The Book of Daniel, Bow or Burn, Daniel 3:8-18 - Lesson 13

 

There was a time on earth we are told when the whole earth was of one language and of one speech.

At that time there was a unity of purpose which brought the people of the earth together to build a city and a tower whose top they desired to reach unto heaven.

They desired to make them a name and to be so connected as not to be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.

This desire is ever present in man and we still see cities vying for a name by building the tallest building in the world only to be beat by another city at another time who far surpass their structure.

Nebuchadnezzar was no different as we have seen in our study of Daniel for he desired to make a name and to continue that name far beyond the time that God had so ordained.

God came down to see the city that the people of old had built and the tower and stopped the people in their tracks for He said that this unity will bring them no restraint from their imaginations.

And he confused their language and scattered them abroad upon the face of the earth and the tower and the city were never finished.

This is God’s way with man.

Man desires one world systems but God knows that this brings a world without restraint and therefore all kingdoms are just for a season.

Nebuchadnezzar would have none of that for his actions declare this to be so.

Nebuchadnezzar has absorbed the content of the dream that Daniel interpreted and reacted to its prophesy in a way that disregarded its inevitability.

He has not believed the dream as one which God declares the conclusion to be an absolute but one whereby he can change that which comes about by his own works or actions.

He desires not the destruction of that which begins with him, that is the golden head, but takes steps which he thinks will bring his kingdom a lasting quality which will survive the centuries and prevent the destructive actions of the stone made without hands.

There is an idealism in all of us that aims for this lasting quality in the things that we make with our hands or the thoughts that we think with our minds.

This idealism also is in man’s desire to continue his name by bringing into this world sons who will continue a dynasty for many generations.

So this desire on the part of this king is no different than the desire of any man or woman, the desire to see that which he or she has begun, to continue for generations to come.

There is a desire in each of us to see that our legacy is honored so that what we have done does not disappear from memory and value.

We see this in the magnificent monuments or even the simple stones that populate every cemetery.

But the message that God gives is that man’s works on this earth will be put down and God’s works will be lifted up.

The message from our Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 6:20 is that only those treasures that are kept in heaven will last the test of time.

Matthew 6:20, But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

The message of scripture is that the earth is not a good repository for treasure.

It is not a fit place for long term storage of that which you desire in eternity.

As Christ also said in Luke 16 we should be putting our money to such a use that it will enhance our eternity in heaven with the Lord.

Faith should move us to use our God given property to secure happiness and comfort beyond the time that God gives us upon the earth.

But Nebuchadnezzar was still in unbelief and wished for his legacy to stand the test of time upon this earth and therefore he constructed this image of only one material, gold.

And in doing that, replicating that which God had confined to the head, throughout the entire statue.

And in order for his kingdom to stand the test of time he issued orders for all in authority to bow down to this image and thereby be unified in a national religion.

We have seen in the first seven verses of chapter three the assembling of a vast number of government authorities on the plain of  Dura.

The king has brought in at great expense no doubt, an orchestra which includes players of a diverse set of instruments.

The orchestra was his way of communicating to a vast crowd his order to bow down before the image, an act of unity which Nebuchadnezzar so longed for, for it was designed to perpetuate his kingdom.

But each man or woman was given a choice.

They had to choose between bowing down to the idol or being burned in the flames of the fiery furnace.

This was a serious business on the king’s part for the king desired immortality for his kingdom by unifying the disparate parts of his kingdom.

This was a carefully planned ceremony and all gathered were to commit themselves to its purpose, that of a unified worship service of the new idol of the new religion.

The celebration began.

The orchestra signaled the political leaders that it was time to bow down.

The rest of the masses were to follow the example of the leaders, perhaps in some kind of grouping, bowing down to the golden image.

7Therefore at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of music, all the people, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.

You have heard the saying that "All means all and that’s all, all means.

Well, it may say that all fell down and worshipped the golden image but there were three who did not fit into the "all" group.

One thing that I have learned is that you cannot get all in a group to do the same thing at the same time for anything.

Ask a choir leader if this is not true!

Ask the photographer who wants every one to pose for a shot at the same time!

Ask the umpire who tries to line up all the players on the base lines at the same time in order to have prayer.

I remember one time when I was teaching over in the old high school building back in the seventies.

I tested this hypothesis one day by giving the class an assignment to repeat a short phrase one student at a time and to see if all of the class could say the phrase without error from the first to the last.

I even promised an ice cream bar to each if this could be done.

We tried several times and inevitably found always one who could or would not comply.

I’m sure it was no different in Nebuchadnezzar’s day and therefore he expected some dissidents or non-conformists, ergo the fiery furnace stood by to burn them up.

And only by doing that would his dream of unity come about.

But that furnace was not hot enough to destroy Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah for their God would encompass them with fire retardant in the furnace so that not even a hair of their head would be burned.

For these three, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, described with their Chaldean names, refused to bow at the sound of the music.

We read of this in Daniel 3:8-12,  Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and accused the Jews.  They spake and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live for ever.  Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut (an instrument with a tube that may be drawn out or shortened), psaltery (small horizontal harp), and dulcimer (stringed instrument), and all kinds of music, shall fall down and worship the golden image:  And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.  There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

The offense is reported to the king by natives of Babylon, the Chaldeans.

Nebuchadnezzar was a Chaldean and it was his people who looked for an opportunity to find an offense against the outsiders who now had authority over them.

This report was not from a sincere heart but was a move designed to remove those who were more favored then themselves, those who expected to be favored by the king for they were kinfolks.

The Chaldeans were men who owed their lives to Daniel and his friends for it was Daniel who revealed the king’s dream and its meaning to Nebuchadnezzar, thereby saving the lives of all the wise men of the land.

Now, they show their gratitude by pointing out the disobedience of the three Hebrews to the king.

I expect that the Chaldeans who reported the transgression were positioned in the crowd to see the actions of the three Jews for they knew of their testimony and knew that they may not bow down to the image.

Their suspicions were rewarded for they charged the three Hebrews with having no regard for the king, no regard for the gods of the king, nor a willingness to bow down before the golden image of the king.

Daniel 3:13-18,  Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king.  Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?  Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. 17If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. 18But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

This perfectly choreographed event was now in jeopardy.

We can see here that it is unthinkable in Nebuchadnezzar’s mind that anyone would rebel against his edict.

He rages and in fury he calls the three objectors to come before him and he sees that they are the same three that he had appointed to high places at the behest of Daniel.

No doubt he valued their service and decided to give them another chance to rectify their error.

Again the make up of the orchestra is recited, every instrument being noted, and the offer of another chance is extended.

He would instruct the orchestra to play once more, and if they bowed down, the matter would be forgotten, otherwise the burning fiery furnace was beckoning with its flames.

and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?

What a wonderful opportunity herein handed to the three Hebrew children.

Who indeed is that God?

Nebuchadnezzar, do you so soon forget the connection of these three men to the God of Daniel whom you identified as the God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets?

Well that question was not left unanswered for the three Hebrews were not careful to give testimony of that very God.

Daniel 3:16b-18,  Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.  If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.  But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.