Daniel 3
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Last week we went over Daniel chapter 2. In that chapter we discussed the dream that King Nebuchadnezzar had. In his dream was a statue that had a head of gold, chest and arms of silver, belly and thighs of bronze, legs of iron, and feet of iron mixed with clay. This statue represented kingdoms that would rule the world. Now I just want to read again what Daniel said to the King about what part his kingdom represented of that statue and how he said it.
37 Your Majesty, you are the greatest of kings. The God of heaven has given you sovereignty, power, strength, and honor. 38 He has made you the ruler over all the inhabited world and has put even the wild animals and birds under your control. You are the head of gold.
Knowing how ruthless and power-hungry the King was and how these Babylonians exalted the king, you’d probably think this would go to straight to the King’s head. Filling him up with even more pride. Although scripture doesn’t explicitly say the “King became very prideful”, we’ll get a good idea of his level of pride from the way he acts in this next chapter.
We’ll read through chapter 3 today.
[ Prayer ]
[ Body ]
1 King Nebuchadnezzar made a gold statue ninety feet tall and nine feet wide and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. 2 Then he sent messages to the high officers, officials, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the provincial officials to come to the dedication of the statue he had set up. 3 So all these officials came and stood before the statue King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
Well it would appear some of that dream went to the King’s head. Now we don’t know exactly when the King had this statue made, but there’s a few reasons to believe this event did happen after the situation with his dream.
Logically speaking, it makes sense that Daniel would write this in a chronological manner, meaning what happened in chapter 2 happened before chapter 3. And although it was somewhat common for rulers in the ancient times to build massive statues for themselves, it’s likely the King got his idea from the dream he had. Daniel himself said, “in your dream that God gave you, you are the head of gold”. So not surprising, the king makes a massive statue of gold for himself. Now obviously he got carried away, making the entire statue of gold.
But the most clear cut answer in regards to the sequence of events is that later on this chapter, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego are spoken of as being in charge of the province of Babylon. And we know that they received that promotion at the end of chapter 2. So with all this information, we can be confident the King had the dream before he made this statue of gold.
Now we also read that all of his officials were brought out for the reveal. Listing out all of the different people in the royal service really emphasizes how important the King viewed this showing of the statue. And it’ll make more sense on why he wanted everyone there, in the next section we read.
Alright now let’s read on:
4 Then a herald shouted out, “People of all races and nations and languages, listen to the king’s command! 5 When you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and other musical instruments, bow to the ground to worship King Nebuchadnezzar’s gold statue. 6 Anyone who refuses to obey will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace.”
7 So at the sound of the musical instruments, all the people, whatever their race or nation or language, bowed to the ground and worshiped the gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
At the sound of any of the musical instruments, you had a choice, bow before the statue or be tossed into a fiery furnace. Now why would he make such a cruel punishment of death and why was it a fiery furnace?
The reason for the punishment likely was not because he was worried of the religious matter, but more-so because he would view those who disobeyed by not bowing as committing an act of treason. He was testing their allegiance. Remember in verse 4 we read the announcement is to “People of all races and nations and languages”. There was a diverse crowd in the Babylonian kingdom. Babylon was the ruling power in the world at this time. They would have conquered many nations and taken in many of their people. So he’s checking the allegiance of everyone and making sure no-one goes against his authority.
Now the reason for the usage of the furnace was likely because of convenience and intimidation. This furnace can be thought of as a smelting furnace and it was probably in a convenient location relative to where this statue was setup because they were obviously going to be needing lots of gold for this statue. So as they were smelting the ore they could easily have it sent to where it was needed for the statue. One side note about the statue, it likely was not solid gold. When they’d build these statues in the ancient times they ‘d typically build it out of cheap material and then coat it with gold. But that’s still going to be a massive amount gold to cover something 90 feet tall and 9 feet wide.
To help you think about what this furnace may have looked like, the shape of a smelting furnace in this time could be mostly thought of like an old glass milk bottle, except with a hole also at the bottom. They’d throw in the ore at the top opening and fuel the fire from the entrance at the base. So picture this furnace with fire blazing out of it. Nobody would want to be tossed in there, so as it reads at the sound of the instruments all the people bowed.
