They spake and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live for ever.
Daniel 3:9 is a formal, respectful and customary greeting of loyalty and honor addressed to Nebuchadnezzar. It was spoken by jealous Chaldean officials and influential advisers to gain audience to report and accuse Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego of disobeying the decree to worship the golden image. That image had been set up in the plain of Dura in renewed idolatry and self-exaltation after God had revealed Babylon as the head of gold, perverting that light to magnify the king himself and enforce worship by civil law. The youths' refusal placed human commands in direct opposition to God's law and shows that God's people must remain loyal to His commandments when human authority demands disobedience. Christ Himself walked with His faithful servants in the fiery furnace in wonderful deliverance that revealed God's power to an idolatrous nation, and their accusation prefigures a last-day conflict when flattering counsel will again use civil law to enforce false worship against those who hallow the Sabbath.
Greeting and Historical Setting
The words are a formal, respectful greeting of loyalty and honor addressed to Nebuchadnezzar, of the customary kind used when approaching the king, with no further meaning attached to the greeting itself. The speakers were Chaldean officials, the jealous wise men and influential advisers of the king. They used the greeting to come before him to report the matter of the three Hebrews, to accuse Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and the Jewish officials of disobeying his decree to worship the golden image. In doing so they set in motion a schemed plan to ensnare them and to make the Hebrew captives bow.
The setting is Nebuchadnezzar's renewed idolatry after he had acknowledged God's power, for his earlier fear of God had not cleansed his heart of ambition and self-exaltation. God had revealed through Daniel the dream of the great image, with Babylon as the head of gold and each following kingdom shown by a baser metal because nations separating farther from God decrease in value. Nebuchadnezzar perverted that light by his idolatrous mind, reading the interpretation in the light of his own dreams and fancies instead of reading his dreams in the light of the living oracles. Persuaded by influential men and pleased by the flattering speech of his heathen counselors, he was led to place himself before the people as an object of worship. He set up an exceedingly costly and magnificent golden image in the plain of Dura to represent the kingdom of Babylon and more particularly himself, his glory, and the excellency of Babylon. He supposed it had sufficient authority to convert all nations to its worship, to magnify himself, and to enforce worship by civil law commanding all to bow down.
Faithfulness and Final Conflict
The greeting belongs to the history of the Lord's wonderful deliverance of the three Hebrew worthies, which tested their integrity, made their loyalty to God clear, and showed an idolatrous nation the power and faithfulness of Israel's God. That history shows important principles regarding the working out of the Lord's purpose for the children of obedience and the children of disobedience. The king's decree put human commands in direct opposition to God's law, and the three youths refused to dishonor God by obeying it. Their refusal was a decision for or against the commandments of God and teaches that God's people must remain loyal to His commandments when human authority demands disobedience.
Christ Himself walked in the fiery furnace with His three faithful servants who would not bow the knee, and the miracle wrought upon Nebuchadnezzar's heart so that he believed in and acknowledged God and His superior power. King and subjects alike must not read the Scriptures and God's providences in the light of their dreams and fancies, but must read their dreams in the light of the living oracles. The episode shows God's purpose to come in close contact even with idolatrous minds to give them light. Cherishing the same self-exalting thoughts brings danger of setting God aside, trusting human wisdom, and passing through a trying experience. Pride still ends with the fall of Babylon in an hour of feasting and revelry, as it will be at the end of the world when students of God's Word work away from the world's customs and only the wise virgins with oil in their vessels with their lamps are prepared to meet the Bridegroom.
The giving over of innocent servants of God to humiliation and abuse by accusers filled with envy and religious bigotry and inspired by Satan will be repeated. The accusation on the plain of Dura prefigures flattering human counsel allied with wickedness using civil law to turn God's people from allegiance by enforcing Sunday worship as an idol sabbath in place of the Sabbath of the fourth commandment. Wrath will especially be aroused against those who hallow the Sabbath until at last a universal decree denounces them as deserving of death. Those who frame such cruel enactments to destroy the Lord's property are themselves destroyed by the recoil of their actions.
A like period to stand as the three stood will come in the Southern States in the work among the colored people. Until that time comes believers must not be presumptuous and teachers must not encourage a spirit of defiance and resistance, even under threat of the chain gang. They must withdraw to other cities or countries rather than close the way entirely.
