A Testimony of Hope By Minister Nicholas Christian

A Testimony of Hope

Daniel 3:1-30

Triumph Baptist Church

1648 West Hunting Park Ave.

Philadelphia, PA 19140

June 13, 2019

The Minister Nicholas C. Christian, M. Div

       I.            Hope in God

The text before us introduces us to a people, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; three Hebrew boys stripped of their names, languages, and culture, forged of their identity and subject to the leadership of a fool. King Nebuchadnezzar is the local leader in our text. History would suggest he has not only shown a lack of good sense, judgment, or discretion in his finances, but also areas of morality. In our text, this king of Babylon built a statue that is 60 cubits tall, six cubits wide and likely an identical image of himself. Even further, this king has declared that at the sound of the instruments, every local leader, official and person in the palace and provinces of Babylon would bow down and worship his golden image.

At the time of this text;, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are leaders in the province of Babylon. They are no longer just living as exiles in a foreign land or persons stripped of their identity and culture. Because of these three Hebrew boys joining hands and hearts with Daniel and praying before God for an interpretation of King Nebuchadnezzar's dream, God answered their prayers and the local king had shown favor, promoting them to leadership positions in the province of Babylon.

Immediately, this understanding of the three Hebrew boys' journey enables this text to give us hope. This text gives us hope because it addresses the seasons and segments of our lives us when we feel like exiles in our own families, homes, marriages, relationships, schools, jobs, and even churches. This text gives us hope because it teaches us there is no position or place of exile too deep or too far where God is not able and willing to intercede on our behalf and work things out for our good and His glory.  

    II.            Taking A Stand in Hope

However, just as hope creeps, we are reminded that life is built with a swift transition. Because these Hebrew boys are leaders in the province of Babylon, they too are expected to worship the golden image; and here arises conflict. These three Hebrew boys are devout believers, and know from the teachings of Moses in Exodus 20:4:

"You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. 5 You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me."

Thus, now, these Hebrew boys must take a stand against this local king who has favored them, and the bible would suggest the king is furious. However, for a non-believer, this king's fury is justified. He has favored these Hebrew boys. According to the book of Daniel, at the time of our text, the king has given them a full scholarship to the three-year University of Babylonian Culture, History and Practice. He has granted them a place to live, offered them the wine and meat of the king's palace and has willingly promoted them to the be leaders in the province of Babylon. The king has favored them, and now he is furious, as he does not understand how someone he has favored so much can willingly ignore his decree.

However, what the king will soon understand is Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego know from whence their help comes. This king does not yet honestly believe in the Lord their God, but there is a persistent and urgent message that we must never forget in our lives daily and that the king will learn through the stance of Shadrach, Meshach Abednego in this text: yes, the king favored Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. However, there is no amount of favor by a local king that could ever make them turn their back on the one true king; that there is no amount of favor by a local leader, that could ever make them turn their back on their heavenly father.

Often, we get our worship trajectories wrong as we face the chaos and calamity of this world and our lives. We turn to our possessions instead of The One who possesses us, resources instead of The Source and blessings instead of The Blessor. However, this text reminds us in the face of crisis and calamity, that when the fires of life are raging, and death is the threat before us, we still must never turn our back on God. We must stand on the word and promises of God and have the belief and hope that somehow, someway, God will intercede on our behalf and work things out for our good and His glory. That somehow, God will still open the flood gates of heaven and pour out a blessing for us that we might not have room enough to receive it. That somehow, even amid the chaos, crisis and catastrophe, God will still make us mount up with wings as eagles, run and not grow weary, walk and not faint, but we must take a stand and hope in the living God!

Notice, these Hebrew boys were at the top of their class when they graduated from the three-year program at the University of Babylonian Culture, History and Practice. They knew that their stance would lead them to face the death penalty, but they also had the words of David to remind them that even though they walk through the valley of the shadow of death, they should fear no evil because God would be with them. These Hebrew boys knew that their enemies disguised as colleagues in leadership would come up against them and tell the king they had not bowed, but they also knew that God would prepare a table before them in the presence of their enemies. They knew that many persons would conspire behind their back to the king, that the same men whose lives were saved by their prayers to interpret the dreams of the king would go behind their backs as if it did not happen. However, they were not worried about what was behind them because they knew that surely goodness and mercy would follow them all the days of their life and they would dwell in the house of the Lord forever.  

 III.            God is Able

Now, these three Hebrew boys have been summoned before the king and are on trial facing the death penalty. The king has read their accusations to them and has presented them with a unique opportunity to reconcile. However, the king declares that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego will be thrown in the fiery furnace if they refuse to bow this second chance; and then the king asked a question that would convict these three Hebrew boys to testify. The king said in his final sentence, "And then what god will be able to rescue you from my power?".

