Deeper Commentary

 

Dan 3:1 Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits, and its breadth six cubits-

The LXX adds a time note, "In his eighteenth year", suggesting this was done just after he had conquered Jerusalem. Dan. 4:22 LXX adds: "Your works were seen, how you ravaged the house of the living God pertaining to the sins of the sanctified people". The chief deity of Babylon was Marduk who was considered to be the “god of gold”. Herodotus described the image of Marduk as a golden statue seated upon a golden throne before a golden table and a golden altar. Pliny also notes that the robes of Marduk’s priests were interlaced with gold.

The statue seems out of proportion of a man, as the height is so much greater than the width. But we could deduce from this that the human figure was therefore presented seated on a throne. Nebuchadnezzar was presenting himself as the eternally enthroned ruler. The 60 cubits breadth figure recalls the size of the temple, as also recorded in Chaldee in Ezra 6:3: “Let the house be builded, the height thereof threescore cubits, and the “breadth” thereof threescore cubits". We get the impression from this that Nebuchadnezzar was purposefully trying to subvert Yahweh worship, and his proclamation was surely intended to expose the Jews. For all other pagans felt free to worship other gods in a situation like this. Only the Jews were exclusive about whom they worshipped.

The dimensions reflect how Babylon used a sexagesimal system [counting based around sixes] rather than a decimal one [based around tens]. The figure 666 in Rev. 13 therefore points us to a figure who epitomizes Babylon. The breadth is out of proportion to its height- like the kingdoms and glory of men it symbolized, it was fragile and unstable, and easily toppled. He was attempting to deconstruct the image made of various metals, insisting that he as the head of gold would in fact be eternal and not followed by other kingdoms. What he did therefore reveals his humility before Daniel in Dan. 2 as just the passing humility of a desperate moment. We too have seen this in our own lives; humility before God and His people is soon replaced by a return to visions of our own strength. This image becomes the prototype for "the image of the beast" to be established in the last days by a latter day Nebuchadnezzar (Rev. 13:14,15; 14:9,11). Those of the last days who are victorious over the beast and his image are therefore represented by the three friends (Rev. 15:2). They are to be no mere Sunday School story for us, but real and actual prototypes of us all in the last days.

He set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon- This is the same word used of how the entire image "stood" (:31), and of how Nebuchadnezzar blasphemously set or stood up another image all of gold, representing himself (Dan. 3:1,2,3,5,7,12,14,18), as if the image he saw would not have its fulfilment, but he would last for ever. The entire image therefore represents the kingdoms of men which are to become the kingdoms of our God and of His Christ (Rev. 11:15). The same word is used throughout Dan. 7 concerning how the various beasts all 'stand', as if on their legs as men, but are brought down to nothing. The apocryphal book of Judith claims Nebuchadnezzar at this time attempted "to destroy all the gods of the land, so that all nations should worship Nebuchadnezzar only, and all their tongue and tribes should call upon him as god" (Judith 3:8).

"Set up" is same word used of how God would set up or "make arise" another kingdom after Nebuchadnezzar, and finally "set up" His eternal Kingdom (Dan. 2:39,44). Nebuchadnezzar clearly wanted to show that he didn't believe this. He didn't want the Jews nor anyone else to use the Dan. 2 image dream as encouragement to overthrow him. No fewer than eight times is the word used of the image which Nebuchadnezzar set up (Dan. 3:1,2,3,5,7,12,14,18). And it is used of how Babylon would be removed "and shall not arise" (Jer. 51:64) because they had stood up or arose against Yahweh (Jer. 51:1 s.w.). This was part of the oracle which Jeremiah had given Seraiah to pronounce in Babylon, and surely news of it had reached Nebuchadnezzar's ears. Setting up or making to arise his own image was his vain answer to it.  

There are clear similarities with the making of the tower of Babel, also on a "plain" in Babylon (Gen. 11:1,2). The connection shows that Nebuchadnezzar's image was likewise a brazen defiance of Yahweh. As the peoples of "the whole earth" were gathered in the plain Gen. 11:1, so the peoples of all the earth / land were gathered together to the image in the plain, quite possibly the same plain (:2).

