“I ordered the [following] court officials in exercises of [their] duties to take up position in my [official] suite.” (Cited by Shea)
In Daniel 3 Nebuchadnezzar creates an idol to be worshiped by the members of his government. This command follows his statement that Daniel’s God is a great god (2:47). Clearly, he did not “convert to monotheism” even if he did acknowledge Daniel’s God.
97 foot tall Egyptian Obelisk at Karnak
The statue is very large, the gigantic size is a common argument against the historicity of Daniel. A cubit is about 18 inches, and it is said to be threescore cubits, which is 1080 inches, or 90 feet (as the NIV reads), by only 9 feet wide. The proportions are more like an obelisk than a statue. It is very like the many obelisks found in Babylon. There is nothing in this passage implying the statue is a human let alone Nebuchadnezzar himself. The wording allows for a “man-like” figure, possibly a man’s head with an animal’s body.
Why does Nebuchadnezzar build the statue? D. J. Wiseman thought this was an expression of thanks to Nebuchadnezzar’s favored god, Bel, for his successes militarily and politically, hence this may be an image of Bel (Nebuchadnezzar, 109. But since is not referred to as a god and he required his officers to bow to it, the image may be a symbol of Babylon. Worshiping the statue was declaring loyalty to Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar and the gods of Babylon.
William H. Shea suggests that the gathering followed a revolt against Nebuchadnezzar that occurred between December 595 and January 594 B.C. Nebuchadnezzar summoned these officials to Babylon to take a “loyalty oath” to the king. If this suggestion is accurate, then the command to bow is analogous to pledging allegiance to the flag. This is a public, visible oath of loyalty to the Empire.
This command to bow is given, and the penalty for not complying with the command is death in a “fiery furnace.” Death by burning appears in the Law of Hammurabi and is known in early Babylonian dynasties. In Jeremiah 29:21-22 Nebuchadnezzar is predicted to burn a false prophet.
For the three Jewish exiles, a command to worship an idol breaks the clear command of God. Therefore they must again make a stand against the Nebuchadnezzar and the Empire they serve. To defy this command they must be willing and ready to accept the punishment, a grisly death.
The text does not say how the men defied the king’s command, only that they did. It is likely all the officials bowed to the ground toward the statue when the music played, leaving the three Judean exiles boldly standing among the crowd.
Where is Daniel? Based on the first two chapters of the book it is clear he would not bow to the idol. Some have said that because of his religious position in the kingdom he would have been except from this command. If one reads the rest of the book, however, Daniel appears to be a civil official, so this is not a likely suggestion. There is a literary explanation as well: chapters 3 and 6 are in parallel a parallel relationship if the chiastic outline of Daniel is accepted. Chapter 3 is a story resistance featuring the three Jewish men without Daniel, chapter 6 is a story of resistance featuring Daniel alone.
The Jews are accused by the Chaldeans and astrologers of Babylon. They report to the king these are the Jews who were put in charge over the affairs of Babylon are not loyal to Babylon. They are foreigners and not to be trusted since they did not bow to the symbol of the empire’s power. Is there a hint of anti-Semitism in the accusation? Possibly, since the accusation is against the Jews, not the “three young men.”
It is remarkable these three Jewish exiles would choose to die rather than submit to the demands of the Empire. They have determined not to give worship to an idol, a god, a human emperor, or an Empire. They are refusing to submit and are willing to accept death as a result of that decision. This is one of the most applicable elements of the book of Daniel for contemporary Christians. First, what are the beliefs and practices which are non-negotiable? What lines are necessary to define one’s Christian faith? Second, are you willing to die for those beliefs and practices rather than compromise them?
To take this a bit further, does the Empire (the government under which we currently live) demand absolute obedience? If so, should the Christian submit to the government in every way? Are there circumstances where the Christian must disobey the government and accept a harsh penalty, perhaps even death?
Bibliography: William H. Shea, “Daniel 3: Extra-Biblical Texts and the Convocation on the Plain of Dura” AUSS 20 (1982): 37.
