If you have your Bible, please turn with me to Daniel chapter 3. I will be continuing my series on the Book of Daniel.

There is something in human nature that seeks self-exaltation. Selfishness is innate in human character. Every baby is innately self-absorbed, and left unchecked, the child will take on a vanity that is all about self-centeredness. Selfishness is the essence of sin, and sets us against the God who rightly should be the center of our devotion. God is the only Being in the universe who must rightly demand the highest place in glory and praise, since He is the Source of all things. God alone is the Most High.

The impulse to supplant God by our selfishness violates the first of the Ten Commandments, “You shall have no other gods before Me.” Like Lucifer in heaven, we make gods of ourselves when we deny his proper place in our hearts. And when the serpent, who was Satan, lured Adam and Eve to sin it was with the tempting thought that eating the forbidden fruit would make them like God, knowing good and evil. The human race, tragically, did get intimately acquainted with evil thereafter, and its insidious ability to undermine and sometimes overwhelm the good.

Our willful supplanting of God leads foolish people to place all their energies and devotion on to things that are not divine, and cannot meet our deepest needs. This is the essence of idolatry, which the Second Commandment forbids. Idols had a far stronger grip on the imaginations of ancient peoples than today, because Christianity, and Judaism and Islam also, eradicated idolatry from their communities.

More importantly, the gospel of Jesus Christ suppressed the powers of darkness that operated openly prior to Jesus’ coming throughout the Gentile nations. Demons connected their actions to talismans or fetishes used by shamans to provoke fear in common people and erect hierarchies of domination and control, bringing people into the bondage of idolatry and demon-inspired taboos.

Even among the people of Israel, despite repeated warnings from Moses and the prophets, idolatry and pagan worship survived and ultimately brought all Israel into captivity. Moses warned of the consequences of persistent idolatry in Leviticus 26: “‘You shall not make for yourselves idols, nor shall you set up for yourselves an image or a sacred pillar, nor shall you place a figured stone in your land to bow down to it; for I am the Lord your God…. [continuing in v.27] ‘Yet if in spite of this you do not obey Me, but act with hostility against Me, ²⁸ then I will act with wrathful hostility against you, and I, even I, will punish you seven times for your sins. ²⁹ Further, you will eat the flesh of your sons and the flesh of your daughters you will eat. ³⁰ I then will destroy your high places, and cut down your incense altars, and heap your remains on the remains of your idols, for My soul shall abhor you. ³¹ I will lay waste your cities as well and will make your sanctuaries desolate, and I will not smell your soothing aromas. ³² I will make the land desolate so that your enemies who settle in it will be appalled over it. ³³ You, however, I will scatter among the nations and will draw out a sword after you, as your land becomes desolate and your cities become waste.”

The irony of Judah’s captivity to Babylon was that it forever cured the Jewish people of their idolatry. They were thrust into a pagan, idol-worshipping land and got to experience both the futility of idolatry and its frightful effects in the degraded, surrounding society. In Daniel 3, the captive people of Judah, although unmentioned, were forced to prostrate themselves before a giant image erected by their pagan conqueror, King Nebuchadnezzar.

In Daniel 3, we see the mightiest king on earth demonstrating his majesty and dominance over his kingdom by constructing a golden image and demanding everyone to worship before it. It is ironic that he chose to do so, given that some time earlier he had had a dream about a large statue with a head of gold being crushed by a stone cut out without human hands. I spoke about this in September from Daniel 2. It is a testament to Nebuchadnezzar’s vanity that he should build this image, in view of the reproof of this dream, and Daniel’s revelation and interpretation of it.

Let’s read how Daniel unfolds this story. Starting in v. 1, “Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, the height of which was sixty cubits and its width six cubits; he set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. ² Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent word to assemble the satraps, the prefects and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates and all the rulers of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. ³ Then the satraps, the prefects and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates and all the rulers of the provinces were assembled for the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.” 

