Chapter 41
The Fiery Furnace
THE dream of
the great image, opening before Nebuchadnezzar events reaching to the
close of time, had been given that he might understand the part he was to
act in the world's history, and the relation that his kingdom should
sustain to the kingdom of heaven. In the interpretation of the dream, he
had been plainly instructed regarding the establishment of God's
everlasting kingdom. "In the days of these kings," Daniel had
declared, "shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall
never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but
it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall
stand forever. . . . The dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof
sure." Daniel 2:44, 45.
The king had
acknowledged the power of God, saying to Daniel, "Of a truth it is,
that your God is a God of gods, . . . and a revealer of secrets."
Verse 47. For a time afterward, Nebuchadnezzar was influenced by the fear
of God;
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but his heart
was not yet cleansed from worldly ambition and a desire for
self-exaltation. The prosperity attending his reign filled him with pride.
In time he ceased to honor God, and resumed his idol worship with
increased zeal and bigotry.
The words,
"Thou art this head of gold," had made a deep impression upon
the ruler's mind. Verse 38. The wise men of his realm, taking advantage of
this and of his return to idolatry, proposed that he make an image similar
to the one seen in his dream, and set it up where all might behold the
head of gold, which had been interpreted as representing his kingdom.
Pleased with
the flattering suggestion, he determined to carry it out, and to go even
farther. Instead of reproducing the image as he had seen it, he would
excel the original. His image should not deteriorate in value from the
head to the feet, but should be entirely of gold--symbolic throughout of
Babylon as an eternal, indestructible, all-powerful kingdom, which should
break in pieces all other kingdoms and stand forever.
The thought
of establishing the empire and a dynasty that should endure forever,
appealed very strongly to the mighty ruler before whose arms the nations
of earth had been unable to stand. With an enthusiasm born of boundless
ambition and selfish pride, he entered into counsel with his wise men as
to how to bring this about. Forgetting the remarkable providences
connected with the dream of the great image; forgetting also that the God
of Israel through His servant Daniel had made plain the significance of
the image, and that in connection with this interpretation the
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great men of
the realm had been saved an ignominious death; forgetting all except their
desire to establish their own power and supremacy, the king and his
counselors of state determined that by every means possible they would
endeavor to exalt Babylon as supreme, and worthy of universal allegiance.
The symbolic
representation by which God had revealed to king and people His purpose
for the nations of earth, was now to be made to serve for the
glorification of human power. Daniel's interpretation was to be rejected
and forgotten; truth was to be misinterpreted and misapplied. The symbol
designed of Heaven to unfold to the minds of men important events of the
future, was to be used to hinder the spread of the knowledge that God
desired the world to receive. Thus through the devisings of ambitious men,
Satan was seeking to thwart the divine purpose for the human race. The
enemy of mankind knew that truth unmixed with error is a power mighty to
save; but that when used to exalt self and to further the projects of men,
it becomes a power for evil.
From his rich
store of treasure, Nebuchadnezzar caused to be made a great golden image,
similar in its general features to that which had been seen in vision,
save in the one particular of the material of which it was composed.
Accustomed as they were to magnificent representations of their heathen
deities, the Chaldeans had never before produced anything so imposing and
majestic as this resplendent statue, threescore cubits in height and six
cubits in breadth. And it is not surprising that in a land where idol
worship was of universal prevalence, the beautiful and
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priceless image in the
plain of Dura, representing the glory of Babylon and its magnificence and
power, should be consecrated as an object of worship. This was accordingly
provided for, and a decree went forth that on the day of the dedication
all should show their supreme loyalty to the Babylonian power by bowing
before the image.
The appointed
day came, and a vast concourse from all "people, nations, and
languages," assembled on the plain of Dura. In harmony with the
king's command, when the sound of music was heard, the whole company
"fell down and worshipped the golden image." On that eventful
day the powers of darkness seemed to be gaining a signal triumph; the
worship of the golden image bade fair to become connected permanently with
the established forms of idolatry recognized as the state religion of the
land. Satan hoped thereby to defeat God's purpose of making the presence
of captive Israel in Babylon a means of blessing to all the nations of
heathendom.
But God
decreed otherwise. Not all had bowed the knee to the idolatrous symbol of
human power. In the midst of the worshipping multitude there were three
men who were firmly resolved not thus to dishonor the God of heaven. Their
God was King of kings and Lord of lords; they would bow to none other.
To
Nebuchadnezzar, flushed with triumph, was brought the word that among his
subjects there were some who dared disobey his mandate. Certain of the
wise men, jealous of the honors that had been bestowed upon the faithful
companions of Daniel, now reported to the king their flagrant
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violation of
his wishes. "O king, live forever," they exclaimed. "There
are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of
Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king, have not
regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which
thou hast set up."
The king
commanded that the men be brought before him. "Is it true," he
inquired, "do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image
which I have set up?" He endeavored by threats to induce them to
unite with the multitude. Pointing to the fiery furnace, he reminded them
of the punishment awaiting them if they should persist in their refusal to
obey his will. But firmly the Hebrews testified to their allegiance to the
God of heaven, and their faith in His power to deliver. The act of bowing
to the image was understood by all to be an act of worship. Such homage
they could render to God alone.
As the three
Hebrews stood before the king, he was convinced that they possessed
something the other wise men of his kingdom did not have. They had been
faithful in the performance of every duty. He would give them another
trial. If only they would signify their willingness to unite with the
multitude in worshiping the image, all would be well with them; "but
if ye worship not," he added, "ye shall be cast the same hour
into the midst of a burning fiery furnace." Then with his hand
stretched upward in defiance, he demanded, "Who is that God that
shall deliver you out of my hands?"
