DANIEL SIMPLIFIED
CHAPTER 3.8
Gleanings
from the Book of Daniel:
A
Weekly Verse-by-Verse Bible Study Series
DANIEL
Chapter
Three
The
Golden Image of Nebuchadnezzar
Introduction
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had held
a loyalty commemoration for his mammoth golden statue erected in the plain of
Dura. Conceivably, the image was a
representation of his dream. Instead of him being the head of gold, Nebuchadnezzar
commissioned a 90-foot by 9 feet wide figure to be constructed with gold
overlay and set upon a pedestal.
The ceremonial event was accompanied by
an orchestra that included members from all over the Empire. When the music
commenced, everyone was compelled to bow down and worship the image in the
King’s likeness.
The last verse in Chapter 2 sets the
stage for the drama that will unfold in the following narrative:
Daniel
2:49 - Then Daniel
requested of the king, and he (Nebuchadnezzar) set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, over the affairs of
the province of Babylon: but Daniel sat in
the gate of the king.
1. The Description of the Image (v. 1)
2. The Dedication of the Image (Vv. 2-3)
3. The Demand to Worship the Image (Vv.
4-7)
4. The Denouncement of the Jews (Vv.
8-15)
(Verse 8)
Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came
near, and accused the Jews.
The Conspiratorial
Plot
Not far into the
ceremony, certain Chaldeans (NIV uses astrologers) within the royal court approached the King
and incriminated the Jews, specifically Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego of overt
disloyalty to the king, state, and national god. They disobeyed the royal
decree.
Note: Plausibly, the other
Jews of captivity were not summoned to the dedication, only those who held
prominent positions as the text suggests (cf. Daniel 2:2).
The Jews
They begin their indictment
by referring to the children of the captivity of Judah (cf. 6:13) as certain Jews. To be called a Jew during the Babylonian Era was a
derogatory term used by the children of Israel’s foreign enemies. This was
evident amongst the Egyptians:
Genesis 43:32 - And they (the waiters) set
on for him (Joseph) by himself, and
for them (Joseph’s brothers) by
themselves, and for the Egyptians, which did eat with him
(Joseph), by themselves: because the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews; for that is an abomination unto the
Egyptians.
Gradually, the national term for
the Jews became the Hebrews, particularly
when referring to their God (cf. Exodus 2:18 ff.)
In the book of Esther, however,
labeling Mordecai a Jew was a pejorative
remark.
Esther 2:5 - Now in Shushan the palace there was a certain Jew, whose name was Mordecai, the son of
Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite.
In Modern times, the
Jews were greatly despised by the Germans in World War II and were separated by
an anti-Semitic sign on their businesses, or an identifiable yellow star worn on their clothing saying Juden
(plural), or Jude (singular).
(Verse 9)
They spake and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar,
O king, live for ever.
As an expression of
loyalty to the King, the Chaldeans employ the formal introductory protocol for
addressing His Majesty. They declared, O
king, live forever. Today, Long Live the King is commonly used as
an opening address to royalty.
Similarly, other
instances in the Bible have implemented this phraseology. For instance:
1. When King David
reaffirmed his promise to Bathsheba that their son Solomon would succeed after
him, she responded in this manner:
1 Kings 1:31 – Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the earth, and did reverence to the king, and said, Let my lord king
David live for ever.
2. In his request for
King Artaxerxes to permit him to rebuild Jerusalem, Nehemiah's words include:
Nehemiah 2:3 – And [Nehemiah] said unto the
king (Artaxerxes), Let the king live
for ever: why should not my countenance be
sad, when the City, the place of my fathers' sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gates
thereof are consumed with fire?
(Verse 10)
Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every
man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery,
and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, shall fall down and worship the golden
image.
Music of Antiquity
Even though the music was
played and enjoyed throughout Bible history, the sound of the Mesopotamian
orchestra was simply used as a clarion call.
And, contemporary to their time, worship music was probably not melodious or harmonious, as one is not accustomed to dissonance.
