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More Daniel commentaries
Daniel 1:1-7
Daniel Taken to Babylon
Daniel 1:8-21
Daniel’s Faithfulness
Daniel 2:1-13
Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream
Daniel 2:14-23
God Reveals Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream
Daniel 2:24-35
Daniel Explains The Dream
Daniel 2:36-43
Daniel Gives a Prophetic Outline of The Dream
Daniel 2:44-49
Daniel is Promoted
Daniel 3:1-7
Nebuchadnezzar’s Golden Statue
Daniel 3:8-18
Daniels’s Friends Disobey The King
Daniel 3:19-30
Saved In a Fiery Trial
Daniel 4:1-18
Nebuchadnezzar’s Second Dream
Daniel 4:19-27
Daniel Explains Nebuchadnezzar’s Second Dream
Daniel 4:28-37
Nebuchadnezzar’s Humiliation
Daniel 5:1-16
King Belshazzar’s Banquet
Daniel 5:17-31
Daniel Interprets The Handwriting
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Daniels’s Friends Disobey The King
Daniel 3:8–18
» View this passage in NIV (Bible Gateway)
Two shopkeepers were bitter rivals. Their stores were directly across the street from each other, and they would spend each day keeping track of each other’s business. If one got a customer, he would smile in triumph at his rival. One night an angel appeared to one of the s … More
Some Babylonians used this as a chance to accuse the Jews to King Nebuchadnezzar (v. 8). They said, “ Your Majesty, we hope you live forever (v. 9)! When the three Hebrew youths refused to bow, the Chaldeans, the very people whose lives had been spared because of the prayer meeting of Daniel and these three youths, ran and told the King (vv. 10-12). Probably these men were jealous of Daniel and his friends because of their elevation to a high office that perhaps they had hoped to secure for themselves. Sad to say this sometimes is found all to often today, even among Christians. Are you ready to take a stand for God? If so be ready. It may not always have a happy ending.
The king became very angry as he could not understand how anyone could disobey his commands so he called for the three Hebrew leaders to be brought to him (v. 13). These three men were given one more chance to bow down before the golden image as the music is played (vv. 14-15). Howevever for them to bow down and worship the image would violate God’s command in Exodus 20:3 “You shall have not other gods before Me.” Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were pressured to deny God, but they chose to be faithful to Him no matter what happened! They trusted God to deliver them, but they were determined to be faithful regardless of the consequences (vv. 16-18). We should be faithful to serve God whether He intervenes on our behalf or not. Our eternal reward is worth any suffering we may have to endure.
Application
I must never allow myself to become jealous of someone who receives recognition and things that I would like to have. It would be so easy for Satan to gain victory in my life in this way.
Daniel 3:8-18 (English Standard Version)
Therefore at that time certain Chaldeans came forward and maliciously accused the Jews. They declared to King Nebuchadnezzar, "O king, live forever! You, O king, have made a decree, that every man who hears the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, shall fall down and worship the golden image. And whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into a burning fiery furnace. There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men, O king, pay no attention to you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up." Then Nebuchadnezzar in furious rage commanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought. So they brought these men before the king. Nebuchadnezzar answered and said to them, "Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up? Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, well and good. But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?" Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up."
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