The Word Made Fresh
1King Nebuchadnezzar made a golden statue, sixty cubits high and six cubits wide, and placed it on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. 2Then he sent for the heads of the provinces, prefects, governors, counselors, treasurers, justices, magistrates, and all the other officials of the provinces to come to the statue’s dedication. 3So they all came – the provincial heads, prefects, governors, counselors, treasurers, justices, magistrates, and other officials of the provinces – and gathered for the dedication of the statue.
While they were standing before it, 4a herald proclaimed, “All of you peoples, nations, and languages are commanded 5to fall face down and worship the king’s golden statue when you hear the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, drum, and the whole musical ensemble. 6Whoever refuses will be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire.”
7So, as soon as they heard the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, drum, and musical ensemble, all the people of every nation and language fell down and worshiped Nebuchadnezzar’s golden statue.
8Then certain Chaldeans came forward and denounced the Jews, 9saying to King Nebuchadnezzar, “Live forever, O King! 10You have issued an order that everyone who hears the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, drum, and musical ensemble must fall down and worship the golden statue. 11You decreed that anyone who refuses to fall down and worship will be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire. 12There are Jews whom you have appointed over the business of the province of Babylon – Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego – who pay no attention to you, O King. They don’t serve your gods and they refuse to worship the golden statue you have raised up.”
13In furious rage, Nebuchadnezzar then ordered that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be brought before him; so, they brought them in to the king. 14Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true that you, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not serve my gods and refuse to worship the golden statue I have set up? 15Now, if you are ready to fall down and worship the statue that I have made when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, drum, and musical ensemble, that is well and good. But if you refuse to worship, you will be thrown immediately into a furnace of blazing fire. What god can deliver you out of my hands?”
16Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we don’t need to defend ourselves in this matter. 17If our God whom we serve can rescue us from your hand out of the furnace of fire, then let our God rescue us. 18But if not, O King, know that we will not serve your gods, and we won’t worship the golden statue you have raised.”
19Nebuchadnezzar was so outraged against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego that his face was misshapen, and he ordered that the furnace be heated seven times hotter than usual. 20He commanded the strongest guards from his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. 21The three men then were bound still dressed in their clothes – pants, hats and other garments – and they were thrown into the fiery furnace. 22The king’s command was so urgent and the furnace so overheated that the flames killed the men who put Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in it. 23But Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego fell, bound, into the blazing furnace.
24Then King Nebuchadnezzar was suddenly surprised and quickly stood up. He said to his advisors, “Didn’t we bind three men and throw them into the fire?”
“That is true,” they answered.
25The king said, “But I see four men, untied, walking around in the midst of the fire, and it doesn’t burn them. The fourth man looks like the son of a god.” 26Then Nebuchadnezzar approached the door of the furnace blazing with fire, and called, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, you servants of the Highest God, come out of there!” So, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out of the fire. 27The king and all his entourage gathered and saw that the fire had had no effect on the bodies of those men. Their hair was not singed, and their clothing was not burned; they didn’t even smell of the fire.
28Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who sent an angel and rescued the servants who trusted in him. They disobeyed the king’s command and gave up their bodies rather than serve any other god than their own God. 29So, I make this decree: any people, nation, or language that blasphemes the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb and their houses destroyed. There is no other god who can deliver like this. 30Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.
Commentary
1-7: I find certain aspects of this very serious tale to be quite comedic, which heightens the sense of ridicule the Daniel stories make of Babylonian authorities. Nebuchadnezzar sets up a golden statue 180 feet tall and 18 feet wide, a description which sounds more like a column, or engraved stone, than a statue. It is made of gold. Not just anybody is invited to the unveiling; Nebuchadnezzar sent only for the satraps, the prefects, the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials. And who came? Why the satraps, the prefects, the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials, of course (don’t you want to laugh when you read this?). They assemble on the (unidentified) plain of Dura. The herald announces that whenever any of them hears the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, drum, and the entire musical ensemble, they are to fall down and worship the golden statue. Almost at once the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, drum, and the entire musical ensemble sounds, and the gathered officials fall to the ground.
8-12: But some citizens come to the king to tell him that even though he issued a decree that everyone had to fall down at the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, drum, and the entire musical ensemble, there are certain Jews — and just in case you don’t know who we’re talking about, your highness, their names are Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego – who refuse to do so.
13-15: Nebuchadnezzar summons the three young Jews and tells them that when they hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, drum, and the entire musical ensemble, and fall down, all is well. If they don’t fall down, they will be thrown into a huge blazing hot furnace big enough to walk around in.
Then Nebuchadnezzar issues the challenge: “Who is the god that will deliver you out of my hands?” That was his big mistake.
Now let’s go back and count. There are seven kinds of officials summoned: the satraps, the prefects, the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, and the magistrates. There are seven kinds of musical instruments: horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, drum, and musical ensemble. Three groups are commanded to fall down when they hear the Sound of Music: peoples, nations, and languages. Three persons refuse to do so: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. The number seven signifies the perfection of time: for example, in seven days God created the heavens and the earth. The number three signifies the perfection of God. Clearly the story is being told to make it clear that the deities worshiped by the Babylonians are inferior to the one God worshiped by the Jews.
16-18: And so, the three Jews tell the king that even if their God doesn’t rescue them they still won’t bow down to his gods. Their response stands as one of the most powerful statements of faith in the Bible.
19-23: The king is so enraged at the three that he has the furnace heated up seven times hotter than usual. It is so hot that the guards who toss them into it are killed.
24-30: Now, by golly, the king sees four men in the furnace! He calls to the three to come out and present themselves. They do, and four groups of officials – the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the counselors — gather ’round. Three groups — the treasurers (who handle the king’s gold, as in golden statue), and the judges, and magistrates (who enforce the kings’ laws) are missing! The story ends with Nebuchadnezzar decreeing that any people, nation, or language (three groups) that utters blasphemy against the God of the three Jewish men “shall be torn limb from limb and their houses laid in ruins.” This is exactly the punishment he used as a threat to the magicians who couldn’t tell him his dream back in chapter 2 (see 2:5).
Takeaway
We are sometimes faced in life with a decision that seems to have extensive consequences. A little internal voice tells us that continuing to embrace our faith may seem to be a poor choice with hurtful results. Don’t listen to that voice! Keep the faith and accept the consequences. There be angels at your side!