The book of Daniel shows how to be willing to be submissive even when we might not want to be, but yet when to resist and how to resist when the time comes. Daniel and his friends were willing to serve in the king’s court and be completely immersed in their culture and even begin to create a life in their exile. But, there came a point when they had to resist and say no. I believe those lines are very clear and when you get to them, you know when you see them and if you cross them, you are going to know that you crossed them. Some of the non-negotiables are things like worshiping another God, denying the deity of Jesus, partaking in other religious practices that could open doors to evil and so on. There must be lines and we as Christians must know what we stand for. As for us Christians living in America, our government gives us many freedoms to enjoy and lots of things that we are able to do freely. This is good, but with that freedom also comes responsibility to obey and follow the rules they have put in place as well. Our government expects us to abide by those rules and laws and if we break them there will be penalties. At this point in time, I don’t know of any Laws that would completely contradict our faith and put us in a spot of apostasy. There may be things we don’t agree with, but nothing that threatens our faith yet. There are also things that are deemed okay or legal that may be in conflict with our faith, but we are not forced to do those things. Although, I do believe because of the freedoms we have in America, Christians should still know what we stand for to make sure rules and laws don’t get passed that turn us against our faith. Little seemingly insignificant laws one at a time can lead down that road, we have to be proactive now.
In chapter 3, Daniel doesn’t end up in the fiery furnace. After all, he’s not amongst the crowd that has to bow down to Nebuchadnezzar’s statue because he was promoted to the King’s palace because he could interpret dreams and visions. Even if Daniel were in the crowd with his friends, Meshack, Shadrake and Abednego he would not have bowed down to the statue because he’s faithful to his God. However, in chapter 6, Daniel didn’t have his friends with him and in that time as well he was willing to be thrown in the lion’s den because he refused to worship Nebuchadnezzar’s statue.
The generation of believers today need to be less “what if” and more “even if.” Hypothetically, if the government made us worship a statue like Lady Liberty: Our response shouldn’t be “what if I die,” our response should be “even if I die, I will not defile myself by worshiping an idol.” The reality is that people are going to hate you because you are a believer, the question is are you going to be ok with them hating you and still follow God or are you going not to feel comfortable with it so you try to fit in and that may include worshipping a statue.
I really like what you said about this generation being more “what if” rather than “even if.” So many times, we are faced with tough situations that cause us to fear and feel panicked, especially when it comes to our faith in God, because we doubt and hide. Not everyone is going to except you for who you are, and that is ok! Romans 12:2 says, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2, ESV). People have other beliefs, religions, morals, etc. and we just need to stay strong and faithful to our God because he is the one true God. We shouldn’t be ashamed or afraid to stand up for ourselves and what we believe in just like Daniel when he refused to bow down to the statue as well as eat the kings food earlier in the book. If we allow our beliefs to be compromised then what we say stand for is a lie. Even if we will die, be persecuted and judged, we should be willing to do so because we know the glories and rewards we will receive in heaven one day.
In this passage of scripture we see Daniel and his friends set clear and strict boundaries when it came to their faith. As we saw earlier in the book of Daniel they also refused to eat the food that was given to them by the king, and now they refuse to worship and bow down to anything that is not God. This is a great example of faith and courage because they knew the consequences of not bowing down and yet they still chose to stay faithful to their one true God.
This should be an amazing encouragement to us as Christians to stand up for our faith even when it may be scary or we feel oppressed. We don’t experience many death threats here in America when it comes to worship and the way we practice our religion like Daniel did, however, we can face disrespect, disapproval, and judgment for what we believe and how we act it out. In our society we are taught to respect authority and follow the rules given to us, but if it goes against our religious morals I believe we need to resist and stand up for what we truly believe in. So many times Christians just give in and submit in order to avoid conflict but that is when our faith and courage needs to be the strongest. The government is a major topic in this area because they come out with laws that we need to follow and we need to respect them as the overall authority of the country, but God is the supreme authority and He is who we need to stay faithful to. Romans 13:1 says, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God” (Romans 13:1, ESV). God put people on this earth to be leaders and the authority over us, but we cant submit the them and push God off to the side.
I like to say that I have always believed that there is a God and that he loves me. When it comes to non-negotiable truths that I believe in, I think of is that God sent his Son to this earth to live a perfect life. But because the rest of the world is not, and our punishment for that is death, therefore that’s why Jesus can be a sacrifice for us and die on a cross to forgive us of our sins than to be resurrected and make death irrelevant to us. I believe that there is only one God. the second question P Long asks is if I would die for these beliefs. The right answer would be to say yes. And I’m sure a lot of people would die for those beliefs and that’s real faith. When I look deeper inside, I would love to confidently say “yes, I will die” if asked any of those questions, but the reality is that we will never know until we are put in that position. But for now, I will continue to strengthen my faith until that day may come.
