The three heros of Daniel three still inspire us today to stand up for our faith like they did, even if we are unpopular or strange for doing so. Don’t miss this amazing practical lecture on Daniel 3!

<p>The three heros of Daniel three still inspire us today to stand up for our faith like they did, even if we are unpopular or strange for doing so. Don’t miss this amazing practical lecture on Daniel 3!</p>

<p>Free sharing permitted under the Creative Commons <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/">BY-NC-ND 3.0 (US)</a> license.</p>

Amazing Facts

Lowell Hargreaves

Standing Tall, While Others Fall

Today, my topic is entitled, Standing Tall When Others Fall.

And I'll invite you for just a moment to bow your heads with me as we pray once more for God's presence.

Our Heavenly Father, as we open your Holy Word now, we pray for your spirit to teach us on this beautiful Sabbath.

If you have a Bible, take your Bible and turn to Daniel chapter 3.

1 of the most well-known stories in the Bible is found in Daniel chapter 3.

We're going to go through that story today.

Daniel chapter 3, beginning with verse 1, says, Nebuchadnezzar, he was the great king of Babylon, the king made an image of gold whose height was 3 score cubits and the breadth thereof, or the depth thereof, was 6 cubits.

He set it up in the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon.

The plain of Dura is just a few miles outside the walls of Babylon.

And Babylon back then was the superpower of the world.

This image, the Bible tells us, was 60 by 6.

And you understand that in Babylon they use 6 as a common number.

We get our 60 minute hour from the Babylonians.

The 60 second minute comes from the Babylonians.

And this image was 60 cubits high and 6 cubits probably in depth.

Translating into our measurements, that's about 90 feet high by 9 feet deep.

And there have been a number of colossuses built.

In antiquity, you may have heard of the Colossus of Rhodes.

It was 70 cubits high, or about 100 feet.

But Babylon, the kingdom dominating the world back then, was a superpower itself.

The city of Babylon was 1 of the 7 wonders of the ancient world.

And they had there within the city a lot of gold.

In fact, it's known as the Golden Empire.

Antiquity tells us that the image of Baal within the city of Babylon was 23, 000 kilos of solid gold.

The table in front of the image was another 23, 000 kilos of gold.

They had 2 enormous golden lions there inside Babylon.

They had an 18-foot statue of a man, solid gold.

You can understand building an image of gold, that was no problem.

They used gold like we use concrete today.

The story of Daniel chapter 3 takes place probably between 15 to 20 years after the events of Daniel chapter 2.

In Daniel 2 you have an image, But the image of Daniel 2 only has a head of gold.

Inspiration tells us, Nebuchadnezzar said much regarding the interpretation given by Daniel.

But the words, thou art this head of gold, produced the greatest effect upon his mind to think, aha, I am the head of gold.

These Words impressed him so much that his wise man, who had not been able to tell the dream, proposed that he make such an image as the 1 seen in his dream, and that he set it up that all might see the head of gold, which was a representation of his kingdom.

So the idea of building this image actually came from his wise man.

And it was first the idea, the suggestion was that he would build an image like he had seen in Daniel chapter 2.

His pride and vanity found full scope in the thought that he could thus represent his importance.

And he resolved that instead of merely copying the image he had seen, he would make an image that should excel the original.

I'm going to make the whole image of gold.

It was his design that the whole image should represent the greatness of Babylon.

Therefore that which had been said regarding the kingdoms that were to follow should be blotted from his mind and from the minds of those who had heard the dream by the splendor of the image he was about to make, not just the head of gold, the whole image of gold.

From his rich store of treasure, historians tell us he had just come back from the conquest of Palestine.

Basically, he had conquered the then known world.

He had the gold from the other empires he had conquered.

He had the gold that he had brought back from Jerusalem.

From his rich store of treasure Nebuchadnezzar caused to be made a great golden image similar in its general features to that which had been seen in vision, save in the 1 particular of the material of which it was composed.

Whole image of gold, Accustomed as they were to magnificent representations of their heathen deities, the Chaldeans had never before produced anything so imposing and majestic as this resplendent statue, 3 score cubits in height and 6 cubits in breadth.

90 foot high, that's probably including the pedestal that we're standing on.

Can you imagine what that would look like as the sun shone, reflected off this polished piece of gold?

Even for an idolater that would have been impressive.

And it was not surprising that in a land where idol worship was of universal prevalence, that the beautiful and priceless image in the plain of Dura, representing the glory of Babylon and its magnificence and power, should be consecrated as an object of worship.

This thing was so beautiful, so dazzling, why not worship it?

Now, You still have your Bible open, right?

Daniel 3 verse 2 says, Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the princes, the governors, and the captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counselors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.

Everybody who was anybody came for this dedication.

All the world leaders of the then known world gathered there on the plain of Dura.

And there are some scholars who believe that the king of Jerusalem, who was a vassal for Nebuchadnezzar, also came.

If you'd like a text that may indicate that you can put in your notes, Jeremiah 51 verse 59.

It was no doubt that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were not the Only Hebrews there on the plain that day with all those thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands.

Then the princes, the governors, and captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counselors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces were gathered together unto the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.

And they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

Must have been thousands there on this great plain outside of Babylon.

Then a herald cried aloud, to you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages, this is the whole then known world, that at what time you hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of music you fall down and Worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king has set up.

Verse 6, and whoso falleth not down and worships shall the same hour be cast in the midst of a burning fiery furnace.

And we have here a death decree, a universal death decree.

Are there some lessons we can learn from this story for in time?

Now verse 7 says, therefore at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of music, all the people, how many?

All the people, the nations, and the languages fell down and worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.

The whole world bowed down before this image.

We have here forced worship and Extreme pressure.

And we are standing there with the thousands of the world leaders.

And you're there because Nebuchadnezzar thinks you're somebody.

Because only the leaders came, so you're there.

And you hear this proclamation, when the music begins to play, bow down.

And when the music starts, this is not clumsy music with discordant notes.

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Standing Tall, While Others Fall

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