🌾 Daniel 3:17 | Steady Labor For God

Happy Wednesday, everyone!

Yesterday's email was meaty. Today, we’ll discuss two important words in these verses. Then, you’ll get a simple application for the day!

In today’s email…

• 🗣️ Two Aramaic words

• 🌾 The image of a steady farmer

• 🍅 A few resources to go even deeper in study

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MEMORIZE 🧠 

If this be so, our ___ whom we serve is able to ______ __  from the _______ ____ ______, and he will ______ __ out of your hand, _ ____.

Daniel 3:17

CONTEXT 📕 

Let’s focus on two powerful Aramaic words in verses 17 and 18.

Feel their force. Sit in their power, especially as you consider the context we’ve discussed

1. ‘yaḵil (pronounced yeh-KALE) — “is able”

This verb isn’t casual talk like my 4-year-old “is able” to brush his teeth. It speaks of God’s unlimited power to conquer.

It means something deeper than mere capability — it embodies the possession of sufficient strength and resolve, like a champion who refuses to accept defeat.

In Daniel 3:17, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego aren’t guessing — they’re declaring: “Our God … is able to deliver us…”

They’re appealing to Yahweh’s proven strength, rooted in covenant and history.

They’re not blindly hoping; they’re confident in what God can do and what they hope he will do.

2. pelach (pronounced pel-AKH) — “serve/worship”

Pelach comes from a root word that means “to cultivate”, as you would a field (aka the physical act of splitting or tilling the soil).

So when they say in verse 18, “…we will not serve your gods…”

…they’re refusing to labor for anyone but Yahweh.

It makes me think of a farmer steadily tending to his fields day after day, month after month, year after year, decade after decade.

These three men refuse to plow, sow, and tend to Babylon’s gods no matter the consequences.

They won’t invest time, loyalty, or their lives for another, but they are completely willing to give these things freely up for Yahweh).

These are two powerful words that partner well together.

• With yaḵil, they trust not in empty promise but in concrete, verified power.

• With pelach, they show that their refusal isn’t a gentle decline, but a conscious choice of devotion.

Together, these words craft a posture of radical faith: Confident in God’s strength, and unwilling to invest loyalty anywhere else.

As C.S. Lewis once said:

“There is no neutral ground in the universe. Every square inch, every split second is claimed by God, and counterclaimed by Satan.”

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego knew that to serve anyone or anything but Yahweh is to serve the enemy.

APPLY AND RESPOND 🏃‍♂️ 

Do you have a single word that anchors your faith?

Over the last 5 years, my word has been trust.

Whenever I find myself sinking into fear or anxiety (in particular around the topic of financial provision), I simply say the word trust.

Then I repeat, I trust you, Lord.

It’s amazing how much doing this 2-3 times settles my spirit and reminds me of God’s faithfulness in my life.

What word comes to mind for you?

What is a simple one-word reminder God wants you to remember in moments of stress or opposition? Maybe it’s peace, rest, power, chosen, or abide.

✍️ Write it down

And as you go about your day today, say it out loud in moments of fear, stress or worry.

TOGETHER WITH AXIS

If you’re a parent like me, your #1 priority is raising children who follow Jesus.

And now, more than ever, there are countless things competing for our kids’ hearts and attention.

That’s why my wife and I personally love Axis. They’re a ministry that creates (free) resources to help parents disciple their kids in everyday moments.

My favorite resource (by far) is their weekly newsletter called The Culture Translator.

Their team spends hours researching the music, movies, TV shows, and social media trends impacting your kid's world. Then they translate it for parents and give you simple conversation starters to help you grow closer to your kids and guide them to gospel truth.

The best part? It’s free and you can unsubscribe anytime if you don’t like it (but trust me, you will like it).

Click here to join us and over 413,000 Christian parents.

p.s. If you’ve already signed up for The Culture Translator, be sure to open their next email (it goes out on Fridays). It’s going to be a good one!

RESOURCES 📚️ 

Here are a few resources to help you dig deeper into the verse and its themes:

• 📚️ Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream by David Platt (link)

• 📚️ Joyce G. Baldwin, Daniel (Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries) (link)

• 📚️ Daniel: A 12-Week Study (Knowing the Bible) (link)

• 🎙️ BibleProject on Prophetic Math (listen)

• 🎙️ BibleProject on Dreams and Visions (listen)

• 🎵 The Fourth Man In The Fire by Johnny Cash (Spotify | Apple)

ANSWER KEY ✅ 

If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king.

Daniel 3:17-18