In Spite of Present Appearance, God is in Control.

Daniel 3:

13 Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, 14 and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, "Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up? 15 Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?" 16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." 19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual 20 and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. 21 So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace. 22 The king's command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, 23 and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace. 24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, "Weren't there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?" They replied, "Certainly, O king." 25 He said, "Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods." 26 Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, "Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!" So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, 27 and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.
13 Lleno de ira, Nabucodonosor los mandó llamar. Cuando los jóvenes se presentaron ante el rey,14 Nabucodonosor les dijo:
—Ustedes tres, ¿es verdad que no honran a mis dioses ni adoran a la estatua de oro que he mandado erigir?15 Ahora que escuchen la música de los instrumentos musicales, más les vale que se inclinen ante la estatua que he mandado hacer, y que la adoren. De lo contrario, serán lanzados de inmediato a un horno en llamas, ¡y no habrá dios capaz de librarlos de mis manos! 16 Sadrac, Mesac y Abednego le respondieron a Nabucodonosor:
—¡No hace falta que nos defendamos ante Su Majestad!17 Si se nos arroja al horno en llamas, el Dios al que servimos puede librarnos del horno y de las manos de Su Majestad.18 Pero aun si nuestro Dios no lo hace así, sepa usted que no honraremos a sus dioses ni adoraremos a su estatua. 19 Ante la respuesta de Sadrac, Mesac y Abednego, Nabucodonosor se puso muy furioso y cambió su actitud hacia ellos. Mandó entonces que se calentara el horno siete veces más de lo normal,20 y que algunos de los soldados más fuertes de su ejército ataran a los tres jóvenes y los arrojaran al horno en llamas.21 Fue así como los arrojaron al horno con sus mantos, sandalias, turbantes y todo, es decir, tal y como estaban vestidos.22 Tan inmediata fue la orden del rey, y tan caliente estaba el horno, que las llamas alcanzaron y mataron a los soldados que arrojaron a Sadrac, Mesac y Abednego,23 los cuales, atados de pies y manos, cayeron dentro del horno en llamas. 24 En ese momento Nabucodonosor se puso de pie, y sorprendido les preguntó a sus consejeros:
—¿Acaso no eran tres los hombres que atamos y arrojamos al fuego?
—Así es, Su Majestad —le respondieron. 25 —¡Pues miren! —exclamó—. Allí en el fuego veo a cuatro hombres, sin ataduras y sin daño alguno, ¡y el cuarto tiene la apariencia de un dios![a] 26 Dicho esto, Nabucodonosor se acercó a la puerta del horno en llamas y gritó:
—Sadrac, Mesac y Abednego, siervos del Dios *Altísimo, ¡salgan de allí, y vengan acá!
Cuando los tres jóvenes salieron del horno,27 los sátrapas, prefectos, gobernadores y consejeros reales se arremolinaron en torno a ellos y vieron que el fuego no les había causado ningún daño, y que ni uno solo de sus cabellos se había chamuscado; es más, su ropa no estaba quemada ¡y ni siquiera olía a humo!
Footnotes:
Daniel 3:25 dios. Lit. hijo de dioses.


Introduction:

At the beginning of this year, I had the pleasure of meeting a woman named Helen Greenspun. It isn’t every day one can say that they’ve met someone who changed their lives, but I can truly say that I have not been the same since my encounter with Mrs. Greenspun. Now Mrs. Greenspun no evangelist, pastor or theologian, in fact she is not even a Christian. She is no celebrity per se, yet I must say that I was looking forward to meeting Mrs. Greenspun.

The meeting had been arranged by one of my professors who is a renowned scholar and author within the Judaic studies circles and had to make an important trip to Israel. He asked Mrs. Greenspun to come into the class and share her experiences: You see Mrs. Greenspun is a Holocaust survivor. I remember I entered the classroom my heart was filled with anticipation, yet at that same moment I experienced a sense of anti-climax. I felt the class didn’t share my enthusiasm but worse as I looked to the desk, there sat Mrs. Greenspun a neatly dressed older woman with almost no emotion in her face. In hind sight, I don’t know what I was expecting to see, a woman with a shaved head with number tattooed on her hand, dying of hunger? She began her story with almost no eye contact, and one could tell that she had told this story hundreds of times. Yes, the story was amazing even without the drama.
She recounted the story on how the Nazi entered her small town in Poland and how her father hid her by giving her to a farmer as a farm hand, and how she ran away from there because she couldn’t stand to be away from her family. He spokes of a beating her father received from the Nazi soldiers as he came out from the synagogue. During the occupation the Nazis took her older siblings to what they called working camps, but Helen was too young to go. Helen’s mother asked her to hurry and take a package of food to her siblings for their trip. As Helen reached the truck where her sister was a soldier picked her up and put her in. She cried out that she was too young to go into the work camp, yet Mrs. Greenspun said these words to us and later she said to me as I spoke to her in private: “And this is how God began saving my life.”

