Daniel 3:1-30

The Men who were Loyal to God

Daniel

Robert Bryce

Chapter 3

v1 King Nebuchadnezzar set up a gold image. It was 30 metres high and 3 metres wide. He set it up on the plain called Dura, in the district of Babylon. v2 Then King Nebuchadnezzar called together the princes, the rulers and the captains. He also called together all the other officials, the lawyers and those who looked after the money. He called them together to attend a special ceremony in front of the image that he had set up. v3 So the princes, the captains and the lawyers came to attend this ceremony in front of the image. Those who looked after the money and all the officials and rulers of the districts also came. They all stood in front of the image that king Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

Verses 1-3 King Nebuchadnezzar set up an enormous gold image. Perhaps he remembered the dream that Daniel had explained to him. Maybe he set up an image of himself, because he was proud to be like the gold head. But maybe he was not satisfied to be just the head.

The kings at that time often set up images. Sometimes they were images of the kings themselves. Sometimes the images were of the king’s gods.

He set up the image on a plain between mountains. Many people could see it there. Even people far away could see it. He invited his officials to see the image. The writer mentions all sorts of officials. He probably did this to show that this was actually a very silly occasion. He is probably laughing at all the important people. They are all wearing their best clothes in order to please the king on this special occasion. They probably all seem very silly.

v4 Then an official called out aloud. ‘You, people in every country who speak every language, listen. This is the king’s command. v5 Listen for the sound that all sorts of musical instruments make. When you hear it, you must kneel. You must give honour to the gold image that king Nebuchadnezzar has set up. v6 “I will punish anyone who does not do this”, the king said. “My servants will immediately throw them into a very hot fire.” ’ v7 So, when the people heard the sound from all sorts of musical instruments, they obeyed. All the people kneeled. They were giving honour to the gold image that king Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

Verses 4-7 There was probably a great crowd of people present. So it seems that the official had a very loud voice. He ordered everyone to listen. When they heard the sound of music, they had to give honour to the image. The people whom Nebuchadnezzar had defeated also had to give honour to him and to his gods.

The king would punish anyone who did not give honour to the image. They would be guilty of not being loyal to the king or his gods. The punishment was an awful death. The king’s servants would throw the guilty people into a very hot fire.

Then everybody did what the king had ordered. They heard the music and they gave honour to the image.

v8 Then some *astrologers came to the king and they accused the *Jews. v9 They said to the king, ‘We want the king to live for all time. v10 You, the king, made a command. You said that everyone must listen for the sound from all sorts of musical instruments. Then they must kneel down and give honour to the gold image. v11 You said that everyone must obey you. You would throw them into a very hot fire if they did not obey you. v12 There are some *Jews who do not obey your command. You appointed them to look after Babylon’s affairs. They are Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and they do not give honour to your gods. They do not give honour to the gold image that you have set up.’

Verses 8-12 There were three men who did not obey the king’s command. They were loyal to the king. But they refused to give honour to the image, because they gave honour to the real God. They knew that God’s people must not give honour to images or other gods. (See Exodus 20:1-5.) These men were Daniel’s friends, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.

The king did not know that these men had not obeyed his command. But some of his wise men told him.

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.

v13 Then Nebuchadnezzar was very, very angry. So he called for Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and they brought these men to the king. v14 Then Nebuchadnezzar spoke to them. He said, ‘Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not give honour to my gods? And you do not give honour to the gold image that I have set up? v15 You will hear again the sound from all sorts of musical instruments. You must be ready, when you hear the music. You must kneel down. Then you will show honour to the image that I have made. If you do not give honour to my image, my servants will immediately throw you into a very hot fire. And no god can rescue you from my power.’

v16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego answered the king. ‘King Nebuchadnezzar, we know that we did the right thing’, they said. v17 ‘You may throw us into the very hot fire. But the God to whom we give honour can rescue us. He will rescue us from your power if he wants to. v18 But if he does not rescue us, it does not make any difference. We want you to know that we will not give honour to your gods. And we will not give honour to the image that you have set up.’

Verses 13-18 This news made Nebuchadnezzar very angry. But he did not want to punish Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. He gave them another chance to obey his command.

He was the most powerful man in the world. He thought that he could do anything. He even thought that no god could rescue anyone from the fire. He was wrong. He forgot about Daniel’s God (Daniel 2:47).

