Wenstrom Bible Ministries Marion, Iowa Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom wenstrom

1. Wenstrom Bible MinistriesMarion, IowaPastor-Teacher Bill Wenstromwww.wenstrom.org

2. Tuesday July 31, 2012Daniel: Daniel 3:25-Nebuchadnezzar Sees Four Men Untied, Walking Around Unharmed In The Fire’s Midst And Describes The Fourth’s Appearance As Like A Son Of The GodsLesson # 100

3. Please turn in your Bibles to Daniel 3:24.

4. This evening we will study Daniel 3:25, which records Nebuchadnezzar making three statements in response to his advisers telling him in response to his question that only Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were deposited into the blazing, fiery furnace.

5. He asks for confirmation because he sees four men untied, walking around in the fire’s midst and the fourth’s appearance was not of this world.

6. Daniel 3:24 Then, King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished so that he immediately stood up. He asked a question and said to his counselors, “Did we not unceremoniously deposit three men bound into the fire’s midst?” They replied and said, “Absolutely O king!” (My translation)

7. Daniel 3:25 He said, “Look! I see four men loosed and walking about in the midst of the fire without harm, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods!” (NASB95)

8. “Look!” is the interjection hā(ʾ) (הָא) (ha), which is used to introduce a description of what Nebuchadnezzar saw in the furnace with emphasis and draws the attention of the reader in order to mark that what the king saw was impressive and astounding.

9. “I” is the first person singular personal pronoun ʾǎnā(h) (אֲנָה) (an-aw´), which serves to contrast what Nebuchadnezzar saw in the furnace and what his counselors told him and is expressing the king’s emotion in response to what he saw in the furnace.

10. Daniel 3:22 records Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego as being tied up in their sandals, tunics and hats, as well as, their other garments and then, being unceremoniously deposited into the blazing, fiery furnace.

11. The fact that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were tied when executed but now untied according to Nebuchadnezzar is evidence that the king has witness a great miracle.

12. “Without harm” is composed of the conjunction wa (וְ) (waw), which is not translated and followed by the masculine singular noun ḥǎḇāl (חֲבָל) (khab-al´), “harm” and then we have the negative particle lā(ʾ) (לָא) (law), which is negating the meaning of the particle of existence ʾî∙ṯǎy (אִיתַי) (ee-thah´ee) and together are translated “without” and this is followed by the preposition bĕ (בְּ) (beh), which is not translated and its object is the third person masculine plural pronominal suffix him∙mô (הִמֹּו) (him-mo´).

13. The conjunction wa is emphatic meaning that the word is introducing a statement that is advancing upon and intensifying the previous statement Nebuchadnezzar made to his counselors.

14. Nebuchadnezzar goes from telling his advisers that the four men are untied and walking around in the midst of the fire to describing the logical conclusion based upon his previous description, namely that they are totally and completely unharmed by the flames of the fire.

15. This statement is not only advancing upon Nebuchadnezzar’s previous description of the four men but also intensifies that description in the sense that it was humanly impossible for these four men to be unharmed by the flames.

16. In fact, the soldiers who carried out the execution of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were killed by the flames when depositing these three into the furnace.

17. The particle ʾî∙ṯǎy means “there is” since it indicates the existence of something and is emphatically negated by the negative particle lā(ʾ), which means “absolutely no” since it functions as a marker of emphatic negation.

18. The noun ḥǎḇāl means “harm” in the sense of physical injury, which in our context, would be severe burns on the four men in the furnace.

19. Therefore, these three words indicate that Nebuchadnezzar is telling his advisers that “there is absolutely no harm” with regards to these four men walking around untied in the fire’s midst.

20. The pronominal suffix him∙mô means “them” referring to the four men Nebuchadnezzar saw walking around untied in the fire’s midst and is the object of the preposition bĕ, which marks the state of these four men as being absolutely unharmed by the flames.

21. “A son of the gods” is composed of the masculine singular construct form of the noun bǎr (בַּר) (bar), “a son of” and this is followed by the masculine plural noun ʾělāh (אֱלָהּ) (el-aw´), “gods.”

22. The noun bǎr means “son” in the sense of a divine being and does not originate from planet earth and the proper noun ʾělāh means “gods” referring to the pantheon of Babylonian gods the Babylonians worshipped.

