26 Then Nebuchadnezzar approached the door of the blazing fiery furnace and called out, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out!”

So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out of the fire, 27 and when the satraps, prefects, governors, and royal advisers had 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.

28 Nebuchadnezzar declared, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent His angel and delivered 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. 29 Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything offensive against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego will be cut into pieces and their houses reduced to rubble. For there is no other god who can deliver in this way.”

30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Alex Chen

This is the victory of God’s people in a foreign land. Nebuchadnezzar finally acknowledges that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego serve the one true God. In light of God’s miraculous rescue, Nebuchadnezzar praises God. God’s people are praised for worshipping only the one God at the risk of their lives. Blessings fall upon these servants. God’s deliverance is a great testimony to Nebuchadnezzar.

Even the proud are humbled. The highest human power is shown God’s power and recognises it here. God’s saving power, and his exclusivity are on show here. Time and time again, he rescues his people. We see this ultimately done at the cross through Jesus, as God rescues his people from sin and death. Even in light of powerful human rulers – the God of the Bible is the only God to be known and praised.

We can rejoice that the all-powerful God knows us. Even anyone we think that is “beyond saving” – can be known and saved by God. But we are saved to a life of knowing God rightly and living lives for him. Jesus is both Saviour and Lord. We must be willing to let go of what is most valuable to us in an earthly way for the sake of following Jesus. Our whole lives are living sacrifices to God. The things which impede us knowing Jesus better – we must consider giving them up. The materialism of our society, chasing novelty in the latest fad or fun experience. We particularly live now in a society that is rejecting Christian values – how will we not get sucked into them? Is our time on social media or our phones replacing our time in our Bibles? Pursue God and the blessing of knowing him rightly. We know God’s deliverance already – we should live in light of the end, proclaiming God’s graciousness with as much of our lives as we can.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alex is one of our Student Ministers.

19 At this, 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 hotter than usual, 20 and he commanded some mighty men of valor in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and throw them into the blazing fiery furnace.

21 So they were tied up, wearing robes, trousers, turbans, and other clothes, and they were thrown into the blazing fiery furnace.

22 The king’s command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the fiery flames killed the men who carried up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, firmly bound, fell into the blazing fiery furnace.

24 Suddenly King Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in amazement and asked his advisers, “Did we not throw three men, firmly bound, into the fire?”

“Certainly, O king,” they replied.

25 “Look!” he exclaimed. “I see four men, unbound and unharmed, walking around in the fire—and the fourth looks like a son of the gods!”

REFLECTIONS

Written by Alex Chen

This is the moment the enemies of God should be triumphing over God’s faithful people in a foreign place. The blazing fire sounds terrifying, but we don’t learn what Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego thought after their bold stance of worshipping only the one true God. The faithful are given the death sentence by the earthly ruler and his soldiers. But the enemy does not prevail here. There is divine intervention – one like a son of the gods appears. God protects his people, the faithful few in a foreign land. These are the people through whom he is going to save people throughout the world.

Deciding to stand up and declare allegiance to God here has its consequences, and we see it in full force here. We see here that God is faithful to his people Israel, that human rulers do not mean that God is not in control, or acting, or caring. Even at the lowest point of God’s people – his power and love are seen.

We may not often face the furnace for our faith. We know that Jesus has done that at an even greater scale for us at the cross – and God was faithful in raising him from the dead. We have deep assurance that in our unity with Jesus, we too are kept by God. The last enemy of death has been defeated. But we must also be encouraged that in knowing God’s faithfulness to us already in Jesus – we can stand up and boldly proclaim Jesus’ name, even in hostile environments. Family, friends, work, strangers – we must show that we are known by our God, and so we live differently to what the world chases, what it worships. Security in money, job security, relationships; man’s praise for aligning with them – we must pray for a readiness to stand firm.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alex is one of our Student Ministers.

13 Then Nebuchadnezzar, furious with rage, summoned Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, 14 and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, is it true that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden statue I have set up? 15 Now, if you are ready, as soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the statue I have made. But if you refuse to worship, you will be thrown at once into the blazing fiery furnace. Then what god will be able to deliver you from my hands?”

