Scripture to Read: Daniel 3:1
Remember, the nation of Israel was taken captive and moved about 350 miles to the east, to Babylon. God used Daniel to write prophecies about this time when Israel had no king reigning on David’s throne. God also used Daniel and his three friends as examples of how to live for God in a pagan land. We read in Daniel 3:1, “Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, the height of which was sixty cubits and its width six cubits; he set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon.” Most theologians believe these events occurred a couple of years after Daniel 2. So, Daniel and his three friends would have been around 19 or 20. God allowed them to be in positions where they had to choose between Him and the world's system. The statue was about 90 feet high and 9 feet wide. In his commentary, John Walvoord lays out a possible reason for Nebuchadnezzar building this statue. He says: “The likely background for the events of chapter 3 is a coup attempt against Nebuchadnezzar that occurred December 595 to January 594 during the tenth year of his reign. This event was significant enough to have been recorded in the Babylonian Chronicle as a major event of that year. After the coup attempt failed, Nebuchadnezzar likely summoned all his rulers and vassal kings back to Babylon to participate in a loyalty oath.” The stage was set for conflict, for the Jews knew what God commanded in Exodus 20:1–6, and they must choose who to obey.
Challenge & Application
• What has God taught you so far through the lives of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego?
• When faced with the challenges of following the world or God, how do you overcome the temptation to follow the world?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!