Over the last 2-3 decades there has been a tectonic shift in Western Culture. The ground underneath our feet has shifted. America has morphed from a Christian culture to a post-Christian culture.

 

The “West” has always been a mixed bag, with mixed theology, mixed perspectives, and mixed ethnicities. Some Christian thought, some pagan thought, and now secular thought, but most of the basic good and bad cultures have been shaped by bits and pieces of the Bible. The basic ethics system that Americans subscribe to came from Judeo-Christian ethics originating from the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche in the 1800s, but since then we have adopted a new norm — that of postmodernism. The wake of this can be seen in so much deconstruction, even within the church.

 

There is a culture war raging on. As followers of Jesus, our weapon isn’t to engage in anger but to respond with beauty. To make it through exile we must become a creative minority.

 

How do we have redemptive influence in a culture that is in opposition to the Kingdom of God? Or like Babylon, in open rebellion against Yahweh, the church, or even the felt need for God.

 

We have talked about:

 

Compromise - Babylon went after the appetites and ambitions of these young men. But Daniel purposed his heart to not trade the presence of God for cultural norms.

Resolved that rest was better than a hustle culture. Or purity was better than sexual temptation. That less is really more. Or that unclean food was not his way of life.

 

We see that Daniel wins the battle for his identity. That he refrains from giving in to the tyranny of the majority opinion not in a rebellious way but in an honoring way. Through Daniels's cultural excellence he moves to cultural influence. From the university to the halls of culture.

 

King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, sixty cubits high and six cubits wide, [That is, about 90 feet high] and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. 2 He then summoned the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates and all the other provincial officials to come to the dedication of the image he had set up. 3 So the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the other provincial officials (the who’s who’s) assembled for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up, and they stood before it. 4 Then the herald loudly proclaimed, “Nations and peoples of every language, this is what you are commanded to do: 5 As soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the image of gold that King

Nebuchadnezzar has set up. 6 Whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace.” 7 Therefore, as soon as they heard the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, and all kinds of music, all the nations, and peoples of every language fell down and worshiped the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

 

 

 

8 At this time some astrologers came forward and denounced the Jews. 9 They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “May the king live forever! (Suck ups) 10 Your Majesty has issued a decree that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe, and all kinds of music must fall down and worship the image of gold, 11 and that whoever does not fall down and worship will be thrown into a blazing furnace. 12 But there are some Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon—Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego—who pay no attention to you, Your Majesty. They neither serve your gods nor worship the image of gold you have set up.”

 

13 Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, 14 and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up? 15 Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe, and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be

able to rescue you from my hand?”

 

 

16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

 

19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual 20 and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach, and

Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. 21 So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans, and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace. 22 The king’s command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, 23 and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace. 24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?” They replied, “Certainly, Your Majesty.”

25 He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.” 26 Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, “servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!”So they came out of the fire, 27, and the who’s who’s crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed ; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them. 28 Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up 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 against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way.”

30 Then the king promoted them in the province of Babylon.

 

At some point, you wake up and say to yourself “what happened?” Our work lives have become increasingly demanding, presenting us with ever more complex challenges at a near-relentless pace. Add in personal or family needs, a crazy and rushed morning routine with the

kids, the mental load of motherhood, a global pandemic, losing of a loved one and it’s easy to feel constantly overwhelmed.

 

 

Our typical response to the demands of our day or our workloads is to work harder. To put in more hours. You’re not getting enough done… stay up later and wake up earlier. 6 am isn’t early. Let’s go Let’s go Let’s go. Especially if you’re a young adult, progress is around the next assignment. Or the next call, or the next relationship.

 

There seem to be no boundaries SO your personal life becomes intertwined with your work life. “As one author says, There are no more house phones.” Your personal life becomes your professional life. You begin swimming in a sea of other people’s expectations and so many people have treaded those waters unsuccessfully. It is so easy to just give in to the anthem being played. Rather than resist, rest in it.

 

 

Now if we go back just a little bit, Daniel and his friends have proven their worth to the king (Chapter 1 they stood out physically and intellectually, then Ch. 2 Daniel interprets the

mysterious dream and requests that his people, his friends be placed into the halls of culture). Now at this point, their work and lives, being counter-cultural and living with conviction, obviously begin to come into conflict with others in the empire. “Although their service for the king was doubtless exemplary, their Refusal to adopt the cultural and religious patterns of their Babylonian neighbors must have been a source of increasing animosity and bitterness, behavior their enemies could use as an excuse to destroy them.” (John Whitcomb, Everyday Bible Commentary)

 

This theme of enemies emerges again in Daniel 6 and is a central plot point in the book of Esther. While it is important for Christians to do good and faithful work in whatever culture they find themselves in, faithful refusal to acquiesce to cultural norms will invite backlash.

