The golden image of Nebuchadnezzar presents many life lessons.
After Daniel interpreted Nebuchadnezzar’s dream we see Nebuchadnezzar acknowledging the God of Daniel as the God of gods and Lord of kings.
The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou could reveal this secret (Dan 2:47).
He then gave Daniel many gifts and made him the ruler of the whole province of Babylon.
Dan 2:48-49: Then the king made Daniel a great man, and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon. Then Daniel requested of the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, over the affairs of the province of Babylon: but Daniel sat in the gate of the king.
Rebelling God
Twenty years passed and Nebuchadnezzar does what most of us have tendencies of doing. At first Nebuchadnezzar acknowledges truly that the God of Daniel is the God of gods and Lord of kings but as time passed Nebuchadnezzar began to question. ‘Who says my empire will end? Who says it has to happen that way? I am the head of gold and am not letting my empire be overthrown’.
Therefore Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold and set it up in the plains of Dura, in the province of Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon (Dan 3:1).
Threescore cubits is 60 cubits which is equivalent to 90 feets.
The golden image of Nebuchadnezzar was not gold, silver, brass, iron and clay as God had revealed to him in his dream but his image was all gold. See that the image was first revealed to Nebuchadnezzar in his dream (Nebuchadnezzar’s dream) before Nebuchadnezzar made it but all of gold. He knew from his dream that he was the head of gold.
By making an image of all gold, Nebuchadnezzar was saying that his kingdom will never end but last forever. He was telling the God of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego that He will not get in his way; he had big plans for his kingdom.
He meant that he is going to be in perpetual power and make every person bow down to this image which represented his empire. Every person bowing to that image was to make sure that every person was in submission so no one will overthrow his kingdom.
When the music was played, people were to bow down and plead allegiance to this image. That at what time your hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of music, you fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king has set up (Dan 3:5).
Making golden image of Nebuchadnezzar and worshiping it
Nebuchadnezzar thought that since he is the head of gold, God is with him alone. It is him who God was with not other people and kingdoms. We have these people today who think that it is them alone who God is with not others.
You will hear them say, ‘God is with us Americans, God is with us Philippians, God is with us Kenyans, God is with us blah! blah! So we will do this and that, so we will defeat others, so we will beat others, so we will blah! blah! others’.
Other people think that since they have money, power, riches and have succeeded in the world in one way or another, like the Babylonians, it is them alone who God is with. God is not only your God but God of and for us all; our God.
God has revealed and manifested Himself to all of us in so many ways but many of us are like Nebuchadnezzar. After seeing God’s miracles and acknowledging that God is the God of gods and Lord of kings, as time passes we start doubting and asking questions, then we make graven images and worship them. As you have seeing in you shall not make for yourself a graven image, you shall have no other gods before me, idolatry and idols.
After seeing God’s miracles and signs, we acknowledge that He is God but we deny Him and go to worship images. Like Nebuchadnezzar you say, ‘I have a big plan in my life so God can wait. I have a big plan and God does not have to get into my way. I do not need Him I can do without Him. I have big plans for my life so God does not have to stop my plans and make me follow His own; I will not allow Him and i can alter His plans on me’. You go on and on denying God but worshiping yourself; you become an idol to yourself.
Adulterous generation
Miracles do not build or grow person’s faith. Faith comes only by hearing the word of God. The children of Israel are the generation which saw most miracles and God revealing Himself to them but they remained a rebellious generation up to today.
We are the generation referred as ‘adulterous generation’ (Mt 12:39) seeking signs and miracles not seeking God thus denying the power. After seeing his miracles and signs we acknowledge that He is God but we do not accept His power (The Holy Spirit).
Music
Music is a powerful spiritual tool which can be used by both the evil kingdom and the heavenly kingdom. (See the article; Power of music). Therefore Nebuchadnezzar took music to use it to make people bow down to his kingdom. And whoso falls not down and worship shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace’ (Dan 3:5-6).
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego did not bow down and worship the image when the music played, and the three were cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. (See the Rescue from burning fiery furnace).
Sneak preview of the image of the Antichrist
Nebuchadnezzar’s golden image is a sneak preview of the image the Antichrist will make and command people to worship during his reign. We see this in Revelation chapter 13 (we will study more as we study the book of revelation).
Rev 13:14: And deceived them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
Peace be with you.
