Nebuchadnezzar’s Golden Statue
(Dan 3:1-3 ESV)
1
King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits [90
feet] and its breadth six cubits [9 feet]. He set it up on the plain of Dura,
in the province of Babylon. 2 Then King Nebuchadnezzar sent to gather the
satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the
justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces to come to
the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 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.
There is some speculation as whether the
statue was ninety feet including the pedestal or not including the
pedestal. PRIDEAUX thinks the sixty
cubits refer to the image and pedestal together, the image being twenty-seven
cubits high, or forty feet, the pedestal thirty-three cubits, or fifty feet.
HERODOTUS [1.183] confirms this by mentioning a similar image, forty feet high,
in the temple of Belus at Babylon. It was not the same image, for the one here
was on the plain of Dura, not in the city. [1]
The question now is why did
Nebuchadnezzar erect this statue? In
Daniel 2:38 Daniel tells the king “you are that head of gold.” The ego of kings’ is well attested to in
history. Most kings’ erected monuments,
proclaiming their life's achievements or engraved images of themselves. Many rulers proclaimed themselves as
deities. Nebuchadnezzar was no different
his inflated ego demanded worship.
The Command to Worship the Golden
Statue
(Dan 3:4-7 ESV)
4
And the herald proclaimed aloud, "You are commanded, O peoples, nations,
and languages, 5 that when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon,
harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, you are to fall down and worship the
golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. 6 And whoever does not fall
down and worship shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace."
7 Therefore, as soon as all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, pipe,
lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, all the peoples, nations,
and languages fell down and worshiped the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar
had set up.
Why did the King make such a
proclamation?The worship of this image was an affront to only the Jews who
worshiped the God of heaven. Compelling
worship of the king as a god had no ill effect on other peoples, as they were
not prevented from worshiping their other gods.
The only logical conclusion therefore, is this edict was
intended to cause trouble with the captive Jews, namely Daniel and his
friends. Those who advised the king were undoubtedly
jealous of the station the king had given Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and
Abed-nego.
Once again we see the ugly specter
of Jealously binging men to evil acts. Daniel and his friends had saved the
lives of these wise men (Daniel 2:24). “But Daniel’s friends were now more
important than these wise men were (Daniel 2:49). So these wise men were
jealous.” [2]
We should also see this scenario as being duplicated in
Revelation13:13-15.
Daniel and His Three Friends Refuse
to Worship the Idol of Gold
(Dan 3:8-12 ESV)
8
Therefore at that time certain Chaldeans came forward and maliciously accused
the Jews. 9 They declared to King Nebuchadnezzar, "O king, live forever!
10 You, O king, have made a decree, that every man who hears the sound of the
horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, shall fall
down and worship the golden image. 11 And whoever does not fall down and
worship shall be cast into a burning fiery furnace. 12 There are certain Jews
whom you have appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego. These men, O king, pay no attention to you; they do not
serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up
The accusation of noncompliance
directed against just three Jews Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego but not
Daniel. I am confident Daniel also did
not obey the king’s order to worship him and was not among the accused. Scripture does not tell us why.
Scripture has now validated my previous assumption of
Jealously between Babylon subordinates and the Jews placed over them. We shall
soon see God using this sinful proclamation to bring honor to Himself.
God Protects Shadrach, Meshach and
Abednego
(Dan 3:13-18 ESV)
13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in furious rage commanded that Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego be brought. So they brought these men before the king. 14
Nebuchadnezzar answered and said to them, "Is it true, O Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image
that I have set up? 15 Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the
horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, to fall down
and worship the image that I have made, well and good. But if you do not
worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And who is
the god who will deliver you out of my hands?" 16 Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego answered and said to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need
to answer you in this matter. 17 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. 18 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."
(Dan 3:18 ESV)
18 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."
The king was furious because of the
report he had received. However, he did
not demand the three Jews immediate execution as he had done with the wise men.
(Daniel 2:12)
It is obvious the king even though angered, was reluctant to
have Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego put to death. The king gives these three young men an
additional chance to comply with his order.
However, these men remained faithful to the God of their fathers. Their faith is soon put to the test.