Dan 3:2 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- "Rulers of the provinces", implying a gathering of the leaders of the entire empire. This was how insistent Nebuchadnezzar was to demonstrate on a huge scale that he as the head of gold would in fact be immortal; his idea was that he would not be destroyed nor cede power to another empire, as the vision of Dan. 2 required. He would be the entire image; and he wished to make that point to all levels of society. For "governors" LXX gives 'chiefs of the nationalities', as if Nebuchadnezzar was gathering together representatives of all ethnic groups, and thereby proclaiming himself worthy of their praise. Clearly he was presenting himself as Yahweh. The idea of "dedication" definitely has a religious connotation (Num. 7:10,84,88; 2 Chron. 7:9; Ps. 30:1). He was setting himself up as a god, to be worshipped. This is why every time when the golden image is mentioned, the king is mentioned with it (Dan. 3:13,5,7,10,12,14,15,18). Repeatedly we are told in these verses that it is Nebuchadnezzar who made or set up the image. He is so emphasized. "Nebuchadnezzar" occurs in verses 1,2 (2X),3 (2X),5,7,9,13,14,16,19,24,26,28 – 15 times; and "the king" in verses 1,2 (2X),3,5,7,9 (2X) ,10,12,13,16,17,18,22,24 (3X),28,30 – 21 times. It was all about him. He assembled representatives from throughout the empire and basically demanded them to take an oath of loyalty to him. This could well reflect his paranoia about losing power or disloyalty, as discussed on Dan. 2 in considering why he was suspicious of the wise men and so eager to kill them. The Babylonian Chronicle records various rebellions against Nebuchadnezzar. Clay tablets have been uncovered which record the execution of people for disloyalty and attempted insurrection. All this fear of losing power reflects his lack of acceptance of the Divine plan- to remove him and all men from power, and replace them with His eternal kingdom.

Jer. 51:59-64 records how Zedekiah king of Judah was summoned to Babylon, presumably to declare or demonstrate his loyalty to Babylon. He went there along with Seraiah, who was commanded to read out a condemnation of Babylon by Jeremiah and then throw it into the Euphrates. Quite possibly Nebuchadnezzar was aware of this, and was now seeking to ensure that the Jews were actually loyal to him: "The word which Jeremiah the prophet commanded Seraiah... when he went with Zedekiah the king of Judah to Babylon in the fourth year of his reign... Jeremiah wrote in a book all the evil that should come on Babylon... Jeremiah said to Seraiah, When you come to Babylon, then see that you read all these words, and say, Yahweh, You have spoken concerning this place to cut it off, that none shall dwell therein, neither man nor animal, but that it shall be desolate forever. It shall be, when you have made an end of reading this book, that you shall bind a stone to it, and cast it into the midst of the Euphrates:  and you shall say, Thus shall Babylon sink, and shall not rise again because of the evil that I will bring on her". In Jer. 28, just a year or so after Zedekiah's visit to Babylon, Hananiah gave his false prophecy that the Jewish exiles would return from Babylon within 2 years. This must have seemed credible, and it was credible because of the evident weaknesses within Babylon. And these scared Nebuchadnezzar.

Dan 3:3 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 to the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up- This gathering together of people from throughout the empire would have taken time; and so the three friends had plenty of opportunity to plan their course of action. Their devotion was therefore not the zeal of a moment, but a consciously planned willingness to lay down their lives for the one true God. The fact they alone of all the Jews did so makes their bravery the more significant; for it is hard to live on a high level of dedication when our brethren consider it unnecessary and foolhardy. The same had happened over the matter of refusing the king's meat.

Dan 3:4 Then the herald called aloud, To you it is commanded, peoples, nations, and languages- The assembled crowd were told to bow down to it whatever nation or language they were from. The idea was that the local rulers of the provinces from throughout the empire may have been local men; and that perhaps there was to be a moment of bowing down observed throughout the empire. This was not merely a local event in the province of Babylon. The idea of a herald calling out a call to worship to all "peoples, nations and languages" is similar to the heralding of the Gospel of the true Kingdom of God to all peoples. Nebuchadnezzar was a fake God, an imitation Christ, a prototype of the latter day antiChrist.

Dan 3:5 That whenever you hear- "Whenever" suggests the call to worship was not just a one time event; to build a huge image for just one usage would not be justifiable. There was to be a period of regular worship of this image, perhaps throughout the empire.

The sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe, and all kinds of music, you fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king has set up- This combination of instruments suggest that the music was associated with religious ritual. The latter day demand to worship the image of the beast will likewise be a specifically religious matter, and it will be consciously designed to deconstruct the claims of the God of Israel. Nebuchadnezzar had fallen down and worshipped Daniel (s.w.) in Dan. 2:46; now he commands everyone to fall down and worship himself. He was perhaps now angry with Daniel because of the interpretation given.

Dan 3:6 And whoever doesn’t fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace- Remains of such a furnace have been found in the plain of Dura; it was a kind of 'Gehenna', a burning place for rubbish, and again Nebuchadnezzar is set up as an anti-God, an anti-Christ, playing God, assuming the power of condemnation for not worshipping him. However, it has also been noted that in Babylon, death by burning was uncommon at the time. Although in their mythology, "fire was used in Persia to test the truth of a religion and its followers, as in Zoroaster’s walk through fire". And so Nebuchadnezzar's theology was turned against itself, for the friends came through the fire unharmed and thereby vindicated their God. It seems this was a specially built furnace- the heat and fire of which reflected Nebuchadnezzar's internal anger. He was furious with the implications of the Dan. 2 vision. And again we note the bravery of Daniel in telling him the interpretation, knowing this would be his likely reaction. It also points up how his humility before Daniel was the humility of a moment. And his gratitude and respect were because Daniel knew his dream, rather than because of the interpretation. The interpretation was in fact obvious... and I have suggested that the king knew the dream and had not in fact forgotten it at all.

Burning with fire so far in the Bible has always been for sexual matters- Tamar's presumed prostitution in Gen. 38:24; for prostitution (Lev. 21:9) and incest (Lev. 20:14). Nebuchadnezzar was apparently considering that any worship of any other god was the vilest perversion. And he is alluding to how his god Marduk supposedly burnt his enemies in fire. In Dt. 4:20, 1 Kings 8:51 and Jer. 11:4, Egypt is metaphorically an “iron blast furnace”. Perhaps this connection was perceived by the friends, and the Divine deliverance from Egypt encouraged them to believe they could likewise be saved from this literal furnace. Faith is so often based upon such reasoning from Biblical precedent. In this faith comes by hearing the word of God, and we find indeed that whatever was written before was that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. And in turn, the friends became representative of all God's people. For the prophets of the time spoke of how all Israel in exile were to be "tested you in the furnace of adversity” (Is. 48:10), seeing that His anger is presented as a smelting process to refine His people (Ez. 22:18,20,22). Likewise Is. 31:9, in which Yahweh’s “fire is in Zion” and His “furnace is in Jerusalem”.

Yahweh’s anger is a “smelter.”

Dan 3:7 Therefore at that time, when all the peoples- LXX "all the nations". The impression is given of Nebuchadnezzar seeking to preside over an imitation Kingdom of God, comprised of peoples from all nations; his proclamation to worship his statue, presenting himself as the eternal Kingdom, then would become a parody of the proclamation of the good news of the true Kingdom to "all the nations". We note here how "all the nations" means 'representative people from all nations', and this is how we are to understand the language of preaching to "all nations", and "all nations" coming before the judgment seat.

Heard the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe, 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- The record of their obedience to the commandment exactly matches the record of the commandment. This kind of total obedience to "the image of the beast" is to be seen in the last days too.

Dan 3:8 Therefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and brought accusation against the Jews- The Chaldeans were the supposed interpreters of dreams, bitter and jealous that they had been unable to interpret the dream of Dan. 2. Instead of being grateful to their Jewish saviours, as often happens when we do good to others, they wanted to spite them. They wanted to support the king' position that in fact the interpretation of the image had in fact been faulty, because the head of gold was going to last for ever.

