God’s Word for You

Daniel 3:7-12 The certain Jews

by Pastor Timothy Smith on Tuesday, September 23, 2025

7 So as soon as they heard the sound of the horn, the flute, the lyre, the harp, the little harp, the drum, and all kinds of other musical instruments, all the peoples, the nations, and people of every language fell down and worshiped the golden statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 8 It was at that time that certain Chaldeans approached the king, and maliciously accused the Jews. 9 They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live forever! 10 You, O King, have made a decree that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, the flute, the lyre, the harp, the little harp, the drum, and all kinds of other musical instruments shall fall down and worship the golden statue, 11 and that whoever does not fall down to worship will be thrown into the blazing fiery furnace. 12 There are certain Jews whom you appointed over the administration of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. O King, these men do not pay attention to you. They do not serve your gods, nor worship the golden statue which you have set up.

In verse 8 we have a serious question of translation, for the word casdim in Aramaic can mean either “Chaldean,” a member of the Chaldean or most ancient Babylonian race, or it can mean “astrologer.” I agree with Keil here that since it is set over against “Jews” in verse 8, it is surely the people, the Chaldeans, and not the astrologers, who are meant. Besides the context of the verse, there is the context of the sphere of influence. It would be more understandable if astrologers were out to get Daniel, since he was elevated to be chief of the wise men. But Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were placed in the position of authority over the province of Babylon—the place where the Chaldeans lived.

“There are certain Jews,” they said. They were not out to destroy the whole nation, as Haman would be in the book of Esther, but only out to destroy these three young men. Haman’s rage was over jealousy for Mordecai which boiled over into race-hatred (Esther 3:1). But there are other forms of jealousy.

There is jealousy between rival lovers or wives, as we see between Rachel and Leah (Genesis 30:1) or between Hannah and her rival wife (1 Samuel 1:6-7). This shows the wisdom of God in proclaiming the Sixth Commandment to protect marriage (Exodus 20:14).

There is jealousy between siblings over family status, especially when one brother or sister is loved more than another (Genesis 37:11). This shows the wisdom of God in proclaiming the Eighth Commandment (Exodus 20:16), protecting one’s name and reputation, and the Fourth Commandment, warning parents to live up to their God-given office and to treat their children fairly (Exodus 20:12).

There is jealousy over social position or places of honor, which Jesus warns about in the Parable of the Place at the Wedding Feast (Luke 14:7-11). He teaches us all: “Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 14:11).

There is jealousy over wealth, which we learn about in the account of Naboth’s vineyard (1 Kings 21:1-4) and which shows the wisdom of God in proclaiming the Ninth Commandment (Exodus 20:17a).

There is even a jealousy someone can have for another person’s workers or servants, or even for his animals, which God teaches various ways in the law (Exodus 22:1) and which shows God’s wisdom in proclaiming the Tenth Commandment (Exodus 20:17b). God even commands us to love our neighbor and to set aside personal feelings or desires by returning our enemy’s lost donkey (Exodus 23:4) or helping our enemy if his animal has fallen under its load (Exodus 23:5), for even when he see to the needs of an animal, a believer shows his righteousness (Proverbs 12:10).

And then there is jealousy over status or government position. This must be what these Chaldeans were feeling for the Jewish administrators who were over them. They were looking for a way to dispose of them, and the King handed them a convenient excuse on a platter with his command for everyone to bow down and worship his tall, golden statue.

In verse 12, the Chaldeans outline the supposed rebellion of Shadrach and the others by laying out a carefully planned argument in three parts: (1) First, “These men do not pay attention to you.” This slander suggests that they were ignoring all of the king’s commands, and were only in their positions to further their own ends and to line their pockets. (2) Second, “They do not serve your gods.” This was probably fairly well-known, as such a distinction would have been known about almost anyone who was from another country. Even in a country filled with polytheists, there were bound to be plenty of people who didn’t know anything about the local Babylonian gods like Bel-Marduk. There would be distant Greeks or Macedonians who, like Homer, prayed to Zeus and Apollo. There would be Moabites who prayed to Chemosh. There might even be a few Philistines who were captive by the rivers of Babylon who prayed to their fish-god Dagon. And so naturally there were Jews who prayed to the LORD. But this point merely reinforced the truth, and made the first and third points stand out with greater emphasis. And so (3) Third, “They did not worship the golden statue which you have set up.” This was the point that would confuse a polytheist, just as Roman Catholics are confused when we refuse to say prayers to St. Mary or to St. Carlo, the newest in their pantheon of saints. Prayer is a form of worship, and worship should be given to our Triune God alone, as Jesus rebuked the devil: “It is written: ‘Worship the LORD your God, and serve him only’” (Matthew 4:10).

More than this, to worship another god alongside the true God, or even to revere someone as being worthy of worship but beneath the LORD God, is forbidden. As Moses says: “You must not worship the LORD your God in the way of the other nations, because in worshiping their gods, they do all kinds of detestable things the LORD hates” (Deuteronomy 12:31).

So Jesus speaks directly to us about all of this. He knows, in his omniscience, about everything that we go through; all of the temptations we face (for he was tempted as we are, in every way, yet he was without sin—Hebrews 4:15). And he tells us: “All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved” (Mark 13:13). Therefore we worship him, approaching his throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith

 

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