An image, as the word replies, is an artistic representation of the human form or the form of a god. The image the king built was unnaturally thin in proportion. It was at least 90 feet high, but only 9 feet wide. Nebuchadnezzar’s image would certainly have conveyed an otherworldly appearance to the ordinary person of his time and created a sense of awe. People of that time were frightened by the spiritual realm and the gods, who in their mind, maintained order on earth but were to be feared, lest they lash out against the irreverent person. This image would certainly have provoked awe, both by its size, beauty, and cost, since it was covered in gold.

From Daniel 2 we know that God had already told Nebuchadnezzar that his empire would be overthrown by another, followed by others; and all these empires would ultimately be crushed by God’s kingdom. But this didn’t deter him from wanting to vaunt himself before all his subjects. Ironically, his dream may even have motivated him to build this image, since Daniel told him that he was the head of gold. Nebuchadnezzar wasn’t too concerned about what would befall his kingdom after him; he lived to display his glory in the present, and to use this dedication to reinforce a sense of awe about him and Babylon, capital of the greatest empire in the known world.

He erected the statue on the plain of Dura, about six miles south of Babylon, where the idol could be seen for miles, and multitudes could prostrate before it. Ironically, the Tower of Babel was also erected on a plain in Shinar; and both edifices served the same idolatrous purpose of self-exaltation. The image symbolized Babylon’s power, and Nebuchadnezzar’s absolute dominion; and he staged this dedication to impose unity and fealty on his empire.

It appears he had strategically placed officials, musicians and soldiers to assemble all the people throughout the empire to prostrate themselves at the sound of the combined instruments. In v. 4, Babylon’s herald declared that the king’s command was given to “peoples, nations and tongues” in his empire – that is, everybody. So Nebuchadnezzar must have mustered his entire apparatus of imperial power to summon and force all subject peoples to prostrate themselves at a pre-arranged time. Nothing like this had ever happened before.

One can imagine the practice of these musicians to create a mounting chorus of sound unlike greater than anything people had heard before. Thus, the exalted symphony of sound would magnify the sense of awe about this magnificent statue covered in gold.

Daniel used a repeated list of high officials in vv.2-3 – satraps, prefects, governors, counselors, treasurers, judges, magistrates and all provincial rulers – to emphasize that every important person in the empire had been summoned to the dedication of this image and prostrate themselves before it. They had the privilege of being closest to this great image and prostrating before a symbol of their own success as the king’s appointed leaders.

Daniel says in v. 7 that all the assembled peoples, nations and languages under Babylon’s dominion prostrated themselves when the instruments played. This implies that all the captive people of Israel and Judah who lived in the empire had to prostrate themselves as well. This surely had to be a humiliating reminder of their own folly in prostrating themselves before idols in their homeland, in the vain hope of securing additional divine aid for themselves. Instead, they had alienated the God of Israel; so God appointed for them to be forced to prostrate before their conqueror’s great idol.

All but four Israelites did so. Daniel is not mentioned in this chapter; and his stature as the interpreter of the king’s dream and the savior of all the wise men, magicians and Chaldean officials meant that he could avoid this dedication and not lose favor with the king. No one would dare report Daniel’s absence from the dedication.

Not so his three friends: called by their Babylonian names of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. They, too, would have escaped notice, except for their being reported to the king by “certain Chaldeans” – prominent Babylonians. These Chaldeans were acutely aware that they had been upstaged in political authority by these three, still young Hebrew exiles, who were placed in charge of the capital city’s affairs under Daniel, the king’s leading counselor.

King Nebuchadnezzar’s tyrannical decree gave them an opportunity to eliminate the three Jewish administrators and reassert control over Babylon’s internal affairs. So they came to the king and reminded him of his rash decree to immolate anyone who didn’t bow before his image: “O king, live forever! 10 You, O king, have made a decree that every man who hears the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery, and bagpipe and all kinds of music, is to fall down and worship the golden image. ¹¹ But whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire. ¹² There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the administration of the province of Babylon, namely Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. These men, O king, have disregarded you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up.”

