The book of Daniel
Daniel 3:1 Nebuchadnezzar the king made
an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof
six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the
province of Babylon.
1. They Would Not Bow
King Nebuchadnezzar has constructed an image 90 feet high by 9 feet
wide. This image simply shows the pride that the Babylonian king had in his
heart, maybe over the image he had seen before, in his dream. Maybe the king is
trying to emphasize to the world just how great and powerful he really was,
again showing the pride of his heart.
Think for a moment, this image (made to be a god) was made by a man,
BUT our God made us. This image was made of gold BUT our God uses gold for the
streets of glory. This image was 90 feet high and 9 feet wide BUT our God
cannot be measured.
Also please consider that this image was set up by a man. Anything set
up or propped up by a man can be pulled down by a man BUT the God that we serve
stands by Himself. In fact the God that
we serve was laid in a grave after His death on the cross BUT on the first day
of the week Our God stood up all by Himself! Glory!
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 unto
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
an herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages, 5 That
at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery,
dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and
worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up: 6 And
whoso falleth not down and worshippeth
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 musick,
all the people, the nations, and the languages, fell down[and worshipped the
golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
B. Command of the king
Nebuchadnezzar has commanded all to worship the image at a certain
time. This is forced worship or a working towards one world religion. True
worship is an expression of the heart and it cannot be forced.
The music was appealing to the flesh. It symbolizes worldly music. There is a great difference between worldly music and that which is spiritual. (Eph5:19 & Col 3:16) Worldly music deadens the effect of worship, however spiritual music can lift a worship service.
I think of Elisha,
II Kings 3:15, needing a word from God in order to advise the king. Elisha called for a
minstrel, not a band playing rock music with Jesus lyrics. You may say “what is
wrong with the beat of the music if the message or lyrics are right ?” Then I
may say “I suppose we will all begin preaching in our bathing suits, after all
how can our attire or clothing be wrong if the message about Jesus is right ?”
You see my friend, God has a standard we are to live and worship by. “God is a
Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth”
(John 4:24)
The king has stated that if you don’t bow down then you will be cast
into the fiery furnace. Here the worldly music prepared for the worldly
worship. As the music began, all the
people fell face down to the ground. All the people, with the exception of
three men.
8 Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and accused the Jews. 9 They
spake and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O king,
live for ever. 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:
11 And whoso falleth
not down and worshippeth, that he should be cast into
the midst of a burning fiery furnace.
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.
C. Contempt for the image
Three young men will not bow as everyone else
has done. The Bible says that certain Chaldeans
accused the Jews. I wonder if these Chaldeans were
not the same ones who could not tell the king his dream in Chapter 2. Maybe
they saw Daniel tell and interpret the dream and now they are jealous. They
should be thankful, he saved their lives, but instead of being thankful they
are jealous and want Daniels friends to be killed.
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 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? 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?
2. They Will Not Budge
A. The Rage of
the king
King Nebuchadnezzar can’t believe anybody would refuse to worship his
gods and his image. He is furious but is willing to give them another chance
after warning them of the penalty should they refuse.
16 Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O
Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. 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. 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.
The three Hebrew young men carefully weigh the consequences and are not
concerned for their own well-being, but rather want to be obedient to God. I
suppose they thought about Ex 20:3 “Thou shalt have
no other gods before me” or maybe they were thinking ahead Acts 5:29 “We ought
to obey God rather than men.” Never
should we compromise and yield to the works of the world or the flesh.
The three Hebrew young men respond by stating that our God is ABLE to
deliver us from you and the fiery furnace, if it is His Will. No matter what
happens, those three young men are not going to bow down to Nebuchadnezzar or
his image. These young men are determined to serve God and God only.
19 Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the
form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego: therefore he spake,
and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it
was wont to 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, 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.
3. They Will Not Burn
A. Persecution
The king was “full of fury”, in other words he was beside himself in a
fit of anger. The king commanded that the furnace be heated up seven times
hotter than usual and these three Hebrew young men, who will not bow, be bound
and cast into the flames of the furnace. In fact the kings mighty men, who
bound and cast these men into the fire, were killed instantly from the heat of
the flames.