P long takes it even further to ask if we need to obey the government when it comes to our faith. And this question brings me right to the verse in Romans “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except God, and those that exist have been instituted by God (Romans 13:1)” this gives me some encouragement about submitting to authorities, but who is to say that Our Government has sought God in every decision. I will certainly trust that God has his hand on our government. I will do my best to obey the laws, but when it comes to how the government oppresses religion, I will just continue to live my life, because I know that this life is temporary and my hope is in eternity.
Taking into account the fact that there may have been a possible revolt against King Nebuchadnezzar 595-594 BC, it would make since that the king would build and erect a stature where his subjects would in a sense “pledge” their allegiance to him, as well as their loyalty. There are few things that can destroy an empire faster than fighting from within, and if a revolt had occurred, there may have even been a sense of paranoia or suspicion. The paranoia might have been not so unlike if someone in Nazi Germany did not salute the flag or Hitler while passing, or the type of mistrust that led innocent Japanese-American civilians to be imprisoned during world war two. Nebuchadnezzar knew that his most useful and powerful tool to prevent another such uprising would be to install fear into the citizens of Babylon, as well as create a sense of ultimate loyalty to him and the nation. This type of impossible situation brings us to the governments of today’s world, even our own. At what point is it not acceptable for a Christian to align themselves and obey their modern day rulers? For a simple example, If the U.S government began ordering pastors to perform homosexual marriages and weddings, this would obviously be a case where Christian would have to refuse. Or if the U.S. government began ordering its police officers to steal from private citizens to increase “revenue”, one can only hope that at least the policemen and women of Christian faith would rather resign than go along with this type of sin. And yet, as we approach the end times, these types of scenarios are already beginning to play out. Doctors are legally allowed to murder innocent, unborn children for example. God challenges us to not only rise up against such evil (Psalm 94:16), but also warns rulers and leaders that it is an abomination for them to do evil (Proverbs 16:12).
The remarkable story that is given in Daniel 3 is that of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego survives the fiery furnace. However when we make the story up and look at the first seven verses of Daniel 3, we see the structure of what we know as an idol and a call by King Nebuchadnezzar that those who serve in governing roles are to worship that idol. As a Christian, I believe an act that is non-negotiable at least in the United States is the ability to worship God openly and freely without the government completely controlling what the church can or can’t say. 2 Timothy 4:3-4, Paul writes “for the tie is coming when people will not endure sound teaching but will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions and will away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths”. If the government forced me as a preacher/proclaimer of God’s word to starting preaching what I knew to be false doctrine, I would continue to preach truth; therefore if that got me jailed or physically hurt to a point of death, that would be a price I would be willing to endure for the gospel. I do not believe our current government demands absolute obedience. Just look at all the Jehovah Witnesses living in America, they don’t vote or pledge allegiance to the flag, and the government has no interest in stopping their behavior. I suppose there are occasional circumstance like those of Middle Eastern countries where the official religion of the country is Islam or even Atheism as in the country of China is, in which you must refuse to worship Allah or refuse to worship the “communist Red Flag” and instead worship Jesus of Nazareth.
Daniel proved time and time again that he had a line with his faith. This story shows us that Daniel always felt God’s presence and he always knew that he needed to decide right from wrong. In the face of adversary Daniel and his friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, all decided that they would not defile themselves under the Babylonians laws and customs. As Christians, we can use Daniel and his friends as a prime example for our everyday convictions. These four men stood up to the Government that they were under, even to death. Daniel was to be thrown into a den of lions and his friends were to be cast into a fiery furnace. As Christians, in the United States, we have two separate laws we need to follow and only one of the two is greater. The Bible is our ultimate sets of rules and laws, but we are also supposed to follow the rules and regulations of the United States Government. Unfortunately, the Government is trying to make it harder and harder to be a Christian outside of our homes and churches. One example is that they have taken scripture and prayer out of our public schools. However, if you go out of the country, many of the Christians have to have underground churches because it is illegal. I believe that many of the Christians in America would follow suit.
