Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1892-06-03
THE FIERY FURNACE.
LESSON <, seCO.O QUARTER. tNTER-
NJ IONA SEh,-5, JUh- g.

Stearns.
10 Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage
and fury commanded to bring Shadrach,
Meshach and Abednego." This Gentle
king, to whom God gave the kingdoms of
this world, and to whom also He gave the
wonderful vision of chapter ii, has in the
pride of his heart set up an image which
he commands all people to worship. Ten
times in this chapter it is spoken of rs the
golden image or the image which he had
set up 1t is suggestive of another image
to be set up in the last days by an enemy
of God, which men must either worship or
die (Rev xiii, l5) Daniels friends refused
to worship the image which Nebuchadnez-
Ear had set up. and therefore they are sum
moned to appear before the king.
A. "Do not ye serve my gods nor wor
ship the golden image which | have set
up" This is the question asked of these
young men by the man to whom it had been
made known that "The God of Heaven had
given him his kingdom power, strength
and glory" tchapter ii, 30 Yet his heart
is so proud that he refuses to acknowledge
the God of Heaven, but will if possible
compel the servants of the true God to bow
down to his false gods
Is. "If ye worship not, ye shall be cast
fiery furnace, and who is that God that
shall deliver you out of my hands?' Man
that is in honor and understandeth not is
like the beasts that perish" (Ps Xix, POI
See this man whom God has honored, but
who understands not roaring like the lion
from the pit against the servants of the
Most High Got, not knowing that they are
under the care of greater Lion even the
Lion of the tribe of Judah (Rev V. -.
l6. 1--WE are not careful to answer thee
in this matter" Or, as in the r. V, I'VE
have no need to answer" etc The same
word is translated have need" in Ezra
vi, 8, and these are the only two places in
Scripture where the word is used. Young,
in his concordance gives think necessary"
as the meaning of the word The path of
duty was so clear to these men that there
was no need to wait for further light, no
need of delay or argument. They knew
God and would worship Him only
II. 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" We may not know
if He will deliver us from this or that spe-
cial trial, but we do know that He will
be with US in the trial and that neither
man nor devil can harm us when thou
!
burned, neither shall the flame kindle
upon thee lisa. xiii, q. Perhaps this
very promise was whispered to these men
by the Holy Spirit. The LcSG Jesus
teaches us that we are not to fear persecu-
ton or imprisonment or even death, but
that our great aim must be faithfulness to
him (Math. X, 2S Rev. H. TO- We may
say with the utmost assurance, The Lord
shall deliver me from every evil work and
will preserve me unto His heavenly king
dom" 1I Tim. iv, Isl.
IS 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" job said, Though He Stay me, yet
will | trust in Him." or wait for Him"
| Or. v, job xiii, l5), for he knew that even
though his mortal body might be de
stroyed, yet in his resurrection body he
would see God dob xix. 25-27). The
apostles, sustained by the same blessed as
surance, feared not the face of man nor
the threats of the rulers, but would testify
of Jesus and the resurrection, ready to die
for him if need be (Acts iv, 10, 20; V, 29)
These friends of Daniel were tempted to
worship a golden image, but people are
now tempted in this land to worship COL
den eagles and silver dollars and whatever
]
many protested servants of God are with
out scruple bowling down to these, God
/ only knows. Where are the Shadracks,
who say without hesitation to the world,
| the flesh and the devil, I'VE will not serve
| thee" Let us remember that ITO whom
we yield ourselves servants to obey, his ser
wants we are whom we obey" (Rom. vi, 49,
1928. This Is the account of the carrying
out of the sentence of death against the
faithful three. The furnace is heated seven
times hotter than usual; the men are bound
in their clothes and cast into the furnace;
the fury of the beast is satisfied; the devil
| has done his worst to the servants of God,
and God of Love, and infinite wisdom,
and all power has suffered it so TO be-
This is that which perplexed David and
Asaph and jeremiah, and is stumbling
block to multitudes to this day. We need
to learn that Evil doors shall be cut off,
but they that wait upon the Lord shall in
herit the earth" The wicked shall be
brought into desolation as in moment
and utterly consumed with terrors: they
shall be pulled out like sheep for the
slaughter Dps xXXvii 0; lxxiii, 10, Jer. xii,
49, When God permits the devil to touch
His dear people it is only that He may be
glorified and greater blessing brought in
due time to these tried ones. He desires us
even here in this life to be conformed to the
image of His Son, and by all events of our
daily life to be fitted to reign with Him
over this earth in due time, Thus God
maketh even the wrath of man to praise
Him ops lXXvi, 100.
"a. Did not we cast three men bound
into the midst of the fire. They answered
and said unto the king, True, king"
His establishment could hardly have been
greater had he found himself in the tor
ment where the rich man found himself
Immediately after death duke xvi, 23).
He can hardly believe his eyes, for he had
vainly supposed that no god could deliver
out of his hands Verse l5). When men
rage against God, He that sitteth in the
heavens shall laugh ops. ii, 1; xxxvii, 49,.
The counsel of the ungodly shall come to
nought, but the counsel of the Lord shall
stand and He will do all His pleasure lisa.
viii, 8, 10; xiv, ~.
25. He answered and said, Lo, see four
men loose walking in the midst of the re,
and they have no hurt; and the form of
lnaf TO-, 10 h..