📊 Daniel 3:17 | The Ultimatum

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Happy Tuesday, everyone!

If you missed yesterday’s email, you can read it here. 

In today’s email…

• 🤔 The chiastic structure of Daniel

• 👀 Close your eyes and step inside

• 📊 A trivia question on the fourth figure

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MEMORIZE 🧠 

If this be so, our ___ whom we serve is able to ______ __  from the burning fiery ______, and he will ______ __ out of your hand, O king.

Daniel 3:17

CONTEXT 📕 

Let’s nerd out a bit today.

The Book of Daniel is split into two halves:

• Chapters 1–6: Heroic court stories like Daniel’s refusal of royal food and the fiery furnace (written in Aramaic).

• Chapters 7–12: Visions pointing to the coming Messiah and God’s ultimate kingdom (written mainly in Hebrew).

Now, there’s a literary structure called a chiasm that is used in a number of places in Scripture.

There are different types of chiasms, but in essence, a chiasm is when ideas are arranged by the author in a mirror pattern.

When used, it’s like the Bible writer is “pairing” ideas or stories with the same underlying theme.

Daniel 3 sits right in the heart of the first half of Daniel and it’s “paired” with the story of Daniel in the lions’ den (chapter 6).

Both stories highlight people living faithfully inside of hostile, pagan systems.

In Chapter 3, we see this progression:

1. Nebuchadnezzar builds a massive golden image and demands everyone worship him (v1–7)

2. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refuse to bow (v8–12)

3. The king confronts them but they stand firm, declaring God is able but if not, we still won’t worship the golden image (v13–18)

4. They’re thrown into the furnace, miraculously unharmed, and a fourth figure appears (v19–27)

5. Nebuchadnezzar praises God and promotes them (v28–30)

If you’re familiar with the story of Daniel in the Lion’s Den, notice that there’s a very similar pattern…

In Chapter 6, we see this progression:

1. King Darius says no one may pray to any god or man except him for thirty days (v1–9)

2. Daniel refuses to listen and continues praying to the true God (v10)

3. The officials catch him in the act and report him to the king (v11–13)

4. Daniel is thrown into the lions’ den and God shuts the lions’ mouths; Daniel is found unharmed (v14–18)

5. King Darius issues a decree honoring the God of Daniel, and Daniel prospers under his reign (v25–28)

The pattern

In the face of an ultimatum — worship or die — Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego choose unwavering faith in God.

Daniel chooses the same.

Both of these stories model how to live in exile.

They show us what it looks like to be loyal to God, even in a world hostile to His ways.

This is a message woven throughout Daniel’s stories:

Being faithful matters even when you're alone and surrounded.

APPLY AND RESPOND 🏃‍♂️ 

Step into the scene. Blazing orange and red flames lash the air, crackling and snapping like wild tongues.

The heat is overwhelming, a physical force that scalds your skin before you even reach the opening.

Smoke thickens your breath with the acrid sting of charred wood and coal.

You feel the vibration of the roaring furnace in your chest, hear soldiers' urgent yells as the three are hurled inside.

The furnace, searing so fiercely that it kills the very guards who cast them in.

What kind of faith would it take to maintain devotion in that moment?

Reflect 💡 

What is one area of life where you can practice obedience even though others around you may not be obeying God?

TRIVIA 📊 

Click one of the options below to choose your answer. Let’s see how you do…

TOGETHER WITH VOICE OF THE MARTYRS

International Day of Prayer for Persecuted Christians (IDOP) is coming!

What is IDOP? It's a special time is set aside as a global prayer meeting for persecuted Christians who stand as bold witnesses in the world’s most dangerous places to follow Christ.

This will be the first time our family has participated in IDOP.

Thankfully, VOM put together free resources to help you, your family, your small group and your church gather to pray for persecuted Christians in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and all over the world.

Our plan is to:

• Gather with our small group to pray for our Christian brothers and sisters in hostile areas and restricted nations.

• Watch the short feature film: Daniel and Aline: Democratic Republic of the Congo. It tells the story of two Congolese Christians who are working to bring hope and healing to fellow believers traumatized by kidnapping, violence and loss.

Click below to get your free resources, including the feature film, questions for reflection, and a conversation guide on how to talk with children about persecuted Christians.

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