If you would, open with me to
Daniel chapter 3. Wednesday night, Gabe made mention
that sometimes a text, a verse of scripture, captures your attention. And that's what happened to me
the last time that Eric Floyd was here. He had us turn to Daniel
3. And the last line of Daniel 3.15
caught my eye and I couldn't get away from it. It says, who
is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands? Well, on
the initial reading, taking the passage as a straight historical
record of what King Nebuchadnezzar said, We see a king that is defiant
of the Lord. But what if we take and look
at that in a little different light? What if we take it from
the perspective of the rightful king whose subjects have broken
his law? But being rich in mercy and for
his great love wherewith he loved his elect, The king, in his wisdom,
sought out how he might be just and save his people. In this
third chapter of Daniel, we are presented with a king, his subjects,
his law, and his deliverance. It's a theme that is repeated
time and again through scriptures, declaring our God as he is, mankind
as we are, and our just God and Savior. We'll begin reading in
verse one. Nebuchadnezzar, the king, the
king, the sovereign, the one whose word is law. Nebuchadnezzar
here, in one aspect, typifies our great high king. He, unlike
most kings that we know today, that are just figureheads. This
king was truly king. He ruled over his subjects. What
he said was law, what he demanded had to be performed. But in so many other ways, he
is the anti-type of our God and our king. What do the scriptures
say about our king? Hold your place here in Daniel
and let's turn to 1 Timothy 1. While you turn there, Isaiah
recorded, I am the Lord, your holy one, the creator of Israel,
your king. Our king is holy, there is none
like him, and all that he does, says, and commands is holy. Here in 1 Timothy 1 verse 17, Now unto the King eternal, immortal,
invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory forever and
ever. Now unto the King eternal. While
Nebuchadnezzar reigned for a time, his rule, his kingdom, and his
laws fell long ago. But our king declares in Psalm
45, six, thy throne, O God, is forever and ever. The scepter
of thy kingdom is a right scepter. Being our eternal king, his word,
his law, and his dominion are also eternal. Our king is eternal and immortal. Immortal here doesn't just mean
that he lives forever. I loved this when I looked it
up this morning. Mortal means uncorrupted, not able to corrupt. Our God is holy. Our king is
holy. And the second definition of
immortal had a reference to being risen from the dead. Our king
laid down his life for us in order to redeem our souls, and
then he took up his life again, and he sits upon his throne as
our mediator forever. Unto the king eternal, immortal,
invisible. Our king is invisible. Nebuchadnezzar
reigned on this earth upon a throne which was seen of men, a throne
that could be challenged, a throne that could be denounced. Our king reigns in the heavens
on a throne which is incorruptible and unassailable. Peter wrote
concerning our king, whom having not seen ye love. In whom, though
now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable
and full of glory. Our King is the only wise God. While other kings rule, some
with good intentions for their people, they're but men. They're like us fathers, who
try to do good for our children, We don't always know what's good
for him. But our king, our ruler, the one that we serve, he does
only good and right for those that he loves. And our king is
the absolute sovereign. As Nebuchadnezzar learned, he
is king of kings and lord of lords. Go back over to Daniel. But look over a page from where
we were reading into Daniel 4 verse 34. Daniel 4 verse 34. And at the
end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up mine eyes unto heaven,
and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the Most
High, and I praised and honored him that liveth forever, whose
dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation
to generation, and all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing. And he doeth according to his
will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the
earth. And none can stay his hand or say unto him, what doest
thou? At the same time, my reason returned
unto me, and for the glory of my kingdom, mine honor and brightness
returned unto me, and my counselors and my lords sought unto me,
and I was established in my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added
unto me. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise
and extol and honor the King of heaven, all whose works are
truth. and His way's judgment, and those
that work in pride, He is able to abase. Truly, our King, this
King, is worthy of honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. Back in chapter 3, verse
1. Nebuchadnezzar, the King, made
an image of gold whose height was threescore cubits, and the
breadth thereof six cubits, and he set it up in the plain of
Dura in the province of Babylon. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king
sent together together the princes, the governors, and the captains,
the judges, the treasurers, the counselors, the sheriffs, and
all the rulers of the provinces to come to the dedication of
the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. Then the
princes, the governors, and captains, the judges, the treasurers, the
counselors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces
were gathered together unto the dedication of the image that
Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. And they stood before the
image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. Then an herald cried
aloud, To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages,
