The Apotheosis of Patriotism — Jehovah the Deliverer
N our last study in Daniel we learned of Jehovah the Revealer; in our present it is Jehovah the Deliverer. In our last chapter we had an image presented before Nebuchadnezzar, and later before Daniel the prophet, in a dream and a vision. That image was God's idea of the kingdoms of men. In this lesson we have men's idea of the kingdom of men.
1. After the events of the last chapter, what is it recorded that Nebuchadnezzar did?
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. Verse 1. Note 1.
2. What proclamation was made, and what was its result?
Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the satraps, the deputies, and the governors, the judges, the treasurers, the counselors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. Then the satraps, the deputies, and the governors, the judges, the treasurers, the counselors, 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. Verses 2, 3. Note 2.
3. What command was given by the royal herald, and how was it regarded?
Then the herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, that 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; and whoso falleth not down and worshipeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. Therefore 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 worshiped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. Verses 4-7. Note 3.
4. What complaint was made to the king?
Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and brought accusation against the Jews. They answered and said to Nebuchadnezzar the king, O king, live forever. 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 music, shall fall down and worship the golden image; and whoso falleth not down and worshipeth, shall be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. There 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. Verses 8-12. Note 4.
5. How did this complaint affect the king, and how was his command repeated?
Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. Then they brought these men before the king. Nebuchadnezzar 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? 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 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? Verses 13-15. Note 5.
6. What noble reply was made to the king?
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer thee in this matter. 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 thy hand, O king. 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. Verses 16-18. Note 6.
7. What followed this reply?
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 seven times more than it was wont to be heated. And 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. Then these men were bound in their breeches, their tunics, and their mantles, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Therefore because the king's command was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Verses 19-23. Note 7.
8. What revelation was made to Nebuchadnezzar, and how was he affected?
Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste: he spake and said unto his counselors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. He 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. Verses 24, 25. Note 8.
9. How were these noble youth delivered?
Then 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. And the satraps, the deputies, and the governors, and the king's counselors, 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 breeches changed, nor had the smell of fire passed on them. Verses 26, 27. Note 9.
10. What was Nebuchadnezzar forced to acknowledge?
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 have yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God. 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 is able to deliver after this sort. Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego in the province of Babylon. Verses 28-30. Note 10.
Note and Comment
1. IMAGE OF GOLD. God had before told Nebuchadnezzar that Babylon was but the head of universal world empire — only that, nothing more; that there were to follow Babylon other great universal empires, and that Babylon itself would come to nothing, living only in the influence which she exerted upon posterity. While Nebuchadnezzar was forced to admit that no other god could REVEAL as had Jehovah, because the Lord's prophet revealed the dream, yet this by no means humbled his proud heart, or led him to accept the true God. His conception of God was but little higher than his conception of the heathen gods. He could admit that God knew more than did the deities which he worshiped, but it was a real question as to whether any god could transcend his own power; and therefore, in his high and unholy ambition, he declared that not only should the image's head be of gold, but he would make it all of gold. Babylon, instead of being succeeded by other powers, would be a world power,—an eternal world power, giving place to no other. The image typifying the kingdom of men should be all Babylon. It was the same deifying of the State that we have to-day, the same foolish national boasting, the same ultrapatriotism that recognizes only our country, our land, our people. It was a magnificent image which the king made. The height of threescore cubits — ninety feet, or, if the longer cubit, much more than this—included doubtless the pedestal, as well as the image; and it could be seen a great distance, situated in the plain of Dura as it was, with the sun shining upon its golden luster.
2. TO GATHER TOGETHER. Nebuchadnezzar sent out his heralds to gather together all the governors and responsible men of the kingdom,—the satraps, the deputies, the governors, the judges, the treasurers, the counselors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces. No man of responsibility must be omitted. All must be gathered there, all must declare their patriotism, their devotion to Babylon, in the worship of that image. It was Babylon, and Babylon forever. Note, also, that it was not an image which God had revealed, but it was the image which the king had "set up." Nine times we are told of the image which the earthly king had "set up." Daniel had said that when the kingdom of man in its various phases should pass, "the God of heaven" should "set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed." Chapter 2:44. The same original word is used of the king's image. God would set up, appoint, establish, an eternal kingdom. Nebuchadnezzar would appoint, establish, set up, the throne of Babylon forever. How like it is to Roman talk, to British talk, to German and American boasting! There have always been such demands for ultrapatriotism. There are minds which are no broader than the school district in which they live. Some minds enlarge to the town boundaries, some to the county, fewer still to the State. Some expand nation-wide; but the true heart of the Christian takes in the world, and eternity; and because of the price paid for his redemption, he concludes that he is debtor both to Jew and to Greek. He looks not only to this life, but to the life which is to come. But the ultrapatriot does not see these broader, grander, nobler views; his heart is upon his own. So was Nebuchadnezzar's. Loyalty to Babylon was to him more than all else; he could not look beyond this. And that image erected in the plain of Dura stood for Babylon; and the worship which he demanded stood for patriotism.