We note the strong similarities between the friends being "cast" into the fiery furnace, and Daniel being "cast" into the den of lions. In both cases they had disobeyed an edict from the king that demanded false worship. In both cases they are reported to the king by jealous contemporaries and "accused" (Dan. 3:8; 6:25). In both cases, an Angel saves them (Dan. 3:28; 6:23). Those who try to harm them are harmed in that same way [death by lions / fire]. Both kings (Nebuchadnezzar and Darius) rise in alarm (Dan. 3:24; 6:20), approach the place of destruction (Dan. 3:26; 6:21), address the Jews by their names, and then use the same term to describe them: “servants of the Most High God” (Dan. 3:26) and “servant of the living God” (Dan. 6:21). The kings both command the Jews who had survived death to then come out and approach them. We naturally enquire why there are these parallels. It could be that Daniel had somehow saved himself from having to stand up for his faith in the events of Daniel 3, for Daniel's absence from the story is strange. But he was made to fellowship the sufferings of his friends in a remarkable way.

Dan 3:9 They answered Nebuchadnezzar the king, O king, live for ever- This was no formal greeting; the message of the all gold image was that the head of gold (Nebuchadnezzar) would last for ever. And they supported this.

Dan 3:10 You, O king, have made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe, and all kinds of music, shall fall down and worship the golden image- The recorded Biblical history of the restoration often records how the rulers made decrees. Those decrees were considered to be effectively the word of a divine being, unable to be altered, and absolutely certain. But the record shows the tension between the word of the true God, and that of men. The changing of those decrees, or issuing decrees which superseded them, all indicates that their claim to being the Divine word was simply untrue.

Dan 3:11 And whoever doesn’t fall down and worship shall be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace- This is a similar idea to how the beast of the last days is to be destroyed and his "body destroyed and given to the burning flame" (Dan. 7:11). Clearly, what the beast seeks to do to God's people shall be done to it. This is why the series of judgments recorded in Revelation are so similar, e.g. the seals and vials. The idea is that what the latter day abusers do to God's people is done to them; they are  punished with their own judgments.

Dan 3:12 There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king, have not respected you. They don’t serve your gods, nor worship the golden image which you have set up- The bitterness of the Chaldeans or magicians / dream interpreters is again apparent. The three Jews had been placed over Babylon as reward for interpreting the dreams which the Chaldeans had been unable to interpret, and so these failed men were jealous and bitter. "Have not respected you" is a three word phrase used again in the accusation against Daniel in Dan. 6:13. It seems that he went through the very same experience in essence. Perhaps he sought to discreetly and tactfully get himself out of the situation; but maybe he later regretted it, and so the hand of providence enabled him to pass through the same situation in essence in the events of Dan. 6.

Dan 3:13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king- "Rage" is only once used elsewhere, again in a restoration context, regarding the rage of God at Judah's disobedience and unfaithfulness to Him (Ezra 5:12). Nebuchadnezzar was again playing God, as if obedience to him was critical, and he had the right to judge as God. The original word for "fury" is likewise used of God's fury against Judah at the hands of the Babylonians (Is. 51:17; Dan. 9:16).

Dan 3:14 Nebuchadnezzar said to them, Is it on purpose, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you don’t serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?- "Is it on purpose?" supports the suggestion on :28 that the friends purposefully made some sign of worship of their God instead of bowing to the image. Presumably the other Jews, and perhaps Daniel, had been tacitly allowed by the king to be absent; but these three were "on purpose" making a point, and that was what so irritated the king. We can debate the extent to which we too should 'make a point' regarding our separation from the world, or act like the other Jews and possibly Daniel did at this time. The case of John the Baptist rebuking Herod for his marriage would be another analogous situation to consider. And we should entertain the possibility that Daniel at this point was weaker in faith than his friends, and symbolically went along with it all. And yet when the decree was given forbidding prayer, Daniel like the friends, and doubtless inspired by their example, chose to 'make a point' by opening his windows and praying towards Jerusalem in full view of his critics. We see here how faithful examples do inspire others to act likewise, at later points in their lives.

Dan 3:15 Now if you are ready whenever you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe, and all kinds of music to fall down and worship the image which I have made, well: but if you don’t worship, you 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?- The list of musical instruments is repeated four times (:5,7,10,15). It's hard to understand why there is this emphasis, but one suggestion is that all those instruments being played at the same time would not have produced a pleasant symphony of sound but rather a cacophony of confused noise. Possibly the instruments were chosen as representative of all the ethnicities gathered to swear loyalty to Nebuchadnezzar. He had declared Israel's God as "God of gods" in Dan. 2:47, but he assumed now that he was more powerful than any god, including Yahweh, and no god could save a person from the fiery furnace. The Babylonians worshipped fire, and Nebuchadnezzar is arguing that the God of Israel was no match for the gods of fire. The king's anger was doubtless because he had promoted these Jews, despite this being an affront to Babylonian culture and religion; and now they had apparently betrayed his trust. He therefore gave them a second chance, because he maybe didn't want to destroy them immediately, despite his anger.

