Daniel 3: Matthew Henry & the Three Holy Children

 

Matthew Henry’s (1662 – 1714) List of Seven Reasons why bowing-down to the King’s Idol might have seemed advantageous to the Three Holy Children (summarized and adapted):

 

1.       They weren’t required to renounce their own God, and neither were they required to verbally profess faith in the idol. They were only required to bow down before it. Sin minimized.

 

2.       This bowing was only a momentary act; they were not required to embrace idolatry as an ongoing way of life. They could have quickly bowed, and then later on sought God’s forgiveness (1 John 1:9). Sin a little now and patch things up with God later.

 

3.       They could have rationalized this momentary disobedience by observing that they were under duress, and that an all-powerful sovereign had ordered them to do it. The “Nuremberg” Defense; they were just following orders.

 

4.       The king had been their benefactor, to whom they owed much; surely a little bit of compromise and flexibility was in order if it demonstrated their gratitude and preserved the king from further embarrassment. Be reasonable!

 

5.     It might be deemed excusable to adhere to local custom and “Do as the Romans Do,”  particularly within the context of a strange and distant culture.  “They might be excused if they should go down the stream, when it is so strong.”  Concession to the demands of popular culture.

 

6.       Compared to acts of their leaders and ancestors, such as the sinful kings of Judah (e.g., Manasseh) who engaged in gross idolatry—even defiling the Temple itself—their small act of compromise would seem like “small potatoes” in comparison. If “everyone else” is doing it, what’s the big deal, anyway? Keep it in proportion!

 

7.     Pragmatism: What possible good could they do for the Hebrew people if they were dead? On the other hand, if they remained alive and in high office, everyone would profit in the end. The ends always justify the means.

 

In the end, however, they rejected them ALL in favor of ONE REASON: God said NO!

 

Ex. 20:1-6: ¹And God spoke all these words, saying: ²" I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. ³" You shall have no other gods before Me. ⁴" You shall not make for yourself a carved image --- any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; ⁵you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, ⁶but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.