Daniel 3:

Reading #401  Religion by force

Many years and many temptations later, Nebuchadnezzar yielded to Satan’s suggestion that the head of gold should last forever, and made an opposition statue of gold from head to foot.  It took about 23 years before this happened, but human pride will always overcome divine revelation unless the receiver is a child of God. 

In the intervening time, because the nation of Egypt had defeated Babylon in a battle in 601BC, Jehoiakim the king of Jerusalem, thinking this was a good opportunity, rebelled against the surrender terms he had made when Daniel was taken prisoner in 606BC, and refused to pay the annual tribute.  It was not until 597BC that Nebuchadnezzar’s forces came against the city, and by that time Jehoiakim had died and Jehoiachin, his son had been ruling for three months.  Nebuchadnezzar took him and 10,000 citizens into captivity and set up his uncle Zedekiah as the puppet king.  (All this can be found in the stories of 2 Kings 24 and 25.)   Among the captives was Ezekiel the prophet (Ezekiel 1:1-2; 33:21), and he describes what he was shown of the spiritual condition of the leaders in Jerusalem in chapters 8 and 9. 

In 588BC Zedekiah refused the counsel of God given through Jeremiah, and defied Nebuchadnezzar, who promptly came back and attacked the city, and after a siege of two years, destroyed it completely this time and burnt the temple to the ground. This was in August of 586BC, in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar’s sole rule.  (See Jeremiah 21:2-9.)

It was in this situation that Nebuchadnezzar again thought that his god must be greater than Daniel’s and decided to make it an issue.  (He did not know that it was the living God who had decreed that he was the best man to be the ruler of the world. Jeremiah 27:6.)  So “Babylon” was in spiritual conflict with “Jerusalem” again, but this time it was the real people of God whom it came up against.

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Daniel 3:

1 Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore [60] cubits [90ft], and the breadth thereof six cubits [9ft]: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.

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This statue was also that of a man as per the dream, but it was perched up high on a column so that great crowds could see it.  (Nine feet at the shoulders suggests that the statue was about 27ft tall which would make the pedestal about 63ft.)

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Daniel 3:

2 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the princes, the governors, and the captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. 

3 Then the princes, the governors, and captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, were gathered together to the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.   

4 Then a herald cried aloud, “To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages, 5 that at what time you hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of music, you fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king has set up: 6 and whoso falls not down and worships shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace”. 

7 Therefore at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of music, all the people, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.

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Messengers were sent out all over the world for the officials of the empire to come to the unveiling.  Because it was desired that all should bow at the same time, a signal was to be given through musical instruments.  Any who defied the order would pay for such disrespect with their lives.  Thus a death penalty was attached to a law regarding religion.  Needless to say, the majority found it no hardship to obey, for formal religion is only a matter of outward behaviour.

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Daniel 3:

8 Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans [the great opposers of Christianity] came near, and accused the Jews.  9 They spoke and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, live for ever. 10 You, O king, have made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music, shall fall down and worship the golden image: 11 and whoso falls not down and worships, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.

12 “There are certain Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king, have not regarded you: they serve not your gods, nor worship the golden image which you have set up”.

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Of course, many of the king’s advisers had been very upset when Daniel and his friends were so suddenly elevated into positions of power, but it had taken them all this time to persuade Nebuchadnezzar to attack them, for we can be sure they helped him to make up his mind about the idol.  It was probably a likeness of him, but we are not told so.

While the “whole world” bowed at this dictator’s command, three of the officials who loved the God of heaven could not do it.  (We are not told why Daniel was not present, but that is not important.)  What is important is that these three men had plenty of time in which to prepare while the monument was being built and the officials were travelling in from all corners of the earth.  Their action was not a spur of the moment thing.

In fact, we can be sure that they pleaded with the Son of God to give them confirmation of their decision (they made it immediately they heard about the test, for it is a regular experience for Christians), but, as normal humans, they did not want to be martyrs and die unnecessarily.  Like Jesus, they would have prayed, “O My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me: nevertheless not as I will, but as You will”. Matthew 26:39.

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Daniel 3:   

13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.   Then they brought these men before the king.

14 Nebuchadnezzar spoke and said to them, “Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not you serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up? 15 Now if you be ready that at what time you hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music, you fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if you worship not, you shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace;

and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?”

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Because he liked and respected these three men, Nebuchadnezzar gave them a second chance even though he was angry that they had spoiled his defiance of the God of heaven. 

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Daniel 3: 

16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful [full of care or worried] to answer you in this matter. 17 If it be so [if this is what you decree], 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 [we have His promise].

18 “But if not [if you change your mind], be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods, nor worship the golden image which you have set up [whatever you do]”.

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They did not stand before the king in BLIND faith, HOPING that the Son of God would be able to do something, for Christianity is a positive religion.  They were used to coming to Him with their day-to-day problems, and this was just something a bit bigger.  He has said that “in Him we live, and move, and have our being” and they respectfully awaited His decision.  Acts 17:28.  At first they were prepared to live or die as He saw fit.  

But they had asked to be shown a promise which they could live by, and this scripture is what I believe they were led to.

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Isaiah 43:

1 But now thus says the LORD that created you, O Jacob, and He that formed you, O Israel, “Fear not: for I have redeemed you, I have called you by your name [I know you individually]; you are Mine. 2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you: when you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon you.

