Jesus Creator, Savior, Lord, King #11 Jesus Nullifies Nebuchadnezzar - Daniel 3

Jesus Creator, Savior, Lord, King #11
Jesus Nullifies Nebuchadnezzar
Daniel 3

The Story of the Forty Wrestlers

            In the days of the Roman Emperor Nero, there lived and served him a band of soldiers known as the “Emperor’s Wrestlers.” Strong, brave men they were, picked from the best and the boldest of the land, and recruited from the great athletes of the Roman amphitheater.

            In the great amphitheater they upheld the honor of the emperor against all challengers. Before each contest they stood before the emperor’s throne. Then through the courts of Rome rang the cry: “We, the wrestlers, wrestling for thee, O Emperor, to win for thee the victory and from thee, the victor’s crown.”

            When the great Roman army was sent to fight in far-away Gaul, no soldiers were braver or more loyal than this band of wrestlers led by their centurion Vespasian. But news reached Nero that many Roman soldiers had accepted the Christian faith. Therefore, this decree was dispatched to the centurion Vespasian: “If there be any among your soldiers who cling to the faith of the Christian, they must die!”

            The decree was received in the dead of winter. The soldiers were camped on the shore of a frozen inland lake. It was with a sinking heart that Vespasian, the centurion, read the emperor’s message.

            Vespasian called the soldiers together and asked the question: “Are there any among you who cling to the faith of the Christian? If so, let him step forward!” Forty wrestlers instantly stepped forward two paces, saluted, and stood at attention. Vespasian paused. He had not expected so many. He read to them the emperor’s edict.

“Until sundown I shall await your answer,” said Vespasian. Sundown came, again the question was asked, again the forty wrestlers stepped forward.

            Vespasian pleaded with them long and earnestly without prevailing upon a single man to deny his Lord. Finally, he said, “The decree of the emperor must be obeyed, but I am not willing that your brothers should shed your blood. I am going to order that you march out upon the lake of ice, and I shall leave you there to the mercy of the elements.”

            The forty wrestlers were stripped and then, falling into columns of four, marched toward the center of the lake of ice. As they marched, they broke into the chant of the arena: “Forty wrestlers, wrestling for Thee, O Christ, to win for Thee the victory and from Thee, the victor’s crown!” Through the long hours of the night Vespasian stood by his campfire and watched. As he waited through the long night, there came to him fainter and fainter the wrestlers’ song.

            As morning drew near one figure, overcome by exposure, crept quietly toward the fire; in the extremity of his suffering, he had renounced his Lord. Faintly but clearly from the darkness came the song: “Thirty-nine wrestlers, wrestling for Thee, O Christ, to win for Thee the victory and from Thee, the victor’s crown!”

            Vespasian looked from the figure drawing close to the fire out to the lake where the sun was rising. Perhaps he saw eternal light shining there toward the center of the lake. Who can say? But off came his helmet and clothing, and he sprang upon the ice, crying, “Forty wrestlers, wrestling for Thee, O Christ, to win for Thee the victory” and from Thee, the victor’s crown! —Paul Tassel

I don’t know if that story is true, though I do know the Roman emperors like Nero and Domitian killed thousands of Christians. I do know the story we are going to read today is absolutely true for it comes from the Word of God, and it is unfailing, unalterable truth for eternity. Turn to Daniel 3.

Background

The Dates

The books of Ezekiel and Daniel were written during Exile, that period of time when Israel was invaded, defeated and most of the Jews were forcibly removed from their homes and resettled in Babylon. Jeremiah was written just before, during and after the invasions.

Daniel 1:1-4 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem and besieged it. 2 And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God: which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the vessels into the treasure house of his god.

The conquest of Judah and Jerusalem occurred in three invasion by Babylon.

First, in 605 B.C. Nebuchadnezzar defeated Jehoiakim and carried off royal hostages, among them were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: (Dan 1:1-6; see below on 1:1). Their names were then changed to Belteshazzar; Shadrach; Meshach and Abednego.

Eight years later in 597 B.C., the kings Jehoiakim and Jehoiachin again rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar and he again invaded and punished Jerusalem by this time carriing away 10,000 captives, including king Jehoiachin and the young prophet Ezekiel (Ezk 1:1-3; cf. II Chr 36:10; II Kgs 24:8-20).

