Thoughts for the Day

King Nebuchadnezzar made a golden statue and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. Then King Nebuchadnezzar sent for the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counsellors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces, to assemble and come to the dedication of the statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.... Then the herald proclaimed aloud, ‘You are commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, that when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, drum, and entire musical ensemble, you are to fall down and worship the golden statue that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. Whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire.’

Then certain Chaldeans came forward and denounced the Jews. They said, ‘There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These pay no heed to you, O king. They do not serve your gods and they do not worship the golden statue that you have set up.’

Nebuchadnezzar said to them, ‘Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods and you do not worship the golden statue that I have set up? If you do not worship, you shall immediately be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire, and who is the god that will deliver you out of my hands?’

They answered the king, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to present a defence to you in this matter. If our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire and out of your hand, O king, let him deliver us. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods and we will not worship the golden statue that you have set up.’

Then Nebuchadnezzar was so filled with rage... that he ordered the furnace to be heated up seven times more than was customary, and the men were bound, and were thrown into the furnace of blazing fire.... Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and said to his counsellors, ‘Was it not three men that we threw bound into the fire? But I see four men unbound, walking in the middle of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the fourth has the appearance of a god.’ Nebuchadnezzar then approached the door of the furnace of blazing fire and said, ‘Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!’ And the king’s counsellors gathered together and saw that the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men. Nebuchadnezzar said, ‘Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants who trusted in him. They disobeyed the king’s command and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God. Therefore I make a decree: Any people, nation, or language that utters blasphemy against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins; for there is no other god who is able to deliver in this way.'

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

Nebuchadnezzar II, was the second king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, ruling for 43 years, and is famous among other things for the important part he played in Jewish history. He was to capture Jerusalem on 16th March 597 BCE and deport its leaders to Babylon. Jewish history records today's reading in the book of Daniel, written in the Second century BCE, of events that happened almost four centuries earlier.

The repetitive phrases have the feeling of a story, and because I have shortened the very long account, you might want to check the full reading for the repetitions (Daniel 3 ). Nevertheless this is the kind of thing that the powerful king of Babylon, steeped in blood, could have easily done, even though he had temporarily accepted God earlier when Daniel interpreted the king's dreams (Daniel 2). God, however, gave Nebuchadnezzar a second chance.

There are two lessons to learn from this story. First, God gives us further chances to get things right. Second, we should consider the strength of our faith - where would we draw a line, today and bravely stand up and to be counted?

Father God,
we ask Your forgiveness for our sins,
and ask You to give us another chance.
May we also have sufficient faith
to stand up for You
when others disparage You
or push us to reject You.
Help us to grow stronger in faith
and have the courage to be a beacon to others.
Amen.