Keeping You

Daniel 3:20-30

And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

Every hair on their head was numbered so intimately did God know his people. Notice the care with which King Nebuchanezzer scoops up these men. Not one article of clothing is missing. Not even hats, stockings, coats, or anything else they had on was missed. Anyone who has small children can attest that when the little ones are being bad this is very difficult to achieve. They want to run here and there and by the time you finish catching them they are all askew and you are too. There was none of that here. Either these men are standing incredibly still, or the strongest men are being so gentle. Now I want to focus on another thing. The mightiest men came to bind them. In Mark 3:27 the parable is told of those who would spoil the strong man's house that must first bind him. Here the binding came first. These Hebrew, turned Chaldean, children are treasured greatly. Even for a sacrifice are they kept. Let us look at the strong men of the house. The command was given to them for a reason. Now no one has any dispute as to what a strong man and his house is according to the gospels.

Whose is being spoiled here is a different matter altogether. From all appearances, the Hebrew children are the ones bound. The Hebrews children are strong spiritually in the riches of the faith. However, these Chaldean strong men are being bound by command also. There is a contrast between the physical and spiritual strong men. This reminds me of the child at his father's knee asking how to be a good boy. His father in turn tells him a story of two wolves, one good and one bad, fighting for dominance. The son in awe asks his father, 'which one wins?' To which the father answers, 'the one that you feed.' There is nothing wrong with physical strength, beauty, or anything else worth having. If that is all you have it benefits little. Let us see now whose house is spoiled.

Therefore because the king's commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flames of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

There are no strong men in the king's army anymore. The fire he turned up was so hot it slew them all. You might be saying to yourself, 'that is a great tragedy.' Is it really? In the passage which comes next, we will see King Nebuchadnezzar's true enemies exposed. His enemies will be motivated by religious and reasons of personal gain rather than from the strong men of his army who wished for power, valor, and glory. Now we can see that King Nebuchanezzer is not crazy for sending these men into a fiery furnace. Rather, I want to focus on why the fire slew them. Could it be these were among the ones which already bowed to the idol set-up. Oh, this meat of the Word is very tough as contrasted with 1 Peter 2:2. They understood the king's commands but not the Lord's. Therefore, was no protection from either. We see a lack of spiritual understanding present here. How are you going to throw people bound at the command of the king into the midst of a very hot furnace. There is no common sense seen here, much less self-preservation. These men believed in something unlike those of 1 John 5:21; whatever it was made the king look very smart indeed. If these men obeyed the king, how much more would they not obey the wise men who whispered misleading and wicked council. God had to remove them from the influences of the evil ones.

God had to remove the people who would come against his children, later. There is a bit of selection going on among the military officials for those who can do such a thing. God had to remove them who knew him not from those who did. This is why they fell down and worshipped, to their eternal hurt. Because the idol was as unto themselves, God had to do this thing. There is one more thing to be seen here. These men were devoured because they were the sacrifice for the dedication as those unclean. In the time of Moses at Leviticus 10:1-2, we see fire falling upon those priests who worshiped another and slew them. There are a lot of different people in the house, but the Lord is the administrator of them all. This is why Revelation 13:10 says in the tribulation period that those going into captivity will go and those dying by the edge of the sword will also not escape. God has a destination in mind for each person and intended purpose. This ought to be very comforting indeed for those who know him and frightening for those who do not.

Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.

The Hebrew children fell down and walked around because they were in the presence of the Holy One. We have discussed before how King Nebuchanezzer had such advanced knowledge of the Trinity before such had been revealed to man. However, be that as it may, the fire had not hurt these Hebrew children for they themselves were as holy servants unto the Lord. Now the king is very astonished and "rose up in haste." I would rise up too if I had knowledge of the Holy and suddenly, he appeared right in front of me. Now, let us speak of something. There were four Hebrew children carried captive. There were three cast into the fiery furnace for Daniel was not with them. Then a fourth like the Son of Man appeared in the furnace with them. Meshach's original Hebrew name meant, who is God. Perhaps these had forgotten being in a strange land. Here we see that God was with them. God surely was with the Hebrew children when they were carried off captive. God was surely with them when they were suddenly promoted.