Finally, in 587 B.C., now King Zedekiah rebelled once more, Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to the city and once the walls were breached he destroyed it and the Temple and took away all those that survived the siege leaving Jerusalem a city of memories and wild animals according to the Bible record. (II Kgs 25:1-7; Jer 34:1-7; 39:1-7; 52:2-11)

Their Names

Our story today centers on Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. But let’s not forget their real names, for their real names honored God. In captivity they were given names to erase their identity as God’s people and assimilate them into the pagan culture of Babylon. They didn’t forget their God, so let us not forget their true names. Hananiah means "God has blessed,” Mishael means "who is what God is?" and Azariah means "Jehovah has helped" Daniel’s name meant "God is my judge."

Yes, the invaders captured them, enslaved them and tried to destroy their faith and identity. They may have changed their names but they could not change their faithfulness to God.

Bowing Down - Daniel 3:1-3

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. Then 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. Then 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.

Worship Warning

The King’s image of gold was very tall and very thin, roughly 90 ft tall by 9 ft wide. This meant it was probably a statue that was set upon a tall pedestal or perhaps an obelisk, like the Washington Monument. It could have been an idol, it could have been the image of King Nebuchadnezzar or something that represented his kingdom, like the Babylonian lion. It may have been inspired by Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, that Daniel had interpreted in chapter 2, where the king was told that he was the head of gold and was in power by God. Whatever the reasoning behind it, what is most important is the command that was given to the people.

Daniel 3:4-7 Then an herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages, 5 That 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: 6 And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. 7 Therefore 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.

When they heard the music playing, they were all to bow down and do obeisance to the image and to what it represented.

Several times in the passage we are told, all people, all the officials, from all the conquered lands, all the nations and all the languages were to bow down. And in verse 7 that is exactly what they did. Everywhere you could see in this vast area set aside to worship the figure, everyone fell on their face and worshipped the figure. Everybody bowed down, everyone except for three lone figures, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. Can you imagine what that must have looked like in that sea of worshippers and these three are standing upright. Maybe they had their hands crossed, maybe they looked toward heaven where the only one the would bow before was watching them. They would have been so easy to spot with all others on their faces and H, A and M. standing there, refusing to bow down.

Faithful Few

God’s people have always needed the lessons found in the book of Daniel. It is one of the major themes of the book, those who belong to God will stand faithful before a world that denies God.

There are many “images of gold” in our society today. Everything from pop culture, to fashion, to sexual pleasure, to drugs and alcohol. Today you are expected to bow down to sexual deviancy, to murder in the womb and murder in the hospital bed when you’re too young, too old or too sick to have a voice. You are expected to support the rights of those who practice the worst forms of sexual perversion and not only allow them to spread like a malignant cancer in our society but to also support them while they seduce and groom your children and grandchildren. And you better not take a stand against the false teaching and fake revivals going on in today’s false churches.

Too many believe that you must go along in order to get along. Don’t rock the boat. Any truth is better than no truth. Don’t say anything. Don’t do anything. Just go along. Keep your opinions to yourself and go with the flow.

After all what was so bad about H, M, A bowing before the idol? They didn’t believe in it. They could just go along for the time, not rock the boat, not embarrass themselves, not pay the price. Besides, they were officials in the Babylonian empire and so they should obey Babylonian law.

But they did not! They understood then what you and I must understand today. If you bow down once, you’ll bow again and again and again. They knew then and we must know now, that the only way you can bow to the things of this world is if you turn toward the world and turn you back to God!

There is room in our hearts and lives for the worship of one and only one. You can worship and belong to this world and the god of this world, or you can worship and belong to the God of all creation, but you can’t belong to both.

Deuteronomy 6:4-5 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: 5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

That is what these three Hebrew captives believed and stood upon and it is what we must believe and stand upon today.

No King but Jesus

During the revolutionary war the rebels, the patriots had a saying jointly written by John Adams and John Hancock. “We recognize no sovereign but God and no King but Jesus!” I bet that made ol’ King George as mad as King Nebuchadnezzar.

Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah don’t bow down and the story resumes vs 8.