3. TO YOU IT IS COMMANDED. So the herald cried. All nations and languages must worship the image. To make that worship easier, men's emotions were played upon by all kinds of musical instruments. And when those musical instruments sounded their triumphant note, all must fall down and worship; and all did, save four. One of these is not mentioned,—Daniel. He may have been engaged in important business elsewhere. Of that we know nothing. The king may have counted him semi-divine, and therefore exempt. God does not satisfy our curiosity in this. Suffice to say that when the great orchestra sounded, all the multitude fell down and worshiped, with the exceptions noted.7
4. CERTAIN CHALDEANS CAME NEAR. We wonder if it is not almost invariably too true that in great congregations where people worship, there are hearts divided enough to watch others, and find fault or criticise. These Chaldeans were not so intently absorbed in the worship of that Chaldean image but that they could see that there were some others who did not bow. What made it worse still, these non-worshipers were three young Hebrews who had been exalted above them in the affairs of Babylon. These young men had already been tested in their schools, and had not been found wanting in loyalty to principle. Doubtless these Chaldeans more than half suspected, they were very sure, indeed, that the Hebrews could not yield to that demand from the king; and therefore while they had one eye on the image, and the worship of that, and the gain which would come to them by their seeming loyalty, they had another eye upon the young men, watching them to see what course they would take. They saw that they did not bow, and they immediately go to the king, remind him of the command, and then tell him that "there are certain Jews" that "have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which THOU HAST SET UP."
5. The information angers Nebuchadnezzar. The military king is wont to be obeyed with military promptness. And yet he shows himself of a noble mind; he is not going to execute his purposes without inquiry. And therefore, when the men are brought before him, he asks 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?" He declares they shall have another opportunity. Once again, for their sakes only, will all the orchestra play, that they may be saved from the burning fiery furnace. And then he asks the question, "Who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?" It was the vain human boasting, many times seen even apart from great power and authority.
6. WE HAVE NO NEED. The king's words would immediately recall to the minds of the youth who were acquainted with Assyrian and Babylonian history the great victories that had been gained over the nation after nation that had fallen before the prowess and power of the king. All the gods of the Orient had been unable to save their worshipers from the sway and power of Nebuchadnezzar. It did not seem from the human side that it was an idle boast; but these three Hebrews were not worshipers of territorial, local gods. They were not worshipers of dumb, dead idols; they worshiped the living God. They believed not only in the advantages which may be gained in various ways in the life here upon earth, but they knew that there was an eternal existence to come. And therefore they answer — kindly, wisely, yet clearly: We have no need, Nebuchadnezzar, to consider this question, to study it, to think over it. We have already made up our minds; we know what we did. It was by no mistake that we did not bow down. We worship a God that is ABLE TO DELIVER US, and HE WILL DELIVER US out of thy hand, O king, however strong thou art. But if He does not see fit to deliver us, that will make no difference. We will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
7. FULL OF FURY. Nebuchadnezzar's rage was increased sevenfold. No longer could he regard the young men kindly. "The form of his visage was changed against" them, and therefore he not only commanded that they should be thrown into the fiery furnace, but into a furnace heated seven times more than it was wont to be heated. He would preclude any arts of magic to deceive him. He would bind them and cast them in, and then say, What god can deliver out of my hand? And therefore, in all their robes, they were bound, and the commandment of the king was so urgent that the men who were engaged in executing it came so near to the mighty, burning furnace that they themselves were slain by the fierce blasts, while the three Hebrews fell down bound into the midst of the fiery furnace.
