Daniel Part Two Dive

NOT EVEN SMELLING LIKE SMOKE!

As we walked into church, it was undeniable. No-one really wanted to acknowledge it and, to be honest, we were not quite sure what it was at first. But as we stood in worship, the aroma rose, and it wasn’t the beautiful aroma of worship before the Lord! My brain was distracted trying to work it out. Was the BBQ with bacon and egg rolls we normally have closer than normal? Had we brought back the altar of sacrifice in our church services? Do we need to abandon the building soon? Why was I smelling smoke?

And then it hit me, The Men’s Camp. The men in our church had just returned from a weekend away and I’m guessing the prevalent smell of smoke in the church was the fact that most of them were wearing the same jackets that they wore as they cooked their s’mores, burning marshmallows and sat around the open fire telling ‘drop bear’ stories! You could smell it! Smoke is a strong smell, if you are even near it, it will get into your clothes, your pores, your hair. You’ll stink!

When Shadrach, Meschach and Abednego went into the fire, the Bible sets the scene for the miracle. It clearly states that they were fully clothed (remember TYB notice the details in the story as they are there for a reason!)...

D 3:21 So these men, wearing robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace.

And just in case you thought that the reason they were not burned was because the fire was not hot enough...

D 3:22-23 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, Meschach and Abednego, and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace.

Yep! Even though they were fully clothed, in a fire that had already killed the soldiers, they were tossed into the middle and...

D 3:25 Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.

God, an angel or some say Jesus Himself turned up and hung out in the fire with them, protecting them and amazing everyone who was watching. Not only did they have company in the fire, but when they came out...

D 3:27 They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair on their head singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.

What! See, God didn’t just protect them from the flames, the Bible says that they came out ‘not even smelling like fire!’ Not even the remnant of smoke stuck to these guys! Don’t you love how God didn’t just go into the fire with them, but He rescued them and protected them even from the smell of the fire? And why did God do this? For me, the answer is found in their attitude going into the fire. Found in

D 3:16-18 King Nebuchadnezzar, we do no need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.

I love this! What incredible faith, conviction and strength in God. God has the power to deliver us and He will but even if He doesn’t, I’m not going to deny Him. This kind of faith reminds me of the New Testament disciples who, in the face of being killed for Christ, did not deny Jesus! Check out the reaction of the king to their incredible strength of faith…

D 3:28 The Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meschach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants!

Wait a second. This is the King of Babylon, who invaded Jerusalem, destroyed it, raided the temple and took the people into exile? Yes, it is! And now having the Israelites around, as they stand strong in worshipping God no matter what happens, he is worshipping their God! The cycle of God doing great and mighty things through those in exile for his glory and transforming the heart of the kings (check out Chapter 4), continues throughout the Book of Daniel.

That is why you are right in feeling a sense of déjà vu when you read of Daniel in the Den of Lions in Chapter 6. It feels exactly the same as Chapter 3, but rather than King Nebuchadenezzar and Shadrach, Meschach and Abednego, this time it’s King Darius of Persia and Daniel. It even has almost the same wording on the royal decree, but now it’s Daniel’s turn to face the fire (excuse the pun!), or should I say the lion. What stands out to me is the first thing that Daniel does is pray.

D 6:10 Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.

As I read the Bible, I keep asking myself: “How would I react if a situation like happened to me?” Would I react in prayer and faith, giving thanks to my God? I love the words ‘just as he had done before’, meaning this was his normal course. Prayer was part of his life, so when circumstances got hard, he went back to what his normal pattern of prayer was. If you want to react in hard circumstances like this, the first step is making prayer your normal pattern when circumstances are good. That way, it will be your solid foundation when things get hard.

And again, just like in Chapter 3, God sends an angel to be with Daniel! And again, the king makes an edict to fear and reverence God (6:26-27).

There is so much in this book! TYB, sometimes we think that following God means we never get into bad situations, and if situations like these happen, God has abandoned us or we are being punished. These guys were sent into exile, found themselves serving in the enemy’s kingdom, and had to stand up for God, get thrown into the fire and into the den of lions. In the midst of their stand for God, God rescued them, protected them, honoured and promoted them. He didn’t stop it all from happening, but He protected them and used it for His glory!

Today, stand in the fiery furnace, face off with the lions for on the other side of your faith and boldness, God will protect you, and those around you will give glory to God. Not even the smoke will be able to touch you as you stand in the fire for Him! Have a great time in this adventure book called Daniel.

Daniel Part Two Dive

NOT EVEN SMELLING LIKE SMOKE!

recommended