David Bahn – Reflections

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. 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 2:13-15

A Prize-Winning Poem

They have a pretty park,
In the daytime or the dark.
But the question that just won’t budge
Is, “Will they have their Pudge?”.

I was able to “Get in. Get on, and be good,” many years ago on the Fish For Lunch sports talk radio program in Dallas. The Texas Rangers had a beautiful new ballpark, but All-Star catcher Pudge Rodriguez was being sought by many other (better) teams. Because of all that I won tickets to a Dallas Mavericks pro basketball game.

The Mavs were not that good, but you wouldn’t know it by the hype and production at Reunion Arena the night of the game. It was a spectacle; a production from before the first tip-off of the game. Mavman climbed down a rope from the top of the arena, lights were flashing, fog was thick, and the music was driving. The show was on! Too bad the Mavs were not.

The same could be said for the king’s idolatrous call to worship. There was much ado: the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music was not a mere invitation to worship; it was a demand for homage. This was truly a command performance. Hear the music? Bow down and worship…or else. 

Basketball hype gives way to red-carpet entrances, movie premier galas, politically-correct parades, and any number of showy expressions of self-importance. All of these demand attention. All of these require that we bow down and worship in some form or another.

The consequences of failing to give proper honor to these modern-day idols may be different, but the requirement is still there. Stare in amazement. Ooh and ahh. Giggle with glee. Get excited. If you don’t it’s not a fiery furnace that awaits you; it’s being left out in the cold, and ignored, or dismissed as a Luddite, stick-in-the-mud, or worse.

It is very difficult not to be seduced by these glittery expressions of American pop culture. In fact one TV show makes no bones: their contestants vie for the title of American Idol.

The only way one can avoid this alluring call to false worship is to know clearly who is and who is not your God. The king asks, “And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?” We must answer: the Lord God, creator of the universe, redeemer of lost mankind, and sanctifier of sinners; the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We worship the God who has delivered us from sin, death, and the devil, and poured out his Spirit on us so that we believe in him, and can stand against all the wiles, hype, and much ado of every idol. Thanks be to God!

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.” – Daniel 3:8-12

I sat on a jury for a felony charge, and voted with everyone in the jury room to convict the accused. It was a fairly sordid case, and when the trial was over the prosecuting attorney came to the jury room and thanked us for our service. Then the judge joined us and told us that we had done the right thing. Although the now-convicted felon had a significant criminal record, it was not allowed to be introduced at trial. The evidence brought by the prosecution, however, was convincing – beyond a reasonable doubt.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego would soon be the focus of prosecution on account of their failure to bow down and worship the idol King Nebuchadnezzar had erected. They are being accused here, and soon it will be verified. They will be found guilty and thrown into the fiery furnace.

Somehow it must have been known that they would continue to disobey the call to worship. No matter how many “horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music” would be sounded. These would refuse to bow down. The charge does not seem to be in doubt. 

I’m not certain how I would respond to such an ultimatum. I’m not certain I could stand against the command of the king. Nor am I certain I could go along with it either. It is a courageous thing to stand up to the king. It is also a matter of faith and fear.

Martin Luther explains the First Commandment (“You shall have no other gods.”) thus: We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things. There is the key to courage: fear! More exactly: the fear of God – more than the fear of any man.

All evidence points to Daniel and his friends as men of faith and integrity. There is no doubt whom they fear, love and trust. They will stand up against the king and suffer the consequences. Such is evidence of great faith and godly fear. To such fear and faith I aspire.

King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits^[a]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.

I have, on more than one occasion bought a trinket: a collection of rocks/mineral samples that I lost shortly after I got it home from our family vacation. I bought a fancy ring that turned my finger green, a water rocket that leaked and failed ever to fly, and a few other disappointing novelties that never really lived up to my pre-adolescent expectations. They never really did anything for me beyond the fleeting first moments of entertainment.

Nebuchadnezzar must have thought of God as an easily-discarded novelty. One moment he is proclaiming that the God of Daniel and his friends is the great God, saying, “Truly, your God is God of gods and Lord of kings” (Daniel 2:47). The next moment is has a statue set up in his own honor and requires everyone to fall down and worship his image.

