to the State, the State’s image, be it a monument, standard or flag.f The golden image was representative of the empire of Babylon. All the appointed rulers of the countries that Nebuchadnezzar had conquered were to be there at the same time and bow down to this image. The nationalism of Babylon was being forced upon the Judeans, Assyrians, Egyptians and all whom Nebuchadnezzar had conquered. They came together. “And the herald was crying out loudly: ‘To you it is being said, O peoples, national groups and languages, that at the time that you hear the sound of the horn, the pipe, the zither, the triangular harp, the stringed instrument, the bagpipe and all sorts of musical instruments you fall down and worship the image of gold that Nebuchadnezzar the king has set up. And whoever does not fall down and worship will at the same moment be thrown into the burning fiery furnace.”’ (Dan. 3:4-6) The command was, Bow to the image, worship the State! Nationalism! All the peoples, the rulers large and small, must now worship what Jesus called Caesar, or his image, Nationalism!

34, 35. How did the three Hebrews face up to the issue now raised, and what command of their God did they have in mind?

³⁴ But look! There are three men standing! They are not bowing down! Can you imagine it! These three men had gone along with all the others to the plain of Dura at the command of the king, but they were not bowing down. Why? They went as far as they could. They assembled with the others, but now the test came. They made the right decision. The three Judeans, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, called to mind the words of Jehovah spoken to Moses:

³⁵ “I am Jehovah your God, who have brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slaves. You must not have any other gods against my face. You must not make for yourself a carved image or a form like anything that is in the heavens above or that is on the earth underneath or that is in the waters under the earth. You must not bow down to them nor be induced to serve them, because I Jehovah your God am a God exacting exclusive devotion, bringing punishment for the error of fathers upon sons, upon the third generation and upon the fourth generation, in the case of those who hate me; but exercising loving-kindness toward the thousandth generation in the case of those who love me and keep my commandments. You must not take up the name of Jehovah your God in a worthless way, for Jehovah will not leave the one unpunished who takes up his name in a worthless way.”—Ex. 20:1-7.

36. In whom was their confidence?

³⁶ That was understandable to these three Hebrews. They gave their God exclusive devotion. They would not bow down and worship a man-made image or standard. They loved their life and believed that their God would save them. But if they were not kept alive, then there was no reason to fear death, because they believed in a resurrection of the dead. When Nebuchadnezzar heard what happened, he went into a rage and fury and ordered an investigation.

37. What next occurred when these men were brought before the king?

³⁷ These three Hebrews were brought before Nebuchadnezzar, and he said to them: “Is it really so, O Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you are not serving my own gods, and the image of gold that I have set up you are not worshiping?” (Dan. 3:14) It was disturbing to the king to have these fine servants of his step out of line and not do this little thing, ‘just bow down, that is all.’ So Nebuchadnezzar said he would give them another opportunity. His words were: “Now if you are ready so that when you hear the sound of the horn, the pipe, the zither, the triangular harp, the stringed instrument, and the bagpipe and all sorts of musical instruments, you fall down and worship the image that I have made, all right. But if you do not worship, at that same moment you will be thrown into the burning fiery furnace. And who is that god that can rescue you out of my hands?”—Dan. 3:15.

38. Was there any hesitation by the three Hebrews when offered another opportunity to bow down, and what were their words in reply to the king?

³⁸ It did not take these three Hebrews even a moment to decide. Their minds had been made up. From the time they were young men, from the time that they were being fed in the king’s private school for nobles, they knew whom they would serve. If they would not break Jehovah’s laws on eating food, would they now break his law on image worship? So without hesitation “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego answered, and they were saying to the king: ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we are under no necessity in this regard to say back a word to you. If it is to be, our God whom we are serving is able to rescue us. Out of the burning fiery furnace and out of your hand, O king, he will rescue us. But if not, let it become known to you, O king, that your gods are not the ones we are serving, and the image of gold that you have set up we will not worship.’”—Dan. 3:16-18.