Dan 3:16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered the king, Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter- The idea is that they weren't interested in the offer of a second chance; it had taken time to gather together the leaders of the empire, and they had in that period made their minds up and would not flinch from the possible consequences. "In this matter" may stress the "this". They would be obedient in any other matter but not this. Just as we are to obedient to all we're asked to do, so long as it doesn't conflict our conscience to the Lord. "We have no need / we aren't careful to answer you" reflects how utterly confident they were of their position, holding it without any internal wranglings of conscience nor interpretation.

Dan 3:17 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 your hand, O king- The essence of their faith was that "God is able", whether or not He chose to exercise His power in the matter at that time in that way. And they would still serve a God who doesn't always do what He is able to do, and what we would wish Him to do in the immediacy of the moments of trial. Their words are cited back to them by the king in :29 when he recognizes that indeed, their God "is able to deliver" in a way no other deity could.

The friends speak of two deliverances- from the furnace, and from the king. "One of the goals of burning is the absolute annihilation of a person; not only is their body destroyed, but as smoke they cannot enter and rest in the netherworld".  In The Epic of Gilgamesh Gilgamesh asks, “Did you see the man who was burnt to death?”. Enkidu replies that he did not, because the spirits of those burned with fire are not in the netherworld. The friends are surely saying that their God will in fact "save" them. Even if they are not saved from the hand of the king.

Dan 3:18 But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods, nor worship the golden image which you have set up- Even if God doesn't 'come through' as we expect and believe, all the same, we are to live by His principles and serve Him alone. Even if He slays us, we are to trust in Him (Job 13:15). "Though the fig tree doesn’t flourish, nor fruit be in the vines" (Hab. 3:17), if the promised blessings for obedience don't come through, still we are to rejoice in Him. The worship of the image was more than a merely symbolic gesture; it was somehow connected with serving the king's gods. He obviously thought that the version of history suggested by Israel's God in chapter 2 was going to be overthrown by the power of his gods, who would make him, the golden head, have an eternal kingdom. So to worship the image was to accept servitude to the king's gods.

God's forgiveness and salvation can never be presumed upon; even if we are genuinely repentant. For the wages of sin has always been death (Rom. 6:23); we as sinners have no right to life. This is a theme stamped right across the Old Testament. Consider: "You have sinned a great sin. Now I will go up to Yahweh. Perhaps I shall make atonement for your sin" (Ex. 32:30). "Hate evil, love good, and establish justice in the courts. It may be that Yahweh, the God of Armies, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph" (Am. 5:15). “Rend your hearts and not your clothing. Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious... Who knows whether He will not turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him?” (Joel 2:13,14). "Let them turn each one from his evil way... Who knows whether God will not turn and relent, and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we might not perish?" (Jonah 3:8,9). Possibly we could add Esther 4:14 to this list: "Who knows if you haven’t come to the kingdom for such a time as this?". This is why Daniel's friends can reason: "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" (Dan. 3:17,18). They believed in Yahweh's salvation, but were quite prepared not to receive it. They knew that His ability to dramatically save them at that moment was not at all certain of fulfilment for them. The same words "is able" and "save" are used by Darius in Dan. 6:21 when he again expresses a doubt as to whether God is able to save in this case: "Was the God whom you served so regularly able to deliver you from the lions?". Against all this we must balance the fact that those in Christ have been given the "right" to be God's children (Jn. 1:12). But the bold confidence we have in the Lord Jesus must somehow never fail to be nuanced by an awareness of our total unworthiness and inability to presume upon God's forgiveness.

