Daniel 3 (Bible Study)
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King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, sixty cubits high and six cubits wide,[a] and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. 2 He then summoned the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates and all the other provincial officials to come to the dedication of the image he had set up. 3 So the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates and all the other provincial officials assembled for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up, and they stood before it.
4 Then the herald loudly proclaimed, “Nations and peoples of every language, this is what you are commanded to do: 5 As soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. 6 Whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace.”
7 Therefore, as soon as they heard the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp and all kinds of music, all the nations and peoples of every language fell down and worshiped the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
8 At this time some astrologers[b] came forward and denounced the Jews. 9 They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “May the king live forever! 10 Your Majesty has issued a decree that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music must fall down and worship the image of gold, 11 and that whoever does not fall down and worship will be thrown into a blazing furnace. 12 But there are some Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon—Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego—who pay no attention to you, Your Majesty. They neither serve your gods nor worship the image of gold you have set up.”
13 Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, 14 and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up? 15 Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?”
16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us[c] from Your Majesty’s hand. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”
19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual 20 and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. 21 So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace. 22 The king’s command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, 23 and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace.
24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?”
They replied, “Certainly, Your Majesty.”
25 He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.”
26 Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!”
So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, 27 and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.
28 Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. 29 Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way.”
30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the province of Babylon.
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Introduction
We saw in chapter 2 that the huge statue in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream embodied his longing for world dominion. But the dream had been a direct warning from God against making an idol of human power and glory. None the less, Nebuchadnezzar built a huge golden image to fulfil his aspirations of grandeur expressed in the dream of Daniel 2. He desired to be worshipped by ‘all the peoples, nations and peoples of every language (v4,7) who must bow before his supreme power.
In his dream of Chapter 2, Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom had a “head of gold” and now this whole statue is gold. We are not told that the image was of the king but he does identifies his authority and power with it. Consequently, he is enraged that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego disobeyed the directive to bow down to “the image I set up” (v14).
‘You do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up’ (Dan 3:14).
Why was he so concerned to have everyone worship it?
The ancient world was polytheistic; there were many gods. It was unusual for a king to specifically insist that every language and ethnic group within his empire had to worship one image. This requirement of universal worship was an attempt by Nebuchadnezzar to unify an empire that was not subject to divisions and dissensions by various cultural groups.
The image is never described, except for its huge size (90’ x 9’), its brilliant appearance & embellishment. Interestingly, it is not said to be of any particular deity. When the king speaks to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, he says, “You do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up” (Dan 3:14). This implies it isn’t a Babylonian god. Clearly, to reject the image is to reject Nebuchadnezzar’s “gods.” Thus, it does not represent the gods of Babylon, but rather the Babylonian empire as divine. The image establishes a cult that worships Babylon’s power. It is designed to unify the empire, and it expresses Nebuchadnezzar’s desire that others worship his accomplishments.
In Daniel 3:8-14, notice the politics at work. (a) The astrologers sought to stir the king’s anger and told the king about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego’s non-compliance.
The astrologers specifically refer to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego as “Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon” (3v12). This authority was awarded to them at Daniel’s request, after his dream interpretation (2:49). That was humiliating for the astrologers, who could not reveal the king’s dream (2:12). This defeat and the elevation of the foreigners had riled the astrologers, who now had it in for the three Jewish leaders.
Their accusation is designed to stir the king’s anger. Notice 1. When they say, “Jews whom you have set over . . .” (3:12), they are implying “And this is how they repay your incredible generosity?” and 2. When they say, “who pay no attention to you” (3:12), they are directly appealing to the king’s ego. These accusers are not only pointing out the behaviour of the Jews; they are suggesting “They are ungrateful, highly arrogant, and disdainful of you.” Application: When we talk about other people’s behaviour in a way that impugns their motives, we are moving from reporting to slander.
The astrologers had to tell the king about the Jews’ non-compliance because Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did not take a public stand against the compulsory idol worship. Though their consciences did not allow them to worship the idol, their consciences did not require them to make a public outcry. Application: Many Christians feel conscience-bound to speak out against anything they disagree with. But “people of faith do not have a psychological need to make a ‘big deal’ out of their acts of heroism. We do not always need to be drawing attention to the fact that we are different from others.” Sinclair Ferguson, Daniel, pg 76
The three Jewish leaders were, engaging in civil disobedience. The principle is laid down in Acts 5:29: when a civil government requires disobedience to God, then we must disobey the government. Nevertheless, the three men did not find it necessary to disobey the government publicly.
In Daniel 3:13-18, notice the balance between respect and defiance three men’s answer to the king. They also balance confidence and humility
Respect and defiance
The three young men show respect by addressing him as “O king” and “O Nebuchadnezzar.” But they also have the audacity to tell the most powerful man in the world that they do not intend to defend their position: “We do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter” (3:16). They were essentially on trial for their lives, accused of a capital offence and standing before the bar—the king. But they do not state that they are innocent and why, nor do they say that the law is unjust and they should not be executed. With calm, they simply state, “We feel no need to defend ourselves to you.” That is contempt of court. It’s intriguing to see that, though they felt no need to “make a federal case” of their civil disobedience, it was not out of cowardice. They were quite ready to die.
