1. Daniel
Chapter 3
The events in this chapter foreshadow the resistance of the Jews to the worship of the Antichrist during the coming Great Tribulation period. King Nebuchadnezzar is a symbol of the Antichrist. The three Hebrew men that God protected in the furnace represent the 144,000 Jews God will seal and protect during the Tribulation. The golden image represents the image of the Antichrist that will be set up in the rebuilt Jewish temple. The fiery furnace represents the Great Tribulation. Daniel represents the Church, which will not be around during the Great Tribulation

2. Daniel Introduction Organization Historical Chapters 1-6
Deported as a teenager
Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream
Bow or Burn; The Furnace
Nebuchadnezzar's Pride
The Fall of Babylon
The Lions Den
Daniel’s Vision
Chapter 3 follows chapter 2 – connection? It is a response to chapter 2
Between the vision of Nebuchadnezzar in the second chapter and that of Daniel in the seventh, four narratives of Daniels and his friends’ personal history are introduced.

3. Study facts about Daniel:
The second and seventh chapters go together
The third and sixth chapters go together
The fourth and fifth chapters go together

4. Cuneiform tablets in British Museum
A revolt in 596 B.C. may have
set the stage for the wide scale reaffirmation and swearing allegiance in support of Nebuchadnezzar.
Cuneiform tablets in British Museum

5. Daniel 3:1 The King’s Golden Image
Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, the height of which was sixty cubits and its width six cubits; he set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon.
All gold, no allusion to a successor as in the dream statue.
Maybe years later? Traditions and children had grown.
There seems to be a connection to Chapter 2 in that the king seems to have made the image of gold in defiance of the prophecy that his kingdom would one day fall to the Medo-Persian empire.
“Dura” = “enclosed by a wall”;
There is a lot of speculation of the location of Dura, it may have been 6 miles SE of Babylon.

6. The “golden idol” was actually wood overlaid with gold.
Idols overlaid with gold are mentioned in Isaiah 40:19 and Isaiah 41:7. Jeremiah describes the same process (Jer. 10:3-9). The appearance of the image, however, was much the same as if it were solid gold.

7. King Nebuchadnezzar had an image constructed 90 feet high and 9 feet wide, to which the entire nation was commanded to bow down. This was an act of worship to an idol.

8. Daniel 3:2
Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent word to assemble the satraps, the prefects and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates and all the rulers of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.

9. Daniel 3:2 Princes: satraps or counselors who had access
to the king at all times
Governors: segan lieutenants, viceroys, nobles of the various provinces
Captains: pashas; deputy rulers of outlying provinces or leaders of armies
Judges: adargazar assistants to the king in making laws
Treasurers: qedabar those in charge of the treasure houses
Counselors: detabar lawyers; judges
Sheriffs: tiptay supreme masters; civil magistrates
Rulers of provinces: state and civil officers and various wise men

10. Notice that the government is well organized. They sent out invitations. This is similar to what will follow in the great kingdom of Persia.
The difference is that Nebuchadnezzar is the sole power. Later, under Persia, the nobles and the princes share power with the king. In Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar’s word was law.

11. Daniel 3:3
Then the satraps, the prefects and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates and all the rulers of the provinces were assembled for the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
The were to bow in an attitude of devotion. Whatever the king approved of, they all approve of. There is no stability of principle in the ungodly.

12. In the plains of Dura, where great multitudes might easily be gathered, and behold the idol lifted up on high, conspicuous to all; they beheld it with admiration, ready to adore it, in obedience to the king's will and pleasure, for whatsoever pleased him pleased them.

13. Daniel 3:4-5
4 Then the herald loudly proclaimed: “To you the command is given, O peoples, nations and men of every language, 5 that at the moment you hear the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery, bagpipe and all kinds of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king has set up.
Plural of nations, and languages, different ones.
An interesting thing to me is the size of the image. A lot of people attack the Book of Daniel and want to believe that it was written much later, after the breakup of the Roman Empire of Alexander the Great. As I look at this, however, I find a lot of historical evidence that it is correctly placed (as the Bible says) in the sixth century B.C. One reason I think this is the size of the image. Notice that it is ninety feet high by nine feet thick. A cubit is about a foot and a half. That estimate would be about 4,320 cubic feet of gold! That’s a lot of gold. They used it profusely. The size of the image tells us that the Babylonians did not use the Greek system of ten which we still use in our multiplication tables. The Babylonian system was built on sixes. How interesting then to find the image sixty cubits high and six cubits thick. This is one big image, but the Colossus of Rhodes was bigger. So the fact of an image this size in the ancient world is not a surprise.
Heralds were employed by kings to announce decrees, and to proclaim their coming (Malachi 3:1; Isaiah 40:3). Otherwise they were used to proclaim the opening of games, the name and country of the contestants, and the rules of the contest.
Noah was a herald or a preacher of righteousness before he became a shipbuilder (2 Pet 2:5)

