DANIEL’S THREE BRAVE FRIENDS – a proud king. Daniel 3

    Nebuchadnezzar changed colour like a chameleon. ‘He fell on his face before Daniel, ‘Truly  your God is the god of gods, and Lord of kings , and a revealer of secrets. (2:27)  And then ‘The king made an image of gold , whose height was 30 metres ( 90 feet ) and its width 3 meters ( 10 feet )., which he placed in the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon.’ ( 3:1 ) 240 cubic meters of pure gold.   It was greater than the reserves of gold our nations once possessed. Why?  He wished to dedicate his ‘brain child’, having ‘set it up’, which phrase is repeated 8 times in this chapter. He invented a god and commanded his people to worship it.  Do we have gods today?

    He gathered the  ruling classes, the judiciary, the legal enforcement teams and the intelligentsia to stand before this monstrous metallic god.  ( v3 ) What are the gods of our day? I asked.  The young people make a god of pleasure, which includes the films, videos, musicals, rock concerts, all controlled by the ‘peer pressure’, which incites and protects young people to have their first smoke, or joint of grass ( marihuana ), their drink laced with some alcohol, or their first sexual experience, ‘for everyone is doing it.’ A lie.   Pure young men and girls are waiting for the holiness of marriage to enter into the beauty of a sexual oneness, which will endure.

    What are the gods of our mature people I asked a candid friend?  ‘Power and influence in every realm, that is business, education or in the life of the church.' The answer was so deliberate. Remember how the devil promised the Lord Jesus, ‘All the kingdoms of the world I will give unto you – and the glory of them.’ ( Luke 4 ) He has not changed from the age of Nebuchadnezzar .  He chose gold as a precious metal, $US 270 per ounce, fluctuating daily.  Gold also was the symbol of God’s eternal glory, which Nebuchadnezzar brazenly challenged.

    The Babylonian symphony Orchestra lent dignity and beauty to the occasion, with horn, flute, harp. lyre and psaltery. ( v4 ) They were to initiate the bowing and worshipping of this sensual god.  Beautiful music may obscure the evil and deceive by its excellence.  However, the word sound’ means the ‘crackling of lightning, the roar of thunder, the lowing of cattle and earth’s crudest sounds.’  It covers the whole range of music today from Symphony to hard rock.

    Here’s the rub, for‘ Whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast immediately into the burning, fiery  furnace.’ ( v6)   What a price for social prestige and regal recognition.

On this day Australia has had its greatest horse racing event, with much alcohol, flamboyant dresses and eye-catching hats with their plumes, up to one million dollars, and a forget-God atmosphere.  Our state spent 5 million dollars on betting for that one race.  God have mercy.

    Every person heard the worship command in his own mother tongue, for ‘all the peoples , and nations and languages heard.’  It contrasted vividly with  the sweet word in Revelation ‘ ‘You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by your blood, out of every kindred, nation, tongue and people and have made us kings and priests unto God.’ One bowed to life, the other to death.   

    The response was unanimous as every person bowed to senselessly adore this mountain of gold. However, certain Chaldeans came forward and accused the Jewish young men who had stood upright when the call to the heathen practice had sounded. ( v8)  Our Lord Jesus said ‘Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify their father in heaven. ‘  Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego displayed courage knowing that their lives were to be sacrificed for their God.   While they were captives in a strange nation, they had been promoted to high office in preference to the local Chaldeans, now filled with jealousy and burning with envy.  We must guard lest these attitudes empower and swallow us up.

    Satan always has his deputies who delight to serve this monstrous ruler in the unseen world. He provoked these deputies to gaze around when the million or two worshippers were on their face, vainly entreating the idol to hear their prayers.  So they were spying on the godly young followers of the eternal God, who was their Refuge.  Remember to pray for the many saints of God whose lives are threatened because of their devotion to their beloved One.  

    They approached the king with the sense of injustice for’ You made a decree, that all… shall fall down and worship the gold image.  ‘ They reminded him that ‘Whoso does not fall down and worship shall be cast into the midst of the burning, fiery furnace. ‘ ( v10,11)

    Now their anger overflowed  onto these 3 young men, ‘ There are certain Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon.’  They named them, so famous were they on the political scene.  Possibly they had plans to usurp their positions by ‘softening’ the king.

    ‘These men , O king, have not paid due regard to you.  They do not serve your gods, or worship the golden image you have set up.’ ( v13)  The Chaldeans have no respect for the true God and are scraping in obeisance to the king.  Their anger inflamed the king.  Fire begets fire.

    The scripture did not tell what happened in the lives of these 3 courageous young men.

Did they quickly group for prayer? Did they recall some of David’s precious psalms, reciting them from memory?  Did they assure each other that they must stand together in the biggest crisis of their lives?  What memories of their families flooded their minds?  What would their young wives and little children do?  Did they recall Job’s marvellous word,  ‘ I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in my flesh I shall see God.?  Yes, God , their eternal Jehovah, would protect them and ‘supply their every need ( later promised ) in Christ Jesus their Lord’.     

    Acknowledging the Lord as Sovereign God runs through the entire bible, for our beloved Redeemer is searching for them whose heart is right with Him.  Several hundred years later, in Matthew 10:32, our Lord Jesus stated this truth, ‘that if you shall confess ME before men, I will confess you ( a heartening promise ) before My Father who is in heaven.  But if you shall deny Me before men, I will deny you before My Father Who is in heaven.’  Three young men faced this choice, leaving a tribute to their God and example to us for all these generations.

    How do you compare with these men?

  See how God miraculously intervened in the lives of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the study’ Daniel and three brave men’ .