Daniel 3 verse 1 to 3
1 Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.
2 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the princes, the governors, and the captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
3 Then the princes, the governors, and captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, were gathered together unto the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
🟣“Image of gold”
Daniel had interpreted the dream about the image with different metals representing different kingdoms in Daniel 2. King Nebuchadnezzar then decided to make an image of gold, unlike the one in his dream. He was not content with having another kingdom succeed his own, so in defiance, he made one of gold. This was to show that his kingdom was not going to be succeeded by another but would continue on perpetually. It was more of an image of defiance and rebellion against God.
🟣“All the rulers of the provinces, were gathered together unto the dedication of the image”
To attend the dedication, he assembled the chief men from every region in his realm. Everyone responded with complete acceptance.
Daniel 3 verse 4 to 7
4 Then an herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages,
5 That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up:
6 And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.
7 Therefore at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of musick, all the people, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
🟣“All kinds of music, ye fall down and worship”
We can use music rightly or wrongly. We need to be careful with the type of music we listen to because of the influence it can have on a person, even more so in worshiping God. Satan himself is the master of music (Ezekiel 28:13), so he uses music to his advantage.
🟣“Burning fiery furnace”
If the music was not enough to prepare the people to worship the image, Nebuchadnezzar had furnaces in place to provide a little more encouragement. Nebuchadnezzar was dictating to the people the way they were going to worship, what they were going to worship, and how they were going to worship. Death was the penalty for not complying. Forced worship is the system of the false religion, as Babylon was at the head of a false system of religion. Whereas with God, it is a system of choice. (Revelation 2:17, Isaiah 1:18, Joshua 24:15)
Daniel 3 verse 8 to 18
8 Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and accused the Jews.
9 They spake and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live for ever.
10 Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, shall fall down and worship the golden image:
11 And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.
12 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.
13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king.
14 Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?
15 Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.
17 If it be so, 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.
18 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.
🟣“Not regard thee...serve not thy gods”
After reminding the king that it was his idea to place them in such a high position, they tell him that these three Jews have no regard for his authority or serve his gods; they didn’t even bow down and worship the image.
🟣“Who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?”
King Nebuchadnezzar says that there is no god who can save them from the furnace's sure death. In saying this, he openly admits that not even his gods had power to deliver them. He knows that his own false gods are powerless.
Daniel 3 verse 19 to 23
19 Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated.
20 And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.
21 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.
22 Therefore because the king's commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flames of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.
25 He answered and said, 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.
🟣“Seven times hotter”
Set on their utter destruction and full of fury, the king orders the furnace to be heated seven times hotter, or, in other words, to its maximum temperature.
🟣“Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished”
After they had been thrown in, something caught the king’s eye that amazed him, and he quickly stood up. Speaking to his councilors, he asks them what appears to be a rather strange question: did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?
🟣“Fourth is like the Son of God”
As His witnesses were cast into the furnace, the Savior revealed Himself to them in person, and together they walked in the midst of the fire. In the presence of the Lord,the flames lost their power to consume.
Daniel 3 verse 26 to 30
26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire.
27 And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counsellors, 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.
28 Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, 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.
29 Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.
30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon.
🟣“These men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed”
The fire killed the mightiest men, but it spared the other three. The furnace was heated seven times hotter, but it only served to show the greater extent of the power of God to deliver.
🟣“That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces”
Nebuchadnezzar realizes that there is a God who is ultimately in control and can change the words of even the king to allow His servants to worship Him and not worship any other god. The king therefore reinstates them into their positions in the kingdom of Babylon.