Q&A: Daniel 3

Daniel 3 Q&A

Here are some brief answers to our questions from our Sunday evening service. If you would like to discuss more, please call me or email at bruces@stphils.org.au.

What is the correct pronunciation of ‘Abednego’?

Abed - nego (knee-go). It means "servant of (abed) Nego"!

How does this type of disobedience work in our times with our government?

Conscientious objection is an important part of the democratic process in a country like Australia. When the assisted dying bill was introduced, Christians were at the forefront of promoting changes to the Act to allow doctors and others not to go against faith or conscience in having to assist in euthanasia. Whilst not every objection or recommendation from Christian groups was upheld, many changes were made and Christians strongly influenced the outcome. Late term abortion bills and others have also been greatly affected by Christians being involved in the process. If we are too lazy to be involved in this governmental process, it is, I think, very difficult to justify disobedience to our government. That is, if we object to laws, we should always pursue legal channels and proper processes. If that fails, we may need to consider civil disobedience. But that should be in line with Romans 13 - respecting the governments over us, but always holding to our higher authority - God - when our governments are directing us to act against our faith.

TLDR - go through legal channels first - you can't complain about all the potholes on the roads unless you've made the effort to report them. We should let our government know of our disagreements through proper channels first.

Are Shadrach, Meshach and abednego foolish to accept the promotion by the king after the pagan practices he just did?

By accepting those promotions, they were accepting an advocacy position in the government. This would not only be good for Israelites but also good for the Babylonian empire. The influence of God's people in Government is good for a nation. See chapter 5 also - Daniel doesn't ask for any "rewards" but accepts them anyway. Should we ask for worldly recognition? I don't think so - not at all. Should we accept it when it happens? if it is accurate and deserved, then yes, but with humility.

How do I help to be more glad to be with Jesus than with family and friends in this life?

This can be difficult. And it can take effort. But it is worth it. It is sometimes difficult to remember how good it is for us to live with Jesus as Lord. We can easily enjoy other people more and get lost in enjoying the world we live in and the people around us. But it's helpful to be reminded that Jesus is the one relationship who will never let us down, never break a promise and never lie. My thought on this tricky question: remind yourself of how good Jesus has been to you. And don't forget his work on the cross as the first place to start remembering! How many other people have laid down their life for you?

Where is Daniel?

Daniel 3 is in the church Bibles on page 884 :)

How does the king know it was the son of God.

The King saw a fourth person who looked different - "looks LIKE a son of the gods." Possible they were larger? Maybe they glowed! Who knows!? But it was certainly someone who looked very different - superhuman even.

What are some indicators that I may be worshipping idols in my life?

Often we need people around us to let us know when we're losing focus on God and starting to worship idols - like money, sex, power, fame...

It's helpful to focus on what will prevent us from going down that road. And it may seem boring to say this, but it really is the same old thing - regular Bible reading, prayer and getting to Church. When we start skipping any one of those, we often start skipping all three. Before long, it's very easy to lose focus on listening to God, speaking to God or worshipping God. This is when the idols sneak in.

When was the last time you put off one of these three things? What took its place? This is how idols work - they replace and displace our love for God.

In Daniel it's obvious when God was doing something. Today it seems less obvious. How do we tell when it is God rather than coincidence or some other cause?

God is in control. This is the lesson from the whole book of Daniel. Even with the small things, he is in control. He even allowed Israel to be handed over to the Babylonians. In Daniel, we have the "big" stories recorded, but I'm sure Daniel and his friends experienced a lot of everyday "little" things that happened as well that they may not have attributed to God, just like us today. Whether it's a parking spot or a cancer remission, God is in control. He is also in control when we don't get a parking spot or when cancer does not remit. God may cause something to happen, or he may let it happen. Usually, we will never know which one it is. How could we? Did God make the parking spot appear, by taking it away from someone else? Or did he just let it happen?

For Daniel and his friends, they knew God could deliver them from the furnace, but whether he did or not, they still trusted him. Sometimes, when good or bad things happen to us, a helpful for response can be "Thank you God for being in control", no matter how it ends up. Failed an ex/ "Thank you God for being in control. These little responses often help us to keep focused and remember that very simple truth - God is in control.

How did you determine if the extra discount was a gift from God vs clerical error? Where instead u go back & correct the mistake as u would not be entitled 2 it?

Great question - I'd say "see the answer above ". Either way, God was in control. Thankfully, he always is.

And yes, sometimes we are prompted to be thankful for an act of generosity. at other times we may believe it's a mistake and need to correct it.

How to identify God’s will in our lives when He answers prayer through non-believers? Or when we receive blessing without prayer? Is it just selfish desire?

It's a great time to be thankful in our prayers. When we forget to pray, or when things happen through others, perhaps another person was praying for us. Or perhaps God was prompting us to come back to him in prayer with thanks. Perhaps his actions are prompts to remember that he is in control.

The experience of Daniel’s friends seems to encourage ‘Christians can sing in the midst of sufferings’ In real life, is it hard to do so?

I think most people would find it difficult to "sing through sufferings". And I'm not sure why you would want to. It is important not to ignore our sufferings or pretend they are not real. All through the Psalms and books like Job, God's people cry out to him for help in their sufferings. There is a lot of lament. It's ok to cry out to God and ask "Why?" and to cry out "Please help me!" It's OK to not be OK and it's OK to let God know that.

Daniel's friends were extraordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. They had been through so much tragedy in the loss of their nation, land and temple, and now their culture. They had very little left. Almost nothing t lose. I'm sure if we went through all that they went through, we may be a little calmer going through trials, but maybe we would not! Sing if you feel you can, but don't feel that you should or have to. But here are some verses that might help with some other perspectives and thoughts during times of trial:

I think all of these verses remind us that suffering is not enjoyable, but we can look at what it may produce in us - perseverance, hope, faithfulness.

In verse 25, God answered the King’s challenge, instead, to kill him instantly. Any lesson do we learn about God?

In verse 15, Nebuchadnezzar says "Then what God will be able to rescue you from my hand?" It is pure arrogance, and God responds by saying "Me! I can rescue anyone from your hands!"

God is patient and always in control. Over the next chapter, we will see how God not only delivers his people from this arrogant King but then deals with the King once and for all. God is in control. Again.

King Nebuchadnezzar killed those who did not obey him. If Christians serve a tyrant like him, where is the justice we hold on?

Let's not forget that God's justice is seen on the cross of Jesus - where he died for ALL the sins of the world - every sin of yours and mine - Jesus died, as the innocent one, for our wrongs.

Now we wait until he returns. And when he does, we will see his final justice on all those who have not accepted his salvation. Hold on. We will never see complete justice in this world. But God is bringing it. And we will see it. Vindication comes with patiently waiting for the Lord.

I wonder if fire purifies flesh as it does gold?

It's an interesting thought! Fire is an image of purification. B ut it is also an image of destruction. In this chapter, I think it is more the image of destruction. The fire of hell, that we so often don't like to talk about, is a fire that consumes and destroys for all eternity:

This furnace is more like an image of hell. And what happens to God's people in the furnace? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Not even the smell of smoke on them. No earthly King can destine us to destruction since God has already set us aside for eternal life. The fires of hell can not stand against King Jesus. And the fires of Nebuchadnezzar cannot stand against God's people.

Click here to watch the questions answered during our live Q&A after the sermon at night church last Sunday.

Q and A is from 1:15:10