Thoughts on the Book of Daniel.
Chapter III, (Concluded.)
VERSE 19. Then 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 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 Abed-nego, 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 flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. 23. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, 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. Nebuchadnezzar was not entirely free from the faults and follies that ever beset an absolute monarch. Intoxicated with unlimited power, he could not brook disobedience or contradiction. Let his authority be resisted, on however good grounds, and he exhibits the weakness common to our fallen humanity under circumstances like his, and flies into a passion. Ruler of the world, he was not equal to that still harder task, of ruling his own spirit. And even the form of his visage was changed. From the calm, dignified, self-possessed ruler that he should have appeared, he betrayed himself, in look and act, the slave of ungovernable passion. The furnace was heated one seven times hotter, or, in other words, to its utmost capacity. The king overreached himself in this; for even if the fire had been suffered to have its ordinary effect upon the ones he cast in, it would only have destroyed them all the sooner. Nothing would have been gained by that means on the part of the king. But seeing they were delivered from it, much was gained on the part of the cause of God and his truth; for the more intense the heat, the greater and more impressive the miracle of being delivered from it. Every circumstance was calculated to show the direct power of God. They were bound in all their garments, but came out with not even the smell of fire upon them. The most mighty men in the kingdom were chosen to cast them in; not the most mighty as regards stature and strength, but the highest in rank and dignity. These the fire slew ere they came in contact with it; while on the Hebrews it had no effect, though they were in the very midst of its flames. It was evident that the fire was under the control of some supernatural intelligence; for while it had effect upon the cords with which they were bound, destroying them, so that they were free to walk about in the midst of the fire, it did not even singe their garments. They did not, as soon as free, spring out of the furnace, but continued therein; for, first, the king had put them in, and it was his to call them out; and, second, the form of the fourth was with them, and in his presence they could be content and joyful, as well in the furnace of fire, as in the delights and luxuries of the palace. Let us in all our trials, afflictions, persecutions, and straitened places, but have the form of the fourth with us, and it is enough. The king said, And the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. This language is by some supposed to refer to Christ. But it is not likely that the king had any idea of the Saviour. A better rendering, according to good authorities, would be “like a son of the gods;” that is, he had the appearance of a supernatural or divine being. Nebuchadnezzar subsequently called him an angel. What a scathing rebuke upon the king for his folly and madness, was the deliverance of these worthies from the fiery furnace! The Chaldeans worshiped fire; yet the fire slew its devotees, and spared its enemies. A higher power than any on earth had vindicated those who stood firm against idolatry, and poured contempt on the worship and requirements of the king. VERSE 26. Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and 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 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 a 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 Abed-nego, 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 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 can deliver after this sort. 30. Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, in the province of Babylon. When bidden, these three men came forth from the furnace. Then the princes, governors, and king's counsellors, through whose advice, or at least concurrence, they had been cast into the furnace, (for the king said to them, verse 24, did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire) were gathered together to look upon these men, and have optical and tangible proof of their wonderful preservation. The worship of the great image was lost sight of. The whole interest of this vast concourse of people was now concentrated upon these three remarkable men. All men's thoughts and minds were full of this wonderful occurrence. And how the knowledge of it would be spread abroad throughout the empire, as they should return to their respective provinces. What a notable instance in which God caused the wrath of man to praise him. Then the king blessed the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, and made a decree that none should speak against him. This the Chaldeans had undoubtedly done. In those days, each nation had its god, or rather gods; for there were gods many and lords many. And the victory of one nation over another was attributed to the fact that the gods of the conquered nation were not able to deliver them from the conquerors. The Jews had been wholly subjugated by the Babylonians, on which account they had no doubt spoken disparagingly or contemptuously of the God of the Jews. This he now prohibits; for he is plainly given to understand that his success against the Jews was owing to their sins, not to any lack of power on the part of their God. His decree was good so far as it went; but it fell far short of what it should have been. While it forbade all speaking against the God of the Jews, it still permitted the nations to retain their false gods. While acknowledging the claims of the true God to respect and devotion, he should have prohibited idolatry, which was especially rebuked by the gracious dealings of God with his steadfast servants.