Daniel 3 - The Fiery Furnace
Notes
Transcript
Big Idea
Where is your God? Who will you serve?
Context
Daniel is the authorDaniel is missing from this narrative in Ch. 3Written as narrative. This would have been a festive day in Babylon. Set the sceneFanfare, the band is there. People from all of the Babylonian kingdom are there. Most of the Gov. is there, all the important folks. This was set in a plain outside the city. Excitement had probably been building in the walls of the city. They could see this thing going up, smoke coming from the forge. What is going on? What is Neb up to now?Ol’ Neb is pretty wild, been have some outright strange dreams and getting mad when people can’t tell him what’s going on. The Babylonians are a pretty brutal people. Their Neighbors and greatest rivals, The Assyrians, are the only people in the land probably more brutal. But they were having an ancient arms race on who can be more powerful and brutal. They’re not known for taking treason lightly or really anything lightly. Example: Lying was a huge deal in this society, Only as good as your word. Lying was a capital crime. Lie about anything and you’re dead, in a horrific way.
Whom are you serving?
v. 1-7
T
Where is your God?
v. 8-18
T
Our God is with us.
v. 19-25
W
Our Witness matters.
v. 26-30 / Invitation to respond
Yourself? This too is vanity and ultimately meaningless Christ? This life only has meaning if it is lived for Christ.