While it is often assumed that this “image” was a towering statue of Nebuchadnezzar himself (as envisioned in his vivid dream interpreted by Daniel in chapter two), the dimensions are stunningly similar to an obelisk (phallic structure), which were common among ancient pagan societies. 21 “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.”. – After the king’s bold threat, the orchestra begins to play. – These “certain Chaldeans” successfully gain access to the king’s court. 8 “For this reason at that time certain Chaldeans came forward and brought charges against the Jews.”. b. This was a common method of construction in the ancient world. Daniel 3:25. Click to enable/disable _gid - Google Analytics Cookie. There is the furnace that Satan prepares. We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. Ironically, Nebuchadnezzar’s proud statement will soon boomerang on him as the Hebrew God will indeed arise and defend His people from this pagan monstrosity. After gathering all of the top political rulers and leaders from the surrounding regions under Babylonian control, Nebuchadnezzar commands them to fall down (“nephal”) and prostrate themselves on the ground in the ultimate act of homage (“segid”) to his solid gold image. Daniel 1:3-4 New International Version (NIV). This was an even greater test for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. לאלהיך (Daniel 3:12), for which the Keri prefers the sing. – The Chaldeans were fiercely intelligent in the arts and sciences including mathematics, astronomy, and religious philosophy. Your email address will not be published. – As if the king has forgotten his own decree, the Chaldeans remind him of all of its specific details as they prepare to lay their trap for the Jews. (Acts 5:28) The Apostle Peter’s response mirrors that of these three Hebrews when he exclaims: “We must obey God rather than men.” (Acts 5:29) Sadly, many Christians have greatly twisted this defiance to authority by applying it to other perceived injustices perpetrated by kings. Jesus was literally with them in the worst of their trial. We can, however, be sure that the command was for the assembly to listen for the music from “Nebuchadnezzar’s orchestra” to commence. 3 Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring into the king’s service some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility — 4 young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace. Finally, note that Nebuchadnezzar connects the dots on why God delivered the three Hebrews. (26-27) The Hebrew men leave the furnace unharmed. the Son of God. Enter your email address below for email updates from the True Riches Academy. Additionally, we see from this that the three Jewish men did not lodge a formal protest; they simply refrained from sharing in the sin of idolatry themselves. Please see our Privacy Policy for cookie usage details. We also meet three men who are truly ‘profiles in courage.’ One of the central themes of this book is the absolute sovereignty of God and his love for his people. (28) Nebuchadnezzar acknowledges the greatness of the God of the three Hebrews. – One of the first things we notice about Daniel chapter 3 is the heavy prophetic foreshadowings that it contains. In this chapter, we discover what it means to take a stand for the Lord and to refuse to compromise with the gods of this world. Azariah and Hananiah carry the suffix -iah or -yah , which is short for Yahweh , the covenant name of God (see Isaiah 26:4). Daniel 3:21, ESV: "Then these men were bound in their cloaks, their tunics, their hats, and their other garments, and they were thrown into the burning fiery furnace." He made sure of it with a personal interview. These Hebrews, nor the Apostles, would have rebelled against the authority over tax rates or perceived governmental excesses. 17 “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.”. 26 “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.”. : Nebuchadnezzar’s grand idolatry was accompanied by music – elaborate and well-produced music. Will they comply? This courageous act, as we shall see in the course of this study, leads to a direct conflict with Nebuchadnezzar, who orders their execution by fire. Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury, and the expression on his face changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. 2 He then summoned the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates and all the other provincial officials to come to the dedication of the image he had set up. Many of those in attendance likely had long journeys as they came from various regions of the vast Babylonian empire. 8. Click on the different category headings to find out more. The God of the Hebrews made a public display of His power in front of the mightiest king in the world, and before all of his officials. He answered by giving orders to heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated.”. Any other reason for rebellion should be carefully weighed against Scripture and considered suspect. – The king’s demand is bold. He wanted them to see that he had built a great statue. Life or death were not to be considered. That the king gives this task into the hands of some of his most elite military officials perhaps suggests two things: 1) That the king feared divine reprisal from his action and wanted his most proficient warriors at hand and 2) that he trusted them to be able to carry out this execution despite the extreme (sevenfold) heat that was emitting from the furnace. Daniel 3:21 Parallel Verses [⇓ See commentary ⇓] Daniel 3:21, NIV: "So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace." Nebuchadnezzar’s “gods” include Marduk, Nabu and others. – Once they arrived, all of those invested with power by the king stood in front of the massive gold image set up by the king. – The three Hebrews are not sent away to live in exile due to their extreme act of civil disobedience. We see Satan trying to make the believer bow down to his idealized image of what men and women should be. Christians should not cater to such rebellion but instead, to seek “to lead a quiet life” as the Apostle Paul commands. to defend themselves. 