In today’s world there are so many people that worship different kind of idols and do not even thing twice about it. Some of them are individuals that attend church and read the bible regularly. One of the major things that people have as their idol over everything else is their phone. Today, just about everyone has a cell phone. Even young kids that do not even need a phone. There are people that are unable to do anything unless they have their phone with them or if they do not have it they are looking for it. Most individuals suffer from the disorder of FOMO (fear of missing out). Which is basically exactly what it says. Individuals keep their phone right next to them waiting for that next text, call, or even “like” on any of the social media sites. Most people do not see it as an idol, but individuals become addicted to it or “worship” their phone and are tethered to it more then God. While reading through chapter three of Daniel, it really surprised me how Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego would have rather died than worshiped another idol. This only showed how loyal they were to God and how much they did not want to sin. The number one non-negotiable practice is to be able to worship God freely without getting in any kind of trouble. This is the number one to me because I have heard that kids in public schools are unable to pray in school which I believe is against our freedom of religion in America.
In Daniel Chapter 3, Nebuchadnezzar build his golden image statue with the commands for all peoples under his rulership to worship it or die in the fiery furnace. While this feast of false god worship was happening with the sounds of all types of music, everyone worshiped it except Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They feared their God alone and were willing to go to the extreme, which was death. They proclaimed if their God did not saved them, they would still die before ever bowing down to any manmade image statue. This act alone with the confidence of their faith gave an expression perhaps to the rest of the people who bowed down, of “who are they to rebel against the king’s instructions?” I consider this to be bravery and integrity knowing with their faith they have gone from standard to supernatural walk of faith. In Deuteronomy 6:24 says, “and the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as we are this day.” This Scripture shows a clear statement of God’s instruction, to fear him and to do what he has commanded us to do, because it is always good for us, preserving us alive, both spiritual and physical. Meaning we should know who we stand by and who is the God we serve, while at the same time being respectful to authority. In Romans 13:1 says, “let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God,” with this verse it states our attitude towards authority that we should be respectful of, but there does come a time that we need to stand firm on truth over position. For example, abortion, some states accept abortion, which is considered murder towards innocence, we should not stand by and let this continue. We have to be representatives of life in Christ and stand for those who cannot defend themselves. Some may say this sounds like contradiction to itself, to respect authority of government, yet government gives acceptance towards abortion. Well, the government is not base on a one person decision making position, we as as a community have an obligation to get involve with politics and be part of the law making process. Using our faith voices to morally represent what is good over evil. Hopefully by then, more Christians get involve in important government positions.
I find it interesting that there are different beliefs of who or what is god, including those who believe in more than one God. It makes me wonder how they give their attention to each god and please them all because I feel that it will be draining to try to remember to worship other gods. In Daniel 2:47, Nebuchadnezzar said that Daniel’s God is a great god, yet he decides to create an idol to worship that is not Daniel’s God. There are many possibilities as to why Nebuchadnezzar wanted the people of Babylon to worship this idol and I think it is because he wanted them to worship the gods of Babylon besides Daniel’s god. It is so amazing how Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego stand strongly in their faith in front of everyone because they were the only ones standing. They did not want to defile their own god and everyone must have been looking at them weirdly. It is interesting that Nebuchadnezzar was offended by this when he knew that they only worship God and he also believed in their god. But through it all, God knew that the three men were faithful to him and so He saves them from the fire and that made Nebuchadnezzar realize even more how powerful this god is.
This story always makes me think about how far I would be willing to go. In America today we do not face this reality. We face it in minor ways due to the culture of sin in our country, but not put to death because of our faith. This is a reality for many in other areas of the world. This asks the question of what you are willing to compromise and how far you are willing to go. The three men refuse to bow to the statue and will not compromise their devotion the Lord regardless of the punishment. Reading Daniel three seems like a far-off reality that we do not face in America. However, this story challenges us to decide what we are willing to compromise and how far we are willing to go for our faith. Would we be willing to go in the furnace or would we bow down to the other gods, emperors, and empires. “If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up” (Daniel 3: 17-18 ESV). Regardless of deliverance or not the three men refuse to worship any other god than the one true God. There is an example that is given to those reading Daniel regarding commitment. The Lord desires us to put our full trust in Him and nothing else. In that knowing He will deliver us on this side of heaven or the other.
