The Babylonian Quartet

“We should do everything possible to stay away from the plain of Dura and avoid contact with the king and his inner circle as preparations near completion. The best scenario would be that the entire ceremony goes on without us receiving an official notification. There’ll be plenty of people there. The king will be in his moment. He’ll be surrounded by dignitaries, so it’s unlikely that he’d notice our absence,” I added. “But the real question is what we will do if we are notified. If we cannot avoid the invitation, what are our options?”

Everyone went silent for a few moments. Then Hananiah said, “Do you really think it would be such a big deal.” Mishael and I looked at him without comprehension, so he continued. “I completely agree with Azariah that the best thing for us to do is keep our heads down. What we want is to be able to avoid the summons and stay out of harm’s way. We can all agree to that, but let’s assume the invitation finds us. If everyone is required to bow down to this horrible idol on pain of death, do you really think that we should risk offending the king by obstinately defying his order? The idol is insentient, as we all understand, and the obeisance is just a onetime event. Would bowing the knee in response to an official declaration really affect our devotion to Adonai? Will that one show of obeisance undo our faithfulness?” Again, there was silence.

This time I broke the silence. “Yes.” Then I paused before continuing, “Yes, I think it would be a big deal to show obeisance to that monstrosity—even once. Though I hope to avoid the conflict and have no desire to infuriate the king, I can’t and won’t bow down to that idol even if we’re forced to attend the ceremony. I will not presume to answer for the two of you. You must settle the question in your own hearts, but I think of my father facing the battle against the Chaldeans. Our nation was in trouble because King Jehoiakim foolishly withheld the tribute from Nebuchadnezzar. Abba seemed to understand, even then, that he would be the one sent to delay the Chaldeans’ charge. He knew that he was likely to die defending our land. He did what he had to as unto the Lord because he knew it was the right thing to do. In his last words to me, he urged me to be a man of faith and courage. When I consider the situation that Abba faced, I believe that he would have avoided the battle if he could do do by any legitimate means; if he could’ve by-passed the fight without impugning his faith and courage.”

“In the same vein, I think we’re right to seek to avoid a showdown with Nebuchadnezzar. I’ll take any steps I can to avoid the invitation from the king, but if I’m forced to go to the plain of Dura, I cannot bow my knees before that hideous idol. If my father could face death while seeking to right the errors of a foolish king, I must do my duty, even if it comes because of an arrogant king’s ego. I’ll refuse to bow. I will stand my ground and bear whatever consequences Nebuchadnezzar brings upon me. In truth, I feel that I cannot choose otherwise.” Initially my friends just stared at me, as though trying to comprehend my true meaning.

Quietly but firmly, Mishael said, “Of course, you’re right. Though I wish I could find fault with your logic, you’ve made the issue a matter of faith and honor. Viewed from that perspective, I have to agree with your conclusion. If we can legitimately avoid the invitation and stay away from the plain of Dura, it’s the appropriate thing for us to do, but if the king forces a standoff, I’m with you, Azariah. I can’t and won’t bow down to that monstrosity.”

“Then it’s settled,” replied Hananiah. “If we can avoid trouble, we will, but if the king forces us to either bow down to his idol or die, we stand together and accept the consequences. God protected us before when Nebuchadnezzar was going to kill all the educated men in Babylon. He revealed the king’s dream to Daniel in a miraculous way. Perhaps God will intervene for us again, even at the last moment. But whether he does or not, we stand firm in our faith. We won’t be intimidated by the king. We won’t show obeisance to the false god.”

The discussion that evening was the most critical event in each of our lives. Our subsequent obedience flowed out of that discussion and the vows that we made to God and one another. Our leader was not with us in person, but we all knew how he would have responded. A solemn bond was formed that night. Nothing more was said. Nothing more was needed.

After coming to our joint resolution, we all wanted to reduce the tension and engage in some lighter conversation, but the mood was too heavy, somber, intense for banter. We had no desire to dwell on the forthcoming conflict or discuss the matter any further. We had come to our joint resolution. The atmosphere was too charged for any other discussion, so we remained silent. We had come to our decision before the Lord and one another. Each of us knew that he would abide by his decision and that his companions would stand with him. Though we would diligently seek to avoid the contact that would make attending the ceremony mandatory, I think we all knew that our Chaldean colleagues would make sure that the summons reached us. In the depth of our souls, we all understood that we were going to have the opportunity to make our professions good.