Obey God Rather Than Man

OBEY GOD RATHER THAN MAN (DANIEL 3)

Since 2012, the National Registry of Exonerations, a partnership between the University of Michigan and Michigan State University's law schools and the University of California Irvine Newkirk Center for Science and Society, has detailed more than 3,000 exonerations for crimes in its findings. In 2022 it added 161 new exonerations from 2021 and 65 from earlier years to its database.

https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/wrongful-conviction-tracker-hits-milestones-one-decade-3000-cases-2022-04-14/

The University of Colorado School of Law revealed that the leading factors in wrongful convictions are perjured testimony (60%), police and prosecutorial misconduct (54%), eyewitness misidentification (28%), flawed forensic evidence (24%) and false confessions (12%). The numbers do not add up because of crossover factors.

After Daniel revealed to the king his dream and its interpretation in the last chapter, the king made Daniel ruler over the entire province of Babylon and placed him in charge of all the wise men. Moreover, at Daniel's request the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego administrators over the province of Babylon (Dan 2:48-49). While Daniel remained at the royal court, his three friends in the provinces were facing untold, unimaginable and unparalleled troubles.

What are your core values and convictions when your faith is threatened? How do you overcome opposition and obstacles? Why do we need to obey God rather than man?

Sit Up and Take Notice

1 King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, ninety feet high and nine feet wide, and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. 2 He then summoned the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates and all the other provincial officials to come to the dedication of the image he had set up. 3 So the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates and all the other provincial officials assembled for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up, and they stood before it. 4 Then the herald loudly proclaimed, "This is what you are commanded to do, O peoples, nations and men of every language: 5 As soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. 6 Whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace." 7 Therefore, as soon as they heard the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp and all kinds of music, all the peoples, nations and men of every language fell down and worshiped the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. (3:1-7)

The Chinese word for contradiction is literally “spear, shield.” A man once had a spear and a shield for sale. He was loud in praises of his shield. “My shield is so strong that nothing can pierce it through.” He also sang praises of his spear. “My spear is so strong that it can pierce through anything.”

“What would happen,” he was asked, “if your spear is used to pierce your shield?”

In Daniel 2, Daniel declared to Nebuchadnezzar, “Oh king, are the king of kings. The God of heaven has given you dominion and power and might and glory; in your hands he has placed mankind and the beasts of the field and the birds of the air. Wherever they live, he has made you ruler over them all. You are that head of gold.” (Dan 2:37-38) The statement obviously above got to the king’s head and the king decided to make an image and summoned the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates and all the other provincial officials to come to the dedication of the image (v 2). It was predictable, paradoxical and political.

The verb “fall down” occurs seven times in the chapter (vv 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 15, 23), of which six times is followed by the verb “and worship.” “Fall” is on the knees, but “worship” is with the mouth. The king desired absolute authority, adoration and acknowledgement. No one dared to disregard, disobey or defy the king. Insubordination and would risk detention, disappearance and death.

Blazing fire is “burning + fiery + furnace,” three words in Hebrew. The “fire/furnace” occurs 10 times, not as much as “blazing/fiery” (14x). The fire was scalding hot, sweltering hot and sizzling hot. There was no withstanding, weathering or weakening the furnace, the fire and the flames.

“All” occurs 15 times, including all the other provincial officials (v 2), all kinds of music (v 5), all the peoples, nations and men of every language (v 7) and everyone (v 10), regardless of race, religion or residence. It means no excuses, no exception and exclusion. The disobedient will be thrown alive into a blazing fire to be black as carbon, charcoal or coffee. The baking, boiling and burning effect would serve as the perfect overkill warning, ominous sign and object lesson for the unwitting, the undecided and the unconvinced.