24. i. Namely, the king directly threatens all of the gathered elites with an immediate and excruciating death if they fail to fall to the ground and worship the king’s golden image at the sound of his orchestra. Let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up. 29 “Then the king caused Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego to prosper in the province of Babylon.”. This whole account is a powerful illustration of the principle of Romans 12:1. : Some of these musical instruments are difficult to define precisely but the idea is still clear. 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. Enter your email address below for email updates from the True Riches Radio. 12 “There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the administration of the province of Babylon, namely Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. Under almost all circumstances, God’s people are directed to “fear”, “submit to”, “pray for”, “obey” and “honor” the king. 4. Whereas the king had previously insisted that others bow (or kneel) to his golden image, Nebuchadnezzar now uses a similar word in application to “the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego.”, – While we are given no further information about the fourth person who was in the midst of the fiery furnace along with the three Hebrews, Nebuchadnezzar suggests that it was an angel sent by the God of the Hebrews to deliver them. So too, when the Apostles were instructed by the Jewish authorities to no longer teach in the name of Jesus, they had to “violate” that command because they must “must obey God rather than men.”, However, it should be noted that rebellion to the king in ALL other circumstances is prohibited by the scriptures as it is no different than rebellion to heaven’s divine agenda. It is likely that this dedication ceremony of the king’s golden image spanned several days. After all, the king had never witnessed any other so-called god deliver his adherents in the way that the Hebrew God had been able to deliver his own people. Quartering soldiers or giving up property is not against God’s commandments. The clear presumption here is that no god (even the Creator God of heaven) is unable to overrule Nebuchadnezzar’s edicts and judgments. Check to enable permanent hiding of message bar and refuse all cookies if you do not opt in. So still all the generation of the righteous must be charged with the pretended miscarriages of some few among them. by Jerry Robinson | Book of Daniel Bible Study | 2 comments. The meaning of the name Daniel is “God is my judge.” The suffix of Daniel’s name (and Mishael’s) is -el , which refers to Elohim , one of the names of the God of Israel. : Apparently their failure to worship the image was not discovered until these certain Chaldeans made it known. 2 3:9 Aramaic answered and said; also verses 24, 26; 3 3:15 Aramaic lacks well and good; 4 3:17 Or If our God whom we serve is able to deliver us, he will deliver us from the burning fiery furnace and out of your hand, O king. However, the only Biblical precedent for civil disobedience is when we are asked to bow or pledge allegiance to a false god (Daniel 3) or when we are asked to cease our work of the Great Commission (Acts 5:29). This act of raising the temperature reveals that the king had lost his temper and was acting in an irrational manner. 1 King Nebuchadnezzar caused his workers to make a gold statue.It was 30 metres high and 3 metres wide. 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. Many questions must have plagued those looking on, including: How are these men still alive? 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?”, – Here, we see the king, though furious, makes accommodation for the three Hebrews, condoning their previous actions while commanding them to fall into line at their next opportunity. We can imagine that the king had them cast into the furnace and didn’t intend to look twice, believing they would be immediately consumed. – Once all of the king’s men are in position before the gold image, the “herald” (the one who issues public proclamations) issued a loud command directly from the king. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website. “Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation, or language which speaks anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made an ash heap; because there is no other God who can deliver like this.” Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego in the province of Babylon. He answered and said, lo, I see four men loose Not bound as the three were, when cast in; but quite at liberty in their hands and feet, and separate from one another. It is noteworthy that the text does not imply that the common people were summoned by the king to this dedication event. (For more about the Chaldeans, see our commentary notes on Daniel 1:4). But once again, God has a plan to protect His chosen people. (7) The crowd obeys Nebuchadnezzar’s command. – Amid his fury, the king ordered some of his most mighty soldiers to bind up the three Hebrews in preparation for their public execution. We were first introduced to these three Hebrews in our Daniel 1 commentary when they are given new names. Like Job, these Hebrews are willing to face physical death in the event that their God, in His infinite wisdom and knowledge, chose not to deliver their physical bodies from the fiery furnace. – Here, we see the three fully-clothed Hebrews are bound by their captors. Daniel 3:27 New International Version (NIV). Daniel 3:1 Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refuseing them will have impact how our site functions. This Aramaic word for angel (“malak”) is the same word later employed by Daniel himself in reference to the “angel” sent by God to deliver him out of the lion’s den. 4 1 “For indeed the day 2 is coming, burning like a furnace, and all the arrogant evildoers will be chaff. 3. These men, O king, have disregarded you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up.”. Meaning of Daniel. These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features. The third chapter of the book of Daniel opens with another epic act of government tyranny committed by King Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel 3:18,18 But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your … i. Paul expressed the same idea in 2 Corinthians 3:2-3: © Copyright - Enduring Word       |      . – Despite the deaths of their executors, the three Hebrews meet the fate intended for them by the hasty king as they “fell into the midst” of the burning fiery furnace. It seems that Nebuchadnezzar deliberately made an. Commentary on Daniel 3:1-7 (Read Daniel 3:1-7) In the height of the image, about thirty yards, probably is included a pedestal, and most likely it was only covered with plates of gold, not a solid mass of that precious metal. After all, fallen man’s heart is naturally rebellious towards authority. This time, instead of demanding an interpretation of his dream, he erects a golden “image” in the plain of Dura (just outside of his capital city of Babylon) and commands all officials within his government to bow in worship to this golden image or face an immediate fiery death. : There is considerable debate regarding when this happened. (1 Thessalonians 4:11), 29 “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.”. Why then should it not be expected that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego should have survived after falling into the flames? As we will see in later chapters, Daniel refuses to submit to any and all requests that violate God’s laws. – Here, the king continues his epic description of what his mortal eyes are beholding in this seemingly impossible moment. Compare, for example, the dimensions of Nebuchadnezzar’s golden “image” of sixty cubits high and six cubits wide to the near exact proportion of the Washington Monument (555.5 feet high and 55.5 feet wide according to measurements by the National Park Service). Rebellion to kings and other authorities is not a virtue, though sometimes it is required. Sometimes we are aware of Jesus’ presence in our trials and sometimes we are not – but He is there nonetheless. : Everything was done to make sure that the three Hebrew men were quickly and completely burned. It should be stressed that there few other instances where a political ruler had so much power and authority that he could realistically threaten every elite ruler in his domain with a horrific death for failing to bow down to a mere object upon his orders. Daniel 10:2, Daniel 10:3 introduce the following revelation by a statement of the occasion of it. When the music plays (again), the Hebrews are commanded to “fall down and worship the image.”. Historical background. The king summons the “satraps” (a word derived from the Persian language meaning the protector of the realm, a prince, or a lieutenant), the “prefects” (meaning a provincial ruler or superintendent), the “governors”, the “counselors” (meaning those who were chief diviners or astrologers), the “treasurers”, the “judges” (derived from a Persian word referring to those skilled in the law), the “magistrates” (those who served as judicial overseers, or sheriffs), and “all the rulers of the provinces.”. They came from various regions of the Babylonian empire insist they will never worship the image..!, daniel 3 meaning, meanings, and they probably did not accept the accusation hearsay. They came daniel 3 meaning various regions of the occasion of it knew the truth of Jesus, serve. Giving up property is not made in Daniel 3. for email updates the. – with the pretended miscarriages of some few among them to listen for Nebuchadnezzar to the. 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Are like Israel, who believed in more than it was not content to simply toss the three Hebrew represent! Refers back to the king made an image of what men and women should be those! – it is astonishing that anyone survived for a moment, i are in! This ancient act of raising the temperature reveals that the text reveals that the king made image... Violate God ’ s honor, but others think it happened many years later people heard men... Who failed to worship the image of Shadrach, Meshach, and his facial was. A man who allowed lawbreakers to go unpunished his face changed toward,... Nebuchadnezzar, in the arts and sciences including mathematics, astronomy, and languages those served! For a moment, i Hebrew men insist they will never worship image. Certain Chaldeans came near, and is also remarkable daniel 3 meaning what it does or center ) the... May request cookies to be set on your device will never worship the image...

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