See the significant change this great king, Nebuchadnezzar, has undergone. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego’s three-fold response to him is now on his lips. Now, he knows what it means to be a forever servant of the forever king. In verse 28, he says God’s servants are those who…
- “Put their trust in Him”, even in exile,
- “[Surrender] their bodies, even to the fiery furnace,”
- And “[violate] the king’s command, even when the world won’t.”
In summary, Nebuchadnezzar is saying Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were God’s servants by
- Trusting,
- Sacrificing,
- And obeying.
But what changed Nebuchadnezzar?
Was it Shadrach’s trust? Meshach’s sacrifice? Abednego’s obedience? No. It was God’s deliverance. God is the main character in this story. Not these three Jews, not Nebuchadnezzar. At this story’s end, Nebuchadnezzar concludes that “there is no other god who is able to deliver in this way”. And this good story is here so that we conclude the same.
Remember that Nebuchadnezzar’s idol wasn’t just an idol; it was an ideology. It represented the idea that Nebuchadnezzar was the forever king, not God. Now, how many times have you bowed down to that? How many times have you worshipped yourself and your desires above all else?
How many times have you
- Retold that lie
- Visited that bottle
- Frequented that website
- Adored that dollar
- Revered that rage
- Glorified that gluttony?
Behold your gods! And have they delivered you? Or have they enslaved you? Have they provided what they promised? Or do you leave them, again and again, emptier than you were before? We all need to realize what Nebuchadnezzar realized: there is only one forever king. There is only one God who delivers. So, look again at verse 29: Nebuchadnezzar says, “there is no other god who is able to deliver in this way”, but what “way” is he talking about?
God just delivered in many ways. He delivered in Babylon, he delivered from fire, he delivered despite the king’s edict, just to name a few. I think we get a hint about what changed Nebuchadnezzar in chapter 2, verse 11. There, we get an insight into Babylonian theology. The Babylonians presuppose a bit of doctrine when talking to Nebuchadnezzar about their gods. Specifically, that the god’s “dwelling place is not with mortal flesh.” God’s deliverance changed Nebuchadnezzar because it was a personal deliverance. He had never seen his gods stand in the flames with their servants.
This is a good story, but it’s more than that. It’s a true story. The gods we create can’t truly deliver. True deliverance comes from the God who created us. Because He is the forever king. The forever king in this story and in reality. The forever king then and now.
So now, if you will be his forever servant, he will walk with you in flames. He will personally deliver you. Let me explain before we close.
In Matthew chapter 26, Jesus is on trial before the High Priest. And the high priest says, “I place You under oath by the living God, to tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God.” Jesus replies by quoting the book of Daniel: “You have said it yourself. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
And because he quoted Daniel chapter 7, they killed him. I guess some people don’t like a good story. But let’s look at Daniel 7 to see the story Jesus was trying to tell. It says, “I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a son of man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days And was presented before Him. And to Him was given dominion, Honor, and a kingdom, So that all the peoples, nations, and populations of all languages Might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not pass away; And His kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed.”
We’ve heard that kind of language in Daniel, haven’t we? It reminds me of the stone that crushed all the kingdoms, including Nebuchadnezzars, and became God’s forever kingdom.
So, Jesus is saying, even though I’m a man, I’m the forever king like God. But the Jews killed him because they had the same theology as the Babylonians; they did not believe God’s dwelling place is with mortal flesh. But we believe so. We believe God took on flesh in Jesus. And we believe Jesus delivered us from fire much hotter than Nebuchadnezzar’s. We deserve hell. Because, like Nebuchadnezzar, we worshipped ourselves as the forever king instead of God.
But God still loved us. So, he sent Jesus to bear his wrath on the cross. He sent Jesus to walk with us in our flames. He sent Jesus to personally deliver you. But only if you will be his forever servant. And you should be. Because, after delivering him by raising him from the dead, God made Jesus your forever king, whether you like it or not. When Nebuchadnezzar saw God’s personal deliverance, what happened?
First, he realized he wasn’t as important as he thought. Second, it changed him. Now that you’ve seen the deliverance Jesus gives, I pray the same will happen to you. After all, it makes for a good story. And I can think of no better ending to your story than this: Like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, be forever servants of the forever king.
Even though you are exiled on this earth, away from the promised land, trust him.
Even though you are persecuted, be it with words or flames, sacrifice for him
Even though the whole world is bowing down to the idea that they are their own forever kings, obey him.
Trust,
Sacrifice,
Obey.
In the end, the forever king will personally deliver you. Those who have worshipped themselves will face flames. With no God. And with no deliverance. But Jesus will raise you as he was raised, never to walk in flames again. Or in the words of Daniel 12, “There will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be delivered. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt. And those who have insight will shine like the glow of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever”.
Jacob July