Nebuchadnezzar's Golden Image
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.
In Babylon's religious culture, statues were frequently worshiped as gods. Nebuchadnezzar hoped to use this huge image (90 feet high by 9 feet wide) as part of his strategy to centralize worship in order to unite the nation and solidify his power. When he made the statue, Nebuchadnezzar showed that his devotion to Daniel's God was short-lived. He neither feared nor obeyed the God who was behind the dream.
- Acknowledgment is not the same as a committed relationship. At the end of chapter two, Nebchadnezzers,
Daniel 2:47 (ESV) The king answered and said to Daniel, "Truly, your God is God of gods and Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery."
2 Then King Nebuchadnezzar sent to gather the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 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 for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. And they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 4 And the herald proclaimed aloud, "You are commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, 5 that when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. 6 And whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace."
This blazing furnace was not a small oven for cooking dinner or heating a house; it was a huge industrial furnace that could have been used for baking bricks, smelting metals, or forging Nebuchadnezzar's golden statue. The temperatures would have been hot enough that no human being could have survived them. The roaring flames could be seen leaping from its large opening, and a fiery blast instantly killed the soldiers who approached it (3:22).
7 Therefore, as soon as all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, all the peoples, nations, and languages fell down and worshiped the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
Exodus 20:4-5 (ESV) "You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God,
Even though they were targets of these men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego didn't cast blame or become angry with them. They firmly trusted in God, whatever the outcome—even if it meant sacrificing their very lives. Like these three men, remember whom you serve the next time someone challenges your loyalty.
The Fiery Furnace
8 Therefore at that time certain Chaldeans came forward and maliciously accused the Jews. 9 They declared to King Nebuchadnezzar, "O king, live forever! 10 You, O king, have made a decree, that every man who hears the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, shall fall down and worship the golden image. 11 And whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into a burning fiery furnace. 12 There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men, O king, pay no attention to you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up."
Where was Daniel in this story? The Bible doesn't say, but there are several possibilities: (1) He may have been on official business in another part of the kingdom. (2) He may have been in the capital city handling the administration while Nebuchadnezzar was away. (3) He may have been considered exempt from bowing to the image because of his reputation for interpreting dreams through his God. Whether Daniel was there or not, we can be sure that he would not have worshiped the statue.
We don't know if other Jews refused to fall down and worship the statue, but these three were singled out as public examples. The men could have bowed to the image, convincing themselves that God knew their hearts. But they had determined never to worship another god, and they courageously took their stand. As a result, they were condemned and led away to be executed.
The men did not know whether they would be delivered from the fire; all they knew was that they would not fall down and worship a false god. Are you ready to stand for God no matter what? When you do, you will stand out. Doing this may be painful and may not always have a happy ending. Christians around the world are persecuted, and some have lost their lives for refusing to renounce our Lord. Are you prepared to say, "Whether he rescues me or not, I will serve only God"?
13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in furious rage commanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought. So they brought these men before the king.
Nebuchadnezzar flew into a rage when anyone dared to disobey his commands. As the supreme ruler of Babylonia, he expected absolute obedience. But his pride had caused him to forget that there was an authority even higher than his own. With this deluded thinking, his demands became unjust and his reactions extreme. If you find yourself angered when people don't respond the way you expect, ask yourself, Why am I reacting this way? Your pride or desire for control may be fueling your outrage, not the actions of others.
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?"
The three men were given one more chance. Here are eight excuses they could have used to bow to the statue and save their lives: (1) We will bow but not actually worship the idol. (2) We won't become idol worshipers, but we will worship this image this one time and then ask God for forgiveness. (3) The king has absolute power, and we must obey him. God will understand. (4) The king appointed us—we owe this to him. (5) This is a foreign land, so God will excuse us for following the customs of the land. (6) Our ancestors set up idols in God's Temple! This isn't half as bad! (7) We're not hurting anybody. (8) If we get ourselves killed and some pagans take our high positions, they won't help our people in exile!
Although all these excuses sound sensible at first, they are dangerous rationalizations. To bow before the image would violate God's command in Exodus 20:3, "You must not have any other god but me." It would also erase the men's testimony for God forever. What excuses do you use for not standing up for him?
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.
Isaiah 43:2 (ESV) 2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.
We have seen God's faith.
Hebrews 11:32-34 (ESV) 32And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.
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."
We must Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were ordered to deny God, but they chose to be faithful to him no matter what happened. They were confident that God could deliver them, but they were determined to be faithful regardless of the consequences, even if it threatened their personal safety. Today, many Christians believe that if we just have enough faith, God will protect us, rescue us, or answer our prayers in the way we desire. But Jesus taught that his followers would often find trouble while in this world for their faithfulness (John 16:33). Only in heaven, before God, will we finally have complete peace and healing. Remain faithful as these three men did, and cling to the hope that God will walk with you through the fire. Our eternal reward will be the confirmation that any suffering we had to endure in this earthly life was worth it.
19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with fury, and the expression of his face was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace heated seven times more than it was usually heated. 20 And he ordered some of the mighty men of 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 cloaks, their tunics, their hats, and their other garments, and they were thrown into the burning fiery furnace. 22 Because the king's order was urgent and the furnace overheated, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell bound into the burning fiery furnace.
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."
It was obvious to those watching that this fourth person was supernatural. God sent a heavenly visitor to accompany these faithful men during their time of great trial.
26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the burning fiery furnace; he 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.
These young men had been completely untouched by the fire and heat. Apparently, only the rope that bound them had been burned. Nothing can bind us if God wants us to be free. The power that delivered Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and raised Christ from the dead is available to us, too (Ephesians 1:18-20). Trust God in every situation. There are eternal reasons for temporary trials, so be thankful that your future is in God's hands, not in human hands. And remember that miracles still occur today. Too often we dismiss God's work in our lives as coincidence or we give credit to the ingenuity of human minds. Look for ways that God protects his people supernaturally, and be amazed!
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."
Nebuchadnezzar was not making a commitment here to serve the Hebrews' God alone. Instead, he was acknowledging God's power, and he commanded his people not to speak against God. Nebuchadnezzar didn't tell the people to throw away all the other gods but to add this one to the list of other gods the people worshiped.
30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.
God's deliverance of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego was a great victory of faith for the Jews in captivity. God protected them from harm, comforted them in their trial, and showed that he alone is the true God over all. King Nebuchadnezzar was so completely amazed and overwhelmed that he turned from his anger, not only glorifying God, but also promoting the three men he had tried to burn alive!
Where was Daniel in this story? The Bible doesn't say, but there are several possibilities: (1) He may have been on official business in another part of the kingdom. (2) He may have been in the capital city handling the administration while Nebuchadnezzar was away. (3) He may have been considered exempt from bowing to the image because of his reputation for interpreting dreams through his God. Whether Daniel was there or not, we can be sure that he would not have worshiped the statue.