DANIEL SIMPLIFIED
CHAPTER 3.13
Gleanings
from the Book of Daniel:
A
Weekly Verse-by-Verse Bible Study Series
DANIEL
Chapter
Three
The
Golden Image of Nebuchadnezzar
(The
Fiery Furnace)
The Setting
After twenty years or more,
Nebuchadnezzar finally held a dedication ceremony for his ninety-foot-high
golden image ordered to be erected on the Plain of Dura outside Babylon City.
At the sound of the orchestra, gathered from the Empire’s musicians, all the
prominent dignitaries in attendance bowed down and worshipped the statue except
for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
Jealous of their ranking positions in
Babylon, some Chaldeans complained to King Nebuchadnezzar that these certain
Jews failed to comply, and did not bow down, and worship the image. So, they bought
three charges against the Jewish captives in Verse 12:
1. They had not regarded (obeyed) the King
2. They had not served his gods
3. They had not worshipped the golden mage
4.
The Denouncement of the Jews (Vv. 8-15)
(Verse 13)
Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to
bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the
king.
The Summons for the
Accused
Previously regarding
these three men with high esteem (cf. 1:20; 2:49), Nebuchadnezzar became apoplectic
upon hearing the charges against them. However, his rage is exhibited in other
passages (cf. 2:12; and 3:18). But
in his mind, his fury was justified. Namely, he had promoted these three Jewish
captives over his royal staff to high governmental authoritative positions.
In an overwhelming
rage (violent anger) and fury (violent passionate wrath), the King commanded
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to be brought to him immediately,
Nebuchadnezzar then confronted them for questioning.
(Verse 14)
Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I
have set up?
The Trail for the
Accused
Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego were brought before the King in his royal court to be reprimanded.
Undoubtedly, this was a new challenge to the King for several reasons:
1. It was an act against
his authority
2. It was an act against
him personally
3. It was an act of
disobedience
4. It was an act of
disloyalty
5. It was an act against
his judgment
6. It was an act against
the citizens of Babylon
7. It was an act against
the gods of Babylon
Is it true…do
not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?
Despite
Nebuchadnezzar's anger, the King extended the benefit of the doubt to the three
men and gave them a chance to defend themselves. Undoubtedly, he was well aware
of the jealousy of the Chaldeans. So he posits these questions to them:
1. Are the charges true?
2. Are you not serving my
gods?
3. Are you not
worshipping my image?
Take note: Nebuchadnezzar omits the
first charge from the Chaldeans about the three not regarding or obeying him. Nevertheless,
the King had to have some recollection of Daniel attributing his power to the
God of Heaven (cf. 2:20-23, 28, 37, and 40). And besides, almost two years
prior Nebuchadnezzar once openly acknowledged the power of Daniel’s God (cf.
2:47).
(Verse 15)
Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear
the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all
kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye 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?
A Second Chance for
the Accused
An opportunity to
reconsider their actions was proposed by Nebuchadnezzar to Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego. Repetitiously, the King reviewed his decree set forth (cf.
3:5-6) to the men as a chance for them to reconsider, i.e., to fall down and
worship the statue at the sound of the music. In doing so,
Nebuchadnezzar would re-order the musicians to play to prove themselves loyal
to the gods and the King.
But if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the
same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace
A Bow or Burn
Alternative
After graciously
affording the three Hebrews a second chance to rethink their conduct,
Nebuchadnezzar restates the chastisement. He makes it clear there are only two
options:
1. A Pardon
Leniency is implied,
however, there is nothing stated in the text.
2. A Punishment
It is articulated straightforward,
at the same hour, they would be cast
into the middle of an already burning fiery furnace.
After fortifying the
horrifying thought of being burnt alive in the fire, almost
in a contemptuous manner, King Nebuchadnezzar queries,
And [Then]
who is that
God that shall deliver you out of my hands?
Ponder:
It is possible at this point Nebuchadnezzar had presumably reasoned three
things:
1. He
had remembered Daniel’s God was not able to protect them from captivity
2. He
had forgotten they worshipped the God who was able to reveal his dream
3. He
had forgotten Daniel’s God of Heaven was a greater God than the gods of Babylon
5. The Decision of the
Jews (Vv. 16-18)
(Verse 16)
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and
said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not
careful to answer thee in this matter.
