The story of the three Hebrew children being delivered from the fiery furnace is such a spectacular story we just might overlook the theme of this chapter. We might think it’s all about deliverance from trials. But don’t miss the real intent of the event.
The story isn’t just about deliverance, it’s about worship and how true worship blesses God and us!
The king wanted everyone to worship his golden statue but the Hebrews would not acquiesce. The question is: Where did they obtain the confidence to stand against such a powerful earthly king in the face of such enormous potential consequences?
Here’s the answer. They would not bow to anyone but God. That is THE KEY TO CONFIDENCE. It is tied to who we worship. [Note: The word "worship" appears eleven times in Daniel chapter three.]
We all need confidence. That quality of assurance that we are doing the right thing at the right time. The ability to remain on track when pressures, pains and problems tend to topple us. Some among us have experienced the erosion of our confidence for various reasons. We wonder why others are able to appear unphased by the setbacks of life.
This familiar Bible account reminds us that the confidence we need is not "self-confidence". The Babylonian king was eaten up with that. He most likely constructed the image in this story as a tribute to himself. You might say he was over-confident.
No, the Hebrews didn’t just have self-confidence they had something even better; they had "God-confidence". Their worldview was not self-centered but rather God-centered, and it made all the difference in the world when it came to their knowing what to do when the pressure was on.
Do you know what to do in difficult situations or do you just sigh and wait for the clouds to pass? Do you know where the wisdom comes from for tough decisions? Can you stand when everyone else is bowing?
Here are several practical insights offered by the example of our three heroic Hebrews.
1. Realize you belong to God. (Daniel 3:1-12)
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were confident because they knew they belonged to God. They did not belong to Nebuchadnezzar. They didn’t belong to the state. The other folks in the crowd that day didn’t belong to the king or his kingdom either, but they didn’t know that. That’s why they were full of fear and why the king was able to exploit them.
Each of us belongs to God because He created us and gives everything essential for life. He loves each one of us and wants what’s best for us.
We don’t have to vacillate from one idea or opinion to another. We can have a stable life in the confidence that the God to whom we belong will lead us in the right way if we will worship Him alone.
Each of us needs to accept and abide in God’s grace. Grace is God’s way of giving us His blessings even though we haven’t earned them, even though we don’t deserve them.
Like the story told by Denise Banderman of Hannibal, Missouri.
"I needed more study time before my final exam in the youth ministry class at Hannibal-LaGrange (Mo.) College. When I got to class, everybody was cramming. The teacher, Dr. Tom Hufty, came in and said he would review with us before the test. Most of his review came from the study guide, but some things he said I’d not heard. Dr. Hufty responded they were in the book and we were responsible for everything in the book. We couldn’t argue with that.
Finally it was time to take the test. "Leave them face down on the desk until everyone has one, and I’ll tell you to start," our professor instructed.
When we turned them over, to my astonishment every answer was filled in. My name was written in red ink. The last page said: "This is the end of the exam. All the answers on your test are correct. You will receive an A. The reason you passed the test is because the creator of the test took it for you. All the work you did in preparation for the test did not help you get the A. You have just experienced grace."
Dr. Hufty then went around the room and asked each student, "What is your grade? Do you deserve the grade you are receiving? How much did all your studying for this exam help you achieve your final grade?"
Then he said, "Some things you learn from lectures, some from research, but some things you only learn from experience. You’ve just experienced grace. Years from now, if you know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, your name will be written in a book, and you will have had nothing to do with writing it there. That is the ultimate grace experience."
(Story from Leadership Magazine, Summer, 2003)
The three Hebrew children were living in God’s grace. When we live in God’s grace we have confidence. Not confidence based on our performance. Confidence based on God’s performance! Since we belong to Him we have the confidence that we can withstand any test.
After we’ve come to the realization that we belong to God, here’s the next insight.
2. Make God the central focus of your worship. (Daniel 3:13-18)
Everybody worships. They may worship God or a god. They may worship pleasure. They may worship material things. But everyone places something or someone on a pedestal as the object of their affection and adoration.
