Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made, well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that god that shall deliver you out of my hands?
Nebuchadnezzar offers them grace if they obey now, but make no mistake: he is showing them the door to mercy only so they may see clearly what they refuse when they reject it.
AI summary
The king's boast that no god can deliver from the furnace is not quite the blasphemy of Sennacherib; he does not exalt his gods above the God of Israel, only claims that fire is beyond divine reach. But that too is a grave error.
AI summary
Those Chaldeans who accused them bore a grudge, likely because Daniel and his companions had eclipsed them; they requited good with evil for the very prayers that saved their lives. Envy is a bitter master and stands before nothing. Yet Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego would not hide away; they stood in office and bore public testimony against gross idolatry, though it cost them everything.
AI summary
Commenting on Daniel 3:8-18