In Dr. Long’s blog post he indicates in the book of Daniel 3, that Nebuchadnezzar creates an idol for his government officials to worship the gods. The statue depicts an animal’s body with a man’s head. The officers had to bend down to it since to worship it was to show allegiance to Babylon, the king, and the gods. Someone would be executed if they failed to comply. That meant disobeying God’s order, that “You shall not have no other gods before me. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God… showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments” (Exodus 20:3, 5–6), at least for Daniel’s friends and himself. These three Jewish exiles understood the true God, whom they served and were the only ones to worship, thus they refused to bow down to the statue like the rest of them did. Daniel and his friend refused to submit to an idol because they loved God and didn’t care if they were put to death. As Christians, we must ask God Almighty to give us the courage and perseverance needed to maintain our faith in the face of tribulation because he will provide for and shield us. We must constantly be prepared to show unbelievers that God exists and that He rose from the dead to save humanity, even if that means giving up our lives. Longman (2020) states that “faithful people must be willing to die for their faith; indeed, as the history of God’s people has shown time and time again, many faithful people have died as the result of persecution” (p. 88). The Bible indicates that because our God is a jealous God, we are not allowed to worship idols. When we sin, we are not prioritizing God in our thoughts, words, deeds, and other daily activities. We must exalt His holy name. Since every knee should bend before God and acknowledge Him as the Lord in the final days, we must acknowledge that God is sovereign and the owner of everything. His word says to seek God and His justice, and all else will be added to you. God will grant our heart’s desires in accordance with His plan and purpose if we prioritize Him.
Daniel 3 brings lots of applicability to the life of the believer today as you mentioned in the questions posed at the end. One of the things that as believers is something that we cannot sacrifice is our worship to another idol or false god. God is very clear that our praise to be his alone and no other gods we should have (Exodus 20:3). This is one of the things that would be non-negotiable. Another would be if the government (or anyone for that matter) would tell us to renounce or publicly declare that Christ was not Lord. Christ tells us that He is the only way to eternal life (John 14:6). If we were to renounce that and not share that good news, we would not truly be followers of Christ. If we are to be true followers of Christ these things cannot be places that we falter in. Now of course the faith of a Christian comes by faith in Christ and his sacrifice on the cross. It is in that fact we are believers and the reason to why these things must be non-negotiables in our beliefs and practices. We must have faith in Christ Jesus and follow him with boldness, even to the point where our lives are on the line. Now, I have never been faced with a life-or-death situation where the acceptance of my faith would end in death, but I would hope that I would strongly declare Christs name and die. One scripture that comes to mind when faced with this thought is found in Paul’s letters. Paul in Philippians talks in his letter of to die is gain and to live is Christ (1:21)! Paul is prepared for whatever is ahead of him whether it be death or life. All his cares are on Christ and advancing the message in any way possible. That attitude of whatever is best for the kingdom is one I want to have when faced with situations like his. If I die, so be it, if I don’t, then glory to Christ for giving me another day to display His love through me.
Daniel 3 gives us lots of valuable information and learn a lot about Nebuchadnezzar himself. We learn that the tower was built for government officials to worship and that everyone can use it as a reminder that Nebuchadnezzar’s favorite god, Bel. I think it is very interesting that Nebuchadnezzar built an entire 90 foot statue to remind the people of his favorite god. Something that was very fascinating to me was the fact that the people back around 600 B.C. During this, Daniel seems to be a government official and decides not to worship the statue and is thrown in the fiery furnace as punishment. It is truly amazing to me that the three Jewish exiles would rather die than to submit themselves to another God. This shows loyalty to Daniel and his three friends, making them very powerful with God and His path for these Jews. Thankfully we can all worship God without any punishment, but there are still places around the world being persecuted for worshiping God. Going off of the last question that you asked about does our government demand absolute obedience? I say not completely but yes, it is okay to disagree with some things our government does, but disobeying them and causing havoc is not okay. Disagreeing with someone or something is one thing, but using those actions with hurt others and affect others is not alright.
