Today is the first reading day of our second week in the Life-Study of Daniel (see program detail here).
The title of this message is “THE VICTORY OF THE YOUNG DESCENDANTS OF GOD’S DEGRADED ELECT OVER SATAN’S FURTHER DEVICES (3) OVER THE SEDUCTION OF IDOL WORSHIP.”
This message covers Daniel 3 and the main sections in this message are:
I. SATAN’S STRATEGY TO SEDUCE THE YOUNG OVERCOMERS AMONG GOD’S DEFEATED ELECT IN THE WORSHIP OF IDOLS THROUGH NEBUCHADNEZZAR’S BLINDNESS
II. DANIEL’S THREE COMPANIONS STANDING AGAINST THE DEVILISH WORSHIP AND BEING ACCUSED BY THE CHALDEANS
III. NEBUCHADNEZZAR TEMPTING THE YOUNG OVERCOMERS BY GIVING THEM ANOTHER CHANCE TO WORSHIP THE GOLDEN IMAGE
IV. THE ANSWER OF THE THREE YOUNG OVERCOMERS
V. NEBUCHADNEZZAR BEING FILLED WITH FURY AND COMMANDING THAT THE OVERCOMERS BE BOUND AND THROWN INTO THE BLAZING FURNACE OF FIRE
VI. THE YOUNG OVERCOMERS FALLING INTO THE BLAZING FURNACE OF FIRE BOUND UP
VII. NEBUCHADNEZZAR BEING ASTONISHED AND SPEAKING TO HIS COUNSELORS
VIII. THE YOUNG OVERCOMERS COMING OUT OF THE FIRE
IX. NEBUCHADNEZZAR BLESSING THE GOD OF SHADRACH, MESHACH, AND ABED-NEGO
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The three young overcomers gained the victory over the seduction of idol worship. The whole universe saw their rejection of that devilish worship. Thus, God could boast to Satan that even in his territory, He had a people worshipping Him. They did not care for Satan. Today, in this dark age, everything seems to be discouraging. But there is still a group of overcomers to stand against the tide and to carry out God’s worship, testimony, and interest on earth.
I was especially touched and convicted by the word concerning Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: “The three young overcomers did not simply frustrate the king’s word—they changed it. Instead of caring for Nebuchadnezzar’s word, they changed it in nature and yielded their bodies that they might not serve nor worship any god other than their own God.”
I find that in this day in age it is very easy to try to be accommodating and “politically correct.” Often times I feel that if you agree with and stand for the truths in the Bible you are ignored, shunned, or worse you find yourself in a “blazing furnace of fire.” But it was so encouraging to be reminded that the only One whose opinion we must care about is the Lord’s. If we have His smile, it doesn’t matter what situation we are going through, that situation becomes a pleasant place.
May the Lord have mercy on us to make us like these three young overcomers.
Wow amen!! Such a good word!! Praise the Lord and thank you for speaking it out!
Amen, may the Lord have mercy on us.
This portion reminded me of a concern voiced by brother Ron Kangas in a message a while back concerning our generation. I don’t remember the utterance exactly, but he was speaking about the war in Iraq, not from a political perspective, but from the perspective of wondering whether or not our generation could handle any kind of sustained conflict. Do we have the resolve to see something through?
It seems like our culture is increasingly impatient and constantly wants to move “onto the next thing,” whether it is a stale marriage, job situation, car, technological device, etc. I confess that I am also affected by this. Recently I have been frustrated with my job situation and began to look for a new job, but the Lord keeps bothering me, as if to say, “what’s wrong with your current situation?” May the Lord have mercy on us and help us to find Christ in our current situation.
In this message we can see that Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and said to his counselors, “Did we not throw three men into the midst of the fire bound up? … Look, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire: and they are not harmed. And the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods (Daniel 3:24-25).” The fourth one was Christ. Christ had come to be with His three suffering, persecuted overcomers and to make fire a pleasant place in which to walk about.
I was so impressed while reading the message that again that Lord does not want to deliver us from our suffering but He wants to come with His sweet presence to make our suffering situation pleasant place.
