Tong's Sermons

Today, I want to show you how i delineate the outline of Chapter Three.

 

1. Setting -- the first sentence of the story, which begins with subject “King Nebuchadnezzar” (I refer to the Hebrew Scripture -- there is no waw-consecutive, wayyiqtol in the beginning of the sentence) is the setting of the story. 

V. 1: “King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits and its breadth six cubits. He set it up on the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.”

2. Rising Action 1 -- the following sentences which begin with wayyiqtol are sequential or consequential actions that we should put together in a paragraph; and the paragraph ends with two “therefore,”  a conclusion of the Rising Action. 

Vv. 2-12 -- 

2 Then King Nebuchadnezzar sent... 3 Then the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces gathered … 4 And the herald proclaimed aloud, ... 6 And whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace.” 

7 Therefore, as soon as all the peoples heard... fell down and worshiped the golden image ... 

8 Therefore at that time certain Chaldeans came forward and maliciously accused the Jews... 

3. Rising Action 2  - Sometimes, a series of Rising Actions lead to a climax. Wayyiqtol appears in verse 13, signifying the action continues from verse 6.  

13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in furious rage commanded …

14 Nebuchadnezzar answered and said to them, “Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up? 15 Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, well and good. But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?” 

 

16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 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. 18 But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” 

Vv.14-18 is a dialogue as part of the actions beginning from verse 13.

 

4. Climax -- wayyiqtol also appears in the beginning of v 19, signifying that the climax is building up from previous verses. 

19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with fury... 20 And he ordered some of the mighty men of his army to bind ... 21 Then these men were bound ...and they were thrown ...22 Because the king’s order was urgent and the furnace overheated, the flame of the fire killed those men... 

23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell bound into...24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, 

“Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” 

They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” 

25 He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.” 

      Vv. 24b - 25 is a dialogue as part of the actions beginning from verse 24a.

5. Falling Action 

26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near … and declared, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here!” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the fire. 27 And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together and saw that the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men. The hair of their heads was not singed, their cloaks were not harmed, and no smell of fire had come upon them. 28 Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, 

“Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, and set aside the king’s command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God. 29 Therefore I make a decree: Any people, nation, or language that speaks anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins, for there is no other god who is able to rescue in this way.” 

6. Resolution 

30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon. 

 V. 1               vv. 2-12            vv. 13-18       vv. 19-25      vv. 26-29              v. 30

God’s glory and power were manifested in the climax of the plot. 

God’s glory came after the daring action of the three who had been thrown into the burning fiery furnace.

Application: 

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego lived out Jesus' declaration.  

Jesus said, ”Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (Jn 12:24).

Dare we die for our faith?