16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If the God whom we serve exists, then He is able to deliver us from the blazing fiery furnace and from your hand, O king. 18 But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden statue you have set up.”

REFLECTIONS

Written by Susan Everett

After being dobbed in by the Astrologers, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego are brought before Nebuchadnezzar. He is furious, and doubles down on his threat to throw them into the furnace if they won’t worship his statue. 

 But how incredible is their response? There’s no boasting or bravado, no fawning or begging, no attacks or insults. Instead, they just show that they really know their God, and they trust him.

 They know that they don’t need to answer Nebuchadnezzar in this matter – they are accountable to God alone. 

They know that the God they serve IS able to rescue them. He’s all powerful. He can split a sea, destroy an army, and stop a raging fire from burning a single hair on their heads. 

They know that their God is sovereign – he does whatever pleases him. His wisdom is far greater than theirs. So they know he may choose not to rescue them. 

But Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego still know that their God is the only one worth worshipping. 

 I know that our culture is becoming increasingly hostile towards Christians. Laws are being passed to limit prayer, scripture, and even the sanctity of life. I wouldn’t be surprised if Christians start being imprisoned or heavily fined for following Jesus in the coming years. 

 But Daniel 3 encourages me to have a bigger vision of God amidst this. My God is the one I’m really answerable too. My God is able to rescue me from any danger or persecution. My God is sovereign, and controlling every event of history, even if I don’t understand it all. My God is still the only one worth worshipping. He’s the defeater of death, the king of kings. 

 So when the world becomes more hostile to Christians, we don’t need to respond with insults, or give in. We can calmly declare that our God is the risen Lord, and trust him to bring us home safely. Let’s pray for a bigger vision of our God, and for the strength to trust in him no matter what comes. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Susan is one of our Student Ministers.

1 King Nebuchadnezzar made a golden statue sixty cubits high and six cubits wide, and he set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. 2 Then King Nebuchadnezzar sent word to assemble the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the other officials of the provinces to attend the dedication of the statue he had set up.

3 So the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the rulers of the provinces assembled for the dedication of the statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up, and they stood before it.

4 Then the herald loudly proclaimed, “O people of every nation and language, this is what you are commanded: 5 As soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the golden statue that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. 6 And whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into the blazing fiery furnace.”

7 Therefore, as soon as all the people heard the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, and all kinds of music, the people of every nation and language would fall down and worship the golden statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

8 At this time some astrologers came forward and maliciously accused the Jews, 9 saying to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, may you live forever! 10 You, O king, have issued a decree that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and all kinds of music must fall down and worship the golden statue, 11 and that whoever does not fall down and worship will be thrown into the blazing fiery furnace. 12 But there are some Jews you have appointed to manage the province of Babylon—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—who have ignored you, O king, and have refused to serve your gods or worship the golden statue you have set up.”

REFLECTIONS

Written by Susan Everett

Nebuchadnezzar has a short memory. Yesterday, he declared that Daniel’s God was, “truly the God of gods and Lord of kings.” (2:47). But in our passage today, Nebuchadnezzar sets up a golden statue for people to worship. And he really does want everyone to worship it – from the satraps to the magistrates, people from every nation and language. His command is clear: worship, or burn. And sure enough, everyone bows down in verse 7.

Well, everyone except Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Even when threatened with death, they won’t bow down to this idol. We’ll see why in tomorrow’s passage. 

But what stood out to me in this passage was the way Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego weren’t swayed by what everyone else was doing. Everyone else caved to Nebuchadnezzar’s pressure; everyone else worshipped the statue. But these three men went against the grain to stay faithful to God. 

I find it hard not to follow what everyone else is doing. I see everyone constantly scrolling, and streaming on their phones. And I start to think it’s fine for me to spend hours on my phone because that’s what everyone is doing. I hear complaining and gossip constantly, and I start to think it’s fine for me to speak like that because everyone does it. Even in the car, its easy to think it’s fine to do 5km over the limit because everyone does it. Do you justify any of your actions based on what everyone else is doing? 

