In the previous article, we learned how King Nebuchadnezzar of ancient Babylon commissioned a large statue, and commanded a number of leaders from his kingdom to bow down to it.
When the big event had occurred, and many bowed down to this statue (an idol, really), some of Nebuchadnezzar’s advisors paid him a visit.
At this time some astrologers came forward and denounced the Jews. They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “May the king live forever!
Daniel 3:8-9 NIV
By the way, I suspect that these “astrologers” – your Bible translation might refer to them as “Chaldeans” – were probably a combination of what we know of as astrologers today (i.e., those who predict what will happen or what people should do based on patterns in the night sky, along with when people were born), and general “wise men” of their day (whether actual wisdom, or any other kinds of learning – true or false – of that era). However, even with all of their education and high standing in the Babylonian Empire, they still fell victim to petty human grievances like the rest of us.
Now, I’m not an expert on Hebrew idioms, but the NASB footnote says that the Chaldeans “ate the pieces of” the Jews. In verses 9-11, they recount the king’s order (about worshiping the statue), leading into their accusation.
But there are some Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon—Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego—who pay no attention to you, Your Majesty. They neither serve your gods nor worship the image of gold you have set up.”
Daniel 3:12 NIV
While we could try to give these “whistleblowers” the benefit of the doubt, and imagine that they were trying to keep the peace or look out for the king, this sounds a lot like they are just being tattletales.
I’m not sure if Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (who are referred to by their Babylonian names here, in front of the king) just skipped out on the statue-dedication ceremony, or whether they showed up but remained standing (i.e., instead of falling down to worship the idol) when the music played. In the latter case, one might wonder why the accusers knew that three men didn’t comply with the king’s order, since they were supposed to be worshiping the statue themselves. Maybe this was like when the pastor says, “Every eye closed and every head bowed”, but a kid still peeks around to see what’s going on.
It sounds like this accusation included more than just not worshiping the king’s newly-commissioned statue, though. Maybe these astrologers had observed the three Jewish men skipping out on other idol-worshiping activities, or knew enough about the Jewish faith to know that its adherents were prohibited from practicing idolatry.
Note that the charges being levied against these three Jewish men include enough information (or evidence) to show that the king’s rule had been broken, yet the accusers take the time to point out the men’s ethnicity. I’m not sure if, 1) the accusers were actively opposed to the Jewish nation in general, 2) they were bitter that three “foreigners” had received such high positions (perhaps over these astrologers / Chaldeans) or, 3) they just wanted to point out that the violation came from non-Babylonians.
Now, I don’t know which person in this account (if any) you can associate with, but this is definitely not a unique situation. People still behave badly towards others, including being tattletales.
- Maybe you dislike someone else so much that you report any and every mistake that they make to someone else.
- Maybe someone else is looking for every opportunity to point out your flaws to others, even behind your back.
- Maybe others are attacking your faith, framing your obedience to God as a violation of a sinful world’s rules.
- Maybe you’re the one (perhaps a parent, teacher, or manager) who has to listen to people tell you that others aren’t doing what you told them to.
- Maybe you have been in all of these roles, during different times of your life.
If you find yourself in any – or all – of these situations, I hope that you can find – or place – forgiveness in your heart, and consider how Jesus reacted when others wronged Him. Given how far He went not only to forgive us, but also to give up His own life so that we could be forgiven, I’m pretty sure that we should also strive to forgive our fellow human beings. (In fact, Jesus taught about this in Matthew 18:21-35.) That’s much easier to write than it is to do, of course, but we can ask Jesus Himself for help.
Whoever we can relate to in this account, let’s continue in this chapter in the next article (although I encourage you to read the entire chapter today).
From Sunday School lesson prepared for June 16, 2024
References:
- The Lookout, June 16, 2024, © 2024 Christian Standard Media.
- Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
- Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Copyright by The Lockman Foundation.
- The College Press NIV Commentary – Esther & Daniel, by Mark Mangano. © 2001 College Press Publishing Co.
Those Who Sin Differently 