nebuchadezzar's IMAGE

 AND

THE fiery furnace

dANIEL 3

3:1-7

"Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, the height of which was sixty cubits and its width six cubits; he set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent word to assemble the satraps, the prefects and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates and all the rulers of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. Then the satraps, the prefects and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates and all the rulers of the provinces were assembled for the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. Then the herald loudly proclaimed: 'To you the command is given, O peoples, nations and men of every language, that at the moment you hear the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery, bagpipe and all kinds of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king has set up. But whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire.' Therefore at that time, when all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery, bagpipe and all kinds of music, all the peoples, nations and men of every language fell down and worshiped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up."

We learned from Nebuchadnezzar's dream in chapter 2, that he would be the first king in a long line of Gentile kings that would reach all the way down through history to the day when God would set up an everlasting Kingdom on the earth. At the time, Nebuchadnezzar gave God some of the glory for his dream and its meaning but his true beliefs and nature were clearly demonstrated when he first fell down and worshipped before Daniel (2:46).

The events recorded here in chapter 3, occurred some thirteen to eighteen years later and what Nebuchadnezzar had learned from his dream seems to have now been long since lost to him. All that seems to have remained in Nebuchadnezzar's mind was the fact that he was "the head of gold" in his dream. Thus, he proceeded to pervert the interpretation that God had given him by ordering a golden image of himself to be made. The statue of his dream, in which his part was only the head, Nebuchadnezzar made into a statue of himself. Then, after it had been built and set up, he sent forth a decree that all the peoples of his realm were to fall down and worship it.

 

So, the first instance of man-worship in human history came to pass. Prophetically, it was pregnant with significance. This is so because the Bible prophesies that the last and final instance of man-worship will occur in the exact same fashion and even at the exact same place, Babylon, in the last days. It will come about when Antichrist, the last in the line of Gentile world rulers that are to follow Nebuchadnezzar, will also erect a golden image of himself and order that all the peoples of the earth are to fall down and worship before it. Then, just as with Nebuchadnezzar before him, Antichrist will call for the death penalty for any who will not comply (Revelation 13:14-15). Shortly thereafter, however, the stone ... cut out without hands will violently strike Antichrist's man worshipping Gentile kingdom and bring it to a sudden and catastrophic end. After that, foolish Gentile kingdoms will cease to exist forever from the face of the earth and God's everlasting Kingdom will come to pass, just as predicted in Nezuchadnezzar's dream.

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3:8-15

"For this reason at that time certain Chaldeans came forward and brought charges against the Jews. They responded and said to Nebuchadnezzar the king: 'O king, live forever! You, O king, have made a decree that every man who hears the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery, and bagpipe and all kinds of music, is to fall down and worship the golden image. But whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire. There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the administration of the province of Babylon, namely Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. These men, O king, have disregarded you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up.' Then Nebuchadnezzar in rage and anger gave orders to bring Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego; then these men were brought before the king. Nebuchadnezzar responded and said to them, 'Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up? Now if you are ready, at the moment you hear the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery and bagpipe and all kinds of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, very well but if you do not worship, you will immediately be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire; and what god is there who can deliver you out of my hands?'"

Notice here, it was the Chaldeans who reported the three young Hebrews to the boss. As I mentioned before, this segment of Babylonian society predated the Babylonians. They were the old guard and proud of it. As such, they were naturally jealous of these three new-comers, Shadrach, Mechach and Abed-nego. They saw them as  "outsiders" and deeply resented their appointments over the administration of the province of Babylon. "Now," they were no doubt thinking, "It's time for payback."

Satan and his dark kingdom, by the way, love to throw stumbling blocks before God's people. They send them swiftly and with great regularity to try and force believers to compromise their convictions and their walk with their God. These troubles from Satan and his world system are continuously trying to back the committed child of God into a corner in hopes that they will fail, fall, disgrace the name of Christ, or falter in their walk with him. It is a common and almost daily experience for a believer to have to take a stand for what is right over what is wrong ... what is good over what is evil ... or ... what is according to the will of God, as revealed to us in His Word, as opposed to the way of the world and the will of Satan. It takes real grit, spiritual maturity and commitment to persevere and overcome in the face of these constant attacks.

No mistake about it, this whole image thing was a set up by Satan and his dark kingdom to get Shadrach, Meshack and Abed-nego to fall from their walk with their God or to die. Neither, by the way, a very pleasant choice. Don't be surprised when Satan sets you up either, dear saint. You and I are in a war down here. Here are a couple of scriptures that speak about this conflict.

"Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world." I Peter 5:8-9a

　

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm." Ephesians 6:10-13

But, Shadrach, Meshack and Abed-nego were three young men who were "sold out" for their God. They were absolutely committed to him and his Kingdom. As a result, their lives were in constant friction with the world about them that constantly insisted they compromise and conform. However, they were too grounded in the revealed Word of God to yield. They were fellows who had their feet planted firmly on the solid ground of the Word of God and the knowledge of the will of God. So, in the case of the worship of Nebuchadnezzar's image, their was no question what they should or would do. Exodus 20:2-6 was their marching orders.

"I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments."

Shadrach, Meshack and Abed-nego were not about to enter into the sin of idolatry, even though everyone around them were doing so. Furthermore, they were willing to give their lives for their lonely stand if necessary. My, how such "sold out" young men and women are needed today ... way down here in the year of our Lord, 2009, aye? May the God of Shadrach, Meshack and Abed-nego multiply their number in our day as well.