 

This passage helped me realise I’ve been doing that, and I need to repent.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego weren’t concerned with pleasing Nebuchadnezzar, or going along with what everyone else was doing. They were concerned with pleasing the God of gods and Lord of kings. How much more should we aim to please the one who redeemed us with his own blood! 

Why not take some time now to see if you need to repent too. And pray that as a church, we would be offering our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, not conforming to the pattern of this world (Rom 12:1-2).

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Susan is one of our Student Ministers.

44 In the days of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will shatter all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, but will itself stand forever. 45 And just as you saw a stone being cut out of the mountain without human hands, and it shattered the iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold, so the great God has told the king what will happen in the future.

The dream is true, and its interpretation is trustworthy.”

46 At this, King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face, paid homage to Daniel, and ordered that an offering of incense be presented to him. 47 The king said to Daniel, “Your God is truly the God of gods and Lord of kings, the Revealer of Mysteries, since you were able to reveal this mystery.”

48 Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many generous gifts. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and chief administrator over all the wise men of Babylon. 49 And at Daniel’s request, the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to manage the province of Babylon, while Daniel remained in the king’s court.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Vincent Chan

If you remember, Daniel chapter 2 began with Nebuchadnezzar deeply troubled—he couldn’t sleep because of a disturbing dream. That dream has been the focus of the whole chapter, and now, as we come to the end, he finally gets an answer. The interpretation brings him relief. In his joy, he promotes Daniel and his friends to positions of great authority over the province of Babylon.

But here’s the irony: the comfort of the dream isn’t really for Nebuchadnezzar—it’s for Daniel and his friends. As we’re told, the dream is all about God’s eternal kingdom—a kingdom that will never be destroyed and will shatter all others.

Imagine how hard that must have been for Daniel to believe at the time. God’s people had been crushed. Daniel was living in exile under a foreign and oppressive king. Jerusalem had been ransacked. And yet, God gives Daniel this vision to strengthen him. God is saying: Keep trusting me. Stay faithful. My kingdom is still coming.

As I reflect on this final part of the chapter, I’m reminded of the very first words of Jesus in Mark’s Gospel: “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15)

Throughout the Gospels, we get glimpses of this kingdom. But in Jesus’ death and resurrection, we see God’s eternal kingdom breaking into the world. And more than that—we see that Jesus is the true king of this kingdom.

Today, it’s worth remembering where Jesus is right now:
He ascended to heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.
From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

This is the kingdom that will not fall and this is the King we follow.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Vinno is one of our Assistant Ministers.

24 Therefore Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon, and said to him, “Do not execute the wise men of Babylon! Bring me before the king, and I will give him the interpretation.”

25 Arioch hastily brought Daniel before the king and said to him, “I have found a man among the exiles from Judah who will tell the king the interpretation.”

26 The king responded to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, “Are you able to tell me what I saw in the dream, as well as its interpretation?”

27 Daniel answered the king, “No wise man, enchanter, medium, or magician can explain to the king the mystery of which he inquires. 28 But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the latter days. Your dream and the visions that came into your mind as you lay on your bed were these:

29 As you lay on your bed, O king, your thoughts turned to the future, and the Revealer of Mysteries made known to you what will happen. 30 And to me this mystery has been revealed, not because I have more wisdom than any man alive, but in order that the interpretation might be made known to the king, and that you may understand the thoughts of your mind.

31 As you, O king, were watching, a great statue appeared. A great and dazzling statue stood before you, and its form was awesome. 32 The head of the statue was pure gold, its chest and arms were silver, its belly and thighs were bronze, 33 its legs were iron, and its feet were part iron and part clay.

34 As you watched, a stone was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay, and crushed them. 35 Then the iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold were shattered and became like chaff on the threshing floor in summer. The wind carried them away, and not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that had struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.

36 This was the dream; now we will tell the king its interpretation.

37 You, O king, are the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given sovereignty, power, strength, and glory. 38 Wherever the sons of men or beasts of the field or birds of the air dwell, He has given them into your hand and has made you ruler over them all. You are that head of gold.

39 But after you, there will arise another kingdom, inferior to yours.

Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule the whole earth.