You see my friend, the world wants to bind God’s people. The world does
not want to give saved people the opportunity to stand up and share Bible
testimony or doctrine. The world would rather destroy you and the freedom you
have to witness than watch you stand for Bible principles. These young men will
not compromise and neither should Christians today.
24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake,
and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three
men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto 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.
26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near
to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake,
and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,
ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. 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 an hair of their
head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed
on them. 28 Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath
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.
As these men are cast into the fire, the king is watching and behold,
he notices four men loose walking in the fire and they have no hurt.
Nebuchadnezzar knew he only cast three into the fire and now he sees four men
in the fire. Nebuchadnezzar had no knowledge of God, other than Daniels
testimony in chapters 1 & 2, yet the king comments about the fourth man,
that he is “like the Son of God”.
The king called for the three young men to come forth and they did. But
where was the fourth man? I believe He (The Lord) is everywhere. He is still
with us when we walk thru the fire of a trial.
The flames of that furnace were hot enough to melt iron, but on these
men the flame has no power. Isaiah spoke about this in Isaiah 43:1,2 “1 But now thus saith
the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear
not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art
mine. 2
When thou passest through the waters, I will
be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt
not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.”
The hair of those Hebrew young men were not singed. The garments of
those young men were not scorched, there was not even the smell of fire upon
them. The only thing the fire burnt was the cords that the world used to bind
them with.
The king said “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach
and Abednego”. King Nebuchadnezzar, moved by these
events, forgot his own image and recognized the God of Glory.
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. 30 Then the king
promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,
in the province of Babylon.
Nebuchadnezzar promotes that the God that delivered these young men was
greater than his gods. The king also warned the empire from speaking against
this God. Then King Nebuchadnezzar promotes these three young men who stood up
instead of bowing down. I wonder what the accusing Chaldeans
had to say about that.
We have read how on two separate occasions the death sentence was
passed upon these Hebrews and both times God miraculously delivered them and
then on both occasions they were mysteriously promoted in the kingdom of this
world.
You and I are living in a world filled with trouble. Some of God’s
children do get thrown into a “fiery furnace”, but He is able to keep you safe
in the fire and He is able to deliver you from the fire
D. Proclamation Prophetically
When we examine this chapter more
closely we see a prophetic picture, of the Great Tribulation:
First, the image to which the king tried to force everyone to worship
represents the abomination of desolation. The Antichrist will place an image in
the new temple and force the world to worship it. (Jesus spoke of this in Mk
13:14) (Rev 13:14,15 also speaks of this image).
Secondly, the fiery furnace represents the
suffering of the Great Tribulation. It will be the time of Jacobs Trouble (Jer 30:7). The furnace was heated seven times hotter. The
Great Tribulation will last for seven years and will be the most horrible time
to endure the world has ever seen.
Thirdly, King Nebuchadnezzar, represents the Antichrist and the devil
trying to force the world to worship. To produce one world religion.
Fourthly, the three Hebrew children represent Israel. There will be the
remnant of Jews, (144,000 we are told in Revelation 7) that will not bow and
serve the Antichrist. These 144,000 are not harmed by the power of the
Antichrist and will go around the world preaching and witnessing of truths
exposing the Antichrist for the man of sin that he is.
Fifthly, Daniel is not mentioned in this
chapter. He is an ambassador of the kingdom, maybe he is away on the kings
business. I believe what’s not mentioned is important here. Daniel represents
the Redeemed, the ambassadors of Christ, the Church, who are removed or raptured before the Great Tribulation.
Sixthly, remember the men that cast the three Hebrew children into the
fire ? They could not withstand the heat of the flames and perished. I notice
then, that all who serve the Antichrist will persecute the righteous, and will
utterly one day be destroyed forever and ever. (Rev 19:21)
Seventhly, the fourth man in the furnace represents Jesus. He was there
with the Hebrew children in the fire, and He will be with those who will not
bow to the Antichrist during the Great Tribulation. Remember 3 men were called from the fire but
the 4th man stayed. Jn 16:33 says “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but
be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”