Daniel

Chapter 3:1-7 (ESV) - King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits and its breadth six cubits. He set it up on the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.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. 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. And the herald proclaimed aloud, “You are commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, 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. And whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace.” 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.

Question to consider: In light of his dream, why do you think Nebuchadnezzar would build this idol of himself?

Based on today’s passage, it would appear that Nebuchadnezzar had selective hearing. It has been my contention that he understood the statue in his dream to represent the destruction of his own kingdom because of divisions within it. Instead he found out from the God of Daniel that the different materials incorporated into the statue represented the kingdoms of men that would extend generations beyond his reign. This brought him tremendous relief— especially since his own kingdom was the part of the image represented by gold.

Rather than becoming a daniel (ruled by YHWH), Nebuchadnezzar’s response to the vision was to build a giant statue and force people to bow to it. Sixty cubits high was roughly ninety feet. The statue in his dream had no particular identity and was made of various materials. This statue was made entirely of gold and fashioned in his own image. I’m just giving an opinion here, but it appeared as if Nebuchadnezzar thought he could change the course of history and make Babylon the eternal kingdom that filled the earth if only he could force the people to worship him. Does this not sum up the rebellion of Adam that exists in all of us? We believe we can build a better society if we can fashion the world according to our image and become a god.

In order to build such an idol, Nebuchadnezzar had to melt down treasures obtained from his conquests of the different nations. What I find extremely fascinating is that he did not melt down the treasures from the Jerusalem temple. In chapter 5, Nebuchadnezzar’s son, Belshazzar, had the vessels of gold taken from the Jerusalem temple, brought to him and used in a feast. Therefore they could not have been melted down for his idol in today's passage. Even though Nebuchadnezzar appeared to think of himself as more mighty than the gods of the other nations, he chose not to go up against the God of Daniel.

In this, Nebuchadnezzar embodied the statement of Paul concerning the foolishness of mankind, “For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.” (Romans 1:21-23)

Unlike the true God who desires for people to willingly love and worship Him, Nebuchadnezzar forced worship at the threat of death in a fiery furnace. While someone may try to argue that Nebuchadnezzar’s command and judgment typified the judgment of hell at the end of the age, it was actually a demonic counterfeit. Nebuchadnezzar was not a righteous god deserving of worship, and the people were captives of war who were not deserving of his judgment. 

John 3:17-19 made it clear that we were already condemned by our own sin, and that God provided the greatest act of mercy in history to reconcile us to Himself. “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.”

Prayer

Dear heavenly Father, thank You for showing us true mercy and love. Please help us to understand our need for the saving work of Christ so that we may joyfully receive it, be washed clean from sin, and reconciled to You. Amen.