14. Nebuchadnezzar had a special announcement made about the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery. The Babylonians loved music.
Notice: All that was required of them was a gesture of worship, without oral profession.

15. Ten Commandments Honor thy father and thy mother.
Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Thou shalt not worship any graven image.
Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.
Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy.
Honor thy father and thy mother.
Thou shalt not murder.
Thou shalt not commit adultery.
Thou shalt not steal.
Thou shalt not bear false witness.
Thou shalt not covet.
Honor thy father and thy mother.
Thou shalt not murder.
Thou shalt not commit adultery.
Thou shalt not steal.
Thou shalt not bear false witness.

16. The three Hebrews (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego) therefore could not bow down to this idol.
Worshipping idols is what got the Hebrews in trouble with God in the first place…idol worship is why they were in captivity in Babylon.

17. Daniel 3:6
But whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire.”
The king says clearly he wants to make sure everyone understands. This is an Execution Furnace!

18. Still used in modern Iraq: discovered in the 1990s. Dr
Still used in modern Iraq: discovered in the 1990s. Dr. Ron Charles (furnace designer for Owens Corning Corporation) approx. a two-story structure, 32 ft. high, 20 ft. wide inside the chamber.

19. Daniel 3:7
Therefore at that time, when all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery, bagpipe and all kinds of music, all the peoples, nations and men of every language fell down and worshiped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.

20. The people did what the king a demanded, the penalty was severe for not doing so. There was great fear of this king, he had a reputation for carrying out his threats.

21. Daniel 3:8
For this reason at that time certain Chaldeans came forward and brought charges against the Jews.
[Jews] Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego (Daniel 3:12). For some unknown reason, Daniel and other Jews were left unnoticed or they were not present at this dedication.

22. Daniel 3:9-10
9 They responded and said to Nebuchadnezzar the king: “O king, live forever! 10 You, O king, have made a decree that every man who hears the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery, and bagpipe and all kinds of music, is to fall down and worship the golden image.
customary greeting to flatter the king, sounds strange.

23. Daniel 3:11
But whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire.
It is interesting that these accusers go through the whole story as to remind the king of the seriousness of the situation, knowing that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego were known and appreciated by the king.

24. Apparently Daniel was somewhere else in the realm on business for the king, since he was not present at the unveiling of the golden image.
In fact, Daniel is not even mentioned in this chapter. For the first time in our story, his three friends are on their own. But because Daniel had exerted such great moral and spiritual influence on his companions, compromise with foreign gods was out of the question.

25. However, these three faithful Hebrews would pay a terrible price for not bowing to the image. King Nebuchadnezzar would try to have them executed.

26. Daniel 3:12
There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the administration of the province of Babylon, namely Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. These men, O king, have disregarded you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up.”

27. 1) They showed disregard for the king’s authority.
The charge made against the three Hebrews was three-fold:
1) They showed disregard for the king’s authority.
2) They did not serve his gods.
3) They would not bow down to the image.

28. The Chaldeans wise men owed their lives to Daniel and his friends
The Chaldeans wise men owed their lives to Daniel and his friends. Had Daniel not revealed the king’s dream and its meaning to Nebuchadnezzar, all of the wise men of the land would have been put to death.
Now, they show their gratitude by pointing out the disobedience of the three Hebrews to the king.

29. Bowing before an image expressly prohibited in the Torah: Ex 20:4,5;
Daniel 3:13
Then Nebuchadnezzar in rage and anger gave orders to bring Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego; then these men were brought before the king.
Bowing before an image expressly prohibited in the Torah: Ex 20:4,5;
Lev 26:1; Deut. 16:22.
Remember how angry Nebuchadnezzar could get and what he was capable of doing and how the people feared him in that regard.