Fascinatingly, one of
the oldest and most popular instruments was the lyre. Lyres are abundantly depicted
in the substantial early art of the Egyptians. But, in the 1920s, British
archaeologist Sir Leonard Woolley unearthed four Sumerian lyres from a grave in
Ur of the Chaldees. Invaluably, they since have been termed The Lyres of Ur.
And all kinds of musick
Potentially, the
reference is to drums and other forms of percussion instruments.
(Verse 11)
And whoso falleth not down and
worshippeth, that he
should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.
The Recapitulation
Three key points are
identified in the address to the King:
1. After greeting King
Nebuchadnezzar, the Chaldeans bethink about what the king had demanded i.e., to bow
down and worship the image when the music had begun (Vv. 5b, 11). It will be
the second of 4 times the musical instruments are listed (Vv. 5, 7, 10, 15).
2. Secondly, by
reiterating the details of the penalty for defying the King’s command, they are
setting themselves up for accusations against Daniel’s three companions.
Recall, at this time they are Princes or satraps in the province of Babylon (2:49).
3. And lastly, before the
allegations, they remind the King these Jews are of a different culture than
the Babylonians in the following verse.
(Verse 12)
There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over
the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these
men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the
golden image which thou hast set up.
The Accusations
Chaldean officials
state their case before Nebuchadnezzar against the Jewish captives, Shadrach
(Hananiah), Meshach (Mishael), and Abednego (Azariah). Obviously, they were motivated
by jealousy and envy because they were given high positions within the
Babylonian government.
Whilst everyone in
attendance was bowing and worshipping the statue, Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego were the sole three men conspicuously standing because of their religious
convictions. Like Daniel, the three Hebrews honored the first commandment which
forbade them to worship any other image but God.*
Considering them to be
treasonous, the authoritative Chaldeans issued four indictments against them:
1. They disobeyed the King’s
royal decree (3:5-6, 10-11)
a. At the sound of the
music
i. Everyone shall fall
down
ii. Everyone shall worship
the golden image
b. Who shall not fall
down and worshippeth
i. At the same hour should
be cast into the middle of the burning fiery furnace
2. They regarded not the
King
Daniel’s companions
did fulfill their responsibility to the king up to a point, however, at the
same time they did not violate their responsibility to the true God of Israel.
3. They served not his
gods
a. To challenge the gods
of the Babylonians was a direct reflection on Nebuchadnezzar. And, it was
considered an act of civil disobedience against the people in authority.
b. However, knowing their
beliefs, they were willing to pay the price with their lives by being tossed
into the fiery furnace.
4. They worshipped not the image
Failing to fall down
and worship the golden image, Daniel’s three companions were openly showing
disrespect for Nebuchadnezzar.
And so, once again these
three men’s lives were in jeopardy (2:12). The scheme of the Chaldeans to bring
down the fall of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from their high positions was
now at play.
*The First Commandment: Generally, only one verse of the first commandment is
known. For a more important and precise
understanding, it will be notated in its entirety:
Exodus 20:1-6 - And God spoke all these words, saying: I am the LORD thy God, which have brought
thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no
other gods before Me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in Heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under
the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy
God am a jealous God, visiting the
iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me;
but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me
and keep My commandments.
Experience the plot that unfolds in the
next study segment. Nebuchadnezzar, forgetting what he said earlier about the
God of Daniel being the God of gods, and
the Lord of kings (cf. Daniel 2:47), becomes infuriated because of his poor
judgment and dilemma.
QUESTIONS:
1. What is the intent of this study?
2. Who were the three Jews mentioned?
3. What were their Hebrew names?
4. Why did the Chaldeans use the term, Jews?
5. What is the common greeting to a king?
6. What was the three men’s accusation?
7. What was the punishment for their
actions?
If this study was a blessing to you, make it a blessing to others.
SAVE AND FORWARD
THIS LINK
No comments:
Post a Comment