God was surely with them when they were all about to die because of some wicked men. God was surely with them when Daniel had left his friends all alone. God was surely with them even now in the middle of the fiery furnace. Did not the wise men say that the gods walked not among men, yet here the Lord is making an exception. An exception, my foot. He has been walking with man since the Garden of Eden and with all who claim his name. Notice something with me here. These men went from bound to loose. So, whose house was spoiled here? The riches of the eternal came down among men and was recognized here at this time and place. All could see and hear the testimony thereof. Spoiling does not always mean breaking and entering, nor yet robbing and stealing. Spoiling can be like King Nebuchanezzer did when he carried away the children and the vessels of service unto the Lord for use in the house of his gods. There is a continuing use seen here for those who have need of something. However, such use does not diminish the treasures of the eternal house.

Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire.And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.

Passing from death unto life as in 1 John 3:14 can be seen in having no smell of fire. These Hebrew children are not burned nor are they consumed. We have possession by the Holy One here. Such a miracle is not possible without his body and his likeness. To illustrate, I recently adopted a little dog. I had been cutting wood all evening making a dog crate, only to come and receive it unto myself very late in the day. When I picked it up, I found the dog smelled of my woodcutting. You might be saying to yourself, 'that is not possible.' I do not know how, but these men visited the fire; the fire did not visit them. That means, they neither went to Heaven nor to Hell in that furnace. Instead, they passed through it with the Son of God beside them. Do you understand what I am saying here? These Hebrew children should have been dead and in Heaven or Hell along with the other strong men. Now, the Lord is on earth with them, and these are as the spirit bodies. The Son of Man was not known until the act of passing into Mary in human form according to Matthew 1:18. Nor was the Spirit body of Christ known until the resurrection in John 20:19.

It is not even time for this revelation; yet, we are having manifestations. How many of you know that time means nothing to the Lord and everything to us. This is true in our day as well and so until the end at the final resurrection. See how God will turn around the situation. Whether dead or alive, bound, free, powerless, or powerful, God can do this thing. Their coats were not changed for a purpose. With God's help, even in the trial, they kept their mind, their person, and their purpose. The same names they went in with, they came out as. The king called them, as the Lord did unto Lazarus in John 11:43, and forth they came. It should be noted that the fire had no power over them. So, it shall be during the tribulation period that the believers' situations will have no power over them. The fire, so to speak even if seven times hotter, will do nothing to those who walk in the presence of the Lord. Revelation 2:11 tells us how the church will endure. By the blood of the Lamb and their testimony they overcame according to Revelation 12:11. He that walks among the lamp stands, both now and forever, can keep them by his presence. Even in the tribulation period when it seems the Lord has been conquered and has gone away, is he not there amongst his people as among his churches in chapters one and two.

Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon.

Here there are a lot of different God of each person. We see the God of Daniel, the God of Nebuchanezzer, and the God of the three Hebrew children listed. Are they not one and the same? They are called the God of each one because of how each knows him. This is not saying that Krishna, Allah, and Buddha are one and the same. They are not, nor do they claim equality with God, being created themselves. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit knows his children personally in a way none of the other gods could. All the others lived and died never to return. None of them know their people the way God knows his children. Daniel knows God as a revealer of secrets and of the hidden things. King Nebuchanezzer knows that wherever or whoever he is, God will bring him out. These Hebrew children know that God is with them. Now you see why God had to allow this situation to make himself known among the people. Notice something here. The king said they changed his word and yielded their bodies. So, it seems that the situation was about the sacrifices of the dedication after all.

Notice the power here of such a thing. There is a change of times, seasons, the king's word, and a testimony to be found. Sometimes when you go through things God is with you. Other times he meets you on the other side. Either way, he alone gets the glory. The Scripture says much about the end even in times like these. There is a song sometimes sung about those in the Roman Coliseum who faced the wrath of man and beasts but would not deny the Lord. It goes something like this: "so one by one they gave their lives, the call of God they could not deny." See here now, these Hebrew children that gave theirs so they may not worship any but the Lord. There is power in their testimony and there is keeping in it too. How many of you can say, but for the Lord, he kept me. Notice how "God sent his angel." Whatever does the king know about the Lord and his angel? This was in days of old long before the captivity or the time of King Nebuchanezzer. From the times of old until the future, he is faithful. There again is the promise of those being destroyed who spoke against such a God as before. For those who obeyed him, we see promotion in this word. The king promoted these Hebrew children, meaning he raised them up to a level near that of Daniel, for their service and faithfulness to the Lord and himself. How many of you can say, 'it might have been a tribulation, but he kept me.'