30. Lev. 26:1 - ‘You shall not make for yourselves idols, nor shall you set up for yourselves an image or a sacred pillar, nor shall you place a figured stone in your land to bow down to it; for I am the Lord your God.

31. Daniel 3:14
Nebuchadnezzar responded and said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up?
His threat to have them thrown into the fire was delayed, he may not have really believed it.
He is giving them a second chance similar to Joseph story where Potifer didn’t have Joseph killed only through him into prison.

32. Daniel 3:15
Now if you are ready, at the moment you hear the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery and bagpipe and all kinds of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, very well. But if you do not worship, you will immediately be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire; and what god is there who can deliver you out of my hands?”

33. The king, who had appointed these men to their high positions, probably valued their service.
Realizing his reputation was at stake, he gave them, before all present, a second chance. He would instruct the orchestra to play once more, and if they bowed down, the matter would be forgotten.

34. What the king said next proves to be the most significant statement to come from his lips: “What god is there who can deliver you out of my hands?”
He was soon to find out. Like Pharaoh of old, he would learn that the God of Israel is to be heard and obeyed; the God of Israel is able to deliver His people.

35. Daniel 3:16-17
16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter. 17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king.

36. Note how carefully they answered the king and how confident they were that their God was able to deliver them from the king.
Whether He would or would not though, one thing was made clear: they would not serve idols or bow down in worship to the image. They took the ten commandments very seriously.

37. Daniel 3:18
But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

38. The response of the three Hebrews may at first seem to be too abrupt and even disrespectful. Translation: “we are not going to do it - O King”
“Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him: but I will maintain mine own ways before Him.” Job 13:15 Also, Acts 4:19.

39. Acts 4:13,  Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus…18 And when they had summoned them, they commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; 20 for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

40. There is a strong note of irony here
There is a strong note of irony here. The Jewish captives of Babylon are in bondage because of their idolatry (see Isaiah 2; 30:19-22; 31:7; Jeremiah 8:19; Ezekiel 5:1-12; 6:1-10; 14:1-5; 16:15-23; 20:39-40; 22:1-4; 23).

41. Israel was commanded not to make or worship idols, on penalty of death
Israel was commanded not to make or worship idols, on penalty of death. Until their Babylonian captivity, they persisted in their idolatry. Idolatry was one of the reasons for their being in Babylon.

42. Daniel 3:19
Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with wrath, and his facial expression was altered toward Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. He answered by giving orders to heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated.

43. Seven times?...We can almost see the redness of Nebuchadnezzar’s face when he hears these men will not obey this command, even if it means the furnace.
Many of his subjects must have been looking on. The orchestra was set, ready to play once again. All of Babylon’s political leaders were assembled, ready to bow down once again. The masses stood by too, ready to bow as well. Only these three Hebrews would not bow down.

44. When the king, full of rage, commanded the furnace to be heated seven times hotter than usual, he only magnified God all the more (Daniel 3:19,25-28). The fire was so hot that it killed those putting the men in the furnace (Daniel 3:22).

45. Daniel 3:20
He commanded certain valiant warriors who were in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego in order to cast them into the furnace of blazing fire.
It sounds like it was his very best troops that were to cast them into the fiery furnace.

46. Daniel 3:21
Then these men were tied up in their trousers, their coats, their caps and their other clothes, and were cast into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire.
All this should have caught fire quickly but instead there was not even the smell of smoke on them when they came out (Daniel 3:27).

47. Daniel 3:22
For this reason, because the king’s command was urgent and the furnace had been made extremely hot, the flame of the fire slew those men who carried up Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego.
Apparently, the men who were killed, were the best and strongest men the King had.

48. Daniel 3:23
But these three men, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, fell into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire still tied up.

49. The three Hebrews, bound tightly and still in their festive dress, had to be carried to the furnace and then thrown in.
The fire was so intensely hot that those charged with the unpleasant task of throwing the men into the fire were consumed by the flames which belched from the furnace.

50. These three men did not stand a “a chance,” unless their God was able to deliver them. They were cast into the top of the furnace, bound hand and foot.