Daniel 3:9 is a formal, respectful and customary greeting of loyalty and honor addressed to Nebuchadnezzar. It was spoken by jealous Chaldean officials and influential advisers to gain audience to report and accuse Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego of disobeying the decree to worship the golden image. That image had been set up in the plain of Dura in renewed idolatry and self-exaltation after God had revealed Babylon as the head of gold, perverting that light to magnify the king himself and enforce worship by civil law. The youths' refusal placed human commands in direct opposition to God's law and shows that God's people must remain loyal to His commandments when human authority demands disobedience. Christ Himself walked with His faithful servants in the fiery furnace in wonderful deliverance that revealed God's power to an idolatrous nation, and their accusation prefigures a last-day conflict when flattering counsel will again use civil law to enforce false worship against those who hallow the Sabbath.
Greeting and Historical Setting
The words are a formal, respectful greeting of loyalty and honor addressed to Nebuchadnezzar, of the customary kind used when approaching the king, with no further meaning attached to the greeting itself.
The speakers were Chaldean officials, the jealous wise men and influential advisers of the king.
They used the greeting to come before him to report the matter of the three Hebrews, to accuse Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and the Jewish officials of disobeying his decree to worship the golden image.
In doing so they set in motion a schemed plan to ensnare them and to make the Hebrew captives bow.
The setting is Nebuchadnezzar's renewed idolatry after he had acknowledged God's power, for his earlier fear of God had not cleansed his heart of ambition and self-exaltation.
God had revealed through Daniel the dream of the great image, with Babylon as the head of gold and each following kingdom shown by a baser metal because nations separating farther from God decrease in value.
Nebuchadnezzar perverted that light by his idolatrous mind, reading the interpretation in the light of his own dreams and fancies instead of reading his dreams in the light of the living oracles.
Persuaded by influential men and pleased by the flattering speech of his heathen counselors, he was led to place himself before the people as an object of worship.
He set up an exceedingly costly and magnificent golden image in the plain of Dura to represent the kingdom of Babylon and more particularly himself, his glory, and the excellency of Babylon.
He supposed it had sufficient authority to convert all nations to its worship, to magnify himself, and to enforce worship by civil law commanding all to bow down.
Faithfulness and Final Conflict
The greeting belongs to the history of the Lord's wonderful deliverance of the three Hebrew worthies, which tested their integrity, made their loyalty to God clear, and showed an idolatrous nation the power and faithfulness of Israel's God. That history shows important principles regarding the working out of the Lord's purpose for the children of obedience and the children of disobedience. The king's decree put human commands in direct opposition to God's law, and the three youths refused to dishonor God by obeying it. Their refusal was a decision for or against the commandments of God and teaches that God's people must remain loyal to His commandments when human authority demands disobedience.
Christ Himself walked in the fiery furnace with His three faithful servants who would not bow the knee, and the miracle wrought upon Nebuchadnezzar's heart so that he believed in and acknowledged God and His superior power. King and subjects alike must not read the Scriptures and God's providences in the light of their dreams and fancies, but must read their dreams in the light of the living oracles. The episode shows God's purpose to come in close contact even with idolatrous minds to give them light. Cherishing the same self-exalting thoughts brings danger of setting God aside, trusting human wisdom, and passing through a trying experience. Pride still ends with the fall of Babylon in an hour of feasting and revelry, as it will be at the end of the world when students of God's Word work away from the world's customs and only the wise virgins with oil in their vessels with their lamps are prepared to meet the Bridegroom.
The giving over of innocent servants of God to humiliation and abuse by accusers filled with envy and religious bigotry and inspired by Satan will be repeated. The accusation on the plain of Dura prefigures flattering human counsel allied with wickedness using civil law to turn God's people from allegiance by enforcing Sunday worship as an idol sabbath in place of the Sabbath of the fourth commandment. Wrath will especially be aroused against those who hallow the Sabbath until at last a universal decree denounces them as deserving of death. Those who frame such cruel enactments to destroy the Lord's property are themselves destroyed by the recoil of their actions.
A like period to stand as the three stood will come in the Southern States in the work among the colored people. Until that time comes believers must not be presumptuous and teachers must not encourage a spirit of defiance and resistance, even under threat of the chain gang. They must withdraw to other cities or countries rather than close the way entirely.