How Quickly Things Can Change

“Then the herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages, 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. And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.”  Daniel 3:4-6

After Daniel interpreted Nebuchadnezzar’s dream that he had about an image whose head was gold and represented the Babylonian kingdom, he got the idea to construct this image, but the entire image was made of gold, and it basically was in honor of Nebuchadnezzar.  This king had an ego about the size of the entire Babylonian kingdom, and he wanted everyone to worship him via this image.  He had said to Daniel after Daniel interpreted his dream, the details of which were given to Daniel by the LORD, that Daniel’s God was a God of gods and a Lord of kings, a revealer of secrets.  But Nebuchadnezzar didn’t regard God enough to humble himself before the LORD and worship Him.  I think that his acknowledgement of God was like so many today who believe there is a God, but do not acknowledge Him as God over their lives.

Returning to Nebuchadnezzar’s image, the king made a law that when the musical instruments were sounded, it was a call for every single person to fall down either on their knees or prostrate on the ground and worship this image.  There was a very painful and fatal penalty for not obeying the king’s order–being cast into a fiery furnace.  Who would want to burn to death?  Certainly not any of the Babylonians.  What about all the Jewish captives that were being held in Babylon?  We know that Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego were in Babylon, but there were also thousands of people of Judah who were there because their captivity had been the punishment for their idolatry and abandonment of the LORD God.  Scripture doesn’t tell us about how they responded to Nebuchadnezzar’s order, except for Daniel’s three friends.

The king called for his image to be dedicated, and thus called for all the dignitaries of the land who could not reject the king’s summons.  As they arrived, they gathered before the golden image.  Since Daniel and his three companions held positions in the king’s court, they would have also had to appear before the image.  I can only imagine what was going through their minds as they stood looking up at that towering golden figure.  I think they probably knew what was coming and realized trouble and hardship lay ahead of them, but that didn’t cause them to waiver in their trust of the God of Israel.  They knew that no matter what they would face, He would be with them, and His purpose would be fulfilled.  So there they stood, awaiting an announcement from the king.

When the music started, everyone except Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego bowed down to the king’s image.  Of course, there were men assigned to watch the crowd to see if anyone disobeyed the king’s order.  When they saw these three Jewish men (Daniel is not mentioned, but we know that he would not have worshiped the image, and perhaps the king wanted to spare Daniel), they immediately reported them to Nebuchadnezzar.  I can imagine that these tattlers were gleeful that these Jewish men were going to be punished.  They probably didn’t show their joy, though.  These men laid out the charges against Daniel’s friends, identifying them by name.  It is true that these three disobeyed the king’s order, but they refused to break God’s law, particularly the first and second commandments, namely having no other gods before God and not bowing down to a graven image.

Nebuchadnezzar became very angry.  These were the three smart, strong, and sensible young men for whom Daniel, the king’s personal right-hand man, had requested special positions in the king’s administration, and the king had honored Daniel’s request.  How could they treat the king this way after all he had done for them?  When they were brought in to appear before the king, he asked them if the charges against them were true because he was having a difficult time believing they would disobey him.  Nebuchadnezzar even offered to give them a second chance, asking, “Who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?”  However, they replied that God was able to deliver them from the furnace, and even if He didn’t, they still wouldn’t serve other gods or the golden image.

Most everyone, whether Bible students or not, know what happened.  The king, furious, ordered the furnace seven times hotter than usual, and had Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego cast into the flames.  When the king looked into the furnace, he exclaimed that he saw four men walking around and not bound.  He remarked that the fourth Man was like the Son of God.  After having the three brought out, Nebuchadnezzar blessed the God of Israel and made a decree that no one could speak anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego because He was able to deliver them from the furnace untouched by the flames.  While the king praised God, he wasn’t quite ready to acknowledge God as his God, but after another dream and the manifestation of that dream, Nebuchadnezzar finally did come to recognize God as the only true God (Daniel 4).