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| Dan. 3:13-15 |
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Lesson # Dan. 3:13-15 Study Material - Dan. 3:13-15 You must be in fellowship prior to your Bible study, so that the spiritual information you receive can become a source, of blessing to your soul and produce spiritual growth. Dan. 3:13-15 13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in rage and anger gave orders to bring Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego; then these men were brought before the king. 14 Nebuchadnezzar responded and said to them, 'Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up? 15 'Now if you are ready, at the moment you hear the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery, and bagpipe, and all kinds of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, very well. But if you will not worship, you will immediately be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire; and what god is there who can deliver you out of my hands?' What did Pharaoh say? 'Who is God that I should obey His voice?' Now Nebuchadnezzar repeats this statement in essence, 'Who is God that I should fear His power?' As well as, 'What God is able to deliver you out of 'MY' power? What happened between now and the last chapter when the King said, '...your God is a God of gods...'. We should have seen by now that we do not have control over our lives. Much is said by young and old people alike, who reject authority and want to do things 'their' way. They don't want others running their lives. They want to make their own decisions, chart their own course through life, and do it without anyone's help. This is a fools dream. Even if they were the only person on the face of the planet, their self directed destiny dream would be a lie. Too many things happen in this world, those in social circles who gossip against you, politicians who pass legislation that affect you, the weather that changes constantly, the job market, your employer, your customers. All of these and far, far more, are beyond your control. Even the programed DNA within yourself may have some power over you by releasing some genetic cancer or other defect at some point in your life. Are we independent in any way in this world? No. The only way of gaining freedom is through proper Bible study and spiritual growth. The only way of gaining security is through proper Bible study and spiritual growth. The only way of gaining real prosperity is through Bible study and spiritual growth. The only way of winning in life is how? ...... And right you are. Nebuchadnezzar went into a rage even though he was under no threat of harm of any kind. These men will be calm even though faced with execution from an unfair law. Nebuchadnezzar was the ruler of many nations, even described as the greatest empire with respect to the vast differences in peoples within the empire, yet he had no rule over his own soul. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, were captives, rulers over nothing really. Sure they had high positions, but they were outsiders, they were Jews not Chaldeans. They could get their walking papers at the blink of an eye. And the jealousy of the 'certain' Chaldeans who advanced this plot against them was all that it took. Nebuchadnezzar was the one who promoted them by means of Daniel's interpretation. He knew of the God of Israel. He knew that the Jews worshipped their God and no other. Even throughout the empire there were many nations, many cultures, many beliefs, many gods. Could the King have reasonably expected that everyone would obey His command? No. His expectations were unreasonable and obviously not thought out. People who reject God, who ignore God, are ruled by their sin nature. This sin nature generates human viewpoint. Human viewpoint can go only so far before it eventually fails. Example, 2 + 2 = 4. That is math and an academic subject. Now God invented math, but when God is rejected then math is merely a contributor to human viewpoint along with many, many other academic subjects. Math is a reflection of truth, but when we use math to advance theories of the origins of the universe then it becomes a lie, because God is excluded. Other subjects such as psychology, sociology, and such can observe truths, but when they promote false conclusions, then they become a lie. Human viewpoint has no basis for strength, it is merely the result of learned information and its application to life sometimes in a correct manner, sometimes in an incorrect manner. Lusts and other sin patterns come out of this unstable thought environment. Nebuchadnezzar was a powerful ruler, yet without Bible doctrine in his soul, he was not satisfied and though very powerful, was subject to manipulation by others. Though the King, he was really a slave to his own soul as a result of his own decisions over the years. This leads to instability in a persons thinking, to paranoia, to insecurities, to a dissatisfied life. Expectations become unreasonable. Decisions become reactions to emotions rather than rational thought. Nebuchadnezzar gave them a second chance. Perhaps this was just a mistake. Perhaps they did not understand the command. Perhaps they did not hear the music. So one more chance. The King ordered another round of music. If they fell down and bowed then, ok. No harm done. But if not, then it is curtains. Nebuchadnezzar had the power to give them a second chance. After all he was the King. Who has been able to stand up against him? Many nations have tried and he crushed them with his powerful military. Even other gods have not been able to stop him. So who is able to stop him now. Looks rather grim for these three. Here they are, helpless and in a hopeless situation - that is human viewpoint. Human viewpoint would say, 'Go ahead and just fall down toward the idol. What could it hurt? Not worth dying for, you know.' And that is probably what many folks did. Just go along with it and no one will be the wiser. How many of us have had the chance to skip our Bible study and go off to the dance, to the movie, to the social event whatever it is. Well after all, only skipping one night can't hurt! But that leads to a compromised pattern of thinking. One night leads to two, which leads to four, then to weeks and sooner or later you are away from Bible study. And you probably do not discover it until your problems come crashing down around you. If things are going well for you, then you get the impression that God is really not paying much attention to you anyway. But the truth is, that there are forces at work in this world, that we cannot control, whether economic, or political, or from nature, or from a long list of other sources. If you choose to live in the jungle, then expect to get yourself into trouble sooner or later. The jungle is unforgiving. The only safety in this world is inside that sphere of power we call fellowship, and that sphere is strengthened as we advance in our spiritual life. You might want to review the 'foundation' chart which can be found on the Index page (see the link above). Outside that sphere, you have no real foundation, no real security. And one day you might be faced with a test of music. What will you do? Go along with the crowd? Or fall back on your faith? If you do not study your Bible daily, then your faith will most likely be weak if not non-existent and you will follow the crown. But if you are advancing in your spiritual life, then your courage will be great, and you will be able to discern between real major tests and minor tests, as well as when to be flexible and when to be inflexible and stand your ground, trusting that God will bring the situation to a proper conclusion regardless of the outcome to you personally. 
Now is the time to post a prayer. End Of Lesson Study to show thyself approved (mature) unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing (studying/discerning), the Word of truth. |
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