In vain were
the king's threats. He could not turn the
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men from
their allegiance to the Ruler of the universe. From the history of their
fathers they had learned that disobedience to God results in dishonor,
disaster, and death; and that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of
wisdom, the foundation of all true prosperity. Calmly facing the furnace,
they said, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in
this matter. If it be so [if this is your decision], 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." Their faith strengthened as they
declared that God would be glorified by delivering them, and with
triumphant assurance born of implicit trust in God, they added, "But
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."
The king's
wrath knew no bounds. "Full of fury," "the form of his
visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,"
representatives of a despised and captive race. Directing that the furnace
be heated seven times hotter than its wont, he commanded the mighty men of
his army to bind the worshipers of Israel's God, preparatory to summary
execution.
"Then
these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and
their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery
furnace. Therefore because the king's commandment was urgent, and the
furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that took up
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego."
But the Lord
did not forget His own. As His witnesses were cast into the furnace, the
Saviour revealed Himself to
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them in
person, and together they walked in the midst of the fire. In the presence
of the Lord of heat and cold, the flames lost their power to consume.
From his
royal seat the king looked on, expecting to see the men who had defied him
utterly destroyed. But his feelings of triumph suddenly changed. The
nobles standing near saw his face grow pale as he started from the throne
and looked intently into the glowing flames. In alarm the king, turning to
his lords, asked, "Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of
the fire? . . . 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."
How did that
heathen king know what the Son of God was like? The Hebrew captives
filling positions of trust in Babylon had in life and character
represented before him the truth. When asked for a reason of their faith,
they had given it without hesitation. Plainly and simply they had
presented the principles of righteousness, thus teaching those around them
of the God whom they worshiped. They had told of Christ, the Redeemer to
come; and in the form of the fourth in the midst of the fire the king
recognized the Son of God.
And now, his
own greatness and dignity forgotten, Nebuchadnezzar descended from his
throne and, going to the mouth of the furnace, cried out, "Ye
servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither."
Then
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came forth before the vast multitude,
showing themselves unhurt. The presence of their Saviour had guarded them
from harm, and only their fetters had been burned. "And the princes,
governors,
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and captains,
and the king's counselors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon
whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed,
neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on
them."
Forgotten was
the great golden image, set up with such pomp. In the presence of the
living God, men feared and trembled. "Blessed be the God of Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego," the humbled king was constrained to
acknowledge, "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."
The
experiences of that day led Nebuchadnezzar to issue a decree, "that
every people, nation, and language, which speak anything amiss against the
God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their
houses shall be made a dunghill." "There is no other god,"
he urged as the reason for the decree, "that can deliver after this
sort."
In these and
like words the king of Babylon endeavored to spread abroad before all the
peoples of earth his conviction that the power and authority of the God of
the Hebrews was worthy of supreme adoration. And God was pleased with the
effort of the king to show Him reverence, and to make the royal confession
of allegiance as widespread as was the Babylonian realm.
It was right
for the king to make public confession, and to seek to exalt the God of
heaven above all other gods; but in endeavoring to force his subjects to
make a similar
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confession of faith and
to show similar reverence, Nebuchadnezzar was exceeding his right as a
temporal sovereign. He had no more right, either civil or moral, to
threaten men with death for not worshiping God, than he had to make the
decree consigning to the flames all who refused to worship the golden
image. God never compels the obedience of man. He leaves all free to
choose whom they will serve.
By the
deliverance of His faithful servants, the Lord declared that He takes His
stand with the oppressed, and rebukes all earthly powers that rebel
against the authority
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of Heaven.
The three Hebrews declared to the whole nation of Babylon their faith in
Him whom they worshiped. They relied on God. In the hour of their trial
they remembered the promise, "When thou passest through the waters, I
will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee:
when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither
shall the flame kindle upon thee." Isaiah 43:2. And in a marvelous
manner their faith in the living Word had been honored in the sight of
all. The tidings of their wonderful deliverance were carried to many
countries by the representatives of the different nations that had been
invited by Nebuchadnezzar to the dedication. Through the faithfulness of
His children, God was glorified in all the earth.
Important are
the lessons to be learned from the experience of the Hebrew youth on the
plain of Dura. In this our day, many of God's servants, though innocent of
wrongdoing, will be given over to suffer humiliation and abuse at the
hands of those who, inspired by Satan, are filled with envy and religious
bigotry. Especially will the wrath of man be aroused against those who
hallow the Sabbath of the fourth commandment; and at last a universal
decree will denounce these as deserving of death.
The season of
distress before God's people will call for a faith that will not falter.
His children must make it manifest that He is the only object of their
worship, and that no consideration, not even that of life itself, can
induce them to make the least concession to false worship. To the loyal
heart the commands of sinful, finite men will sink into
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insignificance
beside the word of the eternal God. Truth will be obeyed though the result
be imprisonment or exile or death.
As in the
days of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, so in the closing period of
earth's history the Lord will work mightily in behalf of those who stand
steadfastly for the right. He who walked with the Hebrew worthies in the
fiery furnace will be with His followers wherever they are. His abiding
presence will comfort and sustain. In the midst of the time of
trouble--trouble such as has not been since there was a nation--His chosen
ones will stand unmoved. Satan with all the hosts of evil cannot destroy
the weakest of God's saints. Angels that excel in strength will protect
them, and in their behalf Jehovah will reveal Himself as a "God of
gods," able to save to the uttermost those who have put their trust
in Him.
