also recognizing that the decision about this rested with God alone – not with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. Their faith in God was not based upon God doing what they wanted Him to do in this circumstance.

There is a lesson in this for us about prayer. We are told, “By prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6). So we make these requests, recognizing that God “is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20). Yet sometimes we do not receive the things we request of God. Do we allow this to shake our faith? Sadly, some do. If they pray fervently for something over an extended period of time, and their prayers are never answered the way they believe they should be, their faith in God begins to falter. Our faith must not be based upon God doing what we think He should do. We should have the attitude of Daniel’s friends – faith regardless of the outcome. When we pray, we can be confident that the superior will of God will be accomplished (1 John 5:14-15).

They Were Willing to Endure Anything

As we have already noticed in this study, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego knew the king’s commandment, the punishment for violating the commandment, and how the king’s law differed from the law of God. They also knew that God was able to deliver them if He chose to do so. But they had no guarantees about the outcome of their situation. In spite of this uncertainty, they faced this test in faith, willing to endure whatever might come upon them.

As you continue reading about the king’s judgment against these men, you see that they were thrown into the furnace of fire. Of course, this was not before Nebuchadnezzar had the furnace heated “seven times more than it was usually heated” – hot enough that it killed the soldiers who cast Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego into the fire (Daniel 3:19-23).

Ultimately, God delivered these three men. As Nebuchadnezzar witnessed this salvation, he said, “‘Was it not three men we cast bound into the midst of the fire?’ […] ‘Look! I see four men loosed and walking about in the midst of the fire without harm, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods!’” (Daniel 3:24-25). Daniel’s friends were then brought up out from the furnace unharmed (Daniel 3:26).

Though we may never be faced with a furnace of fire, we are told that we will have to suffer for our faith. Paul wrote, “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12). God will not miraculously deliver us today as He did with these men. So how will we respond? Will we endure all things through faith? Or will we surrender our faith in the face of persecution? Though we have no promise of deliverance in this life, we do have the promise of a reward in heaven. The Lord told the church in Smyrna, “Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Revelation 2:10). Salvation is for the faithful, but we must be willing to endure suffering in the meantime.

Conclusion

As we must face the challenges present today, let us emulate the faith of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. Know what God has instructed in His word and simply obey it. Have confidence in God as the Almighty Creator of the universe. Recognize and appreciate the fact that God’s will is not the same as man’s will. Finally, be willing to suffer for your faith, knowing that God has promised a great reward which we will receive when this life is over.


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