Those of us who are Christ followers worship the God who reveals Himself to us in His written word, the Bible, in His Son Jesus, and in the created orderly universe around us. Whether it’s personal worship, family worship, or worship at church, certainly we’re going to entertain thoughts about what we’re going to get out of our worship. And God wants us to get something out of worship.
But more importantly, and this should be our primary focus, worship is about what God gets out of it!
The three Hebrew children couldn’t focus on bowing to the idol or worrying about the king’s displeasure because they were focused on God! We sometimes mistakenly think that their deliverance from the fiery furnace is key to this story but it’s not. They weren’t even counting on being delivered. They knew God had the power to deliver them if that was what He wanted, but they weren’t presumptuous about His will.
The key to this story and the KEY TO CONFIDENCE is their central focus on God in worship.
In 1837 three young Methodist ministers, James Calvert, John Hunt, Thomas Jagger, and their wives set out from England for the Fiji Islands. Theirs was a difficult assignment. The work there was only three years old, and the people were still cannibals. Hardly any fruit was seen during their first years of service. Then in 1845 revival swept through the Islands. Chief Thakombau, who had been the main opponent of Christianity, was converted. Within a few years a complete transformation of the islands had taken place as the gospel took hold of the people there.
The captain of a ship that took the three English couples from England tried to persuade them to change their mind about going to the Islands. He told Calvert, "You will lose your lives and the lives of those with you if you go among such savages." Calvert replied, "We died before we came here."
(Story from "Spiritual Living in a Secular World" by Ajith Fernando.)
Apply that story to our worship together at church. We won’t get worship right until "we die before we come here." The three Hebrews died before they ever walked into that furnace. To them, God’s glory was more important than their very lives.
Nancy Cheatham of Olathe, Kansas tells this story.
"My sister bought a new car that was loaded with high-teach options. The first time she drove the car in the rain, she turned a knob she thought would turn the windshield wipers. Instead a message flashed across the dash: "Drive car in 360 degrees." She had no idea what that meant, and so when she got home she read the car manual.
She learned that while trying to turn on the windshield wipers she had inadvertently turned off the internal compass, and the car had lost its sense of direction. To correct the problem, the car had to be driven in a full circle, pointed north, and then the compass had to be reset.
Each time we gather for worship, we are resetting our internal compass. We establish "true north" in our soul, remembering who God is and what his truth proclaims."
(Story from PreachingToday.com)
Worship is about getting God in the right place in our lives - the center. Having God at the center is then how we live "centered" lives. That’s where the confidence comes from.
One more insight for living with confidence...
3. Seek the presence of God in your life. (Daniel 3:19-30)
When the three Hebrews refused to bow to his idol, Old King Neb was furious because his control over them was challenged. Hence, they were tossed in the fire. It was the king himself who noticed the presence of a fourth person with them. (Verse 24-25)
Reminds me of the familiar words of Jesus, "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." (Matthew 18:20) We can have confidence that God is with us when we stand together for Him!
This scene made quite an impression on the king. He was not only impressed with their deliverance but more importantly with their commitment.
"Praise the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego...They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God." (Verse 28 NIV)
The King James version says, they "yielded their bodies", which is reminiscent of Romans 12:1 - "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship."
When God’s presence in our lives is more important to us than our physical bodies, we will be living confidently. The supreme test of our worship is what we do with our bodies.
"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a price. Therefore honor God with your body." (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
The three heroic Hebrews would rather sacrifice their bodies than sacrifice God’s presence in their lives.
That scenario has been repeated millions of times in church history and is still happening around the globe on a daily basis. Christians would rather be martyred than give up their walk with Christ. Sometimes they are miraculously delivered like the protagonists in our story. But more often they are persecuted, tortured, starved, beaten and killed.
Unless you have experienced the presence of Christ Jesus in your life you do not understand this kind of confidence.
If you have not said yes to God’s grace and His presence in your life please do so today. He is the ultimate source of confidence.
If you are already a follower of Christ remember these insights:
1. Realize you belong to God.
2. Make God the central focus of your worship.
3. Seek the presence of God in your life.