Days after little Helen was taken to a concentration camp, every Jew in her town was killed, including the little children. Her story is long and God’s providence shows up in her camp experience.

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Today’s story is one which reverberates the continuing theme found in Mrs. Greenspun’s experience and the sermon’s preached by Pastor Jorge of providence and miracles. I have chosen an Old Testament favorite of mine: the Three Hebrew Young Men and the Fiery Furnace.

Today’s sermon title is the overarching theme found throughout the book of Daniel: “In Spite of Present Appearance, God is in Control.

The book of Daniel presents an encouraging picture of people who although in exile they prosper. The first couple of chapters establish the foundation for this success : “Although we are not in our land, we must honor God and his law no matter where we’re at, no matter what the consequences are” and in every turn we see a response from God honoring that commitment.

In Daniel we see the personal implications of a historical event, where King Nebuchadnezzar, emperor of Babylonia asserts power of Judah, and brings into his kingdom the best and the brightest with the goal of training them as puppet governors, totally devoted to the Babylonian Empire

Nebuchadnezzar puts them through a royal training. He introduces them into his court and the benefits thereof. He changes their names, their dress, tries to change their diet.
According to the first verse in chapter 3 Nebuchadnezzar builds an image, most likely one which resembles the dream on Chapter 2, and demanded that all to fall down and worship it at the sound of music playing.

This of course means nothing to the people of Babylon who were polytheistic (served many gods at once).

In this story we see three of the Hebrew young men who despite the mandate, they refuse to bow before any of other gods. They still remembered Ex 20: 3-6 3 »No tengas otros dioses además de mí.[a] 4 »No te hagas ningún ídolo, ni nada que guarde semejanza con lo que hay arriba en el cielo, ni con lo que hay abajo en la tierra, ni con lo que hay en las aguas debajo de la tierra.5 No te inclines delante de ellos ni los adores. Yo, el Señor tu Dios, soy un Dios celoso. Cuando los padres son malvados y me odian, yo castigo a sus hijos hasta la tercera y cuarta generación.6 Por el contrario, cuando me aman y cumplen mis mandamientos, les muestro mi amor por mil generaciones.
3 "You shall have no other gods before [a] me.
4 "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand {generations} of those who love me and keep my commandments.

Let’s be clear, these men weren’t ignorant of the consequences. They made a conscious decision to honor the one and true God, the God of Israel.

King Nebuchadnezzar was quickly informed of this and he quickly called the 3 over to him. And it is here when this story begins to unveil.

Angered by what he saw as blatant disregard towards this deity, Nebuchadnezzar reduces the God of Israel as just one of many gods not powerful enough to rescue them from his hands and then threatens them with death.

They answer the King in a way which seems almost arrogant: “We do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter.”(vs.16) Note: Today as Christians we are also constantly questioned about our faith. Why do you believe the way you do? Why do you chose to waste a Sunday in Church? And sadly many Christians feel that they have to defend themselves, but allow me to humbly suggest that we allow the results of our faith speak for us.
They establish certain principles.
“The God we serve is able to save us from it [The fiery furnace] and he will rescue us from your hand, O King (vs.17). In other words my God is powerful enough to get me out of this. No if and or buts about it, our God can and will save us.
But they made clear their commitment to the law of God and to God’s sovereignty: “But even if He does not, we want you to know, O King, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image you have set up”

The King asked that the furnace be fired up seven (tell the story) and tossed the 3 in the furnace.
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Application
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Today’s images may not be a physical statue yet they are real. We are expected to bow down to the pressures of society and sadly many in the Christian community have done so.
In the name of grace and social consciousness we are asked to embrace .
We are asked to see abortion as a choice and a right of privacy instead of calling it what it is murder/genocide.
We are asked to tone down our rhetoric and seek out consensus with non-christian religions in the name of unity, harmony, and peace, yet we know only “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the father.”





As Nebuchadnezzar looks into the furnace he sees four men walking inside the furnace and the fourth one is described as a son of the gods. Was is God or was it an angel. That really doesn’t matter, what does matter is that in that furnace they weren’t alone.

Even Christians who stand in God’s principles face the fiery furnace 2 Cor. 4:8-9
8We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.

Why is it that despite the fact that we are inside the fiery furnace we cannot be destroyed. The fact is that it has nothing to do with us, but everything to do with the fourth person inside the furnace. Hebrews 13:6
"Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."[a] 6So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"[b]