8. ASTONISHED. The king was astonished. Well he might be. As he gazed into the furnace where the Hebrews were cast, God gave him a vision. He asks, Did not we cast three men in there bound? And they said, "True, O king." But he declares, "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." He was a divine Being. Nebuchadnezzar did not worship a god that could be cast into the fiery furnace. The great image of Baal, or Marduk, or Nebo, would have perished in brief space, were they cast into such a fire. Here he casts three men into a fire so fierce that those who threw them in were slain, and he sees them meeting their God in the midst of that devouring element.
9. NEBUCHADNEZZAR CAME NEAR. The king is humbled. His fury is gone. A great power is taking hold upon his heart. He comes near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and cries to the Hebrew children, "Ye servants of the Most High God, come forth, and come hither;" and they, obedient to every reasonable or proper command of the earthly king, come forth. And all the great multitude of governors and rulers and deputies assembled on that occasion see them — men upon whom the fierce fire had no power, the hair of their head unsinged, with no smell of fire upon their garments. After all, it is only reasonable that this should be so. We can not conceive that when God created man, He made him a subject of other creatures, or things, or laws here upon this earth. Man was given dominion over the whole earth. Everything was subject to him, — wind, and storm, and fire, and cold; and his marvelous adaptability and power in his sinless state would have shielded him from all ills which might come through any of these elements. These three young Hebrews had come into absolute and full relationship with God. The great life Fountain had poured out its life for them, for "in the way of righteousness is life; and in the pathway thereof there is no death." God had filled them with a glory greater than that of fire, and the fire could not touch them. So it will be with God's children in the last great, burning day.
"Who among us," says the prophet, "shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?" And then he tells us that it is those who have God's truth in their heart, who have kept His ways, who have yielded wholly to Him. And the glory of God's life power within is more than all the glory of any agency which man may control from without. In the burning glory of Christ's coming the wicked will perish (2 Thess. 1:7-9), but in that same burning glory the righteous will be made immortal. God's glory transmuted into character then will simply respond to the glory which transmutes the mortality of flesh into immortality.
10. NEBUCHADNEZZAR SPAKE. Once more the king speaks. He had spoken once, and the image was set up. He had spoken again, and his rulers were gathered together. He had spoken the third time and demanded that they should worship the golden image. Once again he speaks, pleading with the young men to obey his decree, and warning them of the consequences. The fifth time he speaks with sevenfold fury, commanding the destruction of the faithful three. The sixth time he calls them forth from the furnace, and acknowledges what the loyal servants of God had declared, and what he himself had denied. He had said, "WHO is that God that SHALL DELIVER YOU out of my hands?" And they had said, "Our God whom we serve is ABLE TO DELIVER US; . . . and HE WILL DELIVER US out of thy hand, O king." And now, with a changed view, and to some extent a changed heart, Nebuchadnezzar made his seventh utterance: "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." And he issues another decree, that no one shall say aught against the God that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego worshiped.
He had not yet learned the whole lesson. God must still further deal with him, till he knows what religious freedom is; but he had taken one great step forward, and the lesson which God gave him is a lesson which the rulers of earth need to-day, — that it is in vain to endeavor to force men to worship, that conscience and conviction are stronger than the sword. In the words of James Russell Lowell, it was "truth in the fiery furnace," it was "wrong upon the throne," but the truth in the fiery furnace was stronger than the monarch on his throne. The king's decree was wrong. In it the God of Daniel was "protected" by the human decree. He did not need it. No true worship needs human protection. It is the duty of governments to protect alike the worshiper and the non-worshiper AS MEN; but governments should not intermeddle with religion. Sometimes God's martyrs who look beyond any petty patriotism are not delivered from the temporary threatenings; sometimes they go down to death; sometimes they suffer from the misguided zeal of those who feel that their creed and their country and their laws must be supported, protected, shielded, observed, at any cost. But God cares for them just as truly as He did for the Hebrews in the furnace, and the form of the Fourth is still with them as they go into the grave. He marks their resting-place. He Himself has passed through all the terrors of death, He has immortality and life awaiting on the other side. It is for the individual to choose whether he will accept God's view of the kingdom of men, ever changing until it comes to naught before the coming of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords; or whether he will accept man's view, which must certainly perish. Christ's kingdom is forever.
