John Calvin Commentary Daniel 3:1

"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." — Daniel 3:1 (ASV)

It is very probable that this statue was not erected by King Nebuchadnezzar quickly, as the Prophet does not mention how many years had passed; for it is unlikely that it was erected soon after he had confessed the God of Israel to be the Supreme Deity.

Yet, as the Prophet is silent on this, we do not need to discuss the matter. Some of the rabbis think this statue was erected as an expiation, as if Nebuchadnezzar wished to avert the effect of his dream by this charm, as they claim. But their guess is most frivolous. However, we may ask whether Nebuchadnezzar deified himself, truly erected this statue to Bel (the principal deity of the Chaldeans), or invented some new-fangled divinity.

Many lean towards the opinion that he wished to include himself among the deities, but this is not certain—at least, I do not think so. Nebuchadnezzar seems to me, rather, to have dedicated this statue to some of the deities. However, since superstition is always joined with ambition and pride, it is very likely Nebuchadnezzar was also induced by vainglory and luxury to erect this statue.

Whenever the superstitious incur expense in building temples and in making idols, if anyone asks their purpose, they immediately reply, "We do it in honor of God!" Yet, at the same time, they are all promoting their own fame and reputation. All the superstitious consider God’s worship worthless and instead wish to acquire favor and esteem for themselves among people.

I readily admit this was Nebuchadnezzar’s intention, and indeed, I am nearly certain of it. But at the same time, some pretense of piety was joined with it, for he pretended that he wished to worship God. Therefore, what I mentioned earlier also becomes clearer: King Nebuchadnezzar was not truly and sincerely converted but rather remained entrenched in his own errors, even when he attributed glory to the God of Israel.

As I have already said, his confession was limited, and he now betrays what he harbored in his heart. For when he erected the statue, he did not revert to his true nature; rather, his impiety, which was hidden for a time, was then revealed. For that remarkable confession could not be accepted as proof of a change of heart.

Therefore, everyone would have said he was a new man, if God had not wished to make it plain that he was held bound by the chains of Satan and was still a slave to his own errors. God then wished to present this example to show that Nebuchadnezzar was always impious, although through compulsion he gave some glory to the God of Israel.

Prayer:

Grant, Almighty God—since our minds have so many hidden recesses that nothing is more difficult than thoroughly to purge them from all deceit and falsehood—grant, we pray, that we may honestly examine ourselves. Shine upon us also with the light of Your Holy Spirit; may we truly acknowledge our hidden faults and put them far away from us, so that You may be our only God, and our true piety may obtain the palm of Your approbation. May we offer You pure and spotless worship; and meanwhile, may we conduct ourselves in the world with a pure conscience. May each of us be so occupied in our duties as to seek our brother’s advantage as well as our own, and at last be made partakers of that true glory which You have prepared for us in heaven through Christ our Lord. Amen.

[Exposition continues from previous day's lecture]

We began in the last lecture to discuss the Golden Statue which Nebuchadnezzar erected and placed in the plain, or open country, of Dura. We stated that this statue was erected for a religious reason, while the ambition of that king or tyrant held full sway—a characteristic we may always observe in the superstitious.

For although they always profess the name of God and persuade themselves that they are worshipping God, yet pride always impels them to desire the approbation of the world. Such was the desire of King Nebuchadnezzar in erecting this statue, as its very magnitude shows. For the Prophet says, the height of the statue was sixty cubits, and its breadth six cubits. Such a massive structure must have been very expensive, for the image was made of gold.

Probably, this gold was acquired by much robbery and plunder; but whether it was so or not, we can see here, as I have said, the profane king worshipping God in such a way as to spread the memory of his own name to posterity. The region in which he placed the image seems to imply this.

Undoubtedly, the Prophet here indicates some well-known place that people used to visit for trade and other necessities. But as far as the king’s special intention is concerned, we stated that the conjecture of those who think the statue was erected for the sake of expiating his dream is unfounded.

It is more probable, since the Jews were dispersed throughout Assyria and Chaldea, that this image was erected to prevent those foreigners, who were exiles from their country, from introducing any new religious ideas. This conjecture carries some weight, for Nebuchadnezzar knew the Jews were so attached to the God of their fathers as to be averse to all the superstitions of the Gentiles.

He feared, therefore, that they might lead others to their own opinions, and he wished to counteract this by erecting a new statue and commanding all his subjects to bow down to it. Meanwhile, we see how quickly the acknowledgment of Israel’s God—whose glory and power he had so recently celebrated—had vanished from his mind! Now this trophy was erected to his own shame, as if he had been vanquished along with the idols of the heathen.

But, as we have said elsewhere, Nebuchadnezzar never seriously acknowledged the God of Israel. By a sudden impulse, he was compelled to confess Him to be the Supreme and only God, though he was all the while immersed in his own superstitions. Therefore, his confession was more a result of astonishment and did not proceed from a true change of heart. Let us now continue.