Gathered to the Dedication of the Image - Daniel 3:3

In the book of Daniel, Daniel shared how, “Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the princes, the governors, and the captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counselors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up”, and in chapter three and verse three of his book Daniel shared how the leaders were, “gathered together unto the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up” where we read,

Then the princes, the governors, and captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counselors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, were gathered together unto the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

The verse reads, “Then the princes, the governors, and captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counselors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, ...” Daniel began with the words, “then the princes” or “at that time the satraps and leaders”, “the governors” which means “the prefects”, “and captains” or “and chiefs”, “the judges” which refers to “the diviners or astrologers” ,“the treasurers” or “the ones overseeing the treasures”, “the counselors” which refers to “the lawyers or interpreters of the law”, “the sheriffs” or “the judicial magistrates”, “and all the rulers” which refers to “and each, every, the whole and every one of the lords or officials” “of the provinces” or “belonging to the regions and districts”. Daniel shared how all the leaders within the land of Babylon did the following. 

The verse goes on to say, “... were gathered together unto the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.” Daniel continued with the words, “were gathered together” which means “were collected together and assembled” “unto the dedication” or “to the consecration” “of the image” which means “pertaining to the idolatrous figure of gold” “that Nebuchadnezzar the king” or “that Nebuchadnezzar whose name means 'may Nebo protect the crown' and was the royal ruler of Babylon” “had set up”which means “erected, stood and established”; “and they stood” or “and they, the leaders and officials in Babylon, came on the scene and arose” “before the image” which means “in front and in the presence of the idolatrous figure of gold” “that Nebuchadnezzar” or “that Nebuchadnezzar whose name means 'may Nebo protect the crown' and was the royal ruler of Babylon” “had set up” which means “erected, stood and established”. Daniel said all the leadership in Babylon assembled in obedience to King Nebuchadnezzar's command to attend the consecration of the idolatrous figure that was erected by him.

When we meditate upon the words in this verse, we learn through Daniel how the leaders and officials in Babylon obeyed the message from King Nebuchadnezzar. They gathered together, came on the scene and arose in the presence of the idolatrous figure of gold that Nebuchadnezzar made. We shall see more to this story in our next verses, but for now let us imagine a leader with such power as King Nebuchadnezzar to assemble every one of his leaders to come to the dedication of his idol. God alone deserves our worship, and God alone sent His Only Begotten Son Jesus into the world to die on the cross for the sins of all mankind. God raised Him from the dead after three days, and when we yield our lives to Him, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and teach us the value of worshiping Him and Him alone and not allowing any other idols into our lives. (See 1 Thessalonians 1:9) 

Next time Daniel shared how a “herald cried aloud”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".