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Context No. 1090 of 4322 · Daniel (Greek)

Context · Reflection

Daniel (Greek) 3:7-12: in context

7Therefore at that time, when all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe, and all kinds of music, all the peoples, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worshiped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. 8Therefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and brought accusation against the Jews. 9They answered Nebuchadnezzar the king, “O king, live for ever! 10You, O king, have made a decree that every man who hears the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe, and all kinds of music shall fall down and worship the golden image; 11and whoever doesn’t fall down and worship shall be cast into the middle of a burning fiery furnace. 12There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men, O king, have not respected you. They don’t serve your gods, and don’t worship the golden image which you have set up.”

Nebuchadnezzar has set up a giant golden image and decreed that at the sound of the music, everyone must fall down and worship it or be thrown into the fiery furnace. So when the music plays, all the peoples and nations bow down. But certain Chaldeans come forward to accuse the Jews, telling the king that the three men he had promoted, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, pay no attention to him, do not serve his gods, and will not worship the golden image.

Two things stand out. First, the sheer force of the crowd. When the music sounds, everyone bows, all the peoples, nations, and languages, a whole plain of people going down together, and it takes extraordinary conviction to be the only ones left standing. The pressure to conform is not subtle here; it is a decree, backed by a furnace, and the visible spectacle of everyone else complying. Standing upright while a crowd bows is a lonely and dangerous thing. Second, notice that the three did not announce their defiance; they simply did not bow, and it was informers who dragged their stand into the open. There are always people watching for the ones who will not go along, eager to report them, and faithfulness has a way of being noticed and resented precisely because it exposes everyone else's compliance. The three men's quiet refusal to bow was a silent judgment on the whole bowing plain, and that is exactly why the Chaldeans could not leave it alone. To simply not bow, when everyone else does, is itself a testimony that provokes.

When the music plays and everyone around me bows to what I know I must not worship, do I have the conviction to remain standing, even alone, even when it will be noticed and reported?

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