39. Who else gave a similar reply in defense of pure worship of God?

³⁹ Faith! Loyalty! Where have we since heard such a powerful decision? Remember when Satan tried to get Jesus to “do an act of worship” to him? Jesus was not slow in his answer either. “Then Jesus said to him: ‘Go away, Satan! For it is written, “It is Jehovah your God you must worship, and it is to him alone you must render sacred service.”’”—Matt. 4:8-10.

DELIVERANCE TO THE FAITHFUL

40-42. Describe now the tense drama that unfolds before Nebuchadnezzar and the final outcome of the fiery furnace episode.

⁴⁰ Nebuchadnezzar knew full well whom these three Hebrews worshiped. But would they break under pressure when bound and ready to be thrown into the furnace? Would they then bow to the State and become nationalistic? Would they try to serve two masters? Would they render to the State things that did not belong to the State?

⁴¹ These three men ‘did not become fearful of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.’ Rather, they were like true Christians today who really appreciate the fine example of the three Hebrews who were “in fear of him that can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.” (Matt. 10:28) They watched Nebuchadnezzar filled with fury and with his very expression changed toward them. The king commanded, ‘Throw them into the fiery furnace, now made seven times as hot.’ They were thrown into the furnace heated so hot that when the men who were commanded to throw the three Hebrews into the furnace did so they themselves were killed by the intense flames.

⁴² Then Nebuchadnezzar saw a frightening thing. He rose up in a hurry and said: “Was it not three able-bodied men that we threw bound into the midst of the fire?” Those with him said: “Yes, O king.” But Nebuchadnezzar in his excitement said: “Look! I am beholding four able-bodied men walking about free in the midst of the fire, and there is no hurt to them, and the appearance of the fourth one is resembling a son of the gods.” Then Nebuchadnezzar called out to the three men in the fire and told them to step out and come to him. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego stepped out from the midst of the fire. It was truly amazing. The fire had had no power over their bodies, not even a hair on their heads had been singed. Even their mantles had not been affected and the smell of fire itself had not come upon them! These men had gone through some experience and proved their faithfulness.—Dan. 3:24-27.

43. What, then, were Nebuchadnezzar’s next words, vindicating Jehovah’s power of deliverance?

⁴³ The experience shook Nebuchadnezzar, for he said: “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who sent his angel and rescued his servants that trusted in him and that changed the very word of the king and gave over their bodies, because they would not serve and would not worship any god at all except their own God. And from me an order is being put through, that any people, national group or language that says anything wrong against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego should be dismembered, and its house should be turned into a public privy; forasmuch as there does not exist another god that is able to deliver like this one.” (Dan. 3:28, 29) Do you today likewise believe that there “does not exist another god that is able to deliver like this one”?

Your Final Decision Being Forced Today

1. What observations are made on nationalism by Arnold Toynbee?

NATIONALISM today shows its authority too and can be very cruel to Christian worshipers of the true God Jehovah. The historian Arnold J. Toynbee, on page sixty-nine of his book Christianity Among the Religions of the World, said: “The collective power of Athens was worshipped by the Athenians in the form of the goddess Athena. . . . In the renaissance of Hellenism in the modern Western World in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, this Greek idolatrous attitude towards one’s own country, one’s own fatherland, was imported from the Ancient Greek past back into our modern Western life. Only, unlike the Greeks, we have flinched from openly admitting that we are practicing this form of idolatry; and consequently we are even more at the mercy of this idolatrous type of Nationalism than the Greeks were at the mercy of their more frankly avowed idolatrous worship of their local states.”

2, 3. (a) How were Jehovah’s witnesses in Germany treated for refusing to hell Hitler, and how is this borne out in the book entitled “My Story”? (b) How, as in the case of the three Hebrews, were these Christians offered a second chance to “bow down,” and with what results?

² Some persons may say, ‘Well, that is