Nebuchadnezzar thought nothing of saying that Daniel’s God was supreme, but at the same time establishing himself as one who was worthy of honor and glory. He thought it was OK to have one God, but still promote himself as a lessor but also great god.

The true God, however, does not allow other gods to have the final say. In fact, the first first Commandment is simply: “You shall have no other gods.” That precludes the game that the king is playing. He will not be able to gain the obeisance of Daniel and his friends, for they will have no other gods. God is not a novelty to them.

There will be a showdown. No matter how many others line up to bow down to this new statue, no matter how many horns, pipes, lyres, trigons, harps, or bagpipes are played, they will not give homage to this idol. And in this case, it’s true: the bigger the statue is, the harder it will fall.

If God is your rabbit’s foot, trinket, or novelty, don’t look for him to come at your beck and call. If he is your true God, God of kings, and Lord of all, then lean into him, stay faithful to him, and entrust yourself to his care. He will not fail you – no matter how impressive the other gods may appear to be.

Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face and paid homage to Daniel, and commanded that an offering and incense be offered up to him. ⁴⁷ The king answered and said to Daniel, “Truly, your God is God of gods and Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery.” ⁴⁸ Then the king gave Daniel high honors and many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon.⁴⁹ Daniel made a request of the king, and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over the affairs of the province of Babylon. But Daniel remained at the king’s court. – Daniel 2:46-49

We visited TheCross in Mount Dora, Florida recently. This cutting edge, unapologetically-attractional church describes themselves as a “Family of faith-filled BIG thinking followers of Jesus Christ. They have reached all kinds of people and done some notorious things. The pastor there, Zach Zehnder offered to pay for anyone in the church to get a tattoo of the church’s logo. Dozens took him up on the offer. He is in the world record book for the longest speech ever given: some 50 hours in which he went through the entire Bible in one session.

It was quite an experience attending their service which was held just for us who were attending a conference in nearby Orlando. There was energy. There was praise. There were moments of solemn honesty when we were reminded that we are “poor miserable sinners.” There was joy at the Good News of Jesus’ blood forgiving our sins. And there was applause. Lots of clapping, applause, and excorde  expressions of praise to God.

Some of the applause was for the staff and people of the church who came to welcome us and the 120 conference attendees. Some was for the pastor himself. But it was clear that all the praise was really for God.

Daniel stood in that place of praise and honor, but behind and above Daniel was the “God of gods and Lord of kings.” King Nebuchadnezzar recognized and honored Daniel, and well he should. Daniel delivered the goods and interpreted the king’s dream. But he also recognized it was Daniel’s God who really had all the power.

They say that behind every successful man stands a faithful and supportive woman. I might add words like gracious and loving to that descriptor of supportive people. More important, however, is the truth that behind every man or woman – successful, powerful, influential, or not – stands the God of gods, and Lord of kings. We will all one day acknowledge him. We will all one day confess that Jesus is Lord, by the power of the Holy Spirit, and to the glory of God the Father.

May that day be a day of delight and joy to you, Dear Reader!

This was the dream. Now we will tell the king its interpretation. You, O king, the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the might, and the glory, and into whose hand he has given, wherever they dwell, the children of man, the beasts of the field, and the birds of the heavens, making you rule over them all…And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever, just as you saw that a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. A great God has made known to the king what shall be after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.” – from Daniel 2:36-45

In the earliest days of its existence, the now-called Budget Inn in Cape Girardeau, Missouri was the best motel on Highway 61. It had instant hot water, air-conditioned rooms, wall-to-wall carpet (hardwood floors were no big deal in the early 1950’s), telephones in every room, and other state of the art motel accoutrements. Over the years, through 17 separate addition projects it grew to 42 rooms, with adjacent restaurant, lounge, and swimming pool. Sometime between its 5 room start-up and its 17 room timeline, other motels started being built. When the Holiday Inn and Ramada Inn came into town, the then “Sands Motel” was dwarfed. We watched it happen. And although it did provide a living and sufficient retirement monies for my mom to live comfortably, it’s glory days were far gone by the time she sold it.