23. The noun bǎr is the object of the preposition lĕ, which is used to mark a comparison between the appearance of the fourth unidentified individual in the furnace with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and Nebuchadnezzar’s conception of the appearance of a son of the gods.

24. This expression ḇǎrʾělā·hîn does not mean “Son of God” but rather “a son of the gods” because Nebuchadnezzar at this point in his life was an unregenerate person who did not have a covenant relationship with the God of Israel like Daniel and his three friends.

25. Therefore, when he uses this expression he would be using it from the perspective of a pagan, unregenerate person who does not have a covenant relationship with the God of Israel.

26. Daniel 3:25 He replied and said, “Look!” Contrary to what you saw, I myself see four men, untied, walking around in the fire’s midst! In fact, there is absolutely no harm to them! Furthermore, his appearance, specifically the fourth is like a son of the gods!” (My translation)

27. Daniel 3:25 presents to the reader Nebuchadnezzar’s three-fold response to his advisers telling him in response to his question that only three men, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were deposited into the midst of the blazing, fiery furnace.

28. Daniel 3:21 makes a point to identify for the reader that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were securely bound and fully clothed when they were deposited unceremoniously into the midst of the blazing, fiery furnace.

29. No one else was executed along with them.

30. Now, here Daniel 3:25 presents to the reader Nebuchadnezzar’s description of what he saw in the furnace.

31. He saw these three not only untied but walking around the furnace in the midst of the flames.

32. Their clothes were not burned off their bodies or even singed by the flames, which was to impress upon the reader that Nebuchadnezzar saw miracle.

33. Daniel 3:25 records a “theophany” or “Christophany,” which are theological terms used to refer to either a visible or auditory manifestation of the Son of God before His incarnation in Bethlehem (Gen. 32:29-30; Ex. 3:2; 19:18-20; Josh. 5:13-15; Dan. 3:26).

34. The word “incarnate” is from the Latin, in and caro, whose stem carn means, “flesh,” thus, the term “preincarnate” means before the Son of God became a human being permanently in Bethlehem.

35. There are three stages in the career of the Lord Jesus Christ: (1) “Preincarnate”: Eternity past as the second person of the Trinity, the Son of God. (2) “Incarnate”: Virgin birth through the First Advent to the resurrection. (3) “Glorified Incarnate”: Resurrection and on into eternity future.

36. Another example of a theophany or Christophany is Hagar in Genesis 16 coming into contact with the angel of the Lord.

37. Then, there was Abraham speaking with the two angels and the Lord prior to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and interceding for its inhabitants with the Lord (Genesis 18:16-33).

38. Also, there was Jacob wrestling with God in Genesis 32:28.

39. The angel of the Lord appearing to Moses in the burning bush is also another theophany or Christophany (Exodus 3).

40. Then there was Joshua confronting the captain of the army of the Lord before the conquest of Jericho in Joshua 5:13-15.

41. In Judges 6, Gideon and his wife entertain the angel of the Lord for dinner.

42. The purpose of this miracle in Daniel 3:25 was not only to deliver Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego from death but also it was for the benefit of Nebuchadnezzar, his advisers and the Babylonian people who were unsaved because they did not have a covenant relationship with the God of Israel.

43. Like the revelation that God gave Nebuchadnezzar in a dream as recorded in Daniel chapter 2, so this miracle in chapter 3 was designed to get Nebuchadnezzar to exercise faith in the God of Israel.

44. God wanted Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian people to forsake their gods, whom, Satan’s fallen angels were behind and worship Him.

45. Therefore, this miracle was not only to deliver Daniel’s three friends and increase their faith in Him but also it was for an evangelistic purpose.

46. In Daniel chapter 2, the king and his wise men discovered that the God of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego who is the God of Israel, Jesus Christ was a revealer of mysteries.

47. However, in chapter 3, they learn that the God of Israel is omnipotent and sovereign in that He thwarted the king’s attempt to kill Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.

48. The God of Israel overruled Nebuchadnezzar’s decision and demonstrated that He is sovereign over the king of Babylon.

49. The God of Israel, Jesus Christ was teaching the king of Babylon that he was not divine and worthy of worship but rather only He was divine and worthy of worship.

50. The king is being taught by the God of Israel that he should never exalt himself to the status of deity.