Chapter Faev
Faith Bilong Olketa Hem Winim Strongfala Test
1. Wanem nao tingting bilong planti pipol abaotem wei for worshipim God and kantri bilong olketa?
WASWE, worship bilong iu mas go long God or long kantri wea iu stap? Planti pipol ansa, ‘Mi respectim tufala evriwan. Mi worshipim God followim wanem religion bilong mi talem; long semtaem, mi promis for loyal long kantri.’
2. Hao nao king bilong Babylon hem wanfala man bilong religion and politik tu?
2 Long distaem, strong for followim religion and love for kantri maet luk olsem tufala klosap semsem, bat long Babylon bifor tufala barava semsem nomoa. Yes, gavman and religion barava mix tugeta and samfala taem kamap wan. Professor Charles F. Pfeiffer raet olsem: “Long Babylon bifor, king hem serve olsem Hae Priest and ruler long gavman. Hem duim olketa sakrifaes and disaedem samting bilong religion for pipol wea stap anda long hem.”
3. Wanem nao showimaot Nebuchadnezzar hem wanfala man wea strong for followim religion?
3 Tingim King Nebuchadnezzar. Nem bilong hem minim “O Nebo, Protectim King!” Nebo hem god long Babylon bilong wisdom and agriculture. Nebuchadnezzar hem man wea strong for followim religion. Olsem iumi storyim finis, hem buildim and mekem olketa temple bilong planti god long Babylon luk naes, and hem strong for worshipim Marduk, wea hem sei mekem hem win long olketa faet.a Luk olsem Nebuchadnezzar barava depend long magic tu for planim olketa war.—Ezekiel 21:18-23.
4. Story abaotem feeling long saed bilong religion long Babylon.
4 Yes, feeling long saed bilong religion hem barava big tumas long Babylon. Datfala taon garem winim 50 temple, wea pipol worshipim planti difren god, insaed diswan trinity bilong Anu (god bilong skae), Enlil (god bilong earth, air, and big wind), and Ea (god bilong wata). Narafala trinity hem Sin (moon-god), Shamash (sun-god), and Ishtar (woman god bilong sex). Magic, wei for iusim demon paoa, and for studyim star garem bigfala part long worship long Babylon.
5. Wanem challenge nao olketa religion bilong Babylon mekem for olketa Jew prisoner?
5 Hem bigfala challenge for olketa Jew prisoner for stap midolwan long pipol wea worshipim planti god. Planti handred year bifor, Moses warnim olketa Israelite hao olketa bae kasem barava nogud samting sapos olketa chus for againstim Nambawan Man For Givim Law. Moses talem olketa: “Jehovah bae mekem iu and king wea iu chusim for rul ovarem iu for go long wanfala nation wea iu no savve long hem, iu or olketa laen dadi bilong iu; and long there iu mas servem narafala god, bilong timba and bilong stone.”—Deuteronomy 28:15, 36.
6. Why nao living long Babylon hem mekem spesol challenge kamap for Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah?
6 Olketa Jew barava insaed datfala problem nao. For stap faithful long Jehovah bae hem kamap hard for Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Olketa chusim fofala young Hebrew hia for kasem spesol training for waka long gavman. (Daniel 1:3-5) Tingim tu hao olketa givim nem bilong Babylon long olketa—Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—maet for mekem olketa followim niufala living wea olketa insaed.b Bigfala position bilong olketa man hia bae mekem eni wei for no want for worshipim olketa god bilong datfala kantri hem showaot klia tumas—and luk olsem againstim gavman tu.
WANFALA GOLD IMAGE MEKEM DANGER KAMAP
7. (a) Story abaotem image wea Nebuchadnezzar buildim. (b) Why nao olketa buildim datfala image?
7 From luk olsem hem want for strongim wan mind for rul bilong hem, Nebuchadnezzar putim wanfala gold image long level ples bilong Dura. Hae bilong datwan hem 60 cubit (27 meter) and waed bilong hem 6 cubit (2.7 meter).c Samfala sei datfala image hem wanfala post nomoa. Maet barava top part bilong hem garem wanfala big karving wea luk olsem man, wea maet stand for Nebuchadnezzar or datfala god Nebo. Nomata wanem, disfala barava maeti image hem stand for Rul Bilong Babylon. Hem wantem pipol for lukim and worshipim.—Daniel 3:1.
8. (a) Hu nao kam for spesol service for datfala image, and evriwan wea kam mas duim wanem? (b) Wanem nao panis for eniwan wea no want for baodaon front long datfala image?