The story of the fiery furnace is a story most Christians would most likely say that they have heard before. I do not feel that most Christians would realize how powerful the actions of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego truly are. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego outright refuse to bow down before another god, no matter the cost (Daniel 3:14-18). The message of their actions is “…what is clear is that the three friends will not betray their God” (Longman III, 2020, p. 88). Framing the whole story as a decision to betray God or to remain loyal to him raises the stack for the whole situation. This should serve as a powerful message for Christian, today even in the United States. Here in America we are not faced with life-or-death choices like Christians in other countries are, because of this we are very willing to compromise on areas of our Christian faith in the face of cultural pressure. This is a very stark contrast to how Christians should treat their faith in America. We are not willing to speak up on certain issues, because we do not want to look bad or be labeled in a particular way. Compromising in certain areas is easy to do but can cause us to fall into traps, such as trying to serve both God and the world (Matthew 6:24). Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were facing death and were still not going to compromise their faith in any way. This should be a humbling message for us.
“But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” ~Joshua 24:15
The story in Daniel of the furnace has always felt like an echo of the sentiment of this verse, of steadfast loyalty to the true Creator in the face of opposition, even to death. It feels to me more than just staying strong under persecution. It has a sense of defiance to it, an in-your-face “I’m gonna worship God no matter what you do to me.” I love that sentiment. I love the idea of serving God not only despite the circumstances, but also in spite of and to spite the circumstances (phrasing it like that is awful writing, I hope it makes sense anyway). Maybe it’s my natural tendencies for contrarian stubbornness, but I have found that my faith is strongest when I am faced with adversity. James 1:2-4 speaks to this effect, that the “testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” (ESV) I find it strange when a Christian lives like they aren’t ready to die. I’m not looking for it, obviously, but I’m not attached to this world enough to be scared of it. I think the three in the furnace live by this idea. They would’ve had to in order to be considered faithful in an empire that enslaved Israel and eventually threatened the Hebrews for belief in God. They show that if we live like we are ready to die, God will use that faith to inspire others. Live like you are ready to die and be an example to others, spurring them on to the same faith.
I always found it interesting that Nebuchadnezzar created his own statue to be worshiped. The statue he built was not a traditional statue. According to Daniel, the statue was six cubits high/wide and was made with gold (Daniel 3:1). Nebuchadnezzar demanded that the members of the government of Babylon worship this gold statue. Those who refused to worship this statue would be thrown into a blazing furnace (Daniel 3:6). However, despite Nebuchadnezzar building this statue and demanding that it be worshiped, the image of the statue is unknown. I have always been perplexed that Daniel 3 does not say what the statue was an image of. Typically, if something is of heavy importance in the Bible, it is explained what it is or why it is.
Back in the Old Testament, it was not uncommon for people to build statues of their own idols or gods. This is something that people still do to this day, just not physically. Instead, today people make their own idols out of money, possessions, etc. Essentially, anything can become an idol if it is prioritized over God. In Daniel 3, Nebuchadnezzar decided to make his own idol out of gold and forced others to worship it. I would argue that this is done today in the form of prioritizing social media or one’s political views over what is true (God).
the story of the Hebrew boys always hit home for me growing up, it is astonishing how resilient their faith is in God. it was amazing seeing Daniel who was a government official for the king create boundaries when it pertained to his faith. I think this can been seen as an amazing example for the people of today, for an example today society we are pressured into agreeing with everyone walks of faith even when it goes against ours, and I think Daniel is setting a standard for all christian to show us to be resilient in our walk with God and at the same time Daniel is showing christian the importance of trusting in God ” Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28) I think this scripture speaks for situations like Daniel, through this experience Daniel made sure to stand on staying solid in his faith in God.
Daniel 3 has always been a chapter that has stuck out to me because of the story of fiery furnace and the events that lead up to it. This passage illustrates the timeless themes of faith, worship, and obedience in the face of societal pressures. The passage narrates the construction of a colossal golden image by King Nebuchadnezzar in the Babylonian Empire, reflecting the power of human authority. The story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego serves us to help us get through those time where we feel like we are going to cave into societal pressure to we can look back at this story to where the situation was turned up to 11 and feel that if they can get through that situation that we can get through any situation that we go through be relying on Jesus to give us the strength to hold strong against the temptations of this world. Daniel 3:1-7 serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of idolatry and the misuse of power. Nebuchadnezzar’s demand for universal worship of the golden image highlights the potential for authority to be abused for self-glorification, neglecting the reverence due to a higher power. The narrative encourages believers to discern between legitimate authority and demands that compromise their core beliefs
Daniel not worshipping false idols in chapter three helps remind me to not worship any false idols in my own life. The second commandment is to not worship false idols and Daniel stayed true and loyal to the commandment and to God. Daniel knew the severe consequences for not bowing down and worshipping a false idol but he was not phased by them.