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego did not forget the real God. God could rescue them if he wanted to. And they knew that he could. They would still give honour to the real God even if he did not rescue them. They would never give honour to the image. They knew that they were doing the right thing.

v19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was very angry with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. His face became red. He ordered his servants to make the hot fire 7 times hotter than usual. v20 He ordered the strongest men in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. And he ordered those strong men to throw Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego into the very hot fire. v21 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were still wearing their coats, hats and other clothes when those men threw them into the fire. v22 The king’s command was very urgent and the fire was very hot. So the fire killed the men who threw Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego into it. v23 But Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, still tied up, fell into the very hot fire.

Verses 19-23 Now Nebuchadnezzar was so angry that his face went red. He was so angry that he ordered his servants to make the fire even hotter. Very strong men threw Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego into the fire. The fire was so hot that it killed the strong men. Nebuchadnezzar thought that he would never see Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego again. The fire would kill them very quickly. He was wrong again.

v24 What King Nebuchadnezzar saw next astonished him. So he jumped up and he asked his officials, ‘Did we not tie up three men and throw them into the fire?’ ‘You are right, our king’, they answered. v25 The king said, ‘But I see four men walking about in the fire! They are free and they have no injuries. The fourth one seems like a son of the gods.’

Verses 24-25 As Nebuchadnezzar looked into the fire, he got a surprise. He saw the three men in the fire. The fire had not killed them. But he also saw someone else. He could not believe what he saw. He asked his officials if they had put three men in the fire. Of course, there were three men. He knew that. But now he saw four men. Also, he saw that the fire had not hurt the men. The fire had burned the *ropes that had tied them. It had not burned them or their clothes.

Nebuchadnezzar believed in many false gods. And he said to his officials that the fourth man seemed like a son of the gods. He was almost right. The fourth man was Jesus, the Son of the real God. God had sent his Son, Jesus, to be with the men in the fire.

God had come to rescue his servants. They did not avoid the fire, but God walked in the fire with them. And the fire did not kill them.

God does not promise that life will be easy. But God does promise to be with us all the time. (See Isaiah 43:2 and Matthew 28:20.)

v26 King Nebuchadnezzar went to the door where the very hot fire was. He called out to the men inside, ‘Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who give honour to the real God, you come out here.’ So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire. v27 The princes, rulers, captains and the king’s officials came close to look at them. They saw that the fire had not hurt Shadrach, Meshach or Abednego. The fire had not damaged their hair or their clothes. There was not even the smell from the smoke. v28 Nebuchadnezzar spoke. ‘Give honour to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego’, he said. ‘He sent his *angel to rescue his servants. I am the king. But they trusted God and they did not obey me. They risked their lives so that they could give honour to their own God and not to any other god. v29 No other god can save like this. So I make a command to the people in every country who speak every language. They must not say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. My servants will cut into pieces anyone who does not obey. I will also destroy such people’s houses.’

v30 Then the king gave Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego more important jobs in Babylon district.

Verses 26-30 Nebuchadnezzar called the three men to come out of the fire and they came out. All the important people, who were there, came to look. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego seemed as if they had not been in the fire. The fire had not burned them or their clothes. The officials could not smell any smoke.

Now Nebuchadnezzar knew that the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego was the real God. Now the king knew that they did the right thing when they did not obey his command.

Then the king made another command. He ordered that nobody must say anything bad about the real God. He would punish anyone who did not obey. This was not a good thing to say. It shows that Nebuchadnezzar was still an evil man. God wants people to give honour to him because they love him. The king’s command would not make people love God.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego thought that they might die because they were loyal to God. Instead, the king made them even more important.

If Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego had obeyed the king, nobody would have remembered them. But they did not obey the king. Instead, they were loyal to God. So Nebuchadnezzar and his officials saw what God did. And they were astonished.

This happened a long time ago, but we also know about Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. We too can admire what God did. This helps us to obey him too.

astrologer ~ astrologers looked at the stars; then they tried to say what would happen in the future.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes what Jews believe. It is also a name for people from Judah and Israel.
rope ~ several pieces of string that someone has wound together to make one thick piece.
angel ~ God’s servant in heaven, who brings messages from God.