20151214 Monday, December 14 2015
Daniel 03: The Fiery Furnace Of The Head Of Gold

by Wayne Blank
See also 1 Year Holy Bible Reading Plan

"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"

The LORD (see The Identity Of The LORD God and The LORD God Our Saviour) had given King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon a great prophetic dream that revealed the flow of Israel-related history from Nebuchadnezzar's own time right to the yet-future coming of the Kingdom of God on Earth (see Nebuchadnezzar's Dream Of The World To Come and The Empires Of Bible History And Prophecy).

Nebuchadnezzar was the "head of gold" in the revelation that was given to him.

"2:37 Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. 2:38 And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold." (Daniel 2:37-38 KJV)

As is typical of humanity's state of mind in the present age of rebellion (i.e. from the fall in the Garden of Eden until the time when humans will be cured of the confusion that Satan has infected them with; see the Fact Finder question below), Nebuchadnezzar thereafter nevertheless became oblivious to the true existence and power of the LORD and made himself a great golden idol. He might even have perverted the earlier prophecy that was given to him into a narcissistic delusion of it.

Nebuchadnezzar then commanded it to be an object of nationalistic worship, not only throughout Babylon itself, but in all of the nations that Babylon had invaded and seized in their malignant lust to "lead" other nations with nothing more than brute force ("To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages ... ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up"). The penalty for refusing to take part, in what was declared to be a patriotic state religion of the empire, was to be cast alive into a blazing furnace.

"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. 3:2 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. 3:3 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.

3:4 Then an herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages, 3:5 That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up: 3:6 And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.

3:7 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." (Daniel 3:1-7 KJV)

As is also typical of any police state (in earlier times, tyrants were most-often kings, such as Nebuchadnezzar, but in the present era they are almost always presidents of republics e.g. Adolf Hitler was a democratically elected president of the German Republic), the government-fearing people attempted to demonstrate their patriotism by accusing others of being unpatriotic - in most cases, it's simply a desperate tactic to deflect attention away from themselves. Such was the case of those who reported Daniel's friends Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego for their refusal to commit heathen idolatry.

It's absolutely certain that Daniel also did not worship the idol, but in this case the snitches were apparently either only aware of Daniel's friends and fellow exiles Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and/or that Daniel would have been a harder target at that time because of the political power that Nebuchadnezzar had given to him for his revealing of Nebuchadnezzar's prophetic dream. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego also gained political power from that incident, but it was less than Daniel i.e. "2:48 Then the king made Daniel a great man, and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon. 2:49 Then Daniel requested of the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, over the affairs of the province of Babylon: but Daniel sat in the gate of the king." (Daniel 2:47-48 KJV; again, see Nebuchadnezzar's Dream Of The World To Come)

"3:8 Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and accused the Jews. 3:9 They spake and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live for ever. 3:10 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: 3:11 And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. 3:12 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." (Daniel 3:8-12 KJV)

Nebuchadnezzar had a short temper. When Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refused to commit "patriotic" idolatry, "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." The fire was fueled so that it was seven times hotter than usual - so hot that it burned the executioners to death as they cast Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego into the flames.

"3:13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king. 3:14 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? 3:15 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?

3:16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. 3:17 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. 3:18 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.

3:19 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. 3:20 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. 3:21 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. 3:22 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. 3:23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace." (Daniel 3:13-23 KJV)

While expecting to find only ashes (see also Isaac: Rising From The Ashes and Is 'Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust' Really In The Bible?), Nebuchadnezzar was shocked to discover that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were unharmed by the intense heat of the flames - and that the LORD had manifested one "like the Son of God" to stand with them in the fire.

"3:24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, 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.

3:25 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. 3:26 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.

3:27 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." (Daniel 3:24-27 KJV)

With that, yet another powerful demonstration that the LORD rules His Creation, Nebuchadnezzar then declared Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to thereafter be immune to religious prosecution - a "generous" act by Nebuchadnezzar, considering that the LORD had already made it clear that no abuse of them would be permitted.

"3:28 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. 3:29 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.

3:30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon." (Daniel 3:28-30 KJV)

Fact Finder: How did idolatry begin? When will it end?
See The History Of Idolatry