Standing Strong - Daniel 3:8-12

8-12 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.

Committed to the Creator

Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah take their stand for God and His Word. When the King hears from these “certain Chaldeans” (jealous men who wanted the authority that H,M and A had been given by the king) that they did not bow down, the Bible says he challenges them in his rage and fury, Daniel 3:14-15, “Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up?  Now if you are ready when you hear the music to fall down and worship the image that I have made, well and good. But if you do not worship, you will be thrown into a fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?”

The most powerful King in all the earth at this time, who had favored them and given them their lives and places of honor in his kingdom, Now he tells them to join the crowd and bow down! He threatens them with death in a fiery furnace. What he is talking about is a smelter, a furnace that is made to melt ore into metal. Possibly this was the very furnace that was used to melt the gold and other materials to make the golden image they were to bow before. If they would not save their lives by bowing before the golden image, then the fire used to make the golden image would take their lives.

Think about it for a moment, gold melts at 1,945 degrees Fahrenheit, the human body burns to ash at only 650 degrees. The king is making sure no one will ever defy him again, even their bodies won’t be left behind as witness to their rebellion against him.  

Why did these three stand when all the others fell down? It was because of who they were and who their God was. They were the children of Israel, and their God was Jehovah, the creator of earth, sky, ocean and stars. Jehovah was the only true God and Jehovah was the only God worthy of worship. Their God had commanded them never to bow to an idol and because they were His they would not bow, they would not fail their God. They may have been in captivity, stolen from their home and family but they still belonged to God. They knew that God was still with them even in pagan Babylon.

Their answer reveals the depth of their conviction and belief. Daniel 3:16-18 O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. (There is no need for you to ask this question, we don’t need any time to think about it) 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. 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.

They had the conviction of their faith and the identity of believers. They did not hesitate to consider their answer, they did not need time to find a compromise, they knew immediately that they would disobey the kings command, because their God was greater than the king of Babylon and all kings in all the earth.

They had faith that God would deliver them, either by death into glory or by a miracle, but it did not matter if they knew the how of deliverance, because they already knew the Who of deliverance. They knew that one way or the other God would deliver them, therefore they would not bow down.

Determined Destiny

There is great strength of will for the person who knows they belong to God and because of that relationship their destiny is already determined. When you know who you belong to, then you will also know that you will stand strong when others are falling down. You’ll stand just like Hananiah, Mischel and Azariah stood, or later as Daniel stood in the lion’s den. You’ll stand like Peter and John stood before the Sanhedrin or like Stephan stood before they stoned him. You’ll stand because you are His and those that are truly His always stand!

David said it this way in Psalms 27:1-3 The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? 2 When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. 3 Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.

Hebrews 13:5-6 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. 6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.

Illustration: Ignatius was the pastor of Antioch around the turn of the first century and we are told a disciple of the apostle John. During the second wave of Roman persecution after Nero, he was arrested and take to Rome under the authority of the Emperor Trajan. It is said that as Ignatius was awaiting death by wild beasts in the arena of Rome, he kept repeating one name, Jesus. When he was asked by one of the guards why he kept repeating the name, 80-year-old Ignatius replied, “My dear Jesus, my saviour, is so deeply written in my heart, that I feel confident, that if my hear were to be cut open and chopped to pieces, the name of Jesus would be found written on every piece.”

Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah take their stand and we read the king’s reaction in vs. 19

Walking Wonderfully - Daniel 3:19-23

19-23 Then 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. 20 And 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. 21 Then 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. 22 Therefore because the king's commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

Faithful In The Fire

The King in his fury orders the furnace heated “one seven time more” than it was normal to heat. The idea of one seven times is an Aramaic phrase which means the furnace, a particular furnace, probably the biggest and the hottest. Now, they didn’t have a way to accurately measure temperatures so the phrase means as hot as possible, seven being the number of completeness.

Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah are bound and thrown into the furnace, into the smelter. So hot was the fire that the men who threw them in were killed just from breathing the superheated air.

Daniel 3:24-25 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, 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. 25 He 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.

Then Nebuchadnezzar looks into the flames, (I’m sure from a good distance away, after seeing what happened to the guards) and from that safe distance he sees them walking around in the middle of the fire and someone is walking with them, like four friends taking a stroll on a cool autumn day.

