DANIEL 3
8 Therefore at that time certain Chaldeans came forward and maliciously accused the Jews. 9 They declared to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, live forever! 10 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. 11 And whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into a burning fiery furnace. 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, pay no attention to you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in furious rage commanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought. So they brought these men before the king. 14 Nebuchadnezzar answered and said to them, “Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up? 15 Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, well and good.[c] But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?” – Daniel 3:8-15
DANIEL 3 PLOT AGAINST DANIEL’S FRIENDS
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
When envy strikes an ungodly man, he begins to sow seeds of evil
Because jealousy begets other sins, he opens doors for the devil
He begins to plot against those whom they are insecure about
They feel entitled to clamor for what others have or possess.
The theme of this account has to do with the sin of envy. When Daniel and his friends were given positions in the King’s court, all eyes were on these young men. As servants of God, we will encounter envy from unbelievers. Because they do not have the favor and the blessings that are given to those who love the Lord, these people are teeming with jealousy and envy against them. So, these Chaldeans who noticed that Daniel’s friends didn’t bow down to the King’s golden image, they found an opening to plot to kill them by reporting to the king that they weren’t following the rule to bow down to the image.
REFLECTION
- Cite some instances in the bible when envy led to other sins.
