2006-11-11 - Daniel

Installment 27

Verses 4-7: This is the establishment of a state religion. Everyone who was present, when they heard the sounding of the "state band," were to bow down and worship the idol.

"Daniel 3 records a solemn gathering of Nebuchadnezzar's royal officials from throughout his empire. The royal musicians were assembled to promote the awesomeness of the occasion and to provide direction on when the officials were to bow down to express their loyalty and devotion. The orchestra was composed of representative instruments and was not confined to those from Babylon. The presence of instruments with Greek names added to the international flavor of the event. While the exact identification of the instruments remains difficult, this article proposes the following listing: horn, double-reed pipe, lyre, harp, dulcimer, and drum. These instruments all sounded a note of praise to the glory of Nebuchadnezzar and the might of his Babylonian Empire." ⁴

And the cost of disobedience was high. It was death. And in anticipation that there might be some rebellion, or maybe just to discourage it, there was the instrument of execution, a blazing furnace. Not surprisingly, everyone's head hit the ground. No one wanted to get fried over what they were or weren't worshiping.

⁴ Dyer, Charles H., "The Musical Instruments in Daniel 3," Bibliotheca Sacra, Volume 147, Number 588, Dallas Theological Seminary, Dallas, TX, October 1990, p. 427.

To be continued.

Comments or Questions?
Geoff

GKragen@aol.com
http://www.cfdevotionals.org