Can't we all just get along?

Daniel 3:13-18 - Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, "Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up? Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?"

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."

Even though furious at being disobeyed, I can still imagine Nebuchadnezzar calmly saying, "C'mon, guys, you're some of the best I've got around here. Won't you do this for me just this once so I can let you off the hook?"

I wonder if he realized he was making himself a god -- greater than all gods -- when he asked, "Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?" If his hand was more powerful than any (other) god, that makes him top dog (er, god). Yeah, he probably knew what he was saying.

The young men's reply is one of my favorites in the whole Bible. Not to question the accuracy of the text, but I doubt they all recited the reply in unison. I hear it going something like this...

Shadrach, stepping forward: O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king.

Meshach, stepping up next to Shadrach: Yeah, but even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.

Abednego, nodding almost constantly till now, joins his friends: What they said!

One final nod in unison from all three.

Okay, too cliche, but I hope that's how it really happened.