Now let’s read on:
8 But some of the astrologers went to the king and informed on the Jews. 9 They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “Long live the king! 10 You issued a decree requiring all the people to bow down and worship the gold statue when they hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and other musical instruments. 11 That decree also states that those who refuse to obey must be thrown into a blazing furnace. 12 But there are some Jews—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—whom you have put in charge of the province of Babylon. They pay no attention to you, Your Majesty. They refuse to serve your gods and do not worship the gold statue you have set up.”
13 Then Nebuchadnezzar flew into a rage and ordered that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought before him. When they were brought in, 14 Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you refuse to serve my gods or to worship the gold statue I have set up? 15 I will give you one more chance to bow down and worship the statue I have made when you hear the sound of the musical instruments. But if you refuse, you will be thrown immediately into the blazing furnace. And then what god will be able to rescue you from my power?”
So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego are ratted out by the astrologers for not bowing to the statue. And I want to make a quick note on something probably going through your head, “Where’s Daniel in all this?” I believe we can confidently say there’s no way Daniel would have bowed, and his absence in scripture is probably because he wasn’t at the dedication of the statue where people were called to bow.
We don’t know exactly where this statue was setup relative to the city, but most scholars are confident that it was at least a few miles outside of the city walls. And when Daniel received his promotion at the end of chapter 2, he was put in a different position than Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Daniel served in the King’s court. We can’t say for certain, but there’s a good chance Daniel was someone who was left behind at the King’s palace while this situation was going on.
Alright moving on and focusing back on the situation Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are in now. Do you think the astrologers here are bringing them before the king because they care so deeply about the king’s decree? Maybe, but probably not. Remember, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego just received a promotion above these people and they’re probably jealous. There’s a chance they could even be natives to Babylon, so the fact that these Jewish people who came in as exiles who don’t even serve their pagan gods received a promotion is probably triggering some animosity towards them.
Now standing up for what you believe can be easier to do depending on who its in front of. So when they were amongst the large group of people who were bowing, resisting there was one thing. Now they’ve been ratted out and are in front of the King. And he sounds surprised as he says “Is it true?” these are people the king has appointed to help govern over the land. And he actually gives them a second chance, allowing them to bow now and be forgiven for resisting before. And then he makes a mistake, he doesn’t know who he’s messing with but he really should, “he says what god will be able to rescue you from my power?” The way he says this, he’s actually claiming all the pagan gods he worships and the one true God that they worship cannot save them. Obviously we know the pagan gods are nothing but lies, but he actually believed in them and believed that if they did exist even they could not do anything against his power. In his eyes, no god could save them from his power. Like I said earlier, we don’t know how big of a gap there is in the timeline of events from his dream in chapter 2 to now. But we know he has seen the power of the one true God before when his dream was revealed. So he should have been wise enough by now to know that the God the Jews worshiped was indeed capable of saving them.
And with how ruthless he is, I’m shocked he even gave them a second chance. But I think God allowed it this way so they could have a chance to explain to the King why they chose not to bow. When undergoing persecution, sometimes it’s our best chance to preach. And sometimes, like in this case, the persecution actually gets us in front of people in positions of power.
So let’s look at their response:
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. 18 But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.”
19 Nebuchadnezzar was so furious with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego that his face became distorted with rage. He commanded that the furnace be heated seven times hotter than usual.
I love these verses 16-18. They’re like no we have nothing to hide, we’re not trying to get out of this punishment. We deliberately chose not to bow down and we don’t need to defend ourselves. They trust God and tell the King their God can and will save them. You know they could have stopped there, but as they continue on it just gets better. In verse 18 you see the submission to God’s sovereignty, they say “if God doesn’t save them, they’re okay with that”. If God allows them to die, It wouldn’t change their decision. It wouldn’t change their belief at all, to them it just means it’s God’s will for their lives to end there. And I like how painstaking clear they make it to the King, it’s like they’re trying to make him angry. Even considering the worst case here that they do die, they say “we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up”.
Imagine the anger of the King. I like how the writer gives detail too. It’s not just written that the king was furious and threw them in the fire.
It says “his face became distorted with rage.” The king is so used to everyone submitting to his will, and suddenly he gets completely shutdown. He was so angry he commands for the furnace to be heated seven times hotter than usual.
