Daniel 3:1 King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, sixty cubits high and six cubits wide, and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon.
The Babylonians were highly diverse, and Nebuchadnezzar wanted to unify them through common worship. So he put up a statue of gold, about a hundred feet tall, and summoned his officials to the dedication ceremony.
The statue’s image is not described but it may’ve represented the Babylonian god, Nabu, since that was part of Nebuchadnezzar’s name. Nebuchadnezzar needed loyalty from his officials, and worshipping the statue likely implied a pledge of allegiance to him, or at least to his agenda.
Daniel 3:3 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.
Nebuchadnezzar had assembled an orchestra and, at the sound of the first note, everyone was to bow down and worship. To ensure compliance, anyone who refused to bow down would be thrown into a blazing furnace.
Most bowed down, of course, but there were three exceptions: Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. From childhood they were taught not to worship idols. You shall not bow down to them or worship them (Exodus 20:5), said God. That settled the matter, as far as they were concerned, but Nebuchadnezzar wasn’t pleased.
Daniel 3:13 Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.
Nebuchadnezzar went to great lengths to prepare this event, and wanted a show of unity. The noncompliance of these three men was a fracture that filled the king with rage. They weren’t surprised, of course, since they knew this day was coming, and knew what to expect. They may’ve had some sleepless nights, but considered it better to cross the king of Babylon, than to cross the Lord Almighty.
Daniel 3:16-17 King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand.
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego seem to have known what God was going to do for them. God doesn’t always deliver his people but, somehow, they sensed that God would deliver them. Perhaps God had spoken to them through the prophet Daniel, or maybe they simply felt in their hearts that God was going to save them.
They weren’t obeying God because he was going to save them, however, but because God is to be obeyed. [E]ven if he does not [deliver us], we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up (Daniel 3:18), they said. This is the kind of faithful resolve that glorifies God.
Daniel 3:19-20 Nebuchadnezzar was furious [and] ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace.
The nearby furnace may’ve been used to prepare the gold for the statue. It was probably built into the side of a hill with openings at the top and front, and was big enough for people to stand inside. At the king’s command the furnace was made so hot that it actually killed the soldiers who threw in the servants of God.
Daniel 3:24-25 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. 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.
The fourth person was probably a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me (John 5:39), said Jesus. We can’t be emphatic, but it’s not wrong to see Jesus caring for his own in their time of need. This is good to remember when everything around us seems to be on fire.
Daniel 3:27 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.
The only effect of the fire, in fact, was to burn away the ropes that bound them. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze (Isaiah 43:2), said God. When we go through fiery trials, sometimes, all we lose are the ropes that bind us.
Daniel 3:28-29 Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! . . . 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.
This was a wonderful outcome not only for Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, but for all the Jews in Babylon. If these three men had bowed down, others would’ve followed, resulting in widespread apostasy. Not only that, but whoever refused to bow down would’ve been killed. These three men were saved by standing firm, and so were many others. We never know how God may use our faithfulness for the good of those around us.
But Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego are exceptions to many other believers who’ve gone up in flames. Emperor Nero had Christians set on fire as human torches, and many others have been burned at the stake.
The tyrants of this world may threaten us with fire but Jesus threatens them with worse. Then he will say to those on his left, Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41). The promise of Christ is not that we’ll never be burned, but that we’ll never perish (John 10:28). Be faithful [unto] death, and I will give you life (Revelation 2:10), he said.
Reflection and Review
Why is it better to cross a king than God?
How can fiery trials set us free?
How did God use the faithfulness of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego?
The Babylonians were highly diverse, and Nebuchadnezzar wanted to unify them through common worship. So he put up a statue of gold, about a hundred feet tall, and summoned his officials to the dedication ceremony.
The statue’s image is not described but it may’ve represented the Babylonian god, Nabu, since that was part of Nebuchadnezzar’s name. Nebuchadnezzar needed loyalty from his officials, and worshipping the statue likely implied a pledge of allegiance to him, or at least to his agenda.
Daniel 3:3 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.
Nebuchadnezzar had assembled an orchestra and, at the sound of the first note, everyone was to bow down and worship. To ensure compliance, anyone who refused to bow down would be thrown into a blazing furnace.
Most bowed down, of course, but there were three exceptions: Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. From childhood they were taught not to worship idols. You shall not bow down to them or worship them (Exodus 20:5), said God. That settled the matter, as far as they were concerned, but Nebuchadnezzar wasn’t pleased.
Daniel 3:13 Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.
Nebuchadnezzar went to great lengths to prepare this event, and wanted a show of unity. The noncompliance of these three men was a fracture that filled the king with rage. They weren’t surprised, of course, since they knew this day was coming, and knew what to expect. They may’ve had some sleepless nights, but considered it better to cross the king of Babylon, than to cross the Lord Almighty.
Daniel 3:16-17 King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand.
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego seem to have known what God was going to do for them. God doesn’t always deliver his people but, somehow, they sensed that God would deliver them. Perhaps God had spoken to them through the prophet Daniel, or maybe they simply felt in their hearts that God was going to save them.
They weren’t obeying God because he was going to save them, however, but because God is to be obeyed. [E]ven if he does not [deliver us], we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up (Daniel 3:18), they said. This is the kind of faithful resolve that glorifies God.
Daniel 3:19-20 Nebuchadnezzar was furious [and] ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace.
The nearby furnace may’ve been used to prepare the gold for the statue. It was probably built into the side of a hill with openings at the top and front, and was big enough for people to stand inside. At the king’s command the furnace was made so hot that it actually killed the soldiers who threw in the servants of God.
Daniel 3:24-25 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. 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.
The fourth person was probably a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me (John 5:39), said Jesus. We can’t be emphatic, but it’s not wrong to see Jesus caring for his own in their time of need. This is good to remember when everything around us seems to be on fire.
Daniel 3:27 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.
The only effect of the fire, in fact, was to burn away the ropes that bound them. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze (Isaiah 43:2), said God. When we go through fiery trials, sometimes, all we lose are the ropes that bind us.
Daniel 3:28-29 Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! . . . 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.
This was a wonderful outcome not only for Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, but for all the Jews in Babylon. If these three men had bowed down, others would’ve followed, resulting in widespread apostasy. Not only that, but whoever refused to bow down would’ve been killed. These three men were saved by standing firm, and so were many others. We never know how God may use our faithfulness for the good of those around us.
But Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego are exceptions to many other believers who’ve gone up in flames. Emperor Nero had Christians set on fire as human torches, and many others have been burned at the stake.
The tyrants of this world may threaten us with fire but Jesus threatens them with worse. Then he will say to those on his left, Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41). The promise of Christ is not that we’ll never be burned, but that we’ll never perish (John 10:28). Be faithful [unto] death, and I will give you life (Revelation 2:10), he said.
Reflection and Review
Why is it better to cross a king than God?
How can fiery trials set us free?
How did God use the faithfulness of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego?