II. God’s Sovereignty
seen in His Control over World Empires (chapters 2-7).
B.
The Deliverance of Daniel’s Friends from the Fiery Furnace (3:1-30). A miracle—but no myth!
Various
Themes:
>God’s sovereign care for His people.
>The foolishness of idolatry.
>The fraudulent nature of state-directed
religion.
>The importance of trust in God’s plan.
>The ultimate triumph of God’s plan.
1.
The Golden Image (vv. 1-7).
v.1a:
“Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold…”
o
Dating the incident: No specific date ascribed (the LXX
places it in the king’s 18th year). Some suggest approx. 585 BC,
perhaps 17 years after the events of chapter 2 (602 BC), offering the following
reasons:
o There is a marked
change in Nebuchadnezzar’s attitude from chapter 2 towards Israel’s God.
o Jerusalem was finally
destroyed in 586 BC—perhaps discrediting the power of Israel’s God in the
king’s eyes (note 3:15).
o “…an image;” It is unstated as to
precisely what form the image took. Possibilities:
o
A
Babylonian deity—possibly Marduk.
o
Nebuchadnezzar
himself—or a representation of his empire, serving as a
nationalistic focal point.
o "of gold.” More likely, a gold-plated
image, as opposed to a solid one. “Golden” objects were often in fact,
overlayed with gold (cf., Ex. 39:38—the altar of incense). The vast quantities
of ore required, as well as the bulk weight of a solid gold statue, would
probably have made such an enterprise prohibitive.
o GOLD recalls the dream of chapter 2.
Nebuchadnezzar, years later, is still impressed by the Colossus of his
dream, and apparently attempts to duplicate its basic form, with this important
difference:
o
No
longer is the Head alone made of gold, but now, the entire image is gold!
o
The
form is suggestive of the idea & possibility that Babylon will endure eternally,
with no successor kingdoms—including the Divine Kingdom.
o
The
Times of the Gentiles will endure forever, in Nebuchadnezzar’s mind!
v.
1b: “…whose height was sixty cubits and its width six cubits.”
o Babylon employed the
earlier Sumerian sexagesimal (as opposed to decimal) system, with a base
of 60 (still seen, for example, in our reckoning of time: 60 minutes in an
hour).
o Converts to 90 ft. x
9 ft.!!!
o Question of proportions. The
average human body ratio is 5-to1; this was 10-to1! Possibilities:
1) an abstract grotesque; a very
skinny man?
2) a figure on a pedestal?
3) an obelisk or column of some sort?
o Question of height: possible for ancient
engineers? The ancient Colossus of Rhodes (c. 300 BC), one of the Seven Wonders
of the World, stood 105 ft.!
o
Would
have been brightly visible on a bare plane some 12 to 15 miles!
v.
1c: “He set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.”
o
Dura: uncertain locale, but perhaps to be identified with the Tells
of Dura six miles southeast of Babylon, where various structures may possibly
be related to this account.
o
An
ominous reminder of Gen. 11:3: the Tower of Babel was built on “a
plain in the land of Shinar.”
o
There
are disturbing parallels between Nebuchadnezzar’s unifying and universalist
intentions here, and those of Nimrod at Babel—foreshadowing those of the
End-Time Antichrist.
There
is probable End-Time typology within the image.
o
Note
its association with Babel/Babylon, serving as a world unifying
image.
o
Its
measurements (60 x 6) recall the number 6—symbolic number of
humanity (cf., Rev. 13:18).
o Man was created upon
the sixth day; the number six falls short of seven—a number of completion,
symbolizing Divine perfection.
o A gold-plated image that
is less than what it appears—an apt symbol for the Kingdom of Man!
o
The
Antichrist & the False Prophet will also set-up an image (Rev.
13:14-15).
o Nebuchadnezzar’s image
perhaps serves as a preview of the Abomination of Desolation of Antiochus IV
Epiphanes (Dan. 9:27, 11:31—an image of Zeus placed within the Temple—which, in
turn, foreshadows the future Abomination of Desolation of the Antichrist (Dan.
12:11, Matt. 24:15).
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