SUMMARY
The final verses of DanielAn interpreter of dreams who was delivered from the lions' den. 3 focus almost exclusively on the actions of the king. True to form, the king acts in dramatic, even over-the-top, ways that betray the author’s attempt to present him in unflattering ways. Astonished by the fact that a fourth man appears in the fire, gleaming like gold, the king orders them out of the furnace only to discover that the fire—a proxy for the king’s overflowing rage—has left them untouched. NebuchadnezzarBabylonian king who conquered Jerusalem, destroyed the Temple, and exiled the people. is not as powerful as he thought. And he acknowledges as much when he celebrates their acts of “civil disobedience” and worships the God of the Israelites (v. 28).
ANALYSIS
Daniel 3 is one of the most dramatic and comedic stories in the entire book. Typical of tyrants, the king is unable to control his fits of anger and his wild swings of emotion. The three youths, on the other hand, are full of faith and defiance. While the king initially despises them for this, he ultimately ends up praising their resolve and resistance to his orders.
The image of a fourth divine figure walking amidst the flames with the three youths is striking indeed. It is no wonder that Nebuchadnezzar is astounded by what his eyes see. The God we encounter in Daniel 3 is the kind of God who preserves people by meeting them in the very midst of their suffering.
