Ezekiel 32:1-33:20 | Daniel 3

The Lord speaks through Ezekiel against the king of Egypt in the year following the capture of Zedekiah, and during the time when the last ones in Israel had fled to Egypt (against God’s commands). Nebuchadnezzar will come against Pharaoh, and not only Egypt will fall, but many other nations will also be destroyed, as the Lord prophesied through Ezekiel. God also speaks to Ezekiel, reiterating His responsibility to speak the word of God, as He did in chapter 3.

In Daniel chapter 2, God had given Nebuchadnezzar a dream, which Daniel interpreted, where the king of Babylon was represented as the golden head of a statue, with arms and chest of silver, torso of bronze, legs of iron, and feet of iron mixed with clay. However, here in chapter 3 Nebuchadnezzar sees himself as much grander that what he saw in the previous chapter, and he sets up a huge statue of himself, made of gold, and standing some 90 feet tall. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refuse to bow down to this statue, and are thrown into the burning furnace, but Jesus appears with them in the fire, and they are not harmed. Nebuchadnezzar is greatly impressed by God’s protection of them, and they continue to prosper as his administrators following this event. They demonstrate great faith in God, and are willing to accept the consequences of their decision (not to bow), regardless of whether God will save them or not.