Kingdoms (and motels) come and go. We all know that. In the midst of the kingdom moments of life, however, we are often so consumed with making our own way that we lose sight of that truth. More importantly, however, we lose sight of God’s providence in the matter of kings and motels. Kings die, and motels decline. But God is behind it all: he allows building permits to be issued, sets up other kings and kingdoms, brings people up and down the highways, and moves governments to build new highways. Make no mistake God is the King of kings. He sets up nations, and rules all. That’s important to remember.

Better to remember something more: He does entrust governments, motels, families, churches, jobs, and neighborhoods to us. All this is an act of his grace. His providential care is motivated not by some need to prove his power. He has no need to prove anything to anyone. But you might say he needs to pour out his blessings, favor and kindness. That’s his nature. And we are the better for it. Never seen more clearly than in the manifestation of his goodness in Jesus, his Son, God’s goodness is abundant, pure, and eternal. Kingdoms come and kingdoms fail, but the gracious rule and reign of Jesus by faith in the hearts of people never ended. ever.

What does it look like for you today to live under him in his kingdom and serve him? One thing for sure; it looks like a life of truest peace and highest purpose.

Read Daniel 2:36-45

“This was the dream. Now we will tell the king its interpretation. ³⁷ You, O king, the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the might, and the glory, ³⁸ and into whose hand he has given, wherever they dwell, the children of man, the beasts of the field, and the birds of the heavens, making you rule over them all—you are the head of gold.”

I had a conversation a few years ago with a colleague whom I thought would be an excellent choice to serve as the President of our national church body. His reply to me was stunning. When I asked him if he would be willing to run he said simply, “No.” That’s not stunning. When I asked him, “Why not?”, he answered, “Why would I want to be king of nothing?” That was stunning. But maybe he had it right – albeit in a way he may not have intended.

“It’s good to be king,” they say. That’s true with several conditions:

• That you’re actually king of something;
• That you’re actually in control of your kingdom; and
• That you’re still king.

Nebuchadnezzar was soon to find out that while he was king…at that moment, and a significant one at that (“head of gold”), his kingdom would not last forever. He would yield his reign to another. Others would follow after that, then still others.

Without going too far into this section, let’s just say this: “Even heads of gold have feet of clay.” We may have our 15 minutes of fame, or a flash of glory, or even a lifetime of achievements. We may be able to claim all sorts of fame or glory for a time, but even the strongest and most powerful will see their lives come to an end.

To that end, I will therefore add to the saying, “It’s good to be king…if you remember that you have feet of clay.” What’s more, whatever power, glory, splendor, and standing you have comes from another. God is over all. He sets kings on their thrones, casts down the mighty, and does all things with one thing in mind: to bring us to repentance and faith.

It’s good to be king if we remember that there is a King of kings: the God of heaven. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The God who has revealed himself as a loving Father, who sent his Son, and pours out his Holy Spirit through the message of his Son and brings people into his eternally-good, righteous, holy, and glorious rule and reign. His kingdom is above all, and all in whom Jesus rules in truth and grace that kingdom is present. The is the head of gold of whose feet are bronze – solid and rich in meaning (cf. Revelation 1:15, and this interesting article on the meaning of “feet of bronze”).

“You saw, O king, and behold, a great image. This image, mighty and of exceeding brightness, stood before you, and its appearance was frightening. 32 The head of this image was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its middle and thighs of bronze, 33 its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. 34 As you looked, a stone was cut out by no human hand, and it struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. 35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, all together were broken in pieces, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, so that not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. – Daniel 2:31-35

Details! I get lost in them. I don’t really hate details, but I do not like them. I realize that they are necessary. But I’m a big picture person. I find a sufficient number of details and extrapolate from there. That’s just my intuitive nature. So I could never be a Daniel in the manner in which he shows the details of the kings’ dreams.

But there he is: detailing the intricacies of Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams. “Legs of iron, feet of iron and clay, chest and arms of silver…” These don’t sound like a scamming person trying to pull something over on a gullible simpleton. Daniel tells the king his dream, witnessing to the fact that the God of heaven had revealed this to him.