8 So Nebuchadnezzar arrangem wanfala spesol service for diswan. Hem hipimap olketa satrap, prefect, governor, man for givim kaonsel, man for keepim selen, judge, police, and evri bigman bilong olketa distrik. Man for talemaot komand singaot olsem: “Disfala toktok hem for iufala, olketa pipol, nation and languis, long taem wea iufala herem saond bilong horn, pipe, zither, triangle harp, string instrument, bagpipe and evrikaen music instrument, iufala foldaon and worshipim gold image wea king Nebuchadnezzar hem putim. And eniwan wea no baodaon and worshipim long semtaem bae olketa torowem insaed long bigfala fire.”—Daniel 3:2-6.
9. Why nao maet Nebuchadnezzar laekem olketa for baodaon front long image wea hem putim?
9 Samfala sei Nebuchadnezzar arrangem service hia for trae forcem olketa Jew for lusim worship bilong olketa for Jehovah. Bat, maet diswan hem no tru, bikos luk olsem hem invaetem olketa bigman long gavman nomoa. So, olketa Jew wea waka long gavman nomoa bae go. Dastawe, luk olsem, wei for baodaon front long datfala image hem for strongim wan mind bilong sekson wea rul. Savveman John F. Walvoord hem sei: “Long wanfala saed wei for hipimap olketa bigman olsem hem showimaot paoa bilong rul bilong Nebuchadnezzar and long narasaed hem showimaot wei for luksavve long olketa god wea olketa tingse helpem olketa for win.”
OLKETA SERVANT BILONG JEHOVAH NO WILLING FOR MEKWE
10. Why nao hem isi for olketa wea no Jew for followim komand bilong Nebuchadnezzar?
10 Nomata olketa worshipim difren god, planti wea hipap front long image bilong Nebuchadnezzar bae nating hol bak for worshipim datwan. Wanfala savveman for studyim Bible hem sei: “Evriwan go ahed for worshipim olketa idol, and wei wea olketa worshipim wanfala god no stopem olketa for baodaon long narawan.” Hem sei moa: “Long tingting bilong pipol wea worshipim idol, planti god nao stap . . . so hem olraet for worshipim god bilong eni pipol or kantri.”
11. Why nao Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego no agree for baodaon front long datfala image?
11 Bat, for olketa Jew, diswan hem difren. God bilong olketa, Jehovah, givim disfala komand long olketa: “Iu mas no wakem for iuseleva wanfala image bilong eni samting long heven antap or long earth andanit or long wata andanit long earth. Iu mas no baodaon long olketa or servem olketa, bikos mi Jehovah, God bilong iu, mi nomoa God wea mas kasem worship.” (Exodus 20:4, 5) So, taem music hem start and olketa wea hipap start for baodaon front long datfala image, thrifala young Hebrew—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—go ahed for standap.—Daniel 3:7.
12. Samfala bilong Chaldea accusim thrifala Hebrew long wanem samting, and why nao olsem?
12 Wei wea thrifala Hebrew no agree for worshipim datfala image hem mekem samfala bilong Chaldea kros tumas. Stretawe, olketa go long king and “accusim olketa Jew.”d Olketa no laek for savve long reason for diswan. From olketa wantem thrifala Hebrew hia for kasem panis for no loyal and for go againstim king, olketa sei: “Samfala Jew stap wea iu markem for lukaftarem distrik bilong Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; olketa man hia nating respectim iu, O king, olketa no servem olketa god bilong iu, and datfala gold image wea iu wakem olketa no worshipim.”—Daniel 3:8-12.
13, 14. Hao nao Nebuchadnezzar ting long samting wea Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego disaedem?
13 Maet Nebuchadnezzar feel nogud tumas taem thrifala Hebrew hia no obeyim order bilong hem! Hem luksavve hao hem no win for tanem Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego for loyal long Rul Bilong Babylon. Waswe, hem no teachim olketa finis long wisdom bilong Chaldea? Tru nao, hem changem nem bilong olketa tu! Bat sapos Nebuchadnezzar tingse bigfala education bae teachim olketa wanfala niu wei bilong worship or wei for changem nem bilong olketa bae changem olketa, hem barava rong. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego go ahed for stap faithful olsem servant bilong Jehovah.
14 King Nebuchadnezzar kros for gud. Stretawe, hem kolem kam Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Hem ask olsem: “Waswe, hem really tru, O Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, iufala no servem olketa god bilong mi, and datfala gold image wea mi putim iufala no worshipim?” Iumi sure, Nebuchadnezzar hem talem toktok hia witim bigfala sapraes. From maet hem ting, ‘Hao nao thrifala man hia wea garem gudfala tingting no followim kliafala komand olsem—and komand wea, sapos man no obeyim, hem bae kasem barava strongfala panis?’—Daniel 3:13, 14.
15, 16. Wanem chance nao Nebuchadnezzar givim long thrifala Hebrew?