The Chaldeans framed the Jews’ refusal to prostrate themselves as both an attack on the dignity of the king and denial of his gods. “These men, O king, have disregarded you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up.” The Chaldeans were willing instruments of the ultimate Accuser, who is Satan, in seeking to destroy the work of God. Their motivations in exposing the Jews may have been partially taking offense at their refusal to worship Babylon’s gods; but more likely it was a cynical power play to eliminate foreign rivals and reassert Chaldean control of the inner court, gradually compelling Nebuchadnezzar to bend his will to theirs.

Daniel and his three friends had given the Jewish people unprecedented influence with Babylon’s king, and thus protection for the Jewish people as a whole. If Daniel’s friends were eliminated, Daniel’s influence in the court would have been severed considerably; and the same accusers who attacked the three Jews would likely have taken over the administration of Babylon and could harass or oppress the Jewish exiles. There was much more at stake in this episode than the just the lives of the three Jews, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego.

Nebuchadnezzar became furious and summoned the three Jewish officials before him. He questioned them: “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up? ¹⁵ Now if you are ready, at the moment you hear the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery and bagpipe and all kinds of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, very well. 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?”

He gave them one more chance to save their lives by prostrating themselves before his image. What would you have done if you were given the choice of making a one-off display of idol worship or being thrown into a fire and being roasted alive? Consider how easy it would be to rationalize an act of feigned submission. Here are some excuses they could have made to escape death:

• We will bow down but not actually worship the idol.
• We won’t become idol worshipers, but will do this one time, then ask God for forgiveness.
• The king has absolute power and we must obey him. God will understand.
• The king appointed us – we owe this to him.
• This is a foreign land, so God will excuse us for following the customs of the land.
• Our ancestors set up idols in God’s temple! This isn’t half as bad!
• We’re not hurting anybody.
• If we get ourselves killed and some heathen take our high positions, they won’t help our people in exile!

Although these excuses sound sensible at first, they are dangerous. To bow to the image would violate God’s command in Exodus 20:3 “You shall have no other gods before me.” It would also erase their testimony for God forever. Never again could they talk about the power of their God above all gods. What excuses do you make for not standing up for God?

In reality, however, they had already compromised themselves politically by refusing to obey the king’s decree willingly. Yes, their lives would have been spared if they had bowed down, but their loyalty would have still been suspect for their reluctant obedience, and they could easily have been dismissed, or executed for making one false step reported again to the king. The three Jews understood this; they had already crossed the line of no return, and had already counted the cost of their disobedience.

Nebuchadnezzar had gained some appreciation for the God of Israel’s ability to give and discern his dreams, but he still doubted God’s ability to save these Jews from certain death. He asked, “What god is there who can deliver you out of my hands?”

The three Jews knew the answer to his question, and were willing to risk all for God to answer Nebuchadnezzar’s challenge. They valued the honor of God above their lives, but also knew that God had the power to deliver them. So they replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter. 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. ¹⁸ But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

That’s how faith speaks: we don’t know how God is going to answer your challenge, but we know He is able to overcome anything you throw against us. But if He doesn’t, we still won’t worship false gods.

Living in a secular society gives us plenty of opportunities to compromise our faith in the pursuit of selfish gain or pleasure. Remember, the essence of sin is the exaltation of self above God. How we spend our money and time are the key indicators of our devotion. Jesus got it right when He said, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” When most of your discretionary income goes to pleasure-seeking, and little to God’s kingdom, that is indicative of where your heart really is. And a heart that is set on things not connected to God’s kingdom is a heart that is guilty of idolatry.

Nebuchadnezzar became infuriated by the three Hebrews’ defiance. Scripture says, “His facial expression was altered toward Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego.” It recalled Proverbs 16:14, “As messengers of death is the king’s wrath.” But the king’s wrath moved him to speak rashly. He ordered the furnace be heated seven times more than before. The furnace was already hot enough to roast the three men to death; so what good would increasing it seven-fold do?

He then commanded “certain valiant warriors… in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego in order to cast them into the furnace of blazing fire.” When they did so, the blast from the furnace slew all these valiant men. Nebuchadnezzar’s wrath caused the death of his best soldiers; his wrath turned into folly. He honored Proverbs 16:32 in the breach, which says, “He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city.”