Application: They teach us that there is a time for actions, not words. Jesus was given to preaching and teaching, but when the end came, he was essentially silent. It was a time for acting, not speaking. There come points in our spiritual journeys when it is not time for discussion and the refining of our understanding but rather for gritty, dogged commitment and action.
Confidence and humility.
The statement combines elements we ordinarily consider mutually incompatible. First, they are convinced that God will rescue them (v17). They state that God is able to rescue them from the king and his furnace, and that he is also willing to do so (“and he will rescue us from your hand”). This displays tremendous confidence as they speak calmly to the king. But then we are startled, even puzzled, by what seem to be contradictory words. Dan 3:18 starts literally, “But if not . . . .” They are saying, “God will rescue us, but if he doesn’t . . . .” If they are sure he will save them, why would they say he may not? If they admit he might not save them, how can they speak with confidence that he will? (It might have been easier if they had only said, “He can rescue us, but he might not.” But they say, “He can . . . he will . . . but if not . . . .”) This forces us to modify a popular view of faith and the will of God. These men have been given much assurance and evidence that they will be delivered. However, they were not arrogant, with absolute confidence that they were “reading God right.” God is not “tame” and under no obligation to operate according to their limited wisdom. In other words, their confidence was in God himself, not in their agenda. If their confidence had been in their plan (of deliverance) and not in the wisdom of God, they would not have said, “But if not…” They knew that dying would not mean that there had been a terrible mistake. God knew what he was doing. They were saying, essentially, “We believe God will deliver us, but that is not the reason we defy you. We do not defy you because we think we are going to live, but because our God is God. So we will not serve other gods whether we are protected from the fire or not.” The popular view is that “we must believe God will bless us—and not doubt at all!” But think of all of God’s greatest servants, from Joseph to David to Jesus himself. They lived by faith, but God worked through their suffering and weakness.
If we say, “I know you will answer this prayer, Lord; you can’t NOT answer it”—then our confidence is not in God’s wisdom, but in our own. That is not faith in God, but manipulation flowing from our faith in our own agenda which seems confident on the surface, but underneath it is anxious and insecure. We are scared that maybe he won’t answer our prayer for deliverance. But Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego really believed “all the way” to God. They were not nervous at all. They were ready for deliverance or death; either way, God would be glorified. They are saying, “God will deliver us either from death or through death.” Their desire is to honour God, not to use God to escape.
The real miracle, did not happen in the furnace but before they ever walked in. God got them ready to face the fire. True faith makes human hearts fearless yet humble. They had been spiritually fireproofed before they got physically fireproofed.
Read Daniel 3:19-25. (a) What two things amaze Nebuchadnezzar?
What two things amaze the king?
First, verse 25 says he was shocked to see them “walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed.” That, of course, was astonishing, but there was something else.
Second, Dan 3:24 asks, “Didn’t we throw three men in?” Nebuchadnezzar saw four figures walking around and the fourth looked like “a son of the gods.” Even through the flames, this figure appeared to be a being of enormous supernatural power. Notice that he does not come out of the furnace with the other three.
Who was it? It was pretty clearly “the angel of the Lord,” a figure we see in many other places in the Old Testament. Notice in Dan 3:28 that Nebuchadnezzar says that the Lord “sent his angel and rescued his servants.” The fourth figure is a vivid illustration of Isaiah 43:1-2: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you . . . . When you pass through the waters, I will be with you . . . .When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.” God promises to be with us in our fiery trials.
Application: In 1 Peter 4:12-14, Peter was thinking of Daniel 3 - her says “don’t be surprised” by furnaces—that is, trials and troubles. The three young men were not surprised at having their faith tested; neither should we be. Peter writes that we “participate” in the sufferings of Christ. Christ suffered in the furnace of divine justice, on the cross. He suffered because God brings his strength into the world through weakness and sacrifice. When we suffer in our smaller cauldrons, we remember that we participate in that same way that God brings his grace and glory through weakness and suffering. If we don’t remember that, then our troubles will make us bitter, guilty and untrusting. If we do remember, suffering can make us more sensitive to others, more humble, more loving, and more dependent on God.
Finally, if we remember that Christ went into the furnace for us, we will sense his presence with us in our furnaces with us. Peter says that when we suffer thinking of Christ, “the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.” Often we experience the presence of Christ much more in our troubles than in our successes.
In summary, Nebuchadnezzar is still only impressed by the naked power of God. He was top-trumped in a power contest and he is a gracious loser. “Nice move!” he says to his opponent. “You really are Almighty—I have to give you credit for that! You deserve respect and honour.” Nebuchadnezzar “was impressed by the fact that the Hebrews had frustrated his word (3:28) but he showed little or no interest in the word of God in which they had trusted. Nebuchadnezzar would [still] not have been impressed by the weakness and foolishness of the cross by which God would bring final salvation to His people. It was the show of strength . . . that impressed him. He still did not think in terms of his pride being humbled or of his need for grace.” Sinclair Ferguson, Daniel (The Communicator’s Commentary) (Waco, Tex.: Word Books, 1988),4 pg 85
