Heart Worship - The Book of Daniel - Daniel 3:1-30
Heart worship
1. Worshipers of idols
2. Worshipers of true God
3. Worshiping God rewarded
1. Worshipers of idols
a. Created to worship , has to admire something, exalt , have object of love
b. Worship of unbelievers : because they reject ultimate object of adoration which is God Himself, they worship created things. People, self, things, ideas
c. Personal vs national worship – furthermore groups of people who worship common idol organize in one entity, government have to have uniting idea in order to keep public together.
Communism
Indoctrination – pledge of alive de, oath
LGBTQ
Socialism
Nationalism
There could be many ideas of praise floating around ( global worming, racial equality, gun control, nationalism) but ideas that introduced and later if not appreciated punishment established is the situation when idea gets out of its proportion and becomes idolatrous
Read Dan 3:1-7
Idol of Nebuchadnezzer – power and control, achievement / statue and furnace
His response to the interpretation of his dream of statue with golden head, silver chest, bronze, iron and iron with clay body parts downward represented kingdom that would rise after Babylon. Pivotal point is that rock that is not carved out by man will hit the feet of statue and destroy it fully.
King focuses not on the great rock but on his golden head.
His kingdom was truly wealthy east, most powerful empire in all the history. Military, knowledge, wisdom, riches, able men, technologies…
Their kingdom glory has filled their minds,
Satanic agenda in Babylon h Tower of Babel, human achievements, Daniel repeating governing and administrative position people, musical instruments and multitude of cultures commanded to bow down and worship – not their Creator but self made idea.
Satan distracts people from their true object of worship, but their own independent achievements
Reign of Antichrist
Do idols still exist or is it thing of the past? They do , materialism, ideology, education, even good things like marriage- things that we brag about, proud of, afraid of loosing, angry if it is taken away from us.
God forbids idolatry, it is morally wrong, it destroys who we are and how we should live
God’s agenda is to save us from idolatry , bring us to confession and repentance by believing in Savior.
1 Thes 1:7-9, where God becomes our object of adoration and commitment
“As a result, you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. For the word of the Lord rang out from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place that your faith in God has gone out. Therefore, we don’t need to say anything, for they themselves report what kind of reception we had from you: how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God”
1 Thessalonians 1:7-9
Did you had that initial turning from idols towards one God?
If not you are under condemnation, if you did how does your life is different now, how your heart worship changes your way of thinking, way of relation and way of living now?
2. Worshipers of true God
Disobedience
Read 3:8-23
“Some Chaldeans took this occasion to come forward and maliciously accuse the Jews. They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “May the king live forever. You as king have issued a decree that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, drum, and every kind of music must fall down and worship the gold statue. Whoever does not fall down and worship will be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire. There are some Jews you have appointed to manage the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men have ignored you, the king; they do not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.” Then in a furious rage Nebuchadnezzar gave orders to bring in Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king. Nebuchadnezzar asked them, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, is it true that you don’t serve my gods or worship the gold statue I have set up? Now if you’re ready, when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, drum, and every kind of music, fall down and worship the statue I made. But if you don’t worship it, you will immediately be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire — and who is the god who can rescue you from my power?” Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied to the king, “Nebuchadnezzar, we don’t need to give you an answer to this question. If the God we serve exists, then he can rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire, and he can rescue us from the power of you, the king. But even if he does not rescue us, we want you as king to know that we will not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up.” Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with rage, and the expression on his face changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He gave orders to heat the furnace seven times more than was customary, and he commanded some of the best soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and throw them into the furnace of blazing fire. So these men, in their trousers, robes, head coverings, and other clothes, were tied up and thrown into the furnace of blazing fire. Since the king’s command was so urgent and the furnace extremely hot, the raging flames killed those men who carried up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego fell, bound, into the furnace of blazing fire.”