 

(A) Now as the story unfolds you notice that Daniel’s friends must have been frustrated and confused by the persecution they were experiencing (3:13). Years earlier, they were

removed from everything they had known, and thrown into a hostile land. Their hard work, responsibility, effort, and faith had led them to refuse the food on the king’s table, and to their surprise, they had been rewarded. But now their faithfulness to only worship God alongside of their faithful service to the empire was being noticed. The pressure to conform must have looked more rewarding than the process to become a creative minority. Just like these men, we might believe that God will always protect and provide for us in the ways that we expect.

 

 

 

(a) Author Kate Bowler discovered this when she was diagnosed with terminal cancer at the age of 35. Bowler is a historian and has authored a book chronicling the rise and popularity of the prosperity gospel in American culture. She spent years researching this phenomenon and disagreed with it deeply, but her failing health made her realize that “no matter how many times I rolled my eyes at the creed’s outrageous certainties, I craved them just the same. ... The prosperity gospel looks at the world as it is and promises a solution. It guarantees that faith will always make a way” (“Kate Bowler: I Reject the Prosperity Gospel but I Still Crave What it Promises,”).

 

 

(A) Our very Human tendency toward “prosperity,” even within the gospel, is what makes Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego’s response to persecution so incredible. When faced with a fiery furnace, they believed that God could rescue them, but “even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up” (v. 18).

 

(B) "They believed not only in God's omnipotence (That he has all power) but also in God's wise sovereignty (that he offers a better life) ... and that is a great lesson to learn in the midst of suffering” (Stephen J. Bramer,"Suffering in the Writing Prophets,”).

 

As you drive down 82nd street you might see Arby’s and Starbucks but you’re not going to see a fiery furnace. In our cultural moment, in America, we don’t have that but we still have anthems that are played to lure us into the grandeur or pleasure or even the fear of missing something “big”. And as you look at these men, who had made it to their steady career with a 401k and a house by the new shopping center with the Tesla dealership and all the luxuries afforded by

King Nebuchadnezzar … they chose to still live differently. To live, not in pursuit of the lesser things, and as a result, notice the inner peace. “Your Majesty". They weren’t overwhelmed.

Or anxious. Or caught off guard. They knew they were in exile. They knew their way of life was contrary even at the gates… they’re well past the palace where others can notice them. But they chose to live counter rather than blend. To stand rather than bend.

 

(A) We learn something significant about God in verses 24–26. God spared these three men, keeping them safe from the fire and preventing even their hair from being singed and their robes from being scorched. But God did even more than this: he was with them. Scholars have argued over whether this fourth person who looked “like a son of the gods” (v. 25) was an angel or the pre-incarnate Christ. Regardless of who exactly was there, God sent a bodily presence to comfort these men.

 

 

(B) Now I know it might not be your propensity to go and hang out with people… But sometimes stepping into another person’s life is all that is needed. We have the ability to share the presence of God with others and to provide the comfort God provided these men in the furnace.

 

 

(C) Pastor Skye Jethani tells the story of a hospital visit he made as a young seminary student. The man he was visiting was horribly injured from a drunken fall the night before. He

confided in Skye that he had been a pastor who had lost his family and ministry to his alcoholism. At that moment, there was nothing to do but weep with the man. “I don’t know

how long we cried, but our weeping was a liturgy without words. The tears were a silent sacrament containing confession and absolution, condemnation and compassion, burial and resurrection. I knew Bill wasn’t clinging to me—he was clinging to God, just as I wasn’t merely crying over Bill’s sin—I was mourning my own” (Skye Jethani, “Give People Dignity the World Has Taken Away,”).

 

(D) This chapter shows God stepping into history and becoming intimately involved in the lives of his people. That he is sovereign, faithful, and compassionate. Imagine if God stepped into our daily life. Would we find him comforting us in the fire or would he find us bowing down? Could it be that the anxiety or the stress or the undue pressure that you feel could be from us living from the anthem of Babylon? Without even knowing it, we have been bending to the anthem of pleasure, or the anthem of lust, the anthem of gain, the anthem of escape, the anthem of just save money and live together, the anthem of it’s not cheating if I don’t act on it. The anthem of Babylon is one that is in open rebellion against Yahweh.

 

(E) And think play along or burn to death hmmm that seems pretty clear to me. But in our culture, it’s not so clear. It says tolerate this. Or don’t be so cringe, Don’t be that kind of person, or you’re so old-fashioned learn to experiment. That’s why if we want to thrive in exile, we must learn the value of scripture. The wisdom that comes from applying it. The freedom of spiritual disciplines. And the beauty of walking with conviction.

 

 

(F) We all face so much pressure. It’s nothing new. These men faced it also. And in my experience and life, I’ve realized that the pressure to conform is the same as the pressure to perform. That’s why it’s crucial to remember we are invited by Jesus to follow after him. And every day, there is an invitation to step deeper in your relationship with Him and your community. I just want to ask you what if you trusted in the sovereignty of God as you endure it?

 

 

This is not a children’s story. This is a story about how to not live in the shadow of an empire like Babylon, Rome, Greece, or even America. How to mitigate against the tyranny of majority opinion with creativity.