51. Daniel 3:24
 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astounded and stood up in haste; he said to his high officials, “Was it not three men we cast bound into the midst of the fire?” They replied to the king, “Certainly, O king.”

52. The king’s vantage point must have afforded him a view of the furnace from below so that he could look into the flames through the bottom door where fuel and air were introduced. With utter amazement, the king looked inside. He was astonished!

53. While the executioners were slain by the flames, the three Hebrews were not. They were walking about inside the furnace. Their bonds had been loosed, but the flames did them no harm.

54. Literally, “a son of deity”
Daniel 3:25
He said, “Look! I see four men loosed and walking about in the midst of the fire without harm, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods!”
Literally, “a son of deity”

56. “is like a son of gods” “a son of deity” - that is, a Divine person or angel; and so the king calls him in Daniel 3:28; : "God has sent his Angel, and delivered his servants.“
A single angel from heaven was quite sufficient to save, the same stopped the mouths of the lions when Daniel was cast into their den.

57. The theological question remains…who was the 4th person in the furnace
The theological question remains…who was the 4th person in the furnace? There are two ideas as to who the “son of the gods” was:
1) he was an angel of the Lord, whether one of the angels of high rank or not is uncertain (Dan. 10:13, 21 regarding Michael, the archangel) and he is called an angel in verse 28 (position held by Jewish expositors); or
2) this was a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus (position of early Christian expositors).

58. Daniel 3:26
Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the furnace of blazing fire; he responded and said, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, come out, you servants of the Most High God, and come here!” Then Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego came out of the midst of the fire.

59. It seems a little strange he didn’t invite the fourth person that he saw out also. Drawing near to the door of the furnace, Nebuchadnezzar called into the flames, telling the men to come out. He referred to these men not only by name, but also as “servants of the Most High God.”

60. The king and his officials now witnessed the full extent of the miracle God had performed in their sight. The clothing nor the bodies of the men had been harmed, their hair had not been singed; their clothing was not damaged. There was not even the smell of smoke to be detected. Their deliverance could not have been more complete. The only thing they lost in those flames were the ropes which bound them.

61. Daniel 3:27
 The satraps, the prefects, the governors and the king’s high officials gathered around and saw in regard to these men that the fire had no effect on the bodies of these men nor was the hair of their head singed, nor were their trousers damaged, nor had the smell of fire even come upon them.

62. Four miraculous things:
1. Their bodies were immune to fire.
2. No hair of their head was singed.
3. Their garments were not burned.
4. No smell of smoke was upon them.

63. Daniel 3:28
Nebuchadnezzar responded and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, who has sent His angel and delivered His servants who put their trust in Him, violating the king’s command, and yielded up their bodies so as not to serve or worship any god except their own God.

64. Nebuchadnezzar was at least a man to recognize superiority
Nebuchadnezzar was at least a man to recognize superiority. He always acknowledged God when His power was manifested (Daniel 2:47; Daniel 3:28; Daniel 4:34).

65. Daniel 3:29
Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation or tongue that speaks anything offensive against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego shall be torn limb from limb and their houses reduced to a rubbish heap, inasmuch as there is no other god who is able to deliver in this way.”

66. The rivals’ plot had backfired. Nebuchadnezzar is a mover and a shaker
The rivals’ plot had backfired! Nebuchadnezzar is a mover and a shaker. A decree against any word of slander against God is rare.
Do not speak against - Though by the decree the king does not oblige the people to worship the true God, yet he obliges them to treat him with reverence.

67. Daniel 3:30
Then the king caused Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego to prosper in the province of Babylon.

68. The Missing Element: Where’s Daniel? Why wasn’t Daniel in the furnace?
This was the second promotion for the three Hebrew companions of Daniel (Daniel 2:49; Daniel 3:30).
The Missing Element: Where’s Daniel?
Why wasn’t Daniel in the furnace?

69. The Book of Daniel does not tell us where Daniel was at the time the three young men were cast into the furnace, so that information is unavailable to us.
However, it could be noted that if Daniel had been included in this scene, and so cast in the fire, then the very similar drama of his being cast into the lion's den would be lessened.

70. Let the righteous remember the fiery furnace and with boldness proclaim the name of Jesus!

71. End of Daniel Chapter 3