“They spoke and said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, live forever! You, O king, have made a decree that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, shall fall down and worship the gold image; and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.” Daniel 3:9-11
The wicked men who see an opportunity to advance their careers by
destroying other people’s reputations approach the king. They see no downside to their behavior, in fact they likely feel righteous in correcting what they see is an affront to the king – besides it will show they are very loyal to the king (something he is obviously seeking) and put themselves in a position to be rewarded or promoted.
They spoke and said to King Nebuchadnezzar They take their accusation to the king himself. They do not trust this to an intermediary. They want to be sure the king remembers them.
“O king, live forever! While this is a common salutation to royalty we can almost hear the flattery drip off their words. They are there not just to report a crime against the king but to enhance their own standing. David knew this kind of person. “They speak falsehood to one another; With flattering lips and with a double heart they speak. May the Lord cut off all flattering lips, the tongue that speaks great things.” Nebuchadnezzar listens to their words but never discerns their motive.
You O king, have made a decree They remind the king of his words and in doing so make the offense personal. While he thinks they are providing facts, they are in reality building a case to gain the condemnation of the ones they despise.
That everyone They remind the king his decree has no exceptions. Everyone was required to obey his command. This is the same approach used when Daniel is accused of praying late in his life – the law applies to everyone, no exceptions. There s nothing to protect these violators (but God!).
Who hears the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music They remind the king there was no confusion, no excuse about not understanding what or when
was to happen. The king made it very clear when obedience was to occur.
Shall fall down The king also made very clear what was to happen. The word fall down is translated ”to provide” in Ezra. The act of falling down was an act of worship and homage to the image.
Worship the gold image The accusers make it clear what the offense is – the refusal to worship to the image. This refusal is unpatriotic, disloyal and disobedient. They accuse these three Jewish men of having no allegiance to Babylon.
Whoever does not fall down and worship Then the accusers remind the king of the penalty he himself has established for those who refused his decree.
Shall be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace Here is the judgment the world desires for believers who will not conform to its
practice – cancellation, silence, even death if they can get away with it. We see this in our country today: threats, cancellation of speech and silencing are in place. The move to the death penalty is on the horizon. Note the accusers repeat the words, “burning fiery furnace”. The words burning and fiery are repetitive but are used to strike terror in the hearts of non-conformists. Threats are ratcheted up to ensure that every knee is forced to bow to Satan.
What can we learn. Remember these Chaldeans were part of the group Nebuchadnezzar purposed to kill before Daniel saved
them. That is forgotten. They did not set up the test but they are opportunists. They find out a way to elevate themselves and
eliminate the competition. So they gleefully use this opportunity to point out the believers’ disobedience and call for their death. Many think the world will loves, protect and admire them if they stand for God. He shows us the truth through this story. The Chaldeans point their fingers gleefully. Away with these unpatriotic offenders! As with all tests, this one looks dire at tis moment but God is still in control.