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;
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
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 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
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
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
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,
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 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
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
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.