As I have grown up in the church I have heard this story a million times. There are a lot of things that we miss as kids becuase we are kids. The most interesting thing is what the statue actually is. Most animated kid shows or movies that include this story have the statue as a massive statue of King Nebuchadnezzar, but as you look at the description of the statue it doesn’t make sense. As in class or even reading this blog it reederates the fact that the statue is more of an Obelisk given the fact how tall it is yet it is very thin. I love finding out stuff like this because it really shows how in-depth the Bible really is and how if you just read it and read a couple of posts and books by smart people you can learn a whole new level of understanding of the Bible. Another thing that I think is very significant is how powerful nations have stayed the same over hundreds of centuries. We can look at the Washington Monument and see that America built it to show the nation’s power along with embodying the awe, respect, and gratitude of the nation. Even though our nations have somewhat differing results of the Obelisk, the same basic and base concept is there. Another thing that should be mentioned in this passage is the location of Daniel in this story. We know that Daniel would have stood with the other three, but why wasn’t he there? As it’s talked about in the blog when you read the passage you see that everyone was required to be there. It says in Daniel 3:3, “3 Then the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces gathered for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. And they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.” So it was only the people who were below the king. Not all people were there. Only the people who work with the government. So it makes the three of them defying the worship even worse. Because they are not just defying the gods of the King, but the King himself. So if you link this story with the beginning of the book we know that all three of these guys have been given very high treatment so that they could work and obey the king. The three of them knew what they were doing and what it was going to cost, but they knew that God was bigger than any king or any fake and dead god. This story doesn’t promise that God will save us every time we put our lives on the line for him, but it does show that God can and will save us if it’s a part of his plan.
I have four takeaways from this article.
One, I have never really thought about where Daniel was during this event but now that the question has been brought to my attention, I do have interest in the topic. As we talked about in class it could have been that Daniel was in another part of the empire, because the Bible doesn’t say anything about his where all we can theorize about things.
Two, I have also have never thought about the shape of the statue, every time I have seen pictures of the statue being in the shape of a man, i have never heard of the idea that the statue could have looked like an Egyptian obelisk or a Babylonian sphinx.
Three, after thinking about it, I have come up with a few non-negotiable beliefs; There one God, Yahweh, God is the worthy of worship alone. Jesus is the son of God, Jesus is the only way to salvation, the Trinity, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is a biblical concept, it is just not named, that sin is anything that goes against God and is wrong no matter how doing it makes you feel.
Four, many true bible believing Christians, truly believe that they would stand up for their faith if it comes down to it. In any case, if the choice is obeying the law that are against God or dying, then you wouldn’t exactly disobeying if you submit yourself to death. Anyway in the words of Peter and John “ it is better to obey God then to obey man”.
My first thought is so many of us think we can be the one to take the bullet or stare into the eyes of the enemy in defiance. But if I am honest I, like so many, am terrified of death. If I had been in the shoes of the three I might have fallen to my knees just because of all the adrenaline coursing through my body. The truth is within the world today there are many facing trials similar if not worse than what the three went through, but when it comes to the church of modern America the majority’s loyalty lies in the easy path. I think the most important belief we have to stand by is the very belief that is discussed in Daniel 3 as said in the post, “a command to worship an idol breaks the clear command of God.” There will come a time when this may be a very definite command from our government, but I think we face a smaller example of this on a day to day basis. The worldly culture of America hates Christianity and many times people are faced with the challenge of sharing who we are with that same culture. In those times many including myself tend to hesitate or not even include the detail of our true beliefs in fear of being hated or turned away. But I think these are defining moments for us, to first share who we are but to then be a true picture of who Christ really is. Those moments may be our opportunities to build up the courage to defy our enemies wishes when the gun is truly to our heads, because for those who are too scared to share who they are during these peaceful times they will surely be the first ones in line to pick up their guns to hold to the heads of the ones who were not afraid.