This episode recalls James’ exhortation: “My beloved brethren, let everyone be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” Think before you unleash your anger upon anyone. You’re more likely to cause lasting harm with your words – to others and to your own conscience and reputation; and if you release your anger violently it becomes a criminal assault. A moment’s unleashed wrath can cost you dearly for years. Proverbs 15:1 says, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”

Meanwhile, the three young Hebrews fell into the fire; but what the king saw next astounded him. He arose and asked his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?” They replied “Certainly, O king.” He replied, “Look! I see four men walking in the midst of the fire; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God!”

What Nebuchadnezzar saw was what Daniel described in chapter 10 or John the Beloved in Revelation 1. Daniel 10:6 says, “His body looked like a precious gem. His face flashed like lightning, and his eyes flamed like torches. His arms and feet shone like polished bronze.” The Messiah stood in the midst of the fire radiating light that was purer and brighter than the seven-fold fiery furnace. The king had boasted, “What god can deliver you out of my hands?” Messiah, the Son of God, rebuked him in reply by saving the three Jews while letting the king’s mighty men die from the fire.

Psalm 24:7-8 says, “Lift up your heads, O gates, and be lifted up, O ancient doors that King of Glory may come in. Who is the King of Glory? The LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD, mighty in battle.” In the most unexpected place – a fiery furnace – the Son of God lifted up the gates of mighty Babylon to reveal Himself and prove who is really the Great King and God.

The king then came near to the furnace and called out, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, come out, you servants of the Most High God, and come here!” The king finally understood who these three Jews really were, and Who they represented, as servants of the Most High God. Israel’s God did for them what none of Babylon’s or anyone else’s gods had done. So “Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego came out of the midst of the fire. The satraps, the prefects, the governors and the king’s high officials gathered around and saw … that the fire had no effect on the bodies of these men nor was the hair of their head singed, nor were their trousers damaged, nor had the smell of fire even come upon them. ²⁸ Nebuchadnezzar responded and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, who has sent His angel and delivered His servants who put their trust in Him, violating the king’s command, and yielded up their bodies so as not to serve or worship any god except their own God. 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.” ³⁰ Then the king caused Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego to prosper in the province of Babylon.”

Once again, God turned what looked like certain defeat and death for His servants into a victory that both magnified Himself and His servants in honor. This story proves Psalm 76:10 which says, “Surely the wrath of man shall praise You.” Like a Judo Master, God used the king’s wrath to glorify Himself and humble Nebuchadnezzar. From this time forward, Nebuchadnezzar never again challenged the God of Israel; and Daniel and his three friends were now safe from any subterfuge from the Chaldeans who had tried to eliminate them.

There are some important lessons to be gained from this story that has direct application to our lives. First, we have to be on guard against the idols that society can raise up to compromise your integrity or faith. We should remember Bremerton assistant football coach Joe Kennedy, who was recently suspended because he wouldn’t stop praying at midfield after the game with his players – as he has been doing for the past nine years! This is just another episode where a distorted interpretation of the First Amendment has been used to squash public expressions of the Christian faith.

Second, in any situation where your faith is being directly challenged by an adversary, God has your back. The three Jews knew that to deny their faith by caving in to the king’s demand would have fatally compromised their witness. They had made up their mind that they wouldn’t worship the idol. They didn’t bend, they didn’t bow, and they didn’t burn. Know that if the attack is against God, He will reply in his own way and time; and when He does, He will always turn the tables on His enemies and make them look foolish. It’s not up to us to vindicate God; it’s simply up to us honor Him always, and leave the results to Him. Many saints have been murdered for their faith; but they have a place in God’s Hall of Fame in Heaven. But their enemies are in Hades and suffering its torments.

Third, understand that God may throw you into crisis situations of danger, be it physical or professional, because of your faith. Your first response should be to turn to God in prayer, and then take a stand like men. But use wisdom when you do; and be sure the issue is one of principle rather than a personality conflict. But when someone is out to attack your faith in Jesus, be resolute and don’t back down! Thomas Jefferson said, “In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock.” So make up your minds now to be ready to make a defense when others choose to mock your faith.