June 11: PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT (part one)

Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, who sent His Angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and they have frustrated the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own God!” Daniel 3:28

The king’s public announcement was made for everyone to hear, but was particularly directed at the Chaldeans, who were known for their ongoing denouncements of the God of the Hebrews. Such derogatory remarks emerged from the pagan philosophy that the god or gods of a conquering nation was/were superior to the god or gods of the conquered. Such thinking is remarkably similar to little kids who say, “My dad can beat up your dad!”

Nebuchadnezzar was finally beginning to understand that he had been allowed to conquer the Jewish nation because of their sins, and not for any weakness or failure on the part of their God. We are shown in the Scriptures that the stubborn and “stiff-necked” demeanor of the Jewish nation revealed them repeatedly as their own worst enemy, rather than the pagan nations surrounding them. It was their own disobedience that moved them out from under the umbrella of His divine protection. And it was a reminder of the conditional nature of the promises of God, conditions which His people had agreed upon (Exodus 19:8; Deuteronomy 5:27).

For King Nebuchadnezzar, this realization also revealed the true God as a personal God, whose supernatural protection remains firmly over the lives of His obedient ones. The king pointed out that God had delivered His servants who trusted in Him and humbly stated that, through their obedience to God, the young men had frustrated the king’s word, for they had yielded their bodies fully to their God, even upon the threat of death—for they would rather die than disobey their God whom they loved wholeheartedly. Another aspect that they wholeheartedly yielded their bodies in obedience to the Lord is made clear in chapter one as they honored the Creator’s dietary guidelines for good health. This, they carried out in a winsome and polite manner that brought them into the favor and goodwill of their overseers.

Nebuchadnezzar had seen, by personal experience, that these faithful men of God were the most excellent servants in his court. A sense of appreciation was growing as he paused to consider their loyal service to him. These recent years of exemplary service, as they humbly lived out the principles of righteousness, placed the God of the Hebrews in a conspicuous and exalted light. No human could have orchestrated the final outcome of that day on the plain of Dura, and King Nebuchadnezzar was correct to pronounce a blessing upon the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. In doing so, he highlighted the direct connection between their exceptional work in the royal court and their worship of their own [true] God! Their faith-building knowledge of Scripture would surely include these prophetic words recorded by Isaiah:

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.” Isaiah 43:2-3a