The Response from the
Hebrews
Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego, courageous and unafraid, answered
the King by respectfully addressing him saying, “Oh [King] Nebuchadnezzar.” Now, constructively
contrast the rage of Nebuchadnezzar (v. 13) to the calmness of the three. “We
are not careful (do not need) to answer thee in this matter.” Better
translated, “It is needless to give any reply to this decree.” Unquestionably,
Nebuchadnezzar was not only surprised by their response but also curious.
They continue…
(Verse 17)
If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning
fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out
of thine hand, O king.
Their
Trust in God Stated
Boldly, Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego declare, If it be
so (or so it is), our God (in
Heaven) whom we serve, is able to deliver us in two ways:
1. He will deliver us
from the burning fiery furnace
2. He will deliver us out
of your hand, O king
While facing death, a
great demonstration of faith on the part of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego was
declared, as the Law of Moses was impressed upon their minds.
Leviticus 19:4 - Turn ye not unto idols, nor make to yourselves molten
gods: I am the
LORD your God.
Hence, they took a firm resolute stand for their faithfulness
in their God. He shall deliver them was the inspiration of the three.
Our
God is Able
Holding firm in their
faith and accepting the will of God was their assurance God was working for
them despite their circumstances. Scripture is punctuated with references to
such faith. Even though the idiom God is
able is implied in the Old Testament, a few examples are noted:
In
the Old Testament
At his behest, David courageously
convinced King Saul to let him fight Goliath on behalf of the Israelites:
1 Samuel 17:37 – David said moreover, The
LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, He will deliver
me out of the hand of this Philistine
(Goliath). And Saul said unto David, Go, and the
LORD be with thee.
In consoling Job,
Eliphaz asserted:
Job 5:19 – He will
deliver you from six (many – a round number)
troubles (calamities); in seven (many
- a perfect number) no evil
shall touch you.
At the summation of
David’s Psalm he advises, the hope of the godly is never in vain:
Psalm 37: 39 - 40 – But the salvation of the
righteous is of the LORD: He is their
strength in the
time of trouble. And the
LORD shall help them, and deliver them: He shall deliver them from the wicked, and
save them,
because they trust in Him.
In the New Testament
Apart from the book of Daniel, the expression God is able is mostly found in the New
Testament. For instance:
Paul, writing the
Church at Ephesus, gave a doxology praising the working of God’s power
and grace in His people:
Ephesians 3:20 – Now
unto Him that is able
to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.
While giving testimony
to his young disciple Timothy, Paul, at the face of death, entrusted his fate
to God and taught Timothy to do likewise:
2 Timothy 1:12 – For the
which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I
know Whom I have
believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that
which I have committed unto Him against that day (the day of redemption).
The words of the
psalmists burned in their hearts.
Hebrews 13:6 – So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will
not fear what man shall do unto me (cf. Psalm 21:7; 107:6; 118:6).
(Verse 18)
But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that
we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set
up.
But, whatever trials
they would face, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego informatively spake to the
King refusing to neither bow down nor worship the useless golden idol he had
erected. The three Hebrews thus demonstrated faithfulness to God, and at the
same time, humble submission to the will of their God.
Some principles of a
Christian’s character and faith are exhibited in this dialogue with the King:
1. They believed resolutely
regarding God’s ability
2. They believed God
would deliver them
3. They believed God
would be vindicated
4. They were strongly
committed to God
5. They had confidence
in God
6. They had an unchanging
conviction for God
7. They would accept
God’s will no matter what
This must have been a
slap in the face to Nebuchadnezzar. In the upcoming study, notably Nebuchadnezzar’s
rage surfaces once again.
QUESTIONS:
1. At the dedication of the statue, what
did the three men do?
2. What was the King’s response to the
three Hebrews?
3. What did their gesture represent?
4. Why was the King lenient to them?
5. What was the response of the three to
the King?
6. What were some of the men’s convictions?
7. What was their attitude about the fiery
furnace punishment?
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