3 “For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour: I gave Egypt for your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for you. 4 Since you were precious in My sight [since your rebirth], you have been honourable, and I have loved you: therefore will I give men for you, and people for your life”.  

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That’s why they could answer the king as they did – they had an assurance from Him.

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Daniel 3:   

19 Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore he spoke, and commanded that they should heat the furnace seven times more than it was wont to [normally] be heated. 20 And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. 21 Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen [their trousers], and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

22 Therefore because the king's commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

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This reliance upon the living God naturally made Nebuchadnezzar angry, for they were claiming that his god was not the all-powerful one he was depicting.  At his command his soldiers took the three up a ramp and threw them down into the furnace.  The wind must have been strong around the opening and a blast from the hatch caught the soldiers and killed them, but not Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.

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Daniel 3:   

24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spoke, and said to his counsellors, “Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king”.

25 He answered and said, “Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God”.

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There would have been a lower door or grill required to clean out the ashes and act as a viewing port, etc. and this gave the king and his counsellors an opportunity to witness what was going on in the furnace.  To their astonishment they saw the three men standing comfortably and engaged in a conversation with a fourth person.  Only that which was illegal, the ropes, had been burnt away.

How did Nebuchadnezzar know what the Son of God looked like?  We can be sure that Daniel and the others had told him and anyone who would listen about their Saviour, even giving a physical description of Him, for they would have seen Him often in their dreams and visions. When Daniel saw Him later in another vision He looked like this: “Then I lifted up my eyes, and looked, and behold a certain Man clothed in [white] linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz [a golden belt]: His body also was like the beryl, and His face as the appearance of lightning, and His eyes as lamps of fire, and His arms and His feet like in colour to polished brass, and the voice of His words like the voice of a multitude”. Daniel 10:5-6.

When He was born of Mary it was said of Him, “He has no form nor comeliness [no special body or strength]; and when we shall see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him”. Isaiah 53:2.  That’s because as the Son of man He desired that we should be drawn by His character, not His looks. But we have been told that now He appears with long blonde hair and beard, with suntanned skin and piercing eyes.      

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Revelation 1:

12 And I [John] turned to see the voice that spoke with me.  And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; 13 and in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like to the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps [the chest] with a golden girdle.

14 His head [hair] and his hairs [beard] were white like wool, as white as snow; and His eyes were as a flame of fire. 15 And His feet [poking out from His garment] like to fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and His voice as the sound of many waters [very melodious] . . . 16  His countenance was as the sun shines in his strength [at noon day]”.

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After watching for a while, Nebuchadnezzar called the men, and they, being obedient servants of their earthly ruler, farewelled their Saviour and came out.  How they must have wished they could have stayed longer!

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Daniel 3:

26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spoke, and said, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, you servants of the most high God, come forth, and come here”.   Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire.

27 And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was a hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.   

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Here we see that the Son of God does not stop rebels in their behaviour – He merely protects those who cling to Him.  He has given us free will and He respects our decisions even in what appears to be dire straits.  Of course, He was not surprised at Nebuchadnezzar’s behaviour, for that was normal for men and women who are not reborn.  Those who follow the god of the world, the god of force, cannot behave in any other way when they are crossed.

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Daniel 3:

28 Then Nebuchadnezzar spoke, and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent His angel, and delivered His servants that trusted in Him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.   

29 “Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort”. [This is a religious law, with a death penalty, no different from the worship of the idol!]

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

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Once again, when brought face to face with the living God, Nebuchadnezzar made a choice to follow Him.  This time he kept to it, as we will see next reading, but then he tried to force others into joining him!  In God’s eyes, that is nearly as bad as open rebellion, for religion by law is an abomination to Him and religion with a death penalty is the ultimate insult. 

Bye for now,

Ron

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During the siege, Zedekiah, the king of the professed followers of God, sent men to Jeremiah with a request, but then refused to obey God’s advice.

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Jeremiah 21:

2 Inquire, I pray you, of the LORD for us; for Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon makes war against us; if so be that the LORD will deal with us according to all His wondrous works, that he may go up from us.

3 Then said Jeremiah to them, Thus shall you say to Zedekiah: 

4 Thus says the LORD God of Israel; Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands, wherewith you fight against the king of Babylon, and against the Chaldeans, which besiege you without [outside] the walls, and I will assemble them into the midst of this city. 5 And I Myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, even in anger, and in fury, and in great wrath. 6 And I will smite the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast: they shall die of a great pestilence.

7 And afterward, says the LORD, I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah, and his servants, and the people, and such as are left in this city from the pestilence, from the sword, and from the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those that seek their life: and he shall smite them with the edge of the sword; he shall not spare them, neither have pity, nor have mercy. 

8 And to this people you shall say, Thus says the LORD; Behold, I set before you the way of life, and the way of death.

9 He that abides in this city shall die by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence:

but he that goes out, and falls to the Chaldeans that besiege you [surrenders to them], he shall live, and his life shall be to him for a prey.

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Because there was no way the destruction of Jerusalem could now be averted, God suggested that those loyal to Him should surrender to the Babylonian forces who would treat them leniently.  Jeremiah himself remained in the city till its fall, near the end imprisoned by the very ones he was trying to help, and was then given the free choice by the Babylonians as to where he could live.  Nebuchadnezzar appreciated true men who kept their word, for he was the embodiment of the head of gold, a very moral man.  (Jeremiah 38:28; 39:11-14.)  Back

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