King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, sixty cubits high and six cubits wide, and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon» (Daniel 3:1).
Golden images—a fairly common sight in long-ago Babylon—are also a fairly common sight in Japan today. While no one gets thrown into a fiery furnace for not bowing down to them (a welcome fact that has saved more than one student missionary’s neck), these great likenesses still demand respect and homage from those who believe in their supposed power.
Several such images resided in the lovely city of Kyoto, not far from our home in Kobe. These large, rather well-fed-looking «Buddhas» sat solemnly in tall wooden buildings surrounded by tinkling bells and white-robed monks. The faithful would come each day, stand before the lifeless statues, clap their hands together, and bow in prayer, asking for health, prosperity, and guidance. The images sat and stared down at the visitors with lifeless eyes, just as they had for centuries.
Student missionaries in every part of the world know that their first job is to shift the gaze of their friends and students from the lifeless faces of such creations. A favorite song, one that we sang often, contained an invitation for everyone to turn their eyes upon Jesus and look full in His wonderful face. Only one God has real power.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego understood that God wasn’t in Nebuchadnezzar’s image, and they were willing to face the punishment for refusing to bow down to it. Imagine their surprise when they found God in the fire!