that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp,
sackbuck, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall
down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king
hath set up. And whoso falleth not down and
worshipeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burny,
fiery furnace. Therefore, at that time, when
all the people heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut,
psaltery, and all kinds of music, all the people, the nations,
and the languages fell down and worshiped the golden image that
Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. The king made a law, and
he sent his herald to declare the law to all his subjects,
so that all are without excuse. As a type of our true king, Nebuchadnezzar
did that which the Lord God did. In the beginning, he gave our
father Adam his law. Keeping that law meant life and
fellowship with God. Breaking the law meant death
and separation from God. As subjects of the king, we are
bound under his law, and breaking his law, we are also bound under
that penalty. As our king is eternal, so is
his law. It has not changed, nor has the
penalty been lessened, just because time has passed. Daniel 3 verse 7, Therefore at
that time, when all the music played, and the people heard
the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, segment, psaltery, and
all kinds of music, all the people, the nations, and the languages
fell down and worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar
the king had set up. Wherefore at that time certain
Chaldeans came near and accused the Jews. They spake and said
to the king, Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live forever. Thou, O
king, hast made a decree that every man that shall hear the
sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackboat, psaltery, and dulcimer,
and all kinds of music, shall fall down and worship the golden
image. And whoso falleth not down and worshipeth, that he
should be cast into the midst of a burning, fiery furnace. There are certain Jews whom thou
hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego. These men, O king, have not regarded
thee. They serve not thy gods, nor
worship the golden image which thou hast set up. Then Nebuchadnezzar,
in his rage and fury, commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego. Then they brought these men before
the king. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
willfully and willingly defied the king's law. Not only did
they not heed the king's law, they despised his law. and they
could not keep it. In this, these three men represent
all of mankind, especially me. They represent me, myself, and
I. The only difference between these
men's defiance of their king's law and my defiance of God's
law is that these men had just cause wherewith to defy their
king. is a bad law. It was contrary
to God's word. They could not keep it. However,
the law that I have broken and rebelled against is God's law. Being like himself, it is holy,
good, and right. There is no fault to be found
in the law. The fault is this sinful heart
of rebellion that is found within me. What is my record when I'm
brought before the King? Hold your place here and go over
to Psalm 14. Psalm 14, verse 1. The fool,
that's me. The fool hath said in his heart,
there is no God. They are corrupt. They have done
abominable works. There is none that doeth good. I am corrupt. I have done abominable
works. I cannot do good. The Lord looked
down from heaven upon the children of men to see if there were any
that did understand and seek God. They are all gone aside. They are all together become
filthy. There is none. There is none
that doeth good. No, not one. What does such a subject as myself,
who regards the king's law with disdain, hatred, and rebellion
deserve? Back in Daniel 3, verse 13. Then Nebuchadnezzar, In his rage
and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, then they
brought these men before the king. Nebuchadnezzar spake and
said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego? Do not
ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have
set up? Now if you be ready, that at what time you hear the
sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer,
and all kinds of music, you fall down and worship the image which
I have made. Well, but if you worship not,
you shall be cast in the same hour into the midst of a burning,
fiery furnace. And who is that God that shall
deliver you out of my hands? Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not
careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God,
whom we serve, is able to deliver us from the burning, fiery furnace,
and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not,
be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods,
nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. I being
the subject to the just and holy king, having defied his perfect
righteous law, deserve the full condemnation and sentence of
death demanded for breaking the law. But God delighteth in mercy. And while I was yet in my sin,
rebellion, and unbelief, caring not that I was under the just
condemnation of his law, God took counsel to redeem me. Daniel
3.15, the king says, who is that God that shall deliver you out
of my hands? Isaiah 45.21, our Lord declares,
there is no God else beside me, a just God, a just God. God who must not pardon the guilty,
but must condemn and punish them according to the penalty of the
law. And a God who must not punish the innocent. They've done no
wrong. They've kept his law and they
must go free. How thankful I am that he didn't
stop with a just God. But he says, there is no God
else besides me, a just God and a Savior. Who needs a Savior? One who needs to be saved. And
who needs to be saved? Only those who are in danger.