Dan 3:19 Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and his face changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego- This could mean that his face was filled with rage. But to change face toward someone means to change attitudes. This king had promoted these men on the basis of their part in obtaining the interpretation of the dream in Dan. 2. And the king appears to have liked them; but all that changes now. His respect for them turns to burning anger. The friends didn't fear his fury, and the restored Judah collectively are urged not to fear the fury [s.w.] of their oppressor but rejoice that God will enable the restoration of Israel's Kingdom (Is. 51:13). The friends are set up as the pattern for all God's people.

Therefore he commanded that they should heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated- LXX "until it should burn to the uttermost". Fire burning to the uttermost is the picture of Divine wrath in judgment. Again, Nebuchadnezzar is portrayed as setting himself up as God, feeling that he alone was responsible for human condemnation, instead of continuing to be humbled by the vision of Dan. 2. There was no way of measuring how much a furnace had been heated before, nor of accurately multiplying that by seven. So we can assume this is an example of numbers being used in a non-literal sense; although the allusion may be to the Babylonian belief in seven gods and seven planets. Again, the king would be saying that the faithful three were to experience the full wrath of the Babylonian gods. The incident therefore reveals the triumph of Yahweh over all their false gods, which would explain the king's proclamation concerning the supremacy of Israel's God.

Dan 3:20 He commanded mighty men who were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to throw them into the burning fiery furnace- The dragon, symbol of the latter day entity persecuting God's people, is to be bound and thrown to condemnation (Rev. 20:2). What was done to God's people is to be done to them, which explains the similarities between the seals [what was done to God's people] and vials [poured out upon their persecutors] in Revelation. See on :22.

Dan 3:21 Then these men were bound in their trousers, their tunics, and their mantles, and their other garments, and were thrown into the midst of the burning fiery furnace- Perhaps the function of the text's stress upon their clothing was because it was untouched by the fire, and this was in reality the most convincing proof of their deliverance (:27).

Dan 3:22 Therefore because the king’s commandment was urgent- LXX "Forasmuch as the king's word prevailed". The prevailing of the king's word could suggest that there was some opposition generally to the idea. This is the background for the comment in :28 that the friends "changed the king's word" (AV). The king's word was pitted against God's word, and God's word prevailed.

And the furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego- We noted on :20 that what was done, or intended to be done, to God's people is what happens to their abusers. This is a major theme in the prophets, and will be the basis for the nature of the Divine judgments upon the latter day beast.

Dan 3:23 These three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace- Like us at times, they were in the fire but not consumed by it, not even their clothes; recalling the burning bush unconsumed. We have here a primary fulfilment of Is. 43:2: "If thou go through fire, thou shalt not be burned; the flame shall not burn thee". This is in the context of a prophecy of how the Jews could have been restored from Babylon, and the Kingdom of God re-established as Israel's kingdom, replete with a Messiah figure. But the Jews generally preferred to remain in Babylon; what happened to the friends could have developed into a total restoration of Israel. But the potential prophecy didn't come true because of Israel's indolence, and so the ultimate fulfilment has been delayed until our last days.

Dan 3:24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste- LXX "And Nabuchodonosor heard them singing praises". The LXX includes the prayer of praise of Azarias. We recall how the prison keeper heard the praises sung by Paul and Silas. To praise God in the face of suffering and death is surely the ultimate reflection of faith in Him and loving trust in Him. perhaps their example inspired Paul and Silas, just as faithful examples may inspire later believers to act likewise.

He spoke and said to his counsellors, Didn’t we throw three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered the king, True, O king- "We throw" shows the king's total identity with the men who had actually throw the friends into the furnace. But those men had been slain by the flames.

Dan 3:25 He answered, Look, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are unharmed; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods- This was an Angel, and not the Lord Jesus personally; see on :28. The LXX gives aggelos, "Angel". I have noted several times on this chapter that the Babylonian belief in the god of fire was being deconstructed; and "Son of the gods" could in fact be a reference to Iz-bar ["bar" = "son"], the god of fire. In this case, the allusion would reflect how in fact the god of fire was under Divine control and rendered powerless to destroy the Jews.

Dan 3:26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace: he spoke and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, you servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out of the midst of the fire-

"Abednego" means 'servant of Nego'. The irony is that the king recognizes that in actuality, this man is a servant of the most High God- not Nego. The renaming hasn't worked, nor has it broken Abednego's relationship with his own God.  