The three men profess their belief
that the God they worship can deliver them from the fire. However, in verse eighteen we see them
acknowledging that will be God’s choice whether to deliver them or not. In any event, they remain steadfast in their
refusal to worship the statue
Nebuchadnezzar Recognizes the God
of Heaven
(Dan 3:19-23 ESV)
19
Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with fury, and the expression of his face was
changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace heated
seven times more than it was usually heated. 20 And he ordered some of the
mighty men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast
them into the burning fiery furnace. 21 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. 22 Because the king's order was urgent
and the furnace overheated, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego, fell bound into the burning fiery furnace.
Here again, we see the number seven
used. The minimum temperature to kiln
brick is 1950 F. Which means the king wanted the furnace to be
13,650 degrees Fahrenheit. At that
temperature, they would be killed instantly and entirely consumed by the fire, nothing
left but ash.
coats . . . hosen . . .
hats--HERODOTUS [1.195] says that the Babylonian costume consisted of three
parts: (1) wide, long pantaloons; (2) a woollen shirt; (3) an outer mantle with
a girdle round it. So these are specified [GESENIUS], "their pantaloons,
inner tunics (hosen, or stockings, are not commonly worn in the East), and
outer mantles."
Their being cast in so hurriedly, with all their garments on, enhanced
the miracle in that not even the smell of fire passed on their clothes, though
of delicate, inflammable material.
22. flame
. . . slew those men--( Daniel 6:24 , Psalms 7:16 ). [1]
Nebuchadnezzar Witnesses a Miracle
(Dan 3:24-25 ESV)
24
Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to
his counselors, "Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?" They
answered and said to the king, "True, O king." 25 He answered and
said, "But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and
they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the
gods."
The king watching this spectacle
witnessed the miracle of God. He saw not
three men in the fire but a fourth man as well.
Scripture does not explain why the king recognized the fourth man as the
son of the gods. He did not say he was
the God of the Jews but that he was the son of the gods. We can only speculate what this fourth person
looked like, but he must have been an awe-inspiring sight.
We believe this fourth man was
Jesus, son of God not gods. His
appearance was His glorified state. John
describes such a vision of Jesus in Revelation 1:12-18.
We will see the magnitude of the miracle of the fiery
deliverance in the following verses.
Nebuchadnezzar Recognized the God of Heaven
(Dan 3:26-28 ESV)
26
Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the burning fiery furnace; he
declared, "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God,
come out, and come here!" Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out
from the fire. 27 And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king's
counselors gathered together and saw that the fire had not had any power over
the bodies of those men. The hair of their heads was not singed, their cloaks
were not harmed, and no smell of fire had come upon them. 28 Nebuchadnezzar answered
and said, "Blessed be the God of
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his
servants, who trusted in him, and set aside the king's command, and yielded up
their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God.
Now the king and other witnesses (
satraps or princes, captains’ or province rulers, and sheriffs or learned men)
inspected the three Jews and found no harm had come to them. Their clothes did not even smell of smoke.
Once again God had revealed his
glory to the King. God gave so many chances for the king to accept the God of
heaven as his only supreme God. However,
although this miracle softened his heart, he would not yield entirely to God’s
authority.
Nebuchadnezzar was so caught up in
his self-centered power he could not see the obvious. God showed patience when dealing with the
king as He does with us.
People throughout history have turned from God to self, not
wanting to yield their lives entirely to Jesus the Christ.
The King’s proclamation
(Dan 3:29-30 ESV)
29
Therefore I make a decree: Any people, nation, or language that speaks anything
against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be torn limb from
limb, and their houses laid in ruins, for there is no other god who is able to
rescue in this way." 30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego in the province of Babylon.
The king issues another decree,
which by law could not be revoked, honoring the God of heaven. There is an old saying “seeing is believing.” When the King saw the power of God, he
believed that God was supreme. People
have not changed over time. Many still
must see to believe. Faith is believing
in things not seen. Therefore, many
people today lack faith.
CREDITS
[1] Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and David Brown and
published in 1871.
[2] Daniel - Free Bible Commentary in easy English.
https://www.easyenglish.bible/bible-commentary/dan-lbw.htm
ESV Footnotes
(3:1) A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters
(3:9) Aramaic answered and said; also verses 24, 26
(3:15) Aramaic lacks well and good
(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.
(3:21) The meaning of the Aramaic words rendered cloaks and
tunics is uncertain; also verse 27
(3:28) Aramaic and changed
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