Nebuchadnezzar builds a golden image and gathers his leaders to celebrate. High on the power, they decide all must worship the image of gold or face death. Sound familiar? There were golden images of calves worshipped in the time of Moses and there will be a golden image of the beast constructed to be worshipped in the last days. Notice in both Revelation and Daniel, “all peoples and nations” are commanded to bow to the false gods. None are exempt.
These golden images of false gods are set up to draw praise away from God. Take a moment to think about the other false gods in our lives: money, status, all the finer things sold by the merchants in Revelation who will weep when Babylon is destroyed. They too take our attention away from keeping God first in our lives. What in your life is pulling you away from worshipping God as He deserves? The more we let these earthly things rule our lives now, the harder it will be to walk away from them all at once when we are called to stand for Jesus Christ.
Both images in Daniel and Revelation are established to glorify a false god and are then used as traps against God’s people. In the Old Testament, the Hebrews, the Jewish people, are targeted. In the last days, the Jewish and Christian people will both be targeted by the fourth and final rise of Babylon.
8Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and accused the Jews. – Daniel 3:8 KJV
The Chaldeans were the sorceress and magicians previously saved by the wisdom of God working through Daniel. Yet, they still sought to use this opportunity to have God’s people killed. The Chaldeans must have thought either God was not powerful enough to again save His people or that He would choose not to. Even though God has previously saved the Chaldeans, they rejected Him and refused to glorify Him. They sought to exude their power on earth over God’s.
16Shadrach, 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. – Daniel 3:16-18 KJV
We can learn from the three Hebrew boys who faced the evil of the Chaldeans, the evil of Babylon. Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah stood strong in their faith, refusing to worship or serve a false god. They understood the evil they were facing. Their devotion to God and living righteous lives gave them discerning hearts. They knew God had complete control of the situation, and they trusted His will would be done. They stood on the foundation they had built with the Lord prior to this moment and were willing to accept His outcome.
19Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated. – Daniel 3:19 KJV
Nebuchadnezzar himself had previously bowed to the glory of God after Daniel shared God’s wisdom of his dream. Time had passed and the glory of God was forgotten. Nebuchadnezzar raged against the Hebrew boys, commanding the fire be heated to seven times greater than normal. The heat was so great, the men tasked with throwing the Hebrew boys into the fire were killed by it. The story takes an immediate turn.
24Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellers, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. 25He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. 26Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire. – Daniel 3:24-26 KJV
God sent Jesus into the fiery furnace to protect Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. God’s plan of protection for the three resulted in them not even having the smell of smoke on them! They were completely unscathed by the man-made attempt against them!
The Hebrews could have pursued their own solution to the new order. They could have chosen to worship in secret, attempting to go unnoticed. But that was not what God called them to do. Instead, they continued to worship God openly and trust God’s plan for any circumstances that arose.
28Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God. 29Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort. – Daniel 3:28-29 KJV
God will be glorified!! Regardless of the evil in the world during the last days, He will continue to reign supreme!! We need to hold on evermore tightly to God, as the end of this age comes to fruition. Remember,
10He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. – Revelation 13:10 KJV
Seek to ready your heart and mind, as we saints will experience different forms of pain and suffering in the last days. We too will be put to the test by earthly rulers and we will be judged for our actions. Follow the lead of these three. They were prepared by being in close relationship with God and following His commands. They knew God was almighty and had the power to protect them, which in this case He did. They knew it was also possible God’s choice would be not to protect them on earth, but to bring them home to be with Him for eternity. When the moment came, they trusted God completely, regardless. Their time with the Lord ensured each was ready to stand when the time came to do so. And based on the tone of these verses, it feels like it was a simple decision for them.
Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah dedicated themselves to God and trusted in God’s discipline for their lives. This is how we too can prepare for the last days, embracing God’s strategy mapped out in this story and His plan! This chapter closes with an interesting element.
30Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon. – Daniel 3:30 KJV
There will be times when we stand for the Lord that result in earthly reward. Scripture repeatedly tells us to be patient with a pure heart. We need to remember any earthly rewards are to be used for the glory of God alone. All here is temporary. Only God’s kingdom is eternal!
Once again in chapter 4, the king has a dream the magicians, Chaldeans and soothsayers are unable to interpret. And once again, the one true God Almighty gives Daniel the wisdom to interpret it.
24This is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the most High, which is come upon my lord the king: 25That they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over thee, till thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will. – Daniel 4:24-25 KJV
The dream is a warning to the king. God Almighty has made a decree against the king, as he has stopped giving glory to God. Nebuchadnezzar previously saw the wisdom of God through the interpretation of his first dream and he saw the power of God in the protection of the Hebrews from the fiery furnace, but time passed and he has failed to recognize the power over the kingdom he rules on earth was from God.
26And whereas they commanded to leave the stump of the tree roots; thy kingdom shall be sure unto thee, after that thou shalt have known that the heavens do rule. – Daniel 4:26 KJV
God is merciful and promises to return Nebuchadnezzar to his place as king, once he acknowledges it is God in heaven who allowed him to have power and truly rules all.
Daniel was given power within the Babylonian regime, but he did not allow himself to become prideful or let it taint his relationship with God. He knew his position was only to further God’s purpose. He kept his heart aligned with God through dedication and continued choices to put God front and center in his life, not allowing the bounty of the earthly kingdom to sway him from the plan for God’s heavenly kingdom.
Daniel’s first interaction with the king was a positive one. He brought an answer from God to the king that was pleasing. Here we see Daniel being called to deliver a warning to the king of his fall from power on earth. Once again, we see Daniel following God regardless of circumstances or risk. He tells the king he will be reduced to living in the wilderness for a time, until the king’s heart is changed. Daniel stood before the king and delivered the bad news regardless of potential consequences to him.
We each are on our own journey to glorify the Lord with our lives. With each step, we need to discern God’s path for us and remember He is in complete control. By continuing to give God all the glory and trust in His plan regardless of earthly benefits or consequences, we stay true to our faith.
There was hope in the end for Nebuchadnezzar. When he again gave God the glory for his reign as king, he was restored as the leader of Babylon. We too have the Lord’s restoration available to us each day through repentance and turning from sinful ways. May God be glorified in each of our steps!