“Our natural thought is that we need to leave the fire of our circumstances. We may think that if we have troublesome husband or a bothersome wife, we should pray and ask God to deliver us out of such a situation. But the Lord would say, “I do not like to deliver you from this situation in your married life. Instead, I will keep you there, and I will come and make your environment a pleasant place.
When enemy throws us into the furnace, we should realize that we do not need to ask the Lord to deliver us. He will come to be with us and take care of us in our suffering, making our place of suffering a pleasant situation. I can testify of this from my experience of imprisonment under the Japanese invading army in China. During that time of suffering the Lord was with me. One day I was talking to the Lord, I had the deep sense that He was there in prison with me. I wept before Him, saying, “Lord, You know why I am here.” Instead of delivering me from prison immediately, the Lord by His presence, made that prison a pleasant place. As the Lord was with those suffering overcomers in Babylon, so He will be with is in our suffering today.”
Amen, hallelujah!! I am also very impressed by the same point, that the Lord does not want to deliver us from our suffering, but He wants to come to us, and stay with us in His sweet presence to make our suffering situation pleasant place. Wonderful! “As the Lord was with those suffering overcomers in Babylon, so He will be with is in our suffering today.”
Wow saints, I was really touched by this…”The three young overcomers gained the victory over the seduction of idol worship. The whole universe saw their rejection of that devilish worship. Thus, God could boast to Satan that even in his territory, He had a people worshipping Him. They did not care for Satan. Today, in this dark age, everything seems to be discouraging. But there is still a group of overcomers to stand against the tide and to carry out God’s worship, testimony, and interest on earth.”
Saints, I am so thankful to be reading these messages with all of you! Praise the Lord He is growing in us! Keep growing in us Lord, until You have fully gained us!
Daniel 3:3, footnote 1 – Since Daniel is not mentioned in this chapter, it is likely that he stayed away from the dedication of the image in order to pray for God’s victory in the situation.
And God did win the victory in the sitution – through Daniel’s three companions! Praise the Lord!
This section in the word reveals to us the victory of the young descendants of God’s degraded elect over the seduction of idol worship. Often times we are placed in situations which resemble that of Daniel and his three companions. Today especially, around friends, in the work place, or at school, these temptations may surround us. We must stand firm from the beginning. Just as these young overcomers settled this matter of worship in their being, so should we. We are for the worship of God. Lord, produce a group of overcomers who stand against the tide of this age and carry out God’s worship, testimony, and interests on earth.
“‘…Look, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not harmed and the appearance of the fourth is like the son of the gods.’ The fourth one was Christ.” In the midst of persecution, with the threat of a blazing furnace, our eyes need to be focused on this fourth One, Christ! Dear saints, only He can turn a burning furnace into a very pleasant place. Always remember: “On land or sea/ no matter where/ where Jesus is/ my joy is there.”
When the enemy throws us into the furnace, we should realize that we do not need to ask the Lord to deliver us. He will come to be with us and take care of us in our suffering, making our place of suffering a pleasant situation (Daniel 3:23-24). We need to learn to take the Lord as our sweet supply in every situation. It’s so easy to enjoy Him and appreciate Him and live a praising life when our life has no suffering. But for His testimony we need to be those enjoying Him even in our times of suffering and hardships. It’s in these times He’ll really be glorified.
Our natural thought is that we need to leave the fire of our circumstances. We may think that if we have a troublesome husband or a bothersome wife, we should pray and ask God to deliver us out of such a situation. But the Lord would say, “I do not like to deliver you from this situation in your married life. Instead, I will keep you there, and I will come and make your environment a pleasant place.” When the enemy throws us into the furnace, we should realize that we do not need to ask the Lord to deliver us. He will come to be with us and take care of us in our suffering, making our place of suffering a pleasant situation.
“When the enemy throws us into the furnace, we should realize that we do not need to ask the Lord to deliver us. He will come to be with us and take care of us in our suffering, making our place of suffering a pleasant situation.”
I was so touched that our subtle and natural concept of wanting God to take us out of our situation should be replaced by our realization that God is mingled one with us to be our grace and supply in every situation! His grace is sufficient!
Saints this is the webcast of the same life-study message from bro. Lee, bro. Dennis and Chris Wilde.
http://www.lsmradio.com/audio/mp3-files/Daniel/Dan_05.mp3