So, Shadrach, Meshack and Abed-nego were summoned to come before a very angry king Nebuchadnezzar. Then, having stated their case, Nebuchadnezzar spoke. Doubtless with fire in his eyes and extreme anger in his voice, he said, "I'm giving you one last chance. The next time you hear the music play, YOU WILL BOW DOWN TO MY IMAGE AND WORSHIP ... if you do not worship, you will immediately be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire; and what god is there who can deliver you out of my hands?" 

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 3:16-23

"Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego replied to the king, 'O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.' Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with wrath, and his facial expression was altered toward Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. He answered by giving orders to heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated. He commanded certain valiant warriors who were in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego in order to cast them into the furnace of blazing fire. Then these men were tied up in their trousers, their coats, their caps and their other clothes, and were cast into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire. For this reason, because the king's command was urgent and the furnace had been made extremely hot, the flame of the fire slew those men who carried up Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. But these three men, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, fell into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire still tied up."

To a dedicated child of God, doing the will of God takes precedence over life itself. Martin Luther was drummed out of the church for telling the truth. He said, "Here I stand. I can do nothing else." A few years back, in Iran, a native pastor was taken out and executed. All he had to do in order to live was to agree to stop telling his church to share Christ with their neighbors. But, for this dear brother, doing the will of God took precedence over life itself. Shadrach, Meshack and Abed-nego were cut from this same cloth. You will have noticed that they also displayed another characteristic of dedicated children of God. They're bold! Proverbs 28:1 says...

"The wicked flee when no one is pursuing, but the righteous are bold as a lion."

Did you note these young men's contradiction of the king? Back in verse 17, Nebuchadnezzar emphatically said there was no god who could deliver them out of his hand. They said, "Our God is able to deliver us out of your hand but, whether he does so or not, know that we will not worship your gods nor your image." Whoa! I love it, don't you? It infuriated Nebuchadnezzar. He immediately called for his most valiant warriors to come and bind Shadrach, Meshack and Abed-nego and to cast them into his super-heated furnace. Nebuchadnezzar's warriors were men of renown. They were the Charles Atlas' of their day. Another of Satan's tactics, by the way, is to attempt to  strike fear into the heart of a child of God. But, don't fall for it child of God. Jesus said...

"Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."

I'm certainly glad that these three young giants of the faith knew that Nebuchadnezzar and his goons were no real threat to them at all. Aren't you? You can take it to the bank, the ungodly cannot touch the real you or me. The worst they can do is kill our bodies and immediately send us home where we belong in the first place. Amen? The people of God will always have their martyrs and these three young men were fully prepared to enter into their ranks. Hebrews 11:36-38, puts it this way...

"...and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground."

The bottom line is this. Sometimes our God delivers from the fire ... and other times he delivers through the fire ... but all the time our faithful God keeps and delivers his own! As you have it in Hebrews 13:5-6 (KJV)...

"Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me."

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3:24-30

"Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astounded and stood up in haste; he said to his high officials, 'Was it not three men we cast bound into the midst of the fire?' They replied to the king, 'Certainly, O king' He said, 'Look! I see four men loosed and walking about in the midst of the fire without harm, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods!' Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the furnace of blazing fire; he responded and said, 'Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, come out, you servants of the Most High God, and come here!' Then Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego came out of the midst of the fire. The satraps, the prefects, the governors and the king's high officials gathered around and saw in regard to these men that the fire had no effect on the bodies of these men nor was the hair of their head singed, nor were their trousers damaged, nor had the smell of fire even come upon them. Nebuchadnezzar responded and said, 'Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, who has sent His angel and delivered His servants who put their trust in Him, violating the king's command, and yielded up their bodies so as not to serve or worship any god except their own God. Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation or tongue that speaks anything offensive against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego shall be torn limb from limb and their houses reduced to a rubbish heap, inasmuch as there is no other god who is able to deliver in this way.' Then the king caused Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego to prosper in the province of Babylon."

The story of the deliverance that Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego experienced that day in Nebuchadnezzar's court will live on throughout eternity. It has become a permanent part of the eternal Word of God for you and I to see and to take hope from. It was a huge miracle and an amazing deliverance. Many believe that the fourth man that appeared in the furnace with the three young Hebrews was none other than the pre-incarnate Son of God himself. I believe that was the case, as well. Jesus Christ is the Deliverer in scripture, you see. He said...

"In the world you shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." John 16:33b

and again,

"I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." Matthew 28:20

Jesus has promised to never leave nor forsake his own. And, by the way, when he delivers ... he does so completely. Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego were not only saved from being burned ... even their clothes and hair were not so much as singed and not even the smell of smoke could be found anywhere upon them! Praise be to our great God who delivers us from every tribulation and preserves us through every circumstance. 

Nebuchadnezzar was astounded. Subsequently, he made a decree that if anyone in his realm said anything bad about Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego's God, they were to be torn limb from limb and their houses reduced to a rubbish heap. Then, he promoted the young men. His actions, however, were certainly anti-climatic in light of the incredible miracle that had just taken place before his very eyes and those of everyone else who were present at the furnace that day.

More important than the miracle of the fiery furnace, however, was the fact that Nebuchadnezzar had now arrived at a new understanding of the power and heart of the  God of Shadrach, Mechach and Abed-nego. Perhaps the fiery furnace was another step in the mysterious way in which God was working to reveal himself to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and others around him. The greatest miracle of all is always the way our loving God speaks to human hearts and saves poor lost sinners. As someone has put it, "The greatest miracle of God is the unlocking of a human heart." I say, "Amen to that!" Thanks be to God for his wondrous grace and mercy to the children of men.