Standard trial custom under this king would be for the Hebrew boys to deliver their testimony defending themselves and suggesting why they should not be thrown into the fiery furnace. However, instead of testifying about themselves, these three Hebrew boys elected to waive their defense. In the face of death and suffering, they tell the king about their God. Instead of telling God about their problems, these Hebrew boys elected to talk to their problem about their God. Moreover, this bares us to wrestle with our actions. Could it be that we have not been delivered from our situations because we are talking to God about our problems, instead of talking to our problem about our God? Could it be that God hears and knows our issues, but God is waiting for us to hear, read, and know his promises? Even further, could it be that God is waiting for us to believe and trust what God said enough to stand on God's word and testify even until death?

The three Hebrew boys testified to the king about God, and they open their mouths, wave their defenses of themselves and said, "My God is able to save us." Now, we must understand here that testimony, according to Mariam Webster, is "a solemn declaration usually made orally by a witness under oath in response to interrogation by a lawyer or authorized public official." Which means one cannot testify unless they have had a firsthand experience of or "witnessed" what they are testifying. Thus, this very fact teaches us that the three Hebrew boys are not just saying God is able, but these Hebrew boys are telling the king that based on what they have been through, they can declare "God is able." That they had looked down the corridors of time and remembered the same God that gave them strength when all they had to eat were vegetables and water for ten days, was the same God that is able to save them now. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego remembered that the same God that answered their prayer when they locked hands and hearts and sought God to interpret a dream and deliver them from death by the hand of this same king is the same God that is able to save them now. They were reminded that the same God that took them from just exiles in a foreign land to be leaders over the province of Babylon is with them right now and is able to save them. So now that they were back in a situation that seemed hopeless and destitute, they could stand up straight, poke their chest out, tilt their head back and declare, "My God is able to deliver us."

Moreover, what this text teaches us, is that we too can testify that God is able. If we are honest with ourselves, we are who we are, where we are and have all we have because of the goodness and mercy of God. God is the reason we have life, for God is life. Woman nor man can exist without God, for God is God. God created humanity and all kinds. God created all things, and God created all things so well that man or woman can never create again, he or she can only take what God created and make what God allows. Thus, we all can testify beginning with the words of the Psalmist David, "if it had not been, for the Lord that was on my side…"!

 IV.            Testimony of Hope

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego testified, "God is able to save us" in the face of the king. However, they did not end their testimony there. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego continued to testify and declared, "God will save us." Here we get exposed to a biopsy of their hope. As they testify, we see that they believe that God will deliver them from the fiery furnace. However, just as it appears they are sure, it seems as if the pendulum of confidence swings back over to doubt. For these three Hebrew boys say, "but even if he does not deliver us, we still will not serve your God and worship your golden image." It appears here they have lost hope that God will do it, but the truth is their hope is secure.

What they are saying is not that they do not believe God will deliver them. These three Hebrew boys are suggesting that their hope in God is not built on what God will do for them. They obviously believe that God is able and willing, but they recognize that God is so much God, that they cannot fully understand whether God will or will not deliver them. Even further, they know their faith and hope in God is not built on whether God delivers them from the furnace or leaves them in the fiery furnace. Their hope is not built on whether God will comfort or keep them while they are in the furnace. They are testifying that their hope is in God solely because God is God. They are testifying to the king that even if God does not deliver them from the fiery furnace, God will still be God after they are gone and thus they will not serve any other God and will not worship any Golden image.

Lastly, the text suggests they ended up in that burning furnace, but the good news is that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were not alone in the fire and did not stay in the fire. Somebody else showed up in the fiery furnace and untied their hands, untied their feet and protected them from the fire. The king called them out of the fire, but God delivered them from the fire. When God delivered them from the fire, the local king declared what the three Hebrew boys already knew: there is no other God who can rescue like this.

So, what this teaches us, is sometimes our deliverance is not an isolated event. When we testify of our hope in God, God will not just deliver us, but our deliverance has the power to deliver those whom we testify about God as well. That's because God loves us so much  God will not let God's word come back void. Because God must do, what God said God would do because God is God. That is why my hope is fearless. That is why my hope is faithful. That is why my hope is secure. That is why I sing the words of the Hymnologist, Edward Mote:

My hope is built on nothing less

Than Jesus Christ, my righteousness;

I dare not trust the sweetest frame,

But wholly lean on Jesus' name.

On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;

All other ground is sinking sand,

All other ground is sinking sand.

When darkness veils His lovely face,

I rest on His unchanging grace;

In every high and stormy gale,

My anchor holds within the veil.

His oath, His covenant, His blood,

Support me in the whelming flood;

When all around my soul gives way,

He then is all my hope and stay.

When He shall come with trumpet sound,

Oh, may I then in Him be found;

In Him, my righteousness, alone,

Faultless to stand before the throne