15 Nebuchadnezzar willing for givim narafala chance long thrifala Hebrew hia. “So sapos iufala redy,” hem sei, “mekem taem iufala herem saond bilong horn, pipe, zither, triangle harp, string instrument, and bagpipe and evrikaen music instrument, iufala baodaon and worshipim image wea mi wakem, hem gud. Bat sapos iufala no worshipim, long datfala semtaem bae olketa torowem iufala insaed long bigfala fire. And hu nao datfala god wea savve sevem iufala from hand bilong mi?”—Daniel 3:15.
16 Luk olsem, leson bilong image insaed long dream (wea stap long Daniel chapter 2) hem no affectim mind and heart bilong Nebuchadnezzar. Maet hem forgetim finis toktok bilong hem long Daniel: “God bilong iufala hem God bilong olketa god and Lord bilong olketa king.” (Daniel 2:47) Distaem luk olsem Nebuchadnezzar challengem Jehovah, taem hem sei Hem tu no savve sevem olketa Hebrew from panis wea olketa bae kasem.
17. Hao nao Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego ansarem samting wea king talem?
17 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego no need for tingting moa abaotem diswan. Stretawe olketa ansa: “O Nebuchadnezzar, mifala no need for talem eni samting long iu abaotem diswan. Sapos hem mas olsem, God bilong mifala wea mifala servem hem fit for sevem mifala. From bigfala fire and from hand bilong iu, O king, bae hem sevem mifala. Bat sapos nomoa, iu mas savve, O king, hao mifala no servem olketa god bilong iu, and mifala bae no worshipim gold image wea iu wakem.”—Daniel 3:16-18.
GO INSAED LONG BIGFALA FIRE!
18, 19. Wanem nao happen taem olketa torowem thrifala Hebrew insaed long bigfala fire?
18 From hem kros tumas, Nebuchadnezzar givim komand for olketa servant bilong hem mekem datfala fire kamap sevenfala taem moa hot. Then hem givim order long “samfala strongfala man” for taemapem Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and torowem olketa insaed long “bigfala fire.” Olketa followim order bilong king, taemapem thrifala Hebrew and torowem olketa insaed long fire, and olketa werem full kaleko—maet for mekem olketa burn kwiktaem. Bat, olketa man bilong Nebuchadnezzar nomoa dae from hot bilong fire.—Daniel 3:19-22.
19 Bat barava spesol samting hem happen. Nomata Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stap insaed long bigfala fire, datfala fire hem no burnim thrifala. Tingim sapraes bilong Nebuchadnezzar! Olketa man bilong hem taemapem strong thrifala hia and torowem olketa insaed long bigfala fire, bat olketa laef yet. Yes, olketa wakabaot free insaed long fire! Bat Nebuchadnezzar lukim narafala samting moa. “Waswe, thrifala man wea laef nao iumi taemapem and torowem insaed long fire?” hem askem olketa bigman bilong hem. “Yes, O king,” olketa ansa. “Lukim!” Nebuchadnezzar singaot, “Mi lukim fofala man wea laef wakabaot free insaed long fire, and olketa no garekil, and lukluk bilong mek-foa man hem olsem wanfala son bilong olketa god.”—Daniel 3:23-25.
20, 21. (a) Wanem nao Nebuchadnezzar lukim long Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego taem olketa kamaot from datfala fire? (b) Wanem nao Nebuchadnezzar mas luksavve long hem?
20 Nebuchadnezzar go klosap long datfala bigfala fire. “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, iufala servant bilong Most Hae God,” hem singaot, “kamaot long hia!” Thrifala Hebrew wakabaot kamaot from insaed long datfala fire. Iumi sure evriwan wea lukim disfala mirakol—olketa satrap, prefect, governor, and bigman—sapraes tumas. Tru nao, hem olsem thrifala young man hia nating go insaed long datfala fire! Olketa no smel olsem smoke bilong fire, and no eni hair long hed bilong olketa hem burn.—Daniel 3:26, 27.
21 So King Nebuchadnezzar mas luksavve nao long Jehovah olsem Most Hae God. Hem sei: “Blessim God bilong Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, wea sendem angel bilong hem and sevem olketa servant bilong hem wea trust long hem, and wea tanem toktok bilong king and givim go body bilong olketa, bikos olketa no want for servem and worshipim eni god bat God bilong olketa seleva nomoa.” Then, king talem disfala strongfala warning: “Mi givimaot wanfala order distaem, hao eni pipol, grup or languis wea talem eni rong samting againstim God bilong Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego bae olketa mas busarem olketa, and haos bilong olketa mas kamap olsem pablik toilet; bikos no eni god hem stap wea fit for sevem man olsem dis wan.” Long datfala taem, king hem hapi moa long thrifala Hebrew and mekem olketa “go ahed gud long distrik bilong Babylon.”—Daniel 3:28-30.
FAITH AND STRONGFALA TEST DISTAEM
22. Hao nao olketa servant bilong Jehovah distaem feisim olketa semkaen samting olsem Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego?
