Year 9, Day 337: Daniel 3

Theological Commentary: Click Here

The cool part about Daniel 3?  Daniel isn’t even in the story!  This is a story about Daniels three friends who were renamed with him in the first chapter of Daniel.  So often we hear about Daniel and the fiery furnace.  But in this story, Daniel isn’t involved.

The book of Daniel is far deeper than most people think.  So often it is made into children’s stories and we think of it as an introduction into God’s Word.  While many of the stories are accessible to young people, Daniel should not be thought o as a child’s book!  This is a book with roots than descend into what it means to be human and the extent that God tries to reach us.

For example, take Nebuchadnezzar.  Here is a Babylonian king who has seen God’s power at work twice now.  God has tried to reach him and show Nebuchadnezzar His splendor.  What does Nebuchadnezzar do, though?  Nebuchadnezzar builds himself a golden image and tells everyone to worship that image.  He had the power to invite people to worship God, who has proven Himself to Nebuchadnezzar.  He had the power to worship God Himself!  Instead, Nebuchadnezzar creates so golden image of his own making and tells people they have to worship that.

Isn’t this the embodiment of human existence?  How frequently are we able to invite other people into the worship of God?  Yet, how frequently do we want something of our own making to get recognition instead of God?  Hasn’t God proven Himself to us as well?  Hasn’t God show Himself more powerful than the stuff in our life that we tend to worship instead of Him?  Yet we act like Nebuchadnezzar and ignore God’s invitation while instead focusing on ourselves and the greatness of our own thoughts.

As true as this is, there is something even cooler within this passage.  Nebuchadnezzar sins when confronted with his error.  He throws the trio of faithful people in a fiery furnace.  God saves them.  God doesn’t let the sin of Nebuchadnezzar impact the trio of Daniel’s friends.  Don’t think of this as a precedent.  God doesn’t always protect us from the consequences of other people’s sins.  In this particular case, though, He does intervene.

What God does, though, is show mercy.  After all He has done, God doesn’t smite Nebuchadnezzar.  He gives him another chance.  He allows the trio of faithful men to escape unharmed so Nebuchadnezzar can get another opportunity to respond to what God is trying to do in His life.  He is gracious and merciful.

He’s that way with us, too.  He is gracious when we don’t deserve another chance.  He is gracious when we miss an opportunity.  He is gracious when we deserve condemnation.  He is gracious.  That’s the awesome part of this story.

<><