o
Not
intended as an expression of disrespect for the king, which would have been in
violation of the revealed will of God for the exiles.
Jer. 29:7: “Seek the welfare of the city where I
have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf; for in its
welfare you will have welfare.”
o
The
statement represents an affirmation that they did not need to engage in some
sort of long-winded, lengthy (and doubtlessly ineffective) personal defense.
o
They
had already resolved their course in their hearts, and would give the
king a clear and direct answer (in contrast to the Chaldeans of ch. 2).
o They didn’t need further
time to reconsider.
o They didn’t need to “pray
about it;” some things are Scripturally clear!
o e.g., We don’t need to follow the
counsel of polytheistic Mormons to “pray for wisdom” (James 1:5) with regard to
their truth-claims—we have Deut. 6:4!
o
There was nothing more to be said!
o Their refusal to bow
was deliberate.
o The king should have
known their personal loyalty to him, as well as their religious scruples.
o Their minds were made
up; the
die was cast.
v. 17:
"If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace
of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king.”
o
An
affirmation of the absolute Sovereignty of God over the delegated and qualified
sovereignty of Nebuchadnezzar—a lesson that Nebuchadnezzar himself would learn
in Daniel 4:
Dan. 4:35: "All the inhabitants of the earth
are accounted as nothing, but He does according to His will in the host of
heaven and among the inhabitants of earth; and no one can ward off His hand or
say to Him, 'What have You done?'”
o
Perhaps
expresses a degree of hope that God would choose to deliver them,
in light of Nebuchadnezzar’s reckless challenge of v. 15 (cf., 2 Kings 18-19,
the destruction of King Sennacherib following his blasphemous claims).
v. 18a:
"But even if He does not…” (“…the
grandest words in their entire speech;”—G.C. Luck)
o
While
they may have hoped for deliverance, there was no arrogant presumption of
it; God is free to act in accordance with His sovereign will (1 John
5:14).
o
We
are not in God’s place to determine what is best for us, and for the
realization of God’s eternal plan. Deut.
29:29: “The secret things belong to the LORD our God…”
o We cannot presumptuously
demand a miracle from God, or the irregular suspension of normal
physical laws on our behalf (Matt. 4:4).
o God has set in place regular
patterns in nature (cf., Gen. 8:22).
o We live by Faith, not Sight (John 20:29,
Heb. 11:1, 1 Pet. 1:8)! Also, the prophetic Word takes precedence over signs
& wonders (2 Pet. 1:19).
o Even OT days were not days of
endless miracles! The Days of Moses (the establishment of the Covenant) and
Elijah (the crisis of national Baal worship) were atypical.
o
Sometimes,
it is unto the greater glory of God for believers to inherit the Martyr’s
Crown (Peter, in John 21:19; the Tribulation Era Martyrs, in Rev. 6:9-11).
o God’s perfect will for
us is not always to be equated with what we personally find pleasant.
o Herman Hoyt once
observed that if it is God’s will for you to be sick, then you are better-off being
sick than healthy.
o Death brings an end to
the believer’s suffering (2 Tim. 4:18), and seals his testimony!
"We multiply when you reap us. The blood of
Christians is seed"
(Tertullian, Apologeticus)
o Note: Righteous Uriah
was killed by King Jehoiakim, but Jeremiah was protected from his power (Jer.
26:20-24).
o The Apostle James was
killed by Herod Agrippa I (Acts 12:2), but Peter was delivered (Acts 12:7-19).
o Various believers have
experienced a variety of fates before God:
Heb. 11:32-36: And what more shall I
say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of
David and Samuel and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed
acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched
the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made
strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back
their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their
release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; and others
experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They
were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death
with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute,
afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in
deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground. And all these, having
gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because
God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not
be made perfect.
v.18b:
“…we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image…"
o
They
knew not what earthly fate awaited them, but they did know some other
things:
…they knew the Living God, redemptively,
…they knew that He is omnipotent,
omnipresent, and omniscient,
…they knew that in one form or another
He would vindicate them,
…and they knew that no matter what, they
would obey Him!
"The quiet, modest, yet withal very positive
attitude of faith that these three men display is one of the noblest examples
in the Scriptures of faith fully resigned to the will of God. These men ask for
no miracle; they expect none. Theirs is the faith that says: 'Though He slay
me, yet will I trust in Him,' Job_13:15."—H.C. Leupold
Romans 8:28: “And we know that God
causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who
are called according to His purpose.”
o The Three Holy Children
understood that their cannot be a “secret” discipleship.
Matt. 10:32-33: So everyone who acknowledges Me before men, I also will
acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies Me before
men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.
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