DANIEL 3
King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits and its breadth six cubits. He set it up on the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. 2 Then King Nebuchadnezzar sent to gather the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 3 Then the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces gathered for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. And they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 4 And the herald proclaimed aloud, “You are commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, 5 that when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. 6 And whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace.” 7 Therefore, as soon as all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, all the peoples, nations, and languages fell down and worshiped the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. – Daniel 3:1-7
DANIEL 3 MAKING AN IDOL
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
To create an idol for oneself is an abomination to the Lord
We bow down only to God and not to anything in this world
When we raise up anything to praise and worship
It is an insult to the Lord who is the Maker of all things.
In this account, we begin to know Nebuchadnezzar. He makes sure that he is the focus of attention and that whatever he creates, must be given adulation. We see in this narrative that he is a tyrant. He wants to be making all the rules and his people following whatever he imposes.
Nebuchadnezzar reminds me of Adolf Hitler who ensures that everyone salutes him and all that he stands for. If anyone disobeys him, they get killed. In Nebuchadnezzar’s case, they will be thrown in the fire and burned.
REFLECTION
· What are some human idols we make that we need to be watchful about?
