The most famous instances of civil disobedience are found in the Book of Daniel. Whilst it is tempting to jump to Daniel 6, let’s take a quick look at Shadrach, Mishach and Abednego first! Their story is found in Daniel 3.
But let’s put it in context. It is remarkable how far these three young men go in their recognition of the authority of Babylon. They are deeply enmeshed in administering an idolatrous, imperialistic, and frequently cruel kingdom. And while they have been invovled in challenging the rules and norms before (Dan.1) it has always been within the limits of the law. They have earned the respect of those who oversee their roles within the civil service, and are already on the fast track in terms of promotion.
It is also worth acknowledging that their uncompromising faithfulness to their God has made them some enemies. That much seems clear from the wider book of Daniel, and I don’t think we’d be reading too much into the story if we imagine a certain glee in the tone of the astrologers who seem to take too much delight in coming forward to denounce the Jews (3:8-12). Notice too how complex the situation is. There are religious elements, in that they are being asked to bow down before ‘an image of gold’ (3:1). Nebuchadnezzar has instituted a kind of national religion that is based around his own defiance of the Living God. According to the dream of Dan.2 the eternal kingdom will be that of Christ, the Rock cut out from the mountain of the Lord (2:45). Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom is a temporary phenomena, represented by the golden head, that gives way to the Persian empire of silver (2:32 & 36-38). But in Ch.3 Nebuchadnezzar sets up a statue of his own - made of gold in its entirity. The message is clear: ‘I am lord of history - it is my kingdom that will last through the ages’. And so the religious elements are intertwined with political and nationalistic elements. And there are personal and relational aspects too: Nebuchadnezzar’s anger at what he takes to be a personal challenge (3:13-15); and of course the professional rivalry and jealousy of the astrologers.
We can barely imagine the pressure they felt as they stood on the plain of Dura. When you read of the immense multi-sensory dynamics, calculated to inspire awe and compliance; when you think of the furnace; the whispering voices that must have told them that this wasn’t the place to make their stand… it was just an empty political act of no real significance… just go along with it all, no-one will read anything into it… you’ve already assimilated so much, one more step won’t matter.
But it does. And they know it… and so when the music played, and everyone else ‘fell down and worshipped the image of gold’ (3:7), three lonely figures remained standing on that vast plain. The simple fact that Nebuchadnezzar had been established by God did not make him God. The Lord has also established limitations. And so they stood. They didn’t instigate the situation they found themselves in. They weren’t looking for martyrdom, or even to make a statement. But they found themselves forced to make one nonetheless. We’ll see in a later study that civil disobedience doesn’t have to be a public spectacle, but in some cases, it’s hard to hide.
And they do it self-consciously because of what they believe about the Lord. The know the God they serve. He is living and active. He is able to save them from retribution, but whether He does or not, whether they live or die in the next moments, they are resolved to serve that God with integrity and faithfulness: ‘we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up’ (3:18). They anticipate the example of Jesus, who ‘did not retaliate …[who] made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly’ (I Pet.2:23). There is a sublime confidence that shapes their disobedience, and their capacity to face the state’s sanctions. This is an important aspect to consider. We’ll see in the thinking of Martin Luther King for example, that accepting the penalty for disobedience is how we continue to acknowledge the authority of government even while compelled to disobey it.
They stand firm in the face of personal anger (3:13 & 19). They are not experiencing the cool, dispassionate process of due legal proceedings. And their resolve does not waver, even as those who are carrying them to the furnace are consumed. There was no intimation that Christ would miraculously save them. Yet, save them He does. So completely that there is not even a smell of smoke on their Babylonian clothes. The point of the story is not to suggest that Jesus will always turn up to save His people. Passages such as Heb.11:37f, or Rev.6:9f, or Acts 7:55f, all teach otherwise. He is always with us in our trials, but at times to sustain and at times to save.
Our point as we draw this article to a close is simply to notice first that God’s people are at times required to disobey earthly rulers, and secondly to recognise that to do so in a godly way requires a clear vision of the power of the God we serve. It is our knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness (Titus 1:1). But also to appreciate the evangelistic power of refusing to compromise. This is a key moment that leads to the conversion of Nebuchadnezzar. We can be so worried about whether our civil disobedience would be a bad witness, that we can forget that in the economy of God, it might actually prove to be a good witness. If nothing else it demonstrates to the world that we have something worth sacrificing for… something we value so highly we will not betray it, even if it means suffering or death. Or better, Someone…