40 Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom as strong as iron; for iron shatters and crushes all things, and like iron that crushes all things, it will shatter and crush all the others. 41 And just as you saw that the feet and toes were made partly of fired clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom, yet some of the strength of iron will be in it—just as you saw the iron mixed with clay. 42 And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. 43 As you saw the iron mixed with clay, so the peoples will mix with one another, but will not hold together any more than iron mixes with clay.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Vincent Chan

When I visited China last year, one of the highlights was exploring its deep history. I remember walking through sites that were hundreds of years old. It was striking to see ancient ruins standing next to electric cars zooming by! But more than that, it was humbling. These once-bustling homes and lives had faded into history. The names and stories of those who lived there were long forgotten—only the crumbling walls remained. And in just a few generations, the same will be true of us. Our names and stories, too, will pass away.

I was reminded of that as I read today’s passage. Daniel not only tells Nebuchadnezzar what his dream was—he also explains what it means. At the time, it must have felt like Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom was unbeatable. But the dream revealed something different: his kingdom was just one in a series to come.

History confirms this. After Babylon came the Median Empire, then the Persians, then the Greeks, then the Romans. No matter how powerful Nebuchadnezzar seemed, his kingdom wouldn’t last.

Like the statue in the dream, our world sees earthly power as impressive and permanent. It defines strength by might and dominance. The bigger the army or economy, the greater the influence. But Daniel’s interpretation hints at something else. Though the statue looked strong, its feet were made of iron and clay—materials that are fragile and easily broken.

If we are going to put our trust in something, we need to put our trust in the Kingdom of Jesus that will never be shaken (Hebrews 12:28). As you read the news today, and see the powers at play in our world, it’s worth remembering that they will not last. And it’s worth praying the words from the Anglican Prayer Book:

“God of the nations, whose kingdom rules over all, have mercy on our broken and divided world.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Vinno is one of our Assistant Ministers.

14 When Arioch, the commander of the king’s guard, had gone out to execute the wise men of Babylon, Daniel replied with discretion and tact. 15 “Why is the decree from the king so harsh?” he asked.

At this time Arioch explained the situation to Daniel. 16 So Daniel went in and asked the king to give him some time, so that he could give him the interpretation.

17 Then Daniel returned to his house and explained the matter to his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, 18 urging them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his friends would not be killed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.

19 During the night, the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision, and he blessed the God of heaven 20 and declared:

“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,
for wisdom and power belong to Him.
21 He changes the times and seasons;
He removes kings and establishes them.
He gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to the discerning.
22 He reveals the deep and hidden things;
He knows what lies in darkness,
and light dwells with Him.
23 To You, O God of my fathers,
I give thanks and praise,
because You have given me
wisdom and power.
And now You have made known to me
what we have requested,
for You have made known to us
the dream of the king.”

REFLECTIONS

Written by Vincent Chan

The crisis from yesterday now reaches Daniel and his friends. He hears about the king’s decree and, like the Babylonian wise men, he knows there’s no escape. But unlike the other wise men, Daniel does something different—he prays. He knows the answer won’t come from within himself (and certainly not by making up the dream!). Instead, Daniel humbles himself and urges his friends to do the same—to pray. Wonderfully, God answers their prayer.

This passage encouraged me in two ways.

First, I was struck by how natural it is for Daniel to pray in the face of crisis. Prayer isn’t a magic trick—it’s a relational act. When we pray, we’re turning to depend on and delight in our Heavenly Father. It’s an expression of faith that says, “I will trust the One who is in control and who cares for me.” Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the same could be said of us? That our first instinct, when faced with a challenge, would be to turn to the God who listens?

I’ve had a number of people tell me that they often intend to pray for someone, but later forget. A simple practice we can take up is to pray then and there—right after a conversation with someone, rather than leaving it for later.

Second, this passage helped me think about how to pray. If you have time, I encourage you to read Daniel’s prayer again. Read it slowly, and notice the deep and majestic view he has of God. There’s a clear sense of God’s ‘otherness’—His greatness beyond us. He is the one who removes and establishes kings. He gives wisdom to the wise. He knows what is hidden in the dark.

When I watch the news each day, it can feel like the world is spinning out of control. There are literally missiles being fired, and instability feels like the norm. But Daniel’s prayer reminds me that no power sits outside of God’s rule. Work through Daniel’s prayer of praise and let it shape your heart and mind.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Vinno is one of our Assistant Ministers.

1 In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams that troubled his spirit, and sleep escaped him. 2 So the king gave orders to summon the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and astrologers to explain his dreams. When they came and stood before the king, 3 he said to them, “I have had a dream, and my spirit is anxious to understand it.”

4 Then the astrologers answered the king in Aramaic, “O king, may you live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will give the interpretation.”

5 The king replied to the astrologers, “My word is final: If you do not tell me the dream and its interpretation, you will be cut into pieces and your houses will be reduced to rubble. 6 But if you tell me the dream and its interpretation, you will receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. So tell me the dream and its interpretation.”

7 They answered a second time, “Let the king tell the dream to his servants, and we will give the interpretation.”

8 The king replied, “I know for sure that you are stalling for time, because you see that my word is final. 9 If you do not tell me the dream, there is only one decree for you. You have conspired to speak before me false and fraudulent words, hoping the situation will change. Therefore tell me the dream, and I will know that you can give me its interpretation.”

10 The astrologers answered the king, “No one on earth can do what the king requests! No king, however great and powerful, has ever asked anything like this of any magician, enchanter, or astrologer. 11 What the king requests is so difficult that no one can tell it to him except the gods, whose dwelling is not with mortals.”

12 This response made the king so furious with anger that he gave orders to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. 13 So the decree went out that the wise men were to be executed, and men went to look for Daniel and his friends to execute them.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Vincent Chan

Yikes! What a request from Nebuchadnezzar! Today’s passage is almost comical. The most powerful king in the world wants his dream interpreted—but not just the interpretation. He wants the wise men to tell him what the dream was in the first place! And if they can’t, he threatens them with a brutal death. The wise men respond just as you’d expect: No one alive can do that!

Tomorrow, we’ll see that the true God steps in. Without giving too much away, this becomes a powerful display of God’s wisdom and might. But the key to today’s passage is verse 11: No mortal can know the king’s secret. In that moment, the wise men actually speak true wisdom. There is a kind of knowledge that belongs to God alone.

As I reflected on this, I was reminded of Romans 2:16, where God is described as the “judge of people’s secrets.” God’s knowledge has no limits. He sees what is hidden. He knows every secret. Even the thoughts we’ve never voiced—the ones we try to hide from others, and even from ourselves—He knows them all.

It’s easy to laugh at the wise men and their guessing games. It’s like calling a psychic hotline to predict your future—they can say anything in their interpretation, but ask them to tell you what you dreamed and they’d hang up the line. They don’t know. Yet God really does. And that’s not just amusing—it’s confronting. If God knows everything, then He knows me. The good parts, yes—but also the things I’d rather keep hidden. But that shouldn’t drive us to run away (after all – where can we run to?). The right response is to keep turning back to the Lord Jesus. The Lord Jesus is the one who knows the heart of humanity and yet still draws near to us, so that we can know God’s unconditional love.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Vinno is one of our Assistant Ministers.

6 Among these young men were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. 7 The chief official gave them new names: To Daniel he gave the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.

8 But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king’s food or wine. So he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself.

9 Now God had granted Daniel favor and compassion from the chief official, 10 but he said to Daniel, “I fear my lord the king, who has assigned your food and drink. For why should he see your faces looking thinner than those of the other young men your age? You would endanger my head before the king!”

11 Then Daniel said to the steward whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, 12 “Please test your servants for ten days. Let us be given only vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then compare our appearances with those of the young men who are eating the royal food, and deal with your servants according to what you see.”

14 So he consented to this and tested them for ten days. 15 And at the end of ten days, they looked healthier and better nourished than all the young men who were eating the king’s food. 16 So the steward continued to withhold their choice food and the wine they were to drink, and he gave them vegetables instead.

17 To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding in every kind of literature and wisdom. And Daniel had insight into all kinds of visions and dreams.

18 Now at the end of the time specified by the king, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. 19 And the king spoke with them, and among all the young men he found no one equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. So they entered the king’s service.

20 In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king consulted them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his entire kingdom. 21 And Daniel remained there until the first year of King Cyrus.

REFLECTIONS

Written by James Davidson

The Babylonian indoctrination program was thorough, but Daniel had a line he wouldn’t cross. He would not disobey God’s law. So when he was offered food that God had declared unclean, he wouldn’t eat it. This was a courageous stand. You can imagine the Babylonians not taking too kindly to someone who thought their royal food was not good enough for them.

God has given us a clear line we shouldn’t cross – the commands of Jesus and his apostles in the New Testament. The world will pressure us to cross that line. “Everyone’s doing it” will be the catch cry. It could be bad language, disrespect, gossip, slander or dishonesty. We could be pressured into drunkenness, sexual immortality, cruelty or greed. But God calls us to say “No, I will not cross that line, no matter what happens.”

God honoured Daniel’s courage and faithfulness. He gave him success in the food trial and in entering the king’s service. He gave him great wisdom and understanding. He even caused him to outlast the kingdom of Babylon. He remained in Babylon until the first year of King Cyrus. Cyrus was the Persian king who defeated Babylon and allowed the Israelites to return to Judah and rebuild the temple in Jerusalem.

Likewise, God will honour us when we take a stand for him. He will be with us. He will even cause us to outlast Satan’s kingdom! Long after Satan’s dominion has been destroyed, we will be reigning with Christ in the New Creation.

Let’s pray. Father, when the pressure comes from the world to disobey you, help us to stand firm and obey you, no matter what happens.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

James is one of our Assistant Ministers.

Over the next 5 weeks or so, we are going to be working through the book of Daniel. Our staff team are writing the reflections.

~~~

1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 2 And the Lord delivered into his hand Jehoiakim king of Judah, along with some of the articles from the house of God. He carried these off to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, where he put them in the treasury of his god.

3 Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, the chief of his court officials, to bring in some Israelites from the royal family and the nobility— 4 young men without blemish, handsome, gifted in all wisdom, knowledgeable, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace—and to teach them the language and literature of the Chaldeans.

5 The king assigned them daily provisions of the royal food and wine. They were to be trained for three years, after which they were to enter the king’s service.

REFLECTIONS

Written by James Davidson

The book of Daniel begins about 600 years before the birth of Jesus. God had already judged the northern kingdom of Israel, and he is about to bring the southern kingdom of Judah to an end as well. Daniel 1 describes the first deportation of a few of the young Jewish nobles to Babylon. King Nebuchadnezzar will attack Jerusalem twice more, and the final attack will bring about the destruction of the city and the temple, and the end of Judah as an independent nation ruled by a king in David’s line.

This is the start of the Jewish exile in Babylon. The book of Daniel is all about God’s people living and suffering under foreign powers, waiting for God to intervene and rescue them. And yet, as we see today, some of them were offered special privileges.

Put yourself in the shoes of one of these young Israelite men selected for the King’s Academy in Babylon. Imagine you are a faithful Israelite – you believe the God of Israel to be the Creator God sovereign over all nations. He is your God. You’ve been devastated to see the kings of Judah lead your people away from God and bring down on them God’s discipline through the King of Babylon. And so now you find yourself a captive in Babylon.

But then this amazing opportunity opens up. You’re selected for the three year training program at the King’s Academy to prepare you for service in the palace – all meals provided!

Then your parents pull you aside and say “Son, we know you love God. We don’t want you to abandon your faith. But please keep your head down. Please don’t make a fuss about the details of your faith. Fit in with the other students as much as you can. Go along with the teachers. This could be a great opportunity for our family and all our people. You could rise in this kingdom and be a great help to all your people. You just need to let your faith slide under the radar for 3 years.”

Whenever we enter a new situation – a new course or a new job or a new neighbourhood for example – we are faced with a similar decision. Will we blend in for a while, downplay our faith and try to fit in with everyone around us, or will we – right from the start – be praying for opportunities to identify with Christ and talk about our faith?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

James is one of our assistant ministers.