Exposition of Daniel 3:24-30 A showdown to reveal who rules

Daniel 3:24-30

24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, Werent there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?

They replied, Certainly, Your Majesty.

25 He said, Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.

26 Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!




Verse 24 contains sharp, but concealed, humor. Recall that in verses 22-23 the powerful soldiers were afraid because of the kings haste and rushed to their deaths at the mouth of the blazing furnace while carrying the bound but still-clothed captives. Now, moments later, Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement (NIV), but HCSB better says he jumped up in alarm. The noun in question conveys a haste driven by fear.[1] The great king had used his power to dish out fear to his subjects, but now the mighty acts of a greater King impel him into a state of alarm.

Trying to make his alarming observations match his memory, Nebuchadnezzar checks to make certain that only three men and been cast into the furnace. The gathered officials did not initially realize that the king was watching four men inside the blazing furnace. As if that were not enough, the four are walking about unbound and unharmed (verse 25). The binding ropes had burned away.

But the greatest revelation is the fourth man who looks like a son of the gods (verse 25). Before we jump to conclusions, Miller says: Nebuchadnezzar was polytheistic and had no conception of the Christian Trinity. Thus the pagan king only meant that the fourth figure in the fire was divine.[2] Chisholm takes matters deeper by saying: In verse 28, Nebuchadnezzar explains what he means as he identifies the figure as Gods angel (literally, messenger). The identification of this angel as a son of the gods is consistent with the use of the comparable Hebrew expressions sons of God/gods, which consistently refer in the Hebrew Bible to members of Gods heavenly assembly.[3] Might this fourth person have been Jesus in an appearance prior to his incarnation? Yes, that is possible, but we cannot be certain.

For a second time on this momentous day, Nebuchadnezzar summons the three Judeans to appear before him (verse 26), but he does so in a way that recognizes their allegiance to the Most High God (verse 26). By delivering his loyal servants, God makes compelling evidence of his supremacy. Wood describes the change in Nebuchadnezzar: This fine reference to God shows a marked change on the kings part from what he had manifested earlier.[4]

You have to wonder what the three Judeans are thinking when they emerge from the furnace to face the king, who had tried to execute them. Immediately they are swarmed by the dignitaries from all over the empire (verse 27). Through this hands-on inspection the officials confirm four things: (1) no harm to their bodies from the power of the fire, (2) no hair on their heads is singed, (3) no scorch marks appeared on their robes, and (4) no smell of smoke lingers on them. But they all know that the ropes are gone and the executioners were consumed in the fire.

After this spontaneous inspection, Nebuchadnezzar praises God, commends the faith of the three Judeans and issues one of his trademark decrees: violent death for any people who speak against this God, who alone can save his own (verses 28-29). To the probable dismay of the Chaldeans, he also promotes the Judeans even higher in the province of Babylon (verse 30).

So, the official demonstration of loyalty and worship to Marduk has, through the faith of the three Judeans, been transformed into a demonstration of unbreakable loyalty to the Most High God. Even the king is beginning to grasp the sweep of Gods power. In chapter 1, only the chief official in the palace knew about Gods power. In chapter 2, Gods ability to reveal mysteries awed the king. In chapter 3, all the high officials are eyewitnesses to Gods power in rescuing his own. In chapter 4, Gods fame will spread even wider.

All praise belongs to the one who lives forever and rules over the kingdoms of men.



[1] Goldingay, Daniel, 66, concurs in a note.

[2] Miller, Daniel, 123.

[3] Chisholm, Handbook on the Prophets, 300.

[4] Wood, Daniel, 94.
