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” and “then an herald cried aloud, to you it is commanded” the people to worship it, and “certain Chaldeans came near, and accused the Jews. They spoke and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live for ever”, and in Daniel chapter three and verse ten of his book Daniel shared how the accusers told King Nebuchadnezzar, “you, O king, have made a decree”, where we read,
You, O king, have made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music, shall fall down and worship the golden image:
The verse reads, “You, O king, have made a decree, ...” Daniel began with the words, “you, O king” or “you, Nebuchadnezzar, O royal ruler and leader”, “have made a decree” which means “set, fashioned and appointed a judgment, discretion and command”. Daniel shared how the “Chaldean accusers” referred the command that the royal ruler “Nebuchadnezzar” gave.
The verse continues, “... that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music, shall fall down and worship the golden image:” Daniel added the words, “that every man” which means “that each, all and everyone of the people” “that shall hear the sound” or “who will perceive, discern, discover and distinguish the noise” “of the cornet” which means “belonging to the horn”, “flute” or “the musical pipe named from it's whistling sound”, “harp” which refers to “a musical instrument like a lyre or zither”, “sackbut” or “a triangular musical instrument with four strings which was also known as a trigon and was similar to a lyre”, “psaltery”which refers to “a stringed triangular instrument like a lyre or harp”, “and dulcimer” or “and a musical wind instrument such as a double pipe, panpipe or bagpipe”, “and all kinds of music” which means “and every types of instrumental music”, “shall fall down and worship” or “will bow down and prostrate themselves and give homage to” “the golden image” which means “the idolatrous figure made of gold”. Daniel shared how the “Chaldean accusers” referred to how King Nebuchadnezzar gave a command that all the people were to bow down and give homage to the golden “image” he erected when they “heard” all types of musical instruments playing.
When we think through the words in this verse, we learn through Daniel how the “accusers” from Chaldea reminded King Nebuchadnezzar of the order he gave to the people to prostrate themselves before his golden idol and give it adoration. We can imagine what they had in mind as they desired to bring accusations against the Jewish people. God knew the people of Israel would have those who are against them, and yet, He chose Israel to be the people through whom His Son Jesus would come to be the “Savior” of the world. When Jesus died on the cross for the sins of all mankind and was raised from the dead after three days, He made the way through belief and trust in Him as our “Savior and Lord” to be forgiven of our sins, granted everlasting life and equipped with His Holy Spirit to be guided into the truth and empower to live in a manner that is pleasing to Him for all our lives. (See John 16:13; Acts 1:8)
Next time Daniel shares how the accusers remind King Nebuchadnezzar that he said, “whoso falls not down and worships, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace”, 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".
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