I wonder if these images were frightening to the king. I wonder if he had recalled all of them as Daniel was recounting them. I wonder if this struck the king with even more fear: How can this guy do this? What secrets can I now have?

One place where details are vitally important – even to me – is in the Bible. Memorizing specific words from specific books, chapters and verses of the Bible brings great blessing. We may not be given the revelation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams, but we do have the blessings of God’s word in the Bible. What treasures they are!

[Daniel says,] “To you, O king, as you lay in bed came thoughts of what would be after this, and he who reveals mysteries made known to you what is to be. ³⁰ But as for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because of any wisdom that I have more than all the living, but in order that the interpretation may be made known to the king, and that you may know the thoughts of your mind.

³¹ “You saw, O king, and behold, a great image. This image, mighty and of exceeding brightness, stood before you, and its appearance was frightening.³² The head of this image was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its middle and thighs of bronze, ³³ its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay.³⁴ As you looked, a stone was cut out by no human hand, and it struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. ³⁵ Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, all together were broken in pieces, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, so that not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.” – Daniel 2:29-35

A favorite movie of mine is the quite old and very romantic, funny, quotable movie with a dramatic and violent ending: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. One scene has Butch and Sundance running from the law big time. They are far above the posse and watch in disbelief as they are being tracked over a rocky formation. Butch says, “Who are those guys? They’re tracking us over solid rock. I couldn’t do that. Could you do that? Why can they do it? Who are those guys?”

He could well have been talking about Daniel: Nobody can tell an interpretation of a dream when he hasn’t even been told the dream. But he’s doing it. I couldn’t do that. Could you do that? Why can he do that? How did he know that? Who is this guy?!?”

Daniel, however, is completely unwilling to take credit for this fete. He has already disclaimed any honor for himself in this revelation:

 Daniel answered the king and said, “No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers can show to the king the mystery that the king has asked, ²⁸ but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. – Daniel 2:27-28

Now he takes the next step of honoring God, and revealing the purpose and reason it has been revealed to him:

But as for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because of any wisdom that I have more than all the living, but in order that the interpretation may be made known to the king, and that you may know the thoughts of your mind. (v. 30)

Daniel glorifies God by claiming no merit of his own in being able to reveal the dream. It wasn’t because he was wise, intelligent, or handsome that God revealed it. It was so that the king would know his own thoughts, and (hopefully) be able to find some peace of heart in these troubling days. He will soon be more troubled, though he will at least be able to name the issue.

To claim anything because of our pedigree, position, or progeny brings glory to ourselves. It robs God of being the be all and end all of all things. It undercuts the message that God wants to convey to the whole world: That he is good, gracious, generous and kind.

Daniel will not get in the way of that message. In fact, he will eventually name his God and reveal the character and nature of “the God of heaven.” God is the final authority over all. He rules and reigns over all things. He guides the heart of the king. He is also gracious, loving, kind, and merciful. He is showing this at one time as he reveals the king’s dreams through his servant.

If Daniel were to answer the question, “Who is that Guy?” He would say, “I am a servant of the God of heaven.” For him that might be enough. I wonder if we could move closer to that kind of answer if ever someone asked who we are. I wonder whether or not we might wish to be known as such when we are asked. We may not have dreams to reveal, but we followers of Jesus have a story to tell of God’s dream and plan for our redemption and eternal salvation. Jesus is, after all, the Guy – the One who is above all and deserving of our praise, devotion, and witness whenever we have the chance to do so.

Read Daniel 2:24-30

The king declared to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, “Are you able to make known to me the dream that I have seen and its interpretation?” ²⁷ Daniel answered the king and said, “No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers can show to the king the mystery that the king has asked, ²⁸ but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. – Daniel 2:26-28

The king is troubled. He desperately wants to know the meaning of the troubling dream he has had. No one is able to tell him the dream and its meaning. Daniel now stands before him declaring that he knows the dream and its meaning.

Some have speculated that King Nebuchadnezzar had forgotten the dream, and was so anxious to know it and its meaning that he demanded his enchanters and magicians to tell him the dream and its meaning. The terror and threat that he imposed on his formerly-trusted advisors and seers would lend credence to the fact either that he had forgotten it, but knew it was troubling, or that it was so troubling that he wanted confirmation that the dream was actually given to offer him knowledge and insight as to the future. 