22 Distaem, olketa wea worshipim Jehovah feisim olketa semkaen samting olsem Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Hem tru, pipol bilong God no prisoner long really wei. Bat, Jesus sei olketa follower bilong hem bae “no part bilong world.” ( John 17:14) Olketa olsem “stranger” bikos olketa no followim kastom, tingting, and fasin wea againstim Bible, bilong pipol raonem olketa. Olsem aposol Paul raetem, olketa Christian mas “finis for followim disfala system.”—Romans 12:2.
23. Hao nao thrifala Hebrew hia showimaot fasin for stand strong, and hao nao olketa Christian distaem savve followim example bilong olketa?
23 Thrifala Hebrew hia nating willing for followim system bilong Babylon. Nomata olketa lanem wisdom bilong Chaldea, datwan no changem olketa. Position bilong olketa long saed bilong worship hem no savve change, and worship bilong olketa hem for Jehovah. Olketa Christian distaem need for stand strong olsem tu. Olketa no need for feel shame bikos olketa difren from pipol long world. Tru nao, “world hem redy for finis and evri samting wea hem wantem tu.” (1 John 2:17) So hem krangge samting and iusles for followim disfala system wea gogo for dae.
24. Hao nao samting wea olketa tru Christian feisim hem semsem witim samting wea thrifala Hebrew feisim?
24 Olketa Christian need for lukaot gud againstim evri difren kaen wei for worshipim idol, insaed diswan olketa wei wea no showaot klia.e (1 John 5:21) Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego obey and showimaot respect for standap front long datfala gold image, bat olketa luksavve wei for baodaon front long diswan hem moa samting winim respect. Hem wei for worship, and Jehovah bae kros tumas sapos olketa tekpart. (Deuteronomy 5:8-10) John F. Walvoord raet olsem: “Hem olsem wei for salutim flag, bat tu, from wei wea religion and nation join tugeta, hem maet join witim samting bilong religion.” Distaem, olketa trufala Christian stand strong long sem wei againstim wei for worshipim idol.
25. Wanem leson nao iu lanem from trufala laef story bilong Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego?
25 Story long Bible abaotem Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego givim nambawan leson for evriwan wea want for worshipim Jehovah nomoa. Aposol Paul hem tingim thrifala Hebrew hia taem hem story abaotem planti wea showimaot faith, olsem olketa wea “no dae long bigfala fire.” (Hebrews 11:33, 34) Jehovah bae givim reward long evriwan wea showimaot faith olsem. Hem sevem thrifala Hebrew from bigfala fire, bat iumi sure hem bae resurrectim evri loyal wan wea lusim laef bilong olketa olsem pipol wea keepim faithful fasin and bae hem blessim olketa witim laef olowe. Nomata wanem, Jehovah hem “gardim soul bilong olketa loyal wan bilong hem; hem sevem olketa from hand bilong olketa wicked pipol.”—Psalm 97:10.
[Olketa Footnote]
a Samfala sei Marduk, wea olketa sei hem startim Rul Bilong Babylon, hem stand for Nimrod wea kamap wanfala god. Bat, olketa kanduit sure long diswan.
b “Belteshazzar” hem minim “Protectim Laef Bilong King.” “Shadrach” maet minim “Komand Bilong Aku,” moon-god bilong Sumer. “Meshach” maet minim wanfala god bilong Sumer, and “Abednego” hem minim “Servant Bilong Nego,” or Nebo.
c From datfala image hem big tumas, samfala savveman for studyim Bible tingse olketa buildim from timba and then kavarem witim gold.
d Aramaic toktok wea olketa transleitim “accusim” hem minim for ‘kaikaim olketa pisis’ bilong wanfala man—for kaikaim hem, thru long wei for tok laea againstim hem.
e Wanfala example, Bible joinim wei for ova tumas long kaikai and drink and fasin for kavet witim wei for worshipim idol.—Philippians 3:18, 19; Colossians 3:5.
WANEM NAO IU LANEM?
• Why nao Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego no agree for baodaon front long image wea Nebuchadnezzar putim?
• Hao nao Nebuchadnezzar ting long samting wea thrifala Hebrew disaedem?
• Hao nao Jehovah givim reward long thrifala Hebrew for faith bilong olketa?
• Wanem nao iu lanem taem iu ting strong long trufala laef story bilong Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego?
[Full-page piksa long page 68]
[Olketa piksa long page 70]
1. Temple taoa (ziggurat) long Babylon
2. Temple bilong Marduk
3. Bronze piksa wea showim tufala god Marduk (long left saed) and Nebo (long raet saed) stand antap long dragon
4. Piksa bilong Nebuchadnezzar, wea savve tumas for duim building waka
[Full-page piksa long page 76]
[Full-page piksa long page 78]