Redeemer Presbyterian Church Sermons
The King and the Furnace
Babylon was not content to conquer the Israelites. They wanted to assimilate them. Babylon didn’t mind if the Israelites worshiped their own god in private, but in public they had to be no different than the prevailing culture. Christians today face a similar challenge when their faith is not welcomed in the public square. At one point Nebuchadnezzar sentenced Daniel's friends to being thrown into a furnace for their unwillingness to assimilate, but the faithful young men found Jesus in the midst of the flames.