In any case, Daniel, now bolstered by his prayers, his prayer partners, and God’s favor in revealing the dream and its meaning stands before the king. He announces that he has the dream and its meaning. The king can hardly wait: “Are you able to make known to me the dream that I have seen and its interpretation?” I can sense the anxiety and anticipation in his words.

Daniel’s answer, however, reveals something more important about Daniel, dreams, and God himself. Daniel is a humble servant. He is not ready to take credit for his knowledge and interpretation. Dreams – at least in this case – reveal things. Consider Joel’s prophecy:

“And it shall come to pass afterward,
    that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh;
your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
    your old men shall dream dreams,
    and your young men shall see visions. – Joel 2:28

Recall Joseph’s dream instructing him to take Mary as his wife (Matthew 1:20-21). The dream ofNebuchadnezzar means something, and he is about to find out what it means…through Daniel. Better yet, through God by means of Daniel.

We also learn that there is a God in heaven who knows all things and reveals them at his pleasure for his purposes. In this case it will be to preserve a faithful remnant and to testify to this pagan king that this God knows all things, and has all power, and has put his hand of favor on Daniel.

God has put his hand of favor on us as well through our Lord Jesus Christ. For the God in heaven came into this world to redeem and save us. Thanks be to God, the God of heaven, the God in heaven who is also with his people!

Then Daniel went to his house and made the matter known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, and told them to seek mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his companions might not be destroyed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven. Daniel answered and said:

“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,
to whom belong wisdom and might.
He changes times and seasons;
he removes kings and sets up kings;
he gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to those who have understanding;
he reveals deep and hidden things;
he knows what is in the darkness,
and the light dwells with him.

To you, O God of my fathers,
I give thanks and praise,
for you have given me wisdom and might,
and have now made known to me what we asked of you,
for you have made known to us the king’s matter.” – Daniel 2:17-23

The matter that was troubling the king was beyond the knowledge of the king’s magicians, enchanters, and seers. He wanted them to reveal the interpretation to a dream that he had had without telling them the dream. His men thought this was impossible, which is a reasonable claim. He didn’t care: they were put on notice that they would be torn limb by limb, and otherwise horrifically killed if they failed to tell him the dream.

Daniel, however, will tell the king the dream and the interpretation, for he will seek the knowledge from God and count on him to reveal the dream and its meaning to him. But even in that confidence Daniel will seek the help of his friends. They were to intercede for God’s mercy, and reveal the dream to Daniel. Their prayers must have been powerful, if not recounted. In two sentences we are told that the mystery was revealed to Daniel and that Daniel blessed the God of heaven.

Daniel’s prayer is instructive for us who wish to acknowledge God for who he is, and call upon him in a personal way. He begins by extolling the virtues of God: his might, power, his providential placement and removal of kings, his glory, knowledge, and wisdom in all things. It’s all “He”.

There is an objective truth to who God is, what he has done, and his true glory and might. Our prayers of praise do not cause God to be exalted – except before others. Our prayers do acknowledge God’s holiness, might, power, and glory. We do not make God great by our prayers. He is the Great I AM. He was, and is, and is to come – whether or not we acknowledge it.

Our acknowledgement of God’s glory gives witness to the world and all who hear that God is great.

But Daniel doesn’t stop there. He then turns from “He” to “You”. He no longer talks about God, he talks to and with God. God has revealed the king’s dreams. Daniel is keenly aware that God has heard his prayers and he speaks to God about that. Daniel is speaking as though God is listening. His words – though recorded for us to read these many centuries later – are for God’s ears. He may or may not care if others hear him praying. But he certainly wants God to hear.

It’s good to talk about God; to consider his attributes, and reflect on his being. But it is also good to speak to God, to call upon him as though he is actually listening to you, and to do so with great praise and thanks. For indeed, God has given wisdom and might, and knowledge, and hope, and salvation.

Thank you, dear Father, for these precious gifts; through Jesus Christ our Lord and by the power of your Holy Spirit. Amen.