Nebuchadnezzar sees this One, the extra person that was there waiting for his faithful men and the One the king sees stands out, even brighter than the superheated flames.

Now the king is a pagan, and he would not know deity from a doughnut, and he did not know exactly who he saw when he looked in that furnace, but he knew the One he saw was no ordinary man, the One he saw was supernatural, literally, like a son of a god.

The one Nebuchadnezzar saw but did not know, is the One we do know and the KJV translators, wanted to make sure you would know who was walking with the Hebrew children. When the king looked in, yes, he saw Jesus Christ who truly was the Son of God.

Jesus was with them protecting them from the fire and I believe that as they were thrown in and fell down in their bonds, it was Jesus that picked them up, stripped away the ropes or chains and set them free.

This was a miracle of deliverance and protection so amazing that every detail was recorded. They were meekly thrown in but they boldly walked out, they went in like bound slaves but they came out unshackled and free, they went in to be burnt to ash but when they emerged from walking with the Savior, they did not even smell of smoke. That is the power of knowing you belong to God and obeying the One who alone can deliver you.  

Righteous Resolve

In this day of denial and age of antagonism against God we need to be standing with the outstanding One just as boldly as did Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah on that day.

Yes, if you stand up for what you know is right, if you stand up for what is true, if you stand up and declare I belong to God, then prepare yourself because you will be punished in this fallen, pagan world. You’ll be punished by ridicule, by exclusion, by backbiting, by pressure from your peers and even your family.

ISIS and the Christians - In many countries today God’s people are still suffering the fate of  H, M & A. When Isis invaded Christian towns and neighborhoods in Iraq, they crucified men on lightposts and burned entire families in iron cages lowered into the flames. They marked them and their houses with the 14th letter from the Arabic alphabet, the letter noon, like our letter N and it stood as a mark of identification to those who belongs to “the Nazarene” those who belonged to Jesus Christ. In Syria just this past month thousands have been killed by Islamic murderers and killers. There have been pockets of protection for God’s people, nations like the United States built on Christian principle, but the persecution of those who claim the name of Christ has never ceased since Jesus ascended to heaven.

But though it all,  Jesus has promised to be with us even in the fire. His promises are personal, powerful and unfailing. Listen to His voice.

I am with you always even until the end of the world.

I will never leave you nor forsake thee

I will not leave you comfortless I will come unto you.

Is it worth the cost? Can I say along with those who have suffered over the centuries or those who being persecuted today, can I say, “I would rather be in the fire with Jesus than escape the flames and be without Him? Yes, it is worth the cost!”

Listen to how Paul said it, in Romans 8:14-19  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.  For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.  The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.  For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.

The earnest expectation, the intense desire of creation, is waiting to behold the revealing of the children of God! And when will the children of God be revealed? When they come through the fire. When they stand up in a falling down world!

 Through The Fire

So many times I question the certain circumstances
And things I could not understand
Many times in trials my weakness blurs my vision
And that's when my frustration gets so out of hand
It's then I am reminded, I've never been forsaken
I've never had to stand one test alone
As I look at all the victories, the Spirit rises up in me
And It's through the fire my weakness is made strong

He never promised that the cross would not get heavy
And the hill would not be hard to climb
He never offered a victory without fighting
He said help would always come in time
Just remember when you're standing in the valley of decision
And the adversary says give in, Just hold on
Our Lord will show up
And He will take you through the fire again

Conclusion:

Who are you standing for or who are you falling for? 

In this world we have two choices, standing for the Lord or falling before Satan. The temptation to give in to the world’s demands is overpowering if you are not a child of the King. But if you belong to Him, if you are an heirs of God, and a joint-heirs with Jesus Christ, then you will be strong enough to suffer with Him, and for Him. And know this as Paul declared that the earnest expectation of creation itself is waiting, waiting for the manifestation, the unveiling, the righteous resolution of the children of God to stand up and be seen.

So, take your stand! Turn your back on this world, it’s sin and its master Satan and instead look to  Jesus. Walk with the One who will never leave you, never forsake you and will always be there when you call out His name. Yes, you will pay a price for your stand, but the reward is so great, you will not be able to remember the price you paid.