God’s Servant

Who is Nebuchadnezzar? Where did he get his power from? (Jeremiah 21:2, 43:10) 

• From human perspective
  • King of Babylon
  • Daniel addresses him as King of kings
    • Judah had “puppet” kings that were setup by Nebuchadnezzar
• God’s perspective
  • God called him
  • God calls him “my servant”
  • God revealed the future to him
• God gave him all the power over nations

 

What was Daniel’s challenge and how did he respond? (Daniel 2:10-11, 17-28)

• Challenge
  • Reveal a dream (that the king forgot) and its interpretation or die
    • Chaldeans said, “There is not a man on the earth who can show the king’s matter … except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.”
• Response
  • Daniel asked his friends to pray
  • Daniel thanked and praised God, when God revealed the dream
    • God who gave him the wisdom and might
  • Daniel revealed the dream and its interpretation to the king

How were Daniel’s friends challenged and how did they respond? (Daniel 3)

• Challenge
  • Were asked to serve the king’s gods
  • Asked to bow down to the image of a god or be thrown in fiery furnace
• Response
  • Refused to serve or bow down to the gods of Nebuchadnezzer
  • To the king’s question about any god would save them from fiery furnace
    • They respond their God is able to
      • Even if He didn’t, they will neither serve or bow down
  • Trusted in God
    • Changed kings word – that is refused to obey the kings word
    • Yielded their bodies – to be thrown into fire

What did Nebuchadnezzar learn about God? (v2:47, 3:25-26, 3:28-29)

• God is the God of gods
• Lord of kings
• Revealer of secrets
• Saw someone who is like son of gods
  • Jesus?
• He is the Most High God
• There is no other god who is able to deliver like Him

Conclusion:

• Daniel responded to life threatening situations with prayer
• Daniel and his friends didn’t compromise even if it cost their lives
  • Resulted in King Nebuchadnezzar learning about the Most High God

Passage Daniel 2:37-47  – World English Bible (WEB)

2:37 You, O king, are king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, the strength, and the glory. 38 Wherever the children of men dwell, he has given the animals of the field and the birds of the sky into your hand, and has made you rule over them all. You are the head of gold.

39 “After you, another kingdom will arise that is inferior to you; and another third kingdom of bronze, which will rule over all the earth. 40 The fourth kingdom will be strong as iron, because iron breaks in pieces and subdues all things; and as iron that crushes all these, it will break in pieces and crush. 41 Whereas you saw the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay, and part of iron, it will be a divided kingdom; but there will be in it of the strength of the iron, because you saw the iron mixed with miry clay. 42 As the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom will be partly strong, and partly broken. 43 Whereas you saw the iron mixed with miry clay, they will mingle themselves with the seed of men; but they won’t cling to one another, even as iron does not mix with clay.

44 “In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, nor will its sovereignty be left to another people; but it will break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it will stand forever. 45 Because you saw that a stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God has made known to the king what will happen hereafter. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.”

46 Then king Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face, worshiped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer an offering and sweet odors to him. 47 The king answered to Daniel, and said, “Of a truth your God is the God of gods, and the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, since you have been able to reveal this secret.”

Passage Daniel 3:16-29  – World English Bible (WEB)

16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered the king, “Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If it happens, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace; and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. 18 But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up.”

19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury, and the form of his appearance was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He spoke, and commanded that they should heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated. 20 He commanded certain mighty men who were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. 21 Then these men were bound in their pants, their tunics, and their mantles, and their other clothes, and were cast into the middle of the burning fiery furnace. 22 Therefore because the king’s commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceedingly hot, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 23 These three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the middle of the burning fiery furnace.

24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished and rose up in haste. He spoke and said to his counselors, “Didn’t we cast three men bound into the middle of the fire?”

They answered the king, “True, O king.”

25 He answered, “Look, I see four men loose, walking in the middle of the fire, and they are unharmed. The appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.”

26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace. He spoke and said, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, you servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here!”

Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out of the middle of the fire. 27 The local governors, the deputies, and the governors, and the king’s counselors, being gathered together, saw these men, that the fire had no power on their bodies. The hair of their head wasn’t singed. Their pants weren’t changed, the smell of fire wasn’t even on them.

28 Nebuchadnezzar spoke and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants who trusted in him, and have changed the king’s word, and have yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God. 29 Therefore I make a decree, that every people, nation, and language, which speak anything evil against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill; because there is no other god who is able to deliver like this.”

Notes/Cross References

Jeremiah 27:6 Now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant. I have also given the animals of the field to him to serve him.