Now it’s doubtful that they were literally trying to make it seven times hotter, this is really a proverbial saying, in the book of proverbs you often see the word “seven” used. It’s more symbolic, It can be thought of in this situation as “make it as hot as possible”.
Now we know they were smelting gold in this furnace, and to do that it requires a temperature of about 1,943 degrees Fahrenheit. So you can use your imagination how hot it would would have been at its maximum for this furnace when the king gave the command. And we learn soon that it was so hot that the soldiers who throw in Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are killed because of the intense heat.
So let’s continue on:
20 Then he ordered some of the strongest men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. 21 So they tied them up and threw them into the furnace, fully dressed in their pants, turbans, robes, and other garments. 22 And because the king, in his anger, had demanded such a hot fire in the furnace, the flames killed the soldiers as they threw the three men in. 23 So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, securely tied, fell into the roaring flames.
24 But suddenly, Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in amazement and exclaimed to his advisers, “Didn’t we tie up three men and throw them into the furnace?”
“Yes, Your Majesty, we certainly did,” they replied.
25 “Look!” Nebuchadnezzar shouted. “I see four men, unbound, walking around in the fire unharmed! And the fourth looks like a god!”
26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came as close as he could to the door of the flaming furnace and shouted: “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!”
So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stepped out of the fire. 27 Then the high officers, officials, governors, and advisers crowded around them and saw that the fire had not touched them. Not a hair on their heads was singed, and their clothing was not scorched. They didn’t even smell of smoke!
28 Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent his angel to rescue his servants who trusted in him. They defied the king’s command and were willing to die rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. 29 Therefore, I make this decree: If any people, whatever their race or nation or language, speak a word against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they will be torn limb from limb, and their houses will be turned into heaps of rubble. There is no other god who can rescue like this!”
30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to even higher positions in the province of Babylon.
Alright so a lot of action here.
The soldiers throw in Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego into the furnace
The furnace is so hot, the soldiers die just from being too close when throwing the men in
Another detail here is that when the King sees them in the furnace, he says they are “unbound”.
They were bound when thrown in, so God burns the binds put on them, but keeps them safe
The fourth person, who the King clarifies appears to be divine. Whether this is an angel or the pre-incarnated Christ, we don’t know for sure. But most scholars believe it is the pre-incarnated Christ.
As the King calls them to come out of the furnace, everyone knows they just witnessed a miracle, and I like the amount of detail given. It’s not that they were just kept from harm. It reads, they didn’t even smell like smoke. Complete protection from the fire, down to even the smoke that could leave a smell. They quite literally experienced the promise found in Isaiah 43:2.
2 When you go through deep waters,
I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty,
you will not drown.
When you walk through the fire of oppression,
you will not be burned up;
the flames will not consume you.
And because of the clarification of who their faith was in before being thrown in, once again like we saw in chapter 2, the King praises the one true God and even claims him to be the “Most High God.”
Funny enough, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego receive another promotion.
There’s a lot of similarities to what happened in Chapter 2.
1. A situation comes up where they are going to die if God doesn’t provide a miracle.
a. Of course they could have easily side-stepped this punishment in chapter 3 if they conformed to what the King demanded, but they remained faithful trusting in God’s will, even if it was for them to die.
2. God provides a miracle and saves them
3. They receive a promotion.
There’s a lot of different lessons we could learn from this chapter, but the main thing pointed out is the sovereignty of God and the unwavering faith of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego under persecution.
We all go through times of trials, but they went through multiple trials to a degree that we will likely never even come close to facing. But we can look at this example as encouragement. And as we face challenges and trials, we should try to remember their attitudes when they faced such persecution, even when they were confident and had total faith in God’s ability to save them, their faith was not dependent on how God would handle the situation.
It’s so challenging to think and question God’s sovereignty. Life is full of trials that bring on all sorts of confusion and uncertainty in regards to the future. But we must have faith to do what he commands and let him handle the details. It’s so easy to say and so hard to do. I struggle with this. But we have to remember God is working out everything for our good. We just need to be willing to go through the challenges and remain faithful, relying on his strength.
One thing I know for sure is that when we face trials of any kind, he’s right there, he hasn’t abandoned us. His Holy Spirit lives within us and guides us. Because of Him we can remain faithful through the trials. He gives us peace. He gives us comfort. He strengthens our faith.