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Good weekend to you my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
Yesterday I left you in a very precarious situation, do you remember? We were standing on the plain of Dura near Babylon, about 2600 years ago, looking at a gigantic, 90-foot, gold plated statue of the great King Nebuchadnezzar. We were surrounded by hundreds, maybe thousands of people, all of them leaders in their districts, who had come from all over the great Babylonian empire at the invitation of the most powerful man in the world, Nebuchadnezzar. (Daniel 3:1-3)
As we gathered, these instructions were pronounced to us: “Nations and peoples of every language, this is what you are commanded to do: As soon as you hear the sound of the horn and other instruments, you must fall down and worship the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. “ (Daniel 3:4-6)
Now I wonder how often in your lifetime you have felt threatened to do something which was contrary to your values or even convictions, and yet you felt in great danger if you didn’t? Was it a bully on the playground when you were a child; or a gang when you were teenager; or was it your boss demanding that you cheat or lie? These types of pressure situations can be terrifying can’t they especially if you think your life is in danger.
Let’s rejoin Daniel’s account to see what happened when the music began that day. Daniel 3:7 “As soon as the people heard the sound of the horn and instruments, all the people gathered fell down and worshiped the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar had constructed.” Well, almost all the people!
Daniel reports that a group of Jew-denouncing people came forward and made a bold accusation: “There are some Jews who you, O King, have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon – Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego – who pay no attention to you, Your Majesty. They neither serve your gods nor worship the image of gold you have set up.” (Daniel 3:8-12)
Egotistical leaders who consider themselves sovereign and without error are intolerant of anything less than full obedience and that sure described King Nebuchadnezzar. His response was immediate, and Daniel recorded it: “Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego. So, these men were brought before the king and Nebuchadnezzar questioned them: ‘Is its true Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up?“ (Daniel 3:13,14)
We should presume the king’s throne room was ostentatious and on his spectacular throne, several steps elevated, the king towered over everyone else in the room. If we were witness to this scene, we’d probably see many other officials and scribes with their tablets and stylus ready to record every word said, every decision made, for the historical records. Probably the king paused, allowing that piercing question to hang in the air as he leaned forward with a scowl on his face staring into the faces of these three young men. Their very lives hung in the balance and their response would determine if they lived or died.
It was perhaps 25 years earlier when Daniel and these three Jewish captive friends were put to the test by king Nebuchadnezzar and with God’s miraculous help, they interpreted the king’s dream and were elevated, by Nebuchadnezzar himself, to positions of high authority in Babylon! But Babylon was a big place and Nebuchadnezzar a very busy king working with his armies to continually expand the empire including the final conquering of Judah, the demolition of Jerusalem and the great Temple, and even attempts to conquer Egypt.
So, it’s probable Nebuchadnezzar had forgotten about that miraculous dream interpretation and these three leaders were lost in the crowd of thousands of leaders. So now, in this horrific moment, should these men appeal to this most powerful man in the world by reminding him of that dream and God’s enabling them to understand and interpret it? Should they remind the king of their relationship with Daniel, one of his most trusted advisors? Or should they bow and ask God later to forgive them for surely God would understand the very precarious situation in which they now stood? What would you and I have done in that moment, my friends?
King Nebuchadnezzar evidently didn’t give the men a moment to respond. In a rage, he shouted at them: “Now when you hear the sound of the horn and instruments, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I have made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?” (Daniel 3:15) Do you feel the tension, the fear, the anger in the room my friends? Do you see the evidence of a great spiritual battle as the dark kingdom blinds the memory of Nebuchadnezzar, so he evidently has no recollection of how these men and Daniel had helped him years before? Do you see the blinding power of arrogance, conceitedness, self-absorption? Do you see how the dark kingdom was making every effort to pressure these three Jewish men to renounce God and live the rest of their lives with that shame, or be burned alive?
How similar or different is this terrifying moment from times you have felt enormous pressure to stand by your values and proclaim your allegiance to God in words or actions, or melt under the pressure? Did those three men have a moment to convene and discuss their options? Did they reflect back on their Jewish history to see if ever before any of their ancestors faced such a difficult life or death, bow or burn, terrifying dilemma?
Should they try to negotiate? Should they ask for time? Should they remind the king of his dream more than 20 years before? Time stood still as their lives hung in the balance and they frantically struggled to make the right decision. They knew full well death by incineration would be a terrible way to die.
Let’s pause right here with them, my friends, and I ask us all to consider our life reputations, our relationships, our families and the societies in which we live. What price are you and I prepared to pay to stand for what we know to be truth and the relationship you and I have with God? Don’t rush too quickly but give this serious reflection and have a conversation with God and maybe your family about this. And we’ll come back here on Monday to see what these three men decided, and how Nebuchadnezzar responded, and how history views that moment.
This worship song was written especially to bolster those facing martyrdom. As we worship, consider that this weekend hundreds of people will likely face similar life-threatening situations in countries where the Bible is outlawed, or the name Jesus is restricted from being spoken. Let’s worship together…
Today’s Scripture: Daniel 3:7-15.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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