He Changes Times And Seasons › Daniel 3
CHAPTER 3
The Fiery Furnace
Though He slay us, we will not bow
Chapter 3 is one of the best-loved narratives in Scripture. It follows chapter 2 deliberately: a king who has seen a statue with a head of gold now builds a statue entirely of gold, as if to deny that his kingdom will pass. The test comes for three men who were promoted at Daniel’s request. Daniel himself is not mentioned in the chapter; the story belongs to the faithful trio and to the fourth figure in the fire.
The Golden Image and the Decree
DANIEL 3:1–7
1Nebuchadnezzar 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.
2Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the satraps, the deputies, and the governors, 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.
3Then the satraps, the deputies, and the governors, 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.
4Then the herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages,
5that 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;
6and whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.
7Therefore at that time, when all the peoples heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of music, all the peoples, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
Nebuchadnezzar makes an image of gold, sixty cubits high and six cubits wide (roughly ninety feet tall and nine feet wide, a tall, narrow shape like an obelisk), and sets it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. He gathers the satraps, prefects, governors, counselors, treasurers, judges, and all the officials of the provinces for the dedication.
A herald proclaims the command: when the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, psaltery, bagpipe, and all kinds of music is heard, all peoples, nations, and languages must fall down and worship the golden image, or be thrown that same hour into a burning fiery furnace. The repeated catalog of officials and instruments in this chapter gives the scene the sound of a state liturgy. It is forced unity under a single religion, a foreshadowing of the end-time pressure described in Revelation 13.
The Accusation
DANIEL 3:8–12
8Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and brought accusation against the Jews.
9They answered and said to Nebuchadnezzar the king, O king, live for ever.
10Thou, 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 music, shall fall down and worship the golden image;
11and whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, shall be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.
12There are certain Jews whom thou hast appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
Certain Chaldeans come forward and accuse the Jews. Their words reveal both their jealousy and the courage of the three: the king had set these Jews over the affairs of the province, yet they pay no heed to the king, they do not serve his gods, and they do not worship the golden image. The accusers repeat the king’s own words and then name the three men.
It is worth noting what is not said. Nobody accuses them of crime, disloyalty, or rebellion in any other thing. Their only offense is that they will not worship what God forbids. Faithful believers have often been charged with trouble when the real problem was conscience.
“But If Not”
DANIEL 3:13–18
13Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. Then they brought these men before the king.
14Nebuchadnezzar answered and said unto them, Is it of purpose, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, that ye serve not my god, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?
15Now 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 music, 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?
16Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer thee in this matter.
17If 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 thy hand, O king.
18But 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.
Nebuchadnezzar summons the three in a rage and offers a second chance: if they will bow when the music sounds, all will be well; if not, the furnace. Then comes the challenge: who is the god who can deliver you out of my hands?
The reply is one of the great confessions of the Bible. They do not need to defend themselves in this matter. Their God whom they serve is able to deliver them from the burning fiery furnace and out of the king’s hand. But even if He does not, they will not serve the king’s gods or worship the golden image. Their faith does not depend on the rescue. They trust God’s power without demanding His method.
The Furnace Heated Sevenfold
DANIEL 3:19–23
19Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace seven times more than it was wont to be heated.
20And he commanded certain mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.
21Then these men were bound in their hosen, their tunics, and their mantles, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
22Therefore 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 Abed-nego.
23And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
The king’s countenance changes. He orders the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual and commands the strongest men in his army to bind the three and throw them in. The men are bound in their coats, trousers, turbans, and other garments. The heat is so fierce that the soldiers who carry the three are killed by the flames, while the three fall bound into the fire.
The furnace was probably a brick kiln with an opening at the top and another at the side. The king’s rage works against him: the greater the fire, the clearer the miracle will be.
The Fourth Man in the Fire
DANIEL 3:24–27
24Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste: he 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.
25He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the aspect of the fourth is like a son of the gods.
26Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace: he spake and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, ye servants of the Most High God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego came forth out of the midst of the fire.
27And the satraps, the deputies, and the governors, and the king’s counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, that the fire had no power upon their bodies, nor was the hair of their head singed, neither were their hosen changed, nor had the smell of fire passed on them.
Nebuchadnezzar leaps up in astonishment and asks his counselors: did we not cast three men bound into the fire? They answer, true, O king. Then the king says, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.
Most Bible teachers see here a pre-incarnate appearance of the Son of God, or at minimum an angel sent by God, as the king himself later says in verse 28. The principle is certain whichever view is taken: the Lord does not always keep His people out of the fire, but He joins them in it. When the officials gather round, they see that the fire had no power over the bodies of the three, the hair of their heads was not singed, their garments were not changed, and not even the smell of fire had come upon them.
A New Decree
DANIEL 3:28–30
28Nebuchadnezzar spake and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king’s word, and have yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.
29Therefore I make a decree, that every people, nation, and language, which speak anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill; because there is no other god that is able to deliver after this sort.
30Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego in the province of Babylon.
The king breaks into praise: blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent His angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and who yielded up their bodies rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. He issues a decree that anyone who speaks against their God shall be cut in pieces, and no other god can deliver in this way.
The three are promoted in the province of Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar still has much to learn (the humbling of chapter 4 is ahead), but the witness of the three had done what no argument could. Their obedience preached louder than a sermon.
Discussion Questions
- What did the three friends mean by “but if not”?
- What does the fourth Man in the fire reveal about God’s presence in suffering?
- Where is the music playing in your world, and who is asking you to bow?
- How can your obedience become a witness to people who oppose you?