Series: Dog Daze
Jeremiah 4:5-8 ESV
Jeremiah 4:13 ESV
*Daniel 3:1-12 ESV
Daniel 2:36-45 ESV
Daniel 3:8-15 (Description of events)
Speaking of Dawg Daze, Israel sure had their share of being tested.
It seems like what happened to Israel was unbearable. But before we look at that, we need to go over what had gone on in the region.
History books tells us that Babylon became a great empire around 1900 B.C.E. in southern Mesopotamia. The Old Babylonian Empire dates from 2000 to 1600 B.C.E.
Hammurabi was the ruler who established control in the region and he was a key figure in the Babylonian Empire. King Nebuchadnezzer II is also a notable king in the Babylonian Empire.
About the same time the Assyrian Empire was located north of the Babylonian Empire.
Just to put it into context, the area of Babylonian today is located near Baghdad, Iraq.
(https://study.com/academy/lesson/ancient-babylon-history-timeline-hanging-gardens.html#:~:text=Old Babylonian Period (ca.,Kassite and Elamite Rule (ca.)
King Nebuchadnezzer and conquering neighboring countries, including Israel lived with the impact of the Babylonian Empire.
In 587 B.C. King Nebuchadnezzer II attacked the Kingdom of Judah and it’s capital city of Jerusalem.
History tells us He seized the brightest and the best of Israel. Clearly the king had use for them in his empire. He left behind many women and older men of Israel. In Jeremiah 4:5-8 Nebuchadnezzer was referred to as, the destroyer of nations (see vs. 7).
“Declare in Judah, and proclaim in Jerusalem, and say,
“Blow the trumpet through the land; cry aloud and say,‘Assemble, and let us go into the fortified cities!’
Raise a standard toward Zion, flee for safety, stay not,for I bring disaster from the north, and great destruction.
(7) A lion has gone up from his thicket, a destroyer of nations has set out; he has gone out from his placeto make your land a waste; your cities will be ruins without inhabitant.
For this put on sackcloth, lament and wail,for the fierce anger of the Lord has not turned back from us.”
The Prophet Jeremiah also prophesied in Jeremiah 4:13,
“Behold, he comes up like clouds; his chariots like the whirlwind;his horses are swifter than eagles— woe to us, for we are ruined!”
God clearly warned Israel of the coming destruction. The intent of the prophecy was that they would turn to God. Some say Israel’s refusal to care for the marginalized (orphans, widows, and powerless immigrants) was the focus.
The words of the Prophet Daniel were written later in the Sixth Century B.C. (600 B.C. To 501 B.C.)
Daniel was captured and taken to Babylon in 605 B.C. by King Nebuchadnezzer II. He was still living when they were conquered by the Medes and Persians in 539 B.C.
We are told in Daniel 3:1-12, “Therefore at that time certain Chaldeans came forward and maliciously accused the Jews. They declared to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, live forever! You, O king, have made a decree, that every man who hears the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, shall fall down and worship the golden image. And whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into a burning fiery furnace. There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men, O king, pay no attention to you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”
Being accused when you are perceived as being on the wrong side of the fence can be very difficult to deal with. See, in Daniel 2 the King had a dream and he didn’t understand the dream so he called all of the wise men together and asked them what the dream meant. But, here’s the catch the King refused to tell them any of the details about the dream.
The wise men tried to get more information but the king refused. Daniel heard about an unknown dream and he told his buddies about the unknown dream and they prayed. That night Daniel had a vision and just as the wise men of Babylon were about to be destroyed for not helping the king, Daniel showed up and told the King the God in heaven revealed the meaning of the dream to him. Daniel told him he saw the an image made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, and clay. Then there was a stone not made by humans that broke the statue and the stone became a mountain.
Daniel also told the King (Daniel 2:36-45) the meaning of the dream. As a result Daniel was promoted and Shadrach Meshach, and Abednego were given the job of taking care of the province of Babylon. As Daniel 3 opens we are told the king made a huge image of gold and placed it on the plain of Dura (Daniel 3:1) and everyone was ordered to worship the golden image. Because Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego worshiped THE God of heaven and earth, they refused to bow down to the golden image.
When the King heard about it he told the three care takers of the province that if they didn’t bow down they would be thrown into the fiery furnace (Daniel 3:15). That put Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in a tight spot.
However, at this point we need to pause and note that worshipping of a statue was not unusual in Babylon. Bowing down in public was expected, and being burned in the furnace was customary.
We also need to note that the Chaldeans’ reason for setting Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego up to the King was not unusual. In other words what the King commanded, the King got.
The accusation that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were “not paying attention” to the King was also quite expected.
What was NOT expected was that someone…anyone would put their God first.
That wasn’t something they expected.
Spiritual Practice: Stand Up
Is standing up for Jesus as important today? Why?
In God, Deborah
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