STRAIGHTWAY CHURCH OF CHRIST
37 MARKET STREET, NEW HAVEN, CT 06513
WWW.STRAIGHTWAYCHURCHOFCHRIST.COM
The Late Bishop E. Samuel Green, Establismentarian
Bishop M. Ruel McCoy, Sr.,
Servant / Shepherd
THREE YOUNG MEN
REFUSE TO BOW
Daniel 3:1, 8-18
LESSON 10; AUGUST 8, 2021
“THREE YOUN MEN REFUSE TO BOW”
LESSON TEXT: Jeremiah 26:1, 4-15
RELATED SCRIPTURES: Daniel 3:19-30; 6:1-23; Psalm 18:46-50; Matthew 10:16-20
TIME: about 587 B.C.
PLACE: Babylon
GOLDEN TEXT: “If 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 (Daniel 3:17).”
SCRIPTURE LESSON TEXT
DANIEL 3:1, 8-18
1 Nebuchadnezzar 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.
DANIEL 3:8-18
8 Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and accused the Jews.
9 They spake and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live for ever.
10 Thou, 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:
11 And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.
12 There 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.
13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king.
14 Nebuchadnezzar 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?
15 Now 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?
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.
17 If 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.
18 But 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.
LESSON OUTLINE
1. THE GOLDEN IDOL (Dan. 3:1)
2. THE SCHEMING INFORMANTS (Dan. 3:8-12)
3. THE BRAVE YOUNG MEN (Dan. 3:13-18)
LESSON EXPOSITION
THE GOLDEN IDOL (Dan. 3:1)
1 Nebuchadnezzar 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.
We find ourselves in Babylon, where a number of Jewish captives have been living for about eighteen years. Prominent among these, of course, is the young man Daniel, accompanied by his three friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (cf. Dan. 1:6-7).
These four men rose high in the Babylonian administrative system.
King Nebuchadnezzar was the greatest ruler the ancient Near East had seen in centuries. Nebuchadnezzar had great respect for Daniel and his
compatriots, but he had even greater esteem for his own majesty and was given to grandiose gestures and self-adulatory promotions. Thus it was that he conceived a plan to reflect universal glory back on himself.
Daniel 3:1 tells us that “the king made an image of gold.”
Upon hearing music, everyone was to fall to the ground and worship the king’s golden statue (vss. 2-5). It was a loyalty test of the most brazen sort, and the penalty for not participating was
uncompromising: immediate incineration in a blazing furnace (vs. 6).
Verse 7 informs us that, not surprisingly, compliance was swift and virtually total. There was a chink in the universal worship, however.
A tiny handful of individuals—three to be precise—stood out conspicuously from the cowed masses.
THE SCHEMING INFORMANTS (Dan. 3:8-12)
The preliminaries (Dan. 3:8-11).
8 Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and accused the Jews.
9 They spake and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live for ever.
10 Thou, 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:
11 And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.
It was not long before a gaggle of these advisers marched in with some important news for the king.
Verse 8 calls these advisers “certain Chaldeans.” Within the empire established by Nebuchadnezzar, the term “Chaldean” seems to refer to the learned class of priests, magicians, and astronomers.
These men, who must have been filled with resentment at the favor shown to the young Hebrews, had found their opportunity. They came into the king’s presence and “accused the Jews” (3:8).
To set their case on solid footing, the advisers evidently felt they had to repeat to the king the content of his own decree (vs. 10).
The advisers also thought it necessary to remind the king of the penalty for failing to answer
the orchestral call to worship. Anyone who did not bow down to worship the image was to be thrown into a “burning fiery furnace” (vs. 11).
The accusation (Dan. 3:12). Finally, the advisers informed the king that there were a few Jews
who had not complied with the king’s decree. The malefactors were named: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. The advisers reminded the king that these were men whom he had placed in high positions of administration over the province of Babylon.
The motive for this reminder was no doubt to highlight the ingratitude of these three for their promotions.
THE BRAVE YOUNG MEN (Dan. 3:13-18)
The king’s anger and final offer (Dan. 3:13-15).
13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king.
14 Nebuchadnezzar 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?
15 Now 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?
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.
17 If 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.
18 But 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.
Nebuchadnezzar flew into a rage at their report and immediately ordered that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought in to answer for their insubordination.
Nebuchadnezzar asked whether the report was true.
Had they really refused to worship the golden image recently set up?
If they refused again, there would be no further appeal. The king ended with a challenge: What god would be able to rescue them from his power?
The faithful men’s resolute stand (Dan. 3:16-18). Nebuchadnezzar had asked what god could possibly save them; they declared to him unambiguously that the God they served was fully able to rescue them from the blazing furnace.
Not only that, but they were also confident He actually would do so (vs. 17). Such confidence was surely the last thing Nebuchadnezzar expected.
By faith they fully expected that God would deliver them, but they informed Nebuchadnezzar that
even if He chose not to do so, they would not be serving the king’s gods or worshipping his golden statue. Here were three men who flung idolatry to the ground in the face of gruesome death.
The three men were summarily tied up and thrown into the midst of the fiery furnace. But instead of being consumed, they enjoyed the fellowship of a fourth person (probably the preincarnate Christ Himself).
They emerged unscathed from the furnace, bringing honor to themselves and glory to God. QUESTIONS
1 What was Nebuchadnezzar’s motive in making his golden image?
To reflect universal glory back on himself
2 To whom does “Chaldeans” refer (Dan. 3:8)?
Advisers (learned class of priests, magicians, and astronomers)
3 For what purpose did these advisers come before the king?
To accuse the Jews
4 Why did they tell the king the content of his own decree?
To strengthen their argument
5 What was the penalty for disobeying the decree?
Thrown into the fiery furnace
6 Why did the advisers remind the king that he had put the three Jewish men in high positions?
To highlight the ingratitude of these three for their promotions
7 How did the king react to the report?
Flew into a rage at their report and immediately ordered that shadrach, meshach, and abednego be brought in to answer for their insubordination
8 How did the three men answer the king’s question?
They declared to him
unambiguously that the god they served was fully able to rescue them from the blazing furnace.
9 Of what were the three men confident?
He actually would do so (vs. 17).
10 What was their attitude toward idolatry?
They would not be serving the king’s gods or worshipping his golden statue
PRACTICAL POINTS
1 Those who seek to honor God are often falsely accused of dishonoring proud human leaders (Dan. 3:1, 8-9).
2 Those who are loyal to God will stand out from the crowd (vss. 10-12).
3 Human pride can drive people to hatred (vss. 13-14).
4 God’s people cannot negotiate victory on the world’s terms (vs. 15).
5 We can count on the Lord for security when the world targets us for persecution (vss. 16-17).
6 We can stand firm against evil forces and worldly values only because God stands with us (vs. 18).
STRAIGHTWAY CHURCH OF CHRIST
37 MARKET STREET, NEW HAVEN, CT 06513
WWW.STRAIGHTWAYCHURCHOFCHRIST.COM
The Late Bishop E. Samuel Green, Establismentarian
Bishop M. Ruel McCoy, Sr.,
Servant / Shepherd
THREE YOUNG MEN
REFUSE TO BOW
Daniel 3:1, 8-18