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Bible Study: Taking A Stand - Daniel - Chapter 3

3:1 - 90’ high = 9 story building. (Daniel – Beth Moore)

How much time has passed since 2:47? How long did it take Nebuchadnezzar to forget the “God of gods”?

Nebuchadnezzar built the statue of his dream – entirely of gold, not just the head. 16 years had passed since his dream, and the king saw no sign of the silver Medo-Persian kingdom, so his arrogance took over. (Daniel – Beth Moore)

See Romans 8:29 for what our image should be. (Daniel – Beth Moore)

3:2 – these government officials are listed in order of importance. “Babylonian thinkers need others to bow in order to feel tall. Nebuchadnezzar didn’t bother bending the knees of ordinary people. Babylonian-size egos need bigger strokes than that. The need the strokes of VIPs.” Babylonians lust after superiority, but the reverse is also true: “We can build a poor self-image with our preoccupation until it becomes 90 feet tall.” (Daniel – Beth Moore)

There were no common men in this list of people who were to bow down to the statue.

3:8 – denounced – “ate pieces of” – the astrologers were trying to kill the three men with their words. (Daniel – Beth Moore)

See Galatians 5:15.

3:8-18 – this persecution is viewed by many to be typical of the final persecution of Israel by the antichrist. (KJV Word Study OT)

See Zechariah 2:7-9 – the Jews are the apple of God’s eye. (Daniel – Beth Moore)

3:12 - Where was Daniel? Perhaps his duties within the government took him to other locations. See 2:49 – Daniel remained at the royal court.

3:15 – boastful taunts were characteristic of Mesopotamian rulers. See Isaiah 36:18-20. (NIV SB)

3:16 – They say, “O Nebuchadnezzar…” without addressing him as king. Perhaps to reiterate God’s sovereignty?

3:16-18 – a must memorize! One of the best verses of scripture. It teaches us that God is capable of delivering us, but even if He chooses not to do so because of His divine plan, we should never compromise our obedience to Him!

This fire was roaring! They were probably shouting these words over the noise. (Daniel – Beth Moore)

If God always rescued those who were true to Him, Christians would not need faith… We should be faithful to serve God whether He intervenes on our behalf or not. Our eternal reward is worth any suffering we may have to endure first. (Life App SB)

Fiery trials burn the “fake” out of us! (Daniel – Beth Moore)

3:19 – when we do something to offend non-Christians, their attitude toward us changes because they are basically selfish. Christians should be different; they should still love those who hurt them. (Life App SB)

7 times hotter = as hot as possible. (NIV SB)

This was a bottle-shaped furnace. They were dropped into the top of it. (Daniel – Beth Moore)

3:20 – tying them up was just cruel – they couldn’t shield themselves from the flames that were going to kill them anyway. (Daniel – Beth Moore)

3:25 – was the 4th man in the fire Jesus? An angel? Regardless, this was a heavenly being.

See Isaiah 43:1 – it’s God in the fire! See John 6:46 – no one has seen the Father, so the 4th man is Jesus! (Daniel – Beth Moore)

Celebrate! God is trying to free you!!! - Only their bonds burned! God will allow us to go through a fiery trial to destroy our bonds! See 1 Peter 4:1 – when we go through fiery trials, some of “the flesh” will certainly be burned off! (Daniel – Beth Moore)

Some of the gods we’re tempted to bow to when facing a fiery trial: bitterness, unbelief, anger, self-pity, despair, resentment. See Philippians 1:12 to find out what happens when we refuse to bow down – “Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel.” Hallelujah! (Daniel – Beth Moore)

3:26 – Nebuchadnezzar called Meshach, Shadrach and Abednego out of the furnace. He didn’t call out the 4th man. Was he too afraid to meet Him? (Daniel – Beth Moore)

3:27 – trust God in every situation. There are eternal reasons for temporary trials; so be thankful that your destiny is in God’s hands, not human hands. (Life App SB)

Even the smell of the fire wasn’t on them. Wow!

3:28 – Nebuchadnezzar again acknowledges God’s power.

Trust – rehas – to trust, to set one’s trust on - corresponding to (07364) [probably through the accessory idea of ministering as a servant at the bath] to lave, to bathe self, to wash self. This is the only appearance of this word in scripture. The way to avoid getting burned is to bathe in God’s presence. (Daniel - Beth Moore)

3:29 – once again, a violent punishment (cut into pieces and house turned to rubble – see 2:5-6) is set – this time for those who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. By the way, can you recite their Hebrew names?

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