Hebrews were forbidden to worship idols
Commanded to destroy them
Don’t entertain, avoid curiosity how idols were used
Deut 5:7-10,
“Do not have other gods besides me. Do not make an idol for yourself in the shape of anything in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters under the earth. Do not bow in worship to them, and do not serve them, because I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, bringing the consequences of the fathers’ iniquity on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me, but showing faithful love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commands.”
7:25-26,
“Burn up the carved images of their gods. Don’t covet the silver and gold on the images and take it for yourself, or else you will be ensnared by it, for it is detestable to the Lord your God. Do not bring any detestable thing into your house, or you will be set apart for destruction like it. You are to abhor and detest it utterly because it is set apart for destruction.”
12:29-31
““When the Lord your God annihilates the nations before you, which you are entering to take possession of, and you drive them out and live in their land, be careful not to be ensnared by their ways after they have been destroyed before you. Do not inquire about their gods, asking, ‘How did these nations worship their gods? I’ll also do the same.’ You must not do the same to the Lord your God, because they practice every detestable act, which the Lord hates, for their gods. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods”
This idea of king would end their faith, they were in captivity exactly for this reason.
Ch 1 and 2 were not so much challenge to their faith and dedication as this event.
Evidence of true faith:
God focused – not deliverance focused, not people fearing life saving, benefit receiving
Integrity and faithfulness integrity is convictions in practice, faithfulness under testing, when no one is looking, not in the ground, not by tradition. Examples Noah, Abraham, Joseph, David, Jo, Jesus
Confidence and submission – trust in his person, already experienced his faithfulness
Based on relationship – not like idols that enslave, abuse, destroy. God chooses us to be His people, to love Him and be loved.
They knew Him as sovereign Ruler, Powerful Deliverer, promise Keeper, personal Savior
Ultimate delivery
Lk 4:17-21
“The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him, and unrolling the scroll, he found the place where it was written: The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. He then rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. And the eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on him. He began by saying to them, “Today as you listen, this Scripture has been fulfilled.””
From great evil powers of sin, death, Satan, paid penalty for our sins to God with His own blood, brings us out from life of slavery to idolatry. Blood of Christ is our power!
Grace of deliverance
Titus 2:11-14
“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, instructing us to deny godlessness and worldly lusts and to live in a sensible, righteous, and godly way in the present age, while we wait for the blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. He gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to cleanse for himself a people for his own possession, eager to do good works.”
3. Worshiping God rewarded
Read Dan 3:24-30
“Then King Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in alarm. He said to his advisers, “Didn’t we throw three men, bound, into the fire?” “Yes, of course, Your Majesty,” they replied to the king. He exclaimed, “Look! I see four men, not tied, walking around in the fire unharmed; and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.” Nebuchadnezzar then approached the door of the furnace of blazing fire and called, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, you servants of the Most High God — come out!” So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out of the fire. When the satraps, prefects, governors, and the king’s advisers gathered around, they saw that the fire had no effect on the bodies of these men: not a hair of their heads was singed, their robes were unaffected, and there was no smell of fire on them. Nebuchadnezzar exclaimed, “Praise to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent his angel and rescued his servants who trusted in him. They violated the king’s command and risked their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. Therefore I issue a decree that anyone of any people, nation, or language who says anything offensive against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego will be torn limb from limb and his house made a garbage dump. For there is no other god who is able to deliver like this.” Then the king rewarded Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.”
Idol worshiping has failed
Decree – freedom to worship Hebrew God
Testimony to others
God works on the heart of king Nebuchadnezzer
Faithful ones have been rewarded.
What is your heart worship?
How long would my worship last? If I left alone? Do I stop at prosperity? In afflictions? In persecution?
What do I love?
Great lessons of where we should be careful not to be participating in political agendas that are contrary to God’s will, where we are to resist worshiping idols.
We need to mention more God and His decrees to unbelievers
We are more to see our God show as a Deliverer in the future times of intense idolatry.
Today is the time to build our intimate close relationships of faithfulness and integrity with our Savior waiting on His return.