This clay cylinder is 1 of 3 cylinders found in the ruins of ancient Babylon. The cylinder describes Nebuchadnezzar's royal palace in Babylon. He actually built 3 palaces and his summer palace was on the Euphrates River. The Nebuchadnezzar II Clay Cylinder is an important discovery in Biblical Archaeology, it mentions Nebuchadnezzar by name and confirms the Biblical account of Nebuchadnezzar's palace. Daniel 4.
Daniel 3: 14 - 20, 91 - 92, 95
14 King Nebuchadnezzar questioned them: "Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you will not serve my god, or worship the golden statue that I set up?
15 Be ready now to fall down and worship the statue I had made, whenever you hear the sound of the trumpet, flute, lyre, harp, psaltery, bagpipe, and all the other musical instruments; otherwise, you shall be instantly cast into the white-hot furnace; and who is the God that can deliver you out of my hands?"
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered King Nebuchadnezzar, "There is no need for us to defend ourselves before you in this matter.
17 If our God, whom we serve, can save us from the white-hot furnace and from your hands, O king, may he save us!
18 But even if he will not, know, O king, that we will not serve your god or worship the golden statue which you set up."
19 Nebuchadnezzar's face became livid with utter rage against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace to be heated seven times more than usual 20 and had some of the strongest men in his army bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and cast them into the white-hot furnace.
91 King Nebuchadnezzar rose in haste and asked his nobles, "Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?" "Assuredly, O king," they answered.
92 "But," he replied, "I see four men unfettered and unhurt, walking in the fire, and the fourth looks like a son of God."
95 Nebuchadnezzar exclaimed, "Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who sent his angel to deliver the servants that trusted in him; they disobeyed the royal command and yielded their bodies rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.
If I was about to be thrown into a white-hot furnace, I would start explaining. I just know I would. I have never been chosen to represent God’s chosen people. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego have their troubles, if they explain about Jehovah being a jealous God, the king isn’t going to be pleased with Daniel’s friends. But Nebuchadnezzar has large troubles of his own, he dismantled the temple, Jerusalem and God’s chosen people. And Nebuchadnezzar is basking in his own glory of being the conquering destroyer. Nebuchadnezzar is sitting on a land mine - Nebuchadnezzar isn’t a typical tyrant, he has misunderstood Daniel to proclaim Nebuchadnezzar’s reign as golden.
Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 2:31
"You looked, O king, and there before you stood a large statue—an enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance. 32 The head of the statue was made of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, 33 its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay.
Daniel completes God’s message to Nebuchadnezzar by saying: Daniel 2:36
"This was the dream, and now we will interpret it to the king. 37 You, O king, are the king of kings. The God of heaven has given you dominion and power and might and glory; 38 in your hands he has placed mankind and the beasts of the field and the birds of the air. Wherever they live, he has made you ruler over them all. You are that head of gold.
Nebuchadnezzar captured Jerusalem (circa 597 BC) and deposed King Jehoiakim, then (in c. 587 BC), destroyed both the city, the temple, and deported a sizable portion of the Jewish population of Judea to Babylon as slaves. Jeremiah repeatedly told God’s chosen people to turn back to Him. Nebuchadnezzar does not see himself as fitting into God’s plans, but setting forth a blazing path of glory for himself.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego see clearly Nebuchadnezzar has heard from the Lord, but the message has been bent to be self-love. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego leave it up to God to defend His word.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered King Nebuchadnezzar, "There is no need for us to defend ourselves before you in this matter.
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