King
Nebuchadnezzar built a huge idol.
Dr. W. A.
Scott writes:
We are not without historical
confirmation of the narrative as to the existence of gigantic idols of gold
among the Babylonians. Herodotus writes
that in his day there was at Babylon an idol image of gold twelve cubits high;
and, what is still more remarkable, another authority, obviously speaking of
the same statue, mentions that every stranger was obliged to worship it before
he was allowed to enter the city.[i]
Herodotus
was a Greek historian who wrote about 100 years after the events of Daniel.
Pride. Pride is why Nebuchadnezzar built his
idol. He said:
Look at this great city of Babylon!
By my own mighty power, I have built this
beautiful city as my royal residence to display my majestic splendor.[ii] (Daniel 4:30)
He made a
name for himself, a name that is remembered to this day.
Nebuchadnezzar
had at least four godly men in his service:
Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah.
God used these men to confront Nebuchadnezzar’s pride.
However,
Nebuchadnezzar was king. He had
authority over all the high officers, officials, governors, advisers,
treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the provincial officials. (Daniel 3:2) He insisted that all the high officers and
officials worship the image that he had set up.
What is the
point of that?
Pride.
He could
tell them what to do and they had to do it; such power, such control!
Consider
how he responded when he was refused. He
did not get his way.
Three men,
three Hebrew men, refused to bow down before his idol. His goal was blocked. He wanted to demonstrate his absolute power
and these three had the audacity to refuse.
Nebuchadnezzar
was furious. He threw a kingly fit. What is the point of heating the furnace
seven times hotter? It is
unreasonable. The scriptures tell us
that his face was distorted with rage!
(Daniel 3:19) His command (read
tirade) was so urgent that they heated the furnace so hot it killed the soldiers
throwing the three Hebrews into the fire.
(Daniel 3:22)
Before we
go on to consider how this situation worked out, let’s consider how this
applies to our lives.
We all
build idols. Our idols are not 90-foot
tall statues of gold, but we still expect others to bow to them.
Galatians
5:17 says:
The sinful nature wants to do evil,
which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the
opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each
other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.
These idols
I am speaking about are the desires of the sinful nature that are opposite of
what the Spirit wants. The real idol is
self. Whether Nebuchadnezzar’s image was
a statue of himself or an image of one of his gods, it represented his high
opinion of himself. We, as believers,
have been crucified with Christ. (Galatians
2:20) God should be on the throne of our
lives, but sadly, too often self is on the throne.
.
For
example, with self on the throne, we will set a goal, and believe we have the
power to make it happen. It may be
something as benign as a nice family outing.
However, any member of the family can block that goal. When the five-year-old decides he does not
like the family outing, the goal is blocked and self sees the offense against
its power. The family spends the next
few days in the fiery furnace of self’s kingly rage.
Or, for
another example, with self on the throne, we set out to control the people,
circumstance and events in our lives.
This control might express itself in perfectionism. The books on the table are always arranged
just right. The silverware in the
drawers are always lined up and stacked just so. The kitchen counter is always clean and
neat. The person, usually a family
member, who ruins this perfection is thrown into the fiery furnace and suffers
under self’s kingly rage.
Or for yet
one more example, perhaps self has exalted self to law giver and judge. We are always right. James 4:11 speaks of this when it says:
Don't speak evil against each
other, dear brothers and sisters. If you
criticize and judge each other, then you are criticizing and judging God's law.
But your job is to obey the law, not to
judge whether it applies to you.
We judge
our brothers and sisters and even know their motives. When others do not do right in our eyes, we
send them to hell, the ultimate fiery furnace.
We write them off. We do not
speak to them.
Anger most
often shows up when our goal or goals are blocked. When we find ourselves getting angry, it is a
good practice to ask, “What goal is being blocked?” Ask God to help using the words of the
Psalmist:
23Search me,
O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious
thoughts.
24Point out
anything in me that offends you,
and lead me along the path of
everlasting life.
(Psalm 139:23-24)
Nebuchadnezzar
did not see that he was wrong. He was
the mighty king of Babylon and had the right to require the worship of his
subjects. However, God used those who
were powerless to shame this powerful man.
(1 Corinthians 1:27)
These three
Hebrew men told Nebuchadnezzar:
O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to
defend ourselves before you. 17If
we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save
us. He will rescue us from your power,
Your Majesty. 18But even if
he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never
serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up. (Daniel 3:16-18)
I love the
boldness and faith of these men. They
stood up against something that was clearly wrong. God says, very clearly, “You must not have
any other god but me.” (Exodus
20:3) These men were also willing to pay
the price for their boldness. The king
had the authority to throw them into the blazing furnace, and in their response,
these men showed they were willing to face those consequences.
I want to
be sensitive in drawing the application in our lives, but if we love someone,
we will not pander to their huge idols.
Relationships are often the battlegrounds for huge power struggles. If I find myself, like Nebuchadnezzar, in a
rage, my problem is me: no one else, me.
In contrast to this, God calls us to a standard of Love. He commands us to love our neighbor as our
self. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 says:
4Love is
patient and kind. Love is not jealous or
boastful or proud 5or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of
being wronged. 6It does not
rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7Love never gives up, never loses
faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
With self
on the throne, this is impossible.
However, the fruit of the Spirit is love.
Sometimes
being loving means we have to stand up against something that is wrong, no
matter what the consequences.
There are
times in life when we, like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, are thrown into the
furnace, even for trying to do the right thing.
At times like
this, it is helpful to remember 1 Peter 4:12-14:
12Dear
friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if
something strange were happening to you. 13Instead, be very glad—for these
trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have
the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world.
14So be happy
when you are insulted for being a Christian, for then the glorious Spirit of
God rests upon you.
Do you see
these words, “So that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory
revealed to all the world!” This is
exactly what happened with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.
Being angry
because my goal is blocked, and standing up for my faith in Jesus Christ are
not the same thing. Shadrach, Meshach
and Abednego were used by God to confront the pride of Nebuchadnezzar because
they chose to obey God rather than man.
God honored these men, because they honored God. They consistently honored God. When all the other captives accepted the food
and drink provided by the Babylonians, these men decided to honor God and ate
vegetables and water. They put God above
their bodily comfort. When these men
were faced with bowing before another god or dying, they chose dying. They put God before their lives.
When you
and I honor God more than self, He honors us.
When you and I honor God more than our job, He honors us. When you and I honor God more than family, He
honors us.
We must
seek to honor God above all else, especially self. Jesus said:
26“If you
want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison—your father
and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. 27And if you do not carry your own
cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.
(Luke 14:26-27)
Look at the
results of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego’s actions. The proud king, Nebuchadnezzar, acknowledged
the greatness of God. The Name of the
God of the Hebrews was proclaimed throughout the lands under the rule of
Nebuchadnezzar as he issued a decree that to speak against the God of Shadrach,
Meshach and Abednego was a capital offense.
Pride would
lead us to set up meaningless, fruitless and empty idols, huge idols. However, if we would live fruitful, powerful
lives, we must honor God above all else.
[i]
http://biblehub.com/sermons/auth/scott/gigantic_idols.htm
[ii]
Unless otherwise noted Scripture
quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation. Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House
Foundation. Used by permission of
Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Steam, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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