This coming out of fire is the historical pattern for the statement that "Your people shall be delivered" (Dan. 12:1); again, the friends are set up as the pattern for God's people of the latter day tribulation. "The most high God" is quite an admission from Nebuchadnezzar. He is recognizing that whether or not his gods really existed, without doubt the God of Israel was the highest. It was God's intention that this man should indeed come to recognize that He is the most high (Dan. 4:17). But again, Nebuchadnezzar's appreciation of this was only momentary, for he needs to be taught this reality again by his illness and humiliation. When we are brought to such deep spiritual realizations, we must pray earnestly that we continue in them and not experience them as merely passing moments.

Dan 3:27 The satraps, the deputies, and the governors, and the king’s counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, that the fire had no power on their bodies, nor was the hair of their head singed, neither were their clothes changed, nor had the smell of fire passed on them- As they had been "gathered together" to the image, now they were "gathered together" to see these men. Perhaps the function of the text's stress upon their clothing in :21 was because it was untouched by the fire, and this was in reality the most convincing proof of their deliverance. The Babylonians worshipped the gods of fire, and so the stress that the fire had no power was effectively revealing the bankruptcy of their entire belief system. That no "smell of fire" was upon them would then speak of their total disassociation with the Babylonian religious system. Again, the friends are held up as our pattern for faith in Heb. 11:34- by faith they quenched the violence of fire.

Dan 3:28 Nebuchadnezzar spoke and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent His angel- This shows Nebuchadnezzar recognizing that an Angel had been physically sent to Daniel and his friends in the fiery furnace. It seems that great stress is placed in Scripture on the Angels physically moving through space, both on the earth and between Heaven and earth, in order to fulfil their tasks, rather than being static in Heaven or earth and bringing things about by just willing them to happen. See on Gen. 18:10. The Lord Jesus was not an Angel, as Heb. 1 demonstrates at length; the one like a son of the gods was therefore an Angel and not the Lord Jesus personally, who wasn't then in existence.

And delivered His servants who trusted in Him, these who have set aside the king’s command, and have yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God- LXX "Changed the king's word", just as Daniel did to him (Dan. 2:21). This repetition of situation was surely in order to get Nebuchadnezzar to repent; we marvel that God made such efforts to convert this man, as He did with Pharaoh, when we would likely have considered such a person just not worth the effort in trying with. It would seem that the friends went beyond simply not bowing down to the image, but instead yielded their bodies to Yahweh and made some act of homage towards Him, perhaps like Daniel later, praying toward Jerusalem rather than falling before the image. They did this on purpose (:14), to make a point. "Set aside" can also mean "to despise", as the Peshitta renders it. The king is therefore accepting that his word had been despised, and Yahweh's word had prevailed. He reaches an impressive point of humility, although as we learn in Dan. 4, he didn't remain at that level but returned to pride. Just as we too so often experience humility as only a passing condition, in time of crisis, when it ought to remain a permanent characteristic.

The same word for "change" [NEV "set aside"] is found in :27, where their coats were not "changed" by the fire. Likewise because they "yielded their bodies" to Yahweh, the fire "had no power on their bodies" (:27). As ever in Daniel, we see the theme of total contrast and conflict between the believer and the world.

Isaiah 43 is a mockery of Babylon's gods, and urges all God's people to pass through the fire, knowing God is with them (Is. 43:2; Ps. 66:12). All the exiles, indeed all God's people, are to in essence pass through that the friends did. And be delivered.

Dan 3:29 Therefore I make a decree, that every people, nation, and language, which speak anything evil against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a compost heap; because there is no other god who is able to deliver after this sort- The Babylonian gods were not saviours; Nebuchadnezzar here recognizes that the God of Israel is essentially a saviour, and we see that supremely articulated in His work through His Son Jesus, Yah's salvation. The same word for "able" is later used to Nebuchadnezzar in warning him that God is "able" to abase him if he continues in pride (Dan. 4:37). We marvel at God's continued and constant efforts to convert the king; He taught Nebuchadnezzar that He was indeed "able" to do all things; and then goes on to warn him that He therefore is "able" to abase him, if he continues in pride.

Dan 3:30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon- LXX adds: "And gave them authority to rule over all the Jews who were in his kingdom". The ministers for Jewish affairs were themselves Jews.