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The noble stand of Daniel and his fellows is the more remarkable, and shows the
wonder of the grace of God, when we remember that they were eunuchs. This
maltreatment had been foretold by Isaiah:--
"Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have
laid up in store until this day, shall be carried to Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the
Lord. And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take
away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon" (Isa. 39: 6, 7).
This chapter closes the first half of Isaiah, and indicates the period of Gentile
dominion before the cry of restoration is sounded, with which Isa. 40: opens.
Worship or fire.
As a perverted result of the dream and interpretation of Dan. 2:, Nebuchadnezzar
proceeds to establish emperor-worship and state idolatry. The image of gold that he set
up in the plain of Dura may or may not have been the figure of a man; we are not told.
But when we know something of the obscenity of paganism, and read the hints given in
Ezek. 16: 17; 23: 14 and 7: 20, we can be fairly certain of the character of this
abomination. While it does not seem necessary or fitting to enlarge upon this awful
subject here, the reader will find much food for solemn thought in the 42nd appendix to
The Companion Bible, which would suggest that Dan. 1: and 3:, taken together, are
associated with the devilish doctrine of Jezebel, "fornication and eating things sacrificed
to idols".
Something of the symbolic meaning of the image is indicated in its dimensions. Its
height was 60 cubits, its breadth was 6 cubits, and its worship was accompanied by music
played upon six different kinds of instruments, all of which are specified in Dan. 3: 5,
10 and 15. At the opening of Gentile times, therefore, we meet with the significant
numbers 60 and 6.
The same is true of the opening of Israel's kingdom. Goliath of Gath is described in
I Sam. 17: 4-7. His height was 6 cubits and a span, his armour was made up of 6 pieces,
namely, helmet, coat, greaves, target, spear and shield, the weight of the spear's head
being 600 shekels of iron.
Later we are to learn that the great image representing Gentile dominion is to be
destroyed by the impact of a stone (Dan. 2: 34), a fact which removes all need for
speculation as to why David, Israel's king, decided to go out against Goliath with sling
and stone, or why God used that one smooth stone to bring down the enemy of His
people. David was but foreshadowing what Daniel was to interpret.
Who can read the words of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, in their reply to the
king, without feeling impelled to pray for like precious faith?
"O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so,
our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He
will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king,