A person who is in danger, the greater that danger is revealed
to them, the greater their need of a Savior. Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego stood before their king, facing his fierce wrath,
and knowing his just sentence of death was upon them. They
knew they needed a Savior. There was nothing they could
do. You and I stand in far greater peril than these men did. Their
lives were at risk, but we have defied the living God, and we
have despised His law. Our eternal souls are at risk.
oh how we need a Savior. We need a Savior who can satisfy
the law's demands for perfect righteousness and also pay the
sin debt that we owe. As all who are born of Adam are
born in sin, no man can accomplish our salvation. As the wages of
sin is death, God, who cannot die, cannot satisfy our payment. What is our hope? Daniel 3.16. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not
careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God,
whom we serve, is able to deliver us from the burning, fiery furnace,
and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not,
be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods,
nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. Then
was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was
changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Therefore he spake
and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times
more than it was wont to be heated. 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." Therefore, because the king's commandment was urgent,
and the furnace exceeding hot, the flame 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. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king
was astonished, astonished, and rose up in haste, and spake,
and said unto his counselors, 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 King of Glory asked, Who
is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands? And he replied
with the only possible response, God will provide Himself. To redeem those he loves, the
law must be fully satisfied, and the penalty must be paid
for our needs. I'm so thankful that the king
didn't ask, who is the person that shall deliver? As we saw
before, no mere man can satisfy God's law. But even if that person
was able, in and of himself, to perfectly keep God's law, It wouldn't do me any good. He
can't keep it from me. And he can't die for me. The king of glory, in his wisdom,
sent forth his son, made in the likeness of sinful flesh, who
perfectly kept God's law. And he didn't stop there. Then
he took my sin, my rebellion, my disdain, and he made it his
own, and he suffered the penalty of it, and he died for it. Unlike
the account we read here, where he joined the guilty in their
punishment, he bore our sins, the sins of God's elect, alone,
and he endured our just punishment and our just penalty in his own
body. Having borne our sin, accomplished
our death, what is our standing before the King when we stand
in Christ? Continue reading verse 26. 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 counselors, being
gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire
had no power. nor was a hair of their head
singed, neither were their clothes changed, nor the smell of fire
had passed on them. 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 anything amiss against
the king 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. In Christ, robed in his righteousness
alone, the stench of death has been taken from us. The law no
longer stands against us. He has satisfied the law and
made us to stand perfectly before it. And he has paid the debt
of sin, debt of death owed due to our breaking the law. Lord
Jesus Christ is our just God and Savior. And where once we
rebelled and despised His law, because of what He has done for
and in those He loves, we can say with David, I delight to
do thy will, O my God. Yea, thy law is within my heart. And finally, as Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego were promoted, we have been made the sons of God
because of what Christ has done for us. Can you see yourself in this
account? Has God revealed to you who he is? the just God of
heaven who can by no means clear the guilty? Have you been made
to see that you are, in and of yourself, lost, condemned, a
sinner with no regard for God, no regard for his law, and no
regard for his son? Have you been made to see Christ
as he is, not a babe in a manger, not just a good man and an example,
not a helpless martyr dying on a cross, and not a body buried
in a tomb, but he is the risen, mighty God seated upon his holy
throne, the just God and Savior. From before the foundation of
the world, our just God and Savior prepared Himself for lost, dying,
rebellious sinners. He had a people He has loved
with an everlasting love, and those people rebelled against
His authority and His law. When the just condemnation of
their death came before Him, the offended King asked concerning
His rebellious subjects, Who is that God that shall deliver
you out of my hands? And our Lord Jesus Christ answered,
Here am I, send me. Christ took upon himself our
likeness, walked as a man under his own law, keeping it perfectly,
so that in the fullness of time he could lay down his life upon
Calvary Street, shedding his precious blood to cover our sin
and pay the debt that we owe. Then he arose, took up his life,
and clothed us in his own righteousness, that we may be made one with
him and with the Father. May our Lord be pleased to once
again reveal himself to us and cause us to worship him as he
alone is worthy to be worshiped.