Matthew Henry Commentary Daniel 3
Matthew Henry Commentary
Daniel 3
Matthew Henry Commentary
Daniel 3
"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. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the satraps, the deputies, and the governors, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. Then the satraps, the deputies, and the governors, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, were gathered together unto the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. Then the herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up; and whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. Therefore at that time, when all the peoples heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of music, all the peoples, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up." — Daniel 3:1-7 (ASV)
The height of the image, about thirty yards, probably included a pedestal, and it was most likely covered only with plates of gold, not made of a solid mass of that precious metal.
Pride and bigotry cause rulers to require their subjects to follow their religion, whether right or wrong. When worldly interest allures and punishment overawes, few refuse.
This compliance is easy for the careless, the sensual, and the infidel, who are the greatest number; and most will thus continue in their ways.
There is nothing so bad that the careless world will not be drawn to by a concert of music, or driven to by a fiery furnace. By such methods, false worship has been set up and maintained.
"Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and brought accusation against the Jews. They answered and said to Nebuchadnezzar the king, O king, live for ever. Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music, shall fall down and worship the golden image; and whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, shall be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. There are certain Jews whom thou hast appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. Then Nebuchadnezzar in [his] rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. Then they brought these men before the king. Nebuchadnezzar answered and said unto them, Is it of purpose, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, that ye serve not my god, nor worship the golden image which I have set up? Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made, [well]: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that god that shall deliver you out of my hands? Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer thee in this matter. If it be [so], our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace; and he will deliver us out of thy hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up." — Daniel 3:8-18 (ASV)
True devotion calms the spirit, quieting and softening it, but superstition and devotion to false gods inflame men's passions. The matter is put concisely: Turn, or burn. Proud men are still ready to say, like Nebuchadnezzar, "Who is the Lord, that I should fear his power?" Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did not hesitate whether they should comply or not.
Life or death were not to be considered. Those who would avoid sin must not negotiate with temptation when what allures or frightens us is clearly evil. Do not pause to consider it, but say, as Christ did, Get thee behind me, Satan. They did not devise an evasive answer when a direct answer was expected. Those who make their duty their main concern do not need to be anxious or fearful about the outcome.
The faithful servants of God find him able to control and overrule all the powers armed against them. Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst. If He be for us, we need not fear what man can do unto us. God will deliver us, either from death or in death. They must obey God rather than man; they must rather suffer than sin; and must not do evil that good may come.
Therefore, none of these things moved them. Saving them from sinful compliance was as great a miracle in the kingdom of grace as saving them from the fiery furnace was in the kingdom of nature. Fear of man and love of the world, especially a lack of faith, make men yield to temptation, while a firm persuasion of the truth will deliver them from denying Christ or being ashamed of him. We are to be meek in our replies, but we must be resolved that we will obey God rather than man.
"Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego: [therefore] he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace seven times more than it was wont to be heated. And he commanded certain mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, [and] to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. Then these men were bound in their hosen, their tunics, and their mantles, and their [other] garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Therefore because the king`s commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste: he spake and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the aspect of the fourth is like a son of the gods. Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace: he spake and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, ye servants of the Most High God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego came forth out of the midst of the fire. And the satraps, the deputies, and the governors, and the king`s counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, that the fire had no power upon their bodies, nor was the hair of their head singed, neither were their hosen changed, nor had the smell of fire passed on them." — Daniel 3:19-27 (ASV)
Let Nebuchadnezzar heat his furnace as hot as he can; a few minutes will finish the torment of those cast into it, but hellfire tortures and yet does not kill. Those who worshipped the beast and his image have no rest, no pause, no moment free from pain, Revelation 14:10–11. Now that great promise from Isaiah 43:2 was literally fulfilled: When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned.
Leaving it to that God who preserved them in the fire, to bring them out, they walked up and down in their midst, supported and encouraged by the presence of the Son of God. Those who suffer for Christ have his presence in their sufferings, even in the fiery furnace and in the valley of the shadow of death. Nebuchadnezzar acknowledges them as servants of the Most High God, a God able to deliver them out of his hand.
Our God alone is the consuming fire, Hebrews 12:29. If only we could see into the eternal world, we would behold the persecuted believer safe from the malice of his foes, while they are exposed to the wrath of God and tormented in unquenchable fires.
"Nebuchadnezzar spake and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king`s word, and have yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God. Therefore I make a decree, that every people, nation, and language, which speak anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill; because there is no other god that is able to deliver after this sort. Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego in the province of Babylon." — Daniel 3:28-30 (ASV)
What God did for these His servants would help to keep the Jews faithful to their religion while in captivity and to cure them of idolatry. The miracle brought deep convictions to Nebuchadnezzar. But no abiding change then took place in his conduct. He who preserved these pious Jews in the